Part 1
Rose
“What if you don’t have to choose?”
Months had passed since Kenzie and I pounced on Ludwig for the first time. It took much chase on our part. Both of us had been after him. Separately, until we came to the realization that we were as fond of him as we were of each other. Then we came up with a plan to bring him into our relationship.
Kenzie was my closest friend before we became lovers. We began to work at the royal castle as laundry maids at the same time. A year later, most staff resigned and tragedy struck. This led us to receive a promotion.
We became Princess Alana’s personal maids. After she had turned into a boulder. It was uneventful work. We cleaned the princess daily. Cleaning the room was only demanded when visitors came.
It was sad. We soon noticed her Highness only got two visitors that, thankfully, didn’t come by often. She cried a lot. The tears would roll off her surface, and we tasked ourselves with cleaning them before salt could accumulate on the princess.
There were our attempts at keeping her company, at cheering her up. She cried every morning as if reliving the moment when she transformed. The one when she had learned of the queen’s death. Her mother.
We had a lot of free time on our hands, as we were requested to be at the ready for those two visitors all day and most nights. The king must have visited fewer than fifteen times throughout the year despite living in the same castle. And her fiancé Prince Lorenzo… It fills me with disgust to think about the twenty-odd times he visited.
We always fled before they arrived. Our king was insufferable. And that foreign prince was lecherous and violent as he was an ass. No one said these things out loud. But it was evident all of the castle workers thought the same.
Ludwig was a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. A guard in charge of keeping watch over the castle walls, cracking jokes and a good flirt as well. One evening as he was going back to rest in the barracks, we came to fetch him with a basket of leftovers from the kitchens.
He was nervous as he followed us to my father’s hay barn right outside of the town walls.
The barn was barred off with heavy doors to prevent the sheep from making a mess of the hay stored for the winter. No one went there at night. The sheep themselves had a different barn on the other side of my father’s farm.
. Up on a hill behind the barn, we nibbled on bread, cheese and cold rabbit meat while watching the sunset. Ludwig could not eat much. He appeared to be awaiting a slap in the face. Kenzie did not notice. She was as nervous as he was. Even if that whole night had been her idea.
I got up, noticing him brace himself for a hit. But I just sat down closer to his other side and gestured at Kenzie to do the same.
“Ludwig?” I took a softer tone. “We are not mad at you.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, about to cry. “I can’t choose one of you. I shouldn’t have been leading you on. I like you both a lot and you are close friends. So, I’ll just stop—.”
“What if you don’t have to choose?” I kissed his cheek.
Kenzie followed my lead and said, “We both like you too. We like each other as well. How do you feel about that? Do you still like us?”
“Yes,” he whispered, blushing and glancing between the two of us.
That night was our first roll in the hay. Not the last. With time, we grew bold enough to sneak him into the castle. Kenzie and I had been using the princess’s bed to nap. Compared to the stack of hay, or a straw bed. That feather bed was a luxury we could never have afforded.
Princess Alana’s bedroom was always vacant aside from the princess herself permanently by the window. Since we were in charge of it, slim was the number of people that could come bother us. The forbidden side of sneaking him in was enticing as well. Even though Ludwig was scared.
The next morning when we came in, the princess would not be covered in tears.
Maybe she had been awake and had watched us. It seemed to have helped soothe her boredom. I did not tell this observation to the others. It would have scared them.
When there was a chance for a visit, we would clean the room and go back to the barn. That’s what happened that fateful night. The king had drunk more than usual. We made sure the place was dust free before we left. No one ever complained. Rather we were seen or not.
We should have cancelled our meeting, since it was night, and the barn was outside the town walls. We were reckless. On a full moon of all things. We were also to be getting the princess ready early in the morning. The king had something prepared for her. Invitations had been sent far and wide. She would have to be moved too.
Despite how busy the next day or the dangers lurking under the full moon, we could not get enough of each other.
