The Beast Within

A King's Game: Chapter Eighteen

"Made a mistake, did we? Slipped and upset the king, eh?" Odd Gran cackled. "You should have known better than to cross his path after what happened to the prince. You should have been invisible for the next year, at least."

I went to the door and pounded my fists against it, but made no progress in breaking through. I could not shatter the wood.

Not as a boy.

Freedom, I told the wolf. Get us out of this castle.

The wolf was happy to oblige—

But as the transformation came upon me, a chain was looped around my neck. With a hard yank, Odd Gran tugged me to the ground. Still caught between human and animal, I craned my neck up to look at my captor.

"Think you'd be allowed to simply walk out of my dungeon? You heard the king: Your days are mine."

With shocking strength, no doubt influenced by magic, Odd Gran pulled the chain across the dungeon, leading me by a leash to the corner with an iron ring in the floor. It was the same corner where I changed previously, where I had bitten the whelp, and where I watched the servant girl take her last breath. Once there, the crone threaded the chain through the ring to tether me.

"Is this what got you in trouble?" Odd Gran said and I realized her eye was on the vial around my neck. She took the necklace and dangled it in front of her good eye. "Might be something I can use in my potions."

When the transformation was complete, the woman had to move swiftly to escape snapping jaws and swiping claws. The wolf howled in anger, but Odd Gran was not afraid. She clucked her tongue before returning to her alchemy table.

"Complain all night," she said with a smug grin, "it'll do you as good as it does the other beast."

Confusion rolled through the wolf. It turned to the corner, and only then realized it was not alone.

How had either of us missed it?

Bound by its own leash, huddled against the wall with its tail between its legs and its head hung low, was a brown wolf, similar in size, but plump around its belly.

The whelp.

It made no effort to catch my attention and kept its eyes cast to the floor. My wolf and I noticed it was missing one of its front paws, and the stump that was left had been bound in bandages that were soaked with red.

Instantly curious, my wolf went to the other.

You. Same, my wolf said as it sniffed the bandaged paw. What do to you?

The brown wolf raised its head and revealed it was also missing an eye, a wound eerily identical to the one in Odd Gran's head. It huffed in jovial greeting.

Lady needs us for medicine, it said. She save whole world with our help. It lifted its wounded paw. Took foots to learn how long it comes back. Took eye for same.

It pulled back its lips to smile, but looked more snarling than friendly. It was just as affable as its human counterpart, and I wondered if I shared similar traits with my own beast.

She hurt you, my wolf said.

Little. But she gives treats after.

Hate her.

Not mean. Takes sometimes.

Cut pieces! Kill you!

The brown wolf snorted. Never kill. She likes us. We good behaved. We get pets and treats and nice words when she not taking. She is good friend, and now she has you. She'll take less from us. We don't mind sharing treats.