CHAPTER 2

      My heart pounded louder than the music as I pushed through the crowd. I caught sight of the stranger just as he slipped through the oak door leading to the garden. Dragging a breath, I followed him.

      The stars twinkled in the night sky as I stepped into the open air, the breeze was icy cold and rustled the leaves. I saw him disappearing into a corner.

      “Stop!” I commanded but he wouldn’t. Gnashing under my breath, I followed him. My breath formed visible puffs in the air and incoherent voices began to whisper in my ear regardless, I rounded the corner. And then I saw him again, standing before the fountain with his back to me, his cloak billowed under the breeze.

      “Who are you?” I asked. He wouldn’t answer, nor would he turn around and let me see his face. “I said, who are you?” I darted towards the stranger and right before my eyes, he vanished into thin air.

      What!

      A sudden distant laughter cackled in the air. I turned to leave and the path before me was covered with fog. Another distant laughter cackled in the air.

      My blood went cold, and the hairs on my skin prickled just then, I saw something shining under the leaves. With unsure steps, I crossed over to it and lowered myself to my knees. It was an ornate box, cold to the touch and its surface was covered with strange symbols. I picked it up and opened it, a blinding light flashed and a hand clawed at my neck.

      “Help!” Panic set in. I attempted to throw away the box but to no avail, a tendril-like objected sprouted out of the box, into my mouth and I gagged.

      My stomach churned and I vomited a handful of blood. My vision blurred and the world began to fade, I drew close to my last breath and suddenly, everything stopped. Scrambling to my feet, I staggered and scanned the garden and everything was gone. There was no box, neither was there any blood on the floor. 

      “Emily?!”

      I flung around at the sight of my father and his gamma, and a couple of guards rushing into the scene. The fog was gone too. “What's going on?” Alpha Thane asked as he covered the distance between us.

      Where do I begin? Will he believe me if I tell him?

      “I saw someone,” I panted.

      My father's brows scrunched. “Who?”

      “A stranger, he was at the party, he was wearing a black cloak and suddenly he disappeared. A box appeared and when I picked it up, an unseen hand clawed at my neck. And there was a tendril-like object from the box. I struggled and then spat up a handful of blood.”

      “Blood?” Alpha Thane asked. “Where is it?”

      “There.” I pointed at the floor which I was sure I spat blood but it was as without the slightest drop of blood. My throat dried.

       “But there’s no blood there, Emily.” 

       “I– I” my voice trailed as I looked up at my father and saw his face filled with disappointment. He doesn't believe me, does he? He must think I have become insane.

      “Take her back to the castle.” My father commanded his gamma.

      Tears threatened the rims of my eyes. Grabbing my dress, I followed Randolph back to the mansion.

      We arrived at the terrace and found my mother pacing the place. Queen Larissa gasped as she saw me. “Oh, there you are! What happened, you suddenly left.”

                      A reticent smile played on my lips as I joined her on the terrace. “I thought I saw something but I was wrong,” I mumbled and headed back to the party.

                      The party was as though I never left. A handful of guests were dancing while others chatted in groups. Exhaling, I grabbed a glass of juice from a server and forged deeper into the room. The clock chimed midnight. 

                      How long have I been gone and now it’s already midnight?

                      Silence fell in the ballroom. The guests stopped with what they were doing and all eyes focused on me.

                      “Your Majesties, King Tha–” My father waved the footman into silence and crossed over to me.

                      “It’s time for my first shift,” I said.

                      “I know, but you don’t have to do it here in-front of all these people,” he said. “You can go outside and shift alone.”

                      Was he afraid I was going to embarrass him?

                      My gaze traveled to the people, and my mother who has brought herself standing behind him. “I can do this,” I said.

                      My heart raced as I grabbed my dress and headed to the stage. I climbed the stand and brought myself at its forefront, and closed my eyes.

                      “It’s like a surge of energy. It spreads through every cell in your body. You will feel a little bit of discomfort and then pain but don’t give up. Search your subconscious and connect with your wolf, and summon her to make her appearance.” My father's words the other night replayed in my head.

                      Suddenly my bones began to shift and rearrange, I could feel it. My wolf was close, she was about to make her appearance. The discomfort grew, turning into pain, and I doubled over and groaned.

                      Gasping for air, I searched my subconscious for my wolf and saw her. She was white and precious, she stood in-front of me and stared at me with her blue eyes. Tears of joy streamed down my face as I imagined all the wonderful things we would achieve together. I couldn’t be happier. And then I saw him, the stranger from my nightmare.

                      No!

                      He brought out a knife and a smirk staining his face, he stabbed my wolf.

                      “No!!!” I screamed and writhed on the floor, the pain was unbearable. In my head, I tried to reach out to my wolf but she was in so much pain as she bled at the feet of the stranger. “No!!” I reopened my eyes and found everyone in the room staring at me. But that wasn’t what mattered, what mattered was saving my wolf.