Kenzie and I reached the barn on this clear-lit night. Ludwig was to arrive after his rounds. He was late, but it wasn’t the first time. Unable to wait any longer, we started to kiss without him. Still jittery from the thrill of coming to the barn when we should not. Soon we took our clothes off to line the hay with. More than one caress at a time, we teased each other with our smocks on. The air was a little too cool for now.
Kenzie was stubborn to take on a dominant role in bed. Especially with me. I loved it. But that did not stop me from wondering why she was like that.
Her father had died young, and her mother became a scullery maid. Kenzie spent her childhood in the homes of her aunts and uncles. Working for her food until they could not feed her anymore.
She craved control where she could get it.
Yet she was just as shy as Ludwig. As I got to think of him, he entered the barn. The log my father used to lock the doors. He had put it in place.
We never bothered to do that.
“Kenzie,” a knot formed in my stomach, at my own words. “Something’s wrong.”
She got off me, and we looked beyond the haystack hiding us.
“Ludwig!” She ran to him as soon as she saw the state of him.
“Stay back,” he slurred, bleeding through his clothes.
“You’re hurt,” Kenzie stated, ignoring his warning.
“What happened?” I rushed to them, glancing at the doors. What may lie behind them.
Kenzie examined his wound and jumped to her feet. “A bite.” She grabbed a pitchfork. “It’s big.” She turned to the doors, ready to stab at anything trying to get in.
I took his side, noticing his eyes. I leaned in, “Kenzie, his eyes are changing colour.” From a slate gray to a burning amber. With this change came a growl. Despite this new warning, I ripped his shirt open at the bite and gaped at the wound already closing.
A howl resounded outside.
I took a quick breath and said, “We need to hide.”
Ludwig snarled at me having me take my hands off him.
I tried to warn Kenzie, “It’s a werewolf—” a set of claws racked at the doors.
Ludwig moved in the corner of my eye. He was standing tall on his hind legs a large grey blur. The bite. It turned him into one.
I pulled Kenzie out of the way just in time. Ludwig lunged at the doors. We had to dodge the log he threw out of his way with one hand. Stepping out, he snarled something much more threatening than the previous ones.
Through the open doors, we watched our now monstrous lover jump on the smaller, paler werewolf that must have turned him. It did not take much for Ludwig to hold him down by the throat into submission. The other beast whined submitting to him until he let him go. Then the weaker one ran back into the woods, defeated.
Ludwig let out a victorious howl. And before I knew it, my feet led me out of the barn to reach him.
“Rose, wait!” Kenzie was frightened.
An odd calm came over me in his presence, now that he chased off the other werewolf.
He could have killed him. But it would have been unlike Ludwig to do so. Deep down he was still himself.
I trusted him.
“Ludwig?” I asked gently.
He turned to me with a growl. I stopped moving.
“It’s safe now.” I lowered my head a little. “You can calm down.” I avoided looking in his eyes.
A wolf. Speaking was not enough for them. I would use a wolf’s language. I had observed a pack of them from afar for five years when I still worked the farm.
He stepped to me, inspecting my scent. Good, I showed him my neck. He sniffed my hair. I was still using his hair tie for my short braid. To be safe and keep an eye on him, we had to convince him we were part of his group. That he could form a pack with us.
He lowered himself into a relaxed stance. Then he dragged his tongue along my neck.
“Ludwig?” I brushed my lips against his in a sign of submission. I lick would have been more proper, but Kenzie was mortified enough as it was. “We should go back inside. Before somebody sees you.”
He glanced at Kenzie, who was still armed. With one arm, he held me close in a protective manner. His paw or hand gripped my back with care to be gentle.
“It’s fine.” I cooed, rubbing his cheek. “Kenzie,” I turned my head to see her. “Put it down. It’s still Ludwig. He won’t hurt us.” That was if we made the right moves. Being a threat was not the right one. “Kenzie? He’s not all that scary, look.”
He leaned his head against my hand as I scratched him with the same tenderness he used with me.
“Fine.” She dropped the pitchfork, backing away into the barn while still on edge.
