The Cursed Wolf’s Love

Adolphus looked at the human bodies recovered and saw the strange marks around their necks and chests.

“Black magic has been used,” Radulf stated. Adolphus covered the face of the last body using the white sheet and turned around.

“Look for the witch,” Adolphus ordered the Head of the Hunters, Alex Hunter. “Search every corner of the village, every house, every person. Make sure no more lives should be taken away,” he commanded Alex.

“Your Grace, it is tough to locate the witch. We need to empty the village,” Alex asserted.

“Put a bait,” Adolphus said.

Radulf looked at Adolphus with inquisitiveness.

“Does the Crown Prince want a human to be bait for the witch?” Radulf asked.

“Yes. A human who would be willing to do it,” Adolphus asserted.

“Your Grace, humans are already feared because of these unknown deaths. I don’t think anyone will be willing to help us. We need to use force,” Alex asserted.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Use a human with criminal activities and who is serving a jail term,” Adolphus suggested to Alex, who bowed.

If a werewolf could be used as bait, then Adolphus would have himself stood in front of the witch. But that wasn’t possible because the witch would never have shown himself in front of a werewolf.

Adolphus and Radulf got into the carriage. The coachman closed the door and drove the carriage back to the palace.

In the late evening, the two princes arrived at the palace. After they reported to the King, they both left for their respective chambers.

Anthony bowed to see Adolphus. “How was everything?” he asked.

“It was well, Your Grace,” Anthony said. Adolphus settled on the central couch of the living room with one leg above the other.

The servant handed Adolphus a glass of water. Adolphus drank the water and the servant took it from him. She left the chamber silently.

“Where is Iris? Did you solve her matter?” Adolphus inquired.

“Iris was here only earlier,” Anthony said, looking around for a brief moment. “Iris’ father is an aristocrat. I need to take her to the office of the Chief Inspector where her father asked her to come back home,” Anthony informed him.

“I told you not to take Iris outside,” Adolphus said with a stern tone.

“Forgive me, Your Grace. However, it was necessary since Iris belongs to an aristocratic family,” Anthony affirmed.

“Call her here,” Adolphus ordered him.

“Your Grace, Xander Vinsant, the father of Miss Iris, wants to see you. He will take the matter to the King if Iris refuses to go back,” Anthony asserted.

“A lot happened behind my back. Send Iris here,” Adolphus stated.

Anthony bowed and left the chamber. After a few minutes, Iris entered the living room and gazed at Adolphus.

She bowed to him and stood a little far from him.

“Take a seat, Iris,” Adolphus said.

She stepped up and sat across him on the sofa chair. Iris kept her head low, waiting for Adolphus to speak.

“I heard you saw your father,” Adolphus said.

“Yes,” Iris replied and raised her head. “Your Grace, I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to stay in that house anymore. It… it is scary there,” Iris said, looking into his eyes.

“Your father is an aristocrat,” Adolphus said.

“I didn’t know,” Iris said, “forgive me if I brought trouble for Master Adolphus.”

“It is not trouble at all,” Adolphus said with a smile. “I know why you can’t go back. They abused you for a long time. The bruises on you say it all,” he asserted, and the smile vanished from his lips.

“Only Master understands me,” Iris said.

“I have to. You are precious to me,” Adolphus remarked.

“Your father wants to see me. It will be fun to meet him. Do you want me to get harsh on him? I don’t want you to hate me for treating your father badly,” Adolphus stated.

“I won’t feel bad. Father wants me to make me work in that house. I would accept death than go to that house where I was abused. Even my stepbrother” she paused when Adolphus arched his eyebrows.

“Did you get physically abused by your stepbrother too? Did he do something inappropriate to you?” Adolphus questioned her.

Iris nodded her head.

Adolphus’ jaw clenched to hear that. His blood boiled with anger.

“I will kill him for touching you,” Adolphus pronounced.

Iris stopped blinking for a few seconds and broke into tears, which perplexed Adolphus.

“Iris, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he leaned up on the couch and rested his hand on her knee. When she didn’t stop, he got up and pulled her up as well.

His large hands cupped her face and he wiped her tears. “Shhh. You don’t need to cry. Did I say something wrong? In anger, I end up saying pretty bad things,” he said.

Iris lifted her wet eyelids while sniffling. “I am overwhelmed, Master. When I told my father, he didn’t believe me. Instead, he asked my stepmother to punish me. No one believed my words except Master,” she muttered, and her eyes again filled with tears.

“You must be all alone among those devils. I will punish them and this time, you will not stop me,” Adolphus stated.

Iris nodded her head and thanked her master. Adolphus wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks again. “I don’t like it when you cry,” he said.

Iris pursed her lips together and continued to stare at him.

“I shall prepare the bathhouse for my Master,” Iris said and pulled away.

“Hmm.”

Iris bowed to him and walked out of the chamber.

Adolphus ran his fingers through his curls. “They all were so cruel to her. I won’t spare that bastard’s child for touching my Iris inappropriately,” Adolphus pledged to himself. He had already decided he would himself go to Iris’s house tomorrow.

A servant informed Adolphus after fifteen minutes that the bathhouse was ready, so he went there.

After undressing his clothes, he put on loose black satin trousers and went into the large water pool covered with roses. He tilted his head when the door slid, and Iris walked in to help him wash.

Adolphus saw she had this huge water bucket in her hand and was walking with difficulty when he stood up and moved forward to take the water bucket from him. He reached the other end of the pool and almost took the bucket from Iris when her foot slipped because of the slipper platform above the pool.

“Ahhhhhh!” Iris screamed.

Adolphus caught her by her waist and they both fell into the water pool.