                      I gathered myself off the floor and ran to my father, and plummeted at his feet. “Please, save her!” I wept. “Father, please save my wolf. She’s in danger!”

                      My father was quiet, but it was the whisperings of the guests that caught my attention. “What is she doing?”

                      “She must have gone mad.”

                      “Do you think the princess has gone mad? Do you think that was why they’ve locked her up in the castle all these years?”

                      “She’s mentally unwell!”

                      No. How could they say all these about me? I looked up at my father and there were tears in his eyes. No, he doesn’t believe what they were saying, does he?

                      He cleared his throat.  “Emily. You had only one duty tonight as it is expected of every werewolf on their eighteenth birthday. You have failed woefully and as your Alpha, I hereby demote you to the rank of an omega.”

                      “No!” I cried. 

                      “Henceforth, you shall be regarded as an omega regardless of your royal blood and that you’re the Alpha’s daughter.”

                      “No!” I moved gaze to my mother hoping to get some redemption from her, but I obtained none. Gathering myself from the floor, I grabbed my dress and scouted out of the ballroom.

                      Tears raced down my face as I traced the way back to my room and shut the door after me. I plummeted on the floor and cried. Crawling to my bed, I dragged the sheet over my head and cried myself to sleep.

                      It wasn’t until I swiveled again on the bed that I realized it was daybreak. Rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains and illuminated the room. But I had no desire to move, the weight of last night’s events still hanging heavy on my heart.

                      A soft knock sounded on the door. As usual, I expected the handmaids that prepared my bathwater but the door comes open and my parents walked into my room.

                      Slugging out of bed, I staggered. “Good morning, father..mother.” I curtsied. In the silence that followed, my father’s gaze darted to my shoes and my dress. He frowned.

         “You’re still in your party outfit.”

                      “I slept off and forgot to remove them. I’m sorry,” I mumbled, my gaze fixed on the floor.

                      “Your father and I are preparing for a trip to Cathena,” My mother said and I looked up. “We think you should come with us,” she added.

                      I might have lived all my life behind the walls of this castle, but it's not alien to me about the small village called Cathena. Not so small after-all as they hold the reputation of helping the mentally challenged humans and shifters.

                      I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. “You think I need fixing.” my voice croaked and I bit down on my lower lip. “You think something is wrong with me.”

                      “You have had these nightmares for years, Emily and we have done all we could to make it stop but nothing seems to work. So no, it’s not about fixing you. Your father and I are just trying to understand what happened last night; why you didn’t shift as expected,” she said.

                      “Cathena is our last hope. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get you the help you need. Get dressed, we leave in an hour.” My father said and headed out of the room. Alone with my mother, we stared at each other.

                      “Do not take it to heart, Emily,” she whispered and also left. And that was the last time I saw my parents. I’d eaten my breakfast in my room. In the next one hour, I stepped into the courtyard to the sight of the carriages pulling over at the driveway. 

                      My parents stopped before their carriage and stared at me. Briefly, I stared at the castle which has shielded me my whole life, and I turned and entered my carriage. 

                      Seconds later, the sounds of the portcullis and the castle’s gates coming open almost brought tears to my eyes. This is the moment I have waited for all my life yet I didn’t expect it to go this way; to be heading for Cathena. Perhaps, my parents are right, a trip to Cathena could be the solution to my problems.

                      The City is as I remembered except it has become more serene and beautiful. The people flocked on the pavements and threw roses at our convoy. The rest of the ride was quiet as we arrived at the city gates and after a brief pause, continued to the lands beyond. We rode for over an hour. 

                      I have seen several drawings of the Great Carrack in my father's drawing room yet none of the drawings held a candle to the beauty of the ship floating on the sea in-front of me. We’d just arrived at the shores of Azalea and alighted from our carriages. “What do you think?” My mother asked, she was standing next to me and was also staring at the Great Carrack.

                      “It’s beautiful. It is way bigger than in the drawings!” I rasped and my mother smiled. “Are those the Night Crawlers?” I pointed at the two smaller ships behind the Great Carrack.

                      Alongside the Great Carrack, I have also read about the two smaller-sized ships which served as escort ships to the royal ship. “Yes,” my mother replied. “Those are the Night Crawlers. You have heard stories of your father commanding these ships, today you shall see for yourself.” She grinned and walked down the bridge of Azalea.

                      From where I stood, I watched my father speak to the men gathered on the shores of Azalea, something about the journey we’re about to embark. “Are you coming?” My mother called and grabbing my dress, I joined her as Randolph helped us on the Great Carrack.

                      Seagulls squawked above our heads. With my hand, I shielded my eyes from the sun and watched them. Immersed in the sight of the birds and the sea, I didn't notice when my father and his men climbed