“Come inside.” I coaxed him, slipping out of his grasp while I held onto his arm.
He followed with short steps to match mine.
Once inside, he licked my neck again. Kenzie kept her distance, almost at arm’s range. “How can we help him turn normal?” She took a hesitant step towards me.
Our beast let out a warning growl. Wolves always listened to members of their pack. Especially their mate.
Therefore, I was not afraid to scold him. As he appeared to identify me as such. “Enough of that Ludwig.” I snapped and he stopped. I got out of his hold, closer to her, “And Kenzie come here.” I grabbed her by the waist to hold her against me. “He understands I’m with him, but he’s still not sure about you.”
“How?” She frowned. “How did you tame him?”
He began to examine her as he had done with me.
“He’s acting like a wolf,” I tried to explain. “He’s a werewolf now.”
“I noticed,” she flinched at his wet nose grazing her skin.
“Do not look him in the eyes yet. He could take it as a threat.” I watched her nod and continued, “Wolves don’t hurt their mates. He needs to know we are in his pack. Hopefully, part of him remembers we are his lovers.”
Kenzie let out a breath thinking over my words.
She whispered, “Is that true, Ludwig?”
Slowly, she raised her hand to touch him. She was slow enough and avoided his eyes. He wouldn’t attack her. She still got nipped into a gasp.
Then he sniffed his other hair tie on her wrist. He had given them to us as a token of his love. They were a pretty, red, silk lace. Her neck also received a long lick of approval.
“Gross,” she whispered, touching her drooly skin.
Ludwig relaxed and laid his front paws on our outer shoulders.
“See.” I petted the fur of his chest, and he licked my arm. “We’re your mates. You’d better be gentle with us or else we won’t stay.”
Kenzie imitated my movement. He let her touch him, licking her arm as well. “You don’t need to do that, though. All that licking,” she grumbled. “I understand the message.”
His paw slipped down to each of our outer hips on our opened sides. He was groping at our fat there. This was followed by his tongue getting dragged at the junction where our shoulders met and our smock pulled down.
Had I forgotten the other things mateship implied?
“Rose? What is he doing?” Kenzie didn’t move.
I glanced down. From how he had an erection, I could guess he wanted to mate. She yelped as he swung each of us over a furry shoulder. He proceeded to carry us, only to put us down close to our clothes. On all fours he smelled the pile. It must have held the scent of what we had been doing on them. He let out a long, satisfied sigh. Shoulders fully unwinding.
Ludwig proceeded to push us to sit on our clothes. Then he stared at us, thinking.
“Oh…” Kenzie finally noticed his inhuman cock.
He could not decide who to start with, as always. So, I made it easy for him and took off my smock.
“Rose!” Kenzie sounded shocked. Yet she was blushing. Disgust would have had her grown pale.
“What?” I reached out to him. “He’s still Ludwig.”
“I know but—”
“Aren’t you curious?”
He crawled over me. Straw crackling under his weight. He licked my chest from my belly button to my chin. His large, imposing body sent shivers through me. So warm amongst to early fall air. I was still wet from earlier. Now I was growing hot again. This was much more exciting than sneaking him into the princess’s bed.
Then he gazed into my eyes, and I turned into a needy, soppy mess. Climbing higher, he pressed his cock against me. Spreading my legs wide, I felt him rub his length against my slick folds.
Kenzie. I turned my head to see her biting the nail of her left thumb. She had the habit of doing that when she was aroused.
“Come here,” I whispered, holding an arm out for her. I gave her a breathy smile as Ludwig cleaned my neck all over. “I want a kiss.” I had a pout I knew she could not resist. Not in that state.
His ear moved, listening to us. Kenzie rolled over and kissed me. A long, deep kiss that had Ludwig space out, watching us as if it was his first time seeing it.
I giggled when she plopped on her side, giving him a glance. Her cheek received a slight lick. She bit her lips, hiding a smile.
“Ludwig?” I scratched under his chin. “Are we still doing this?” I tilted my hips against him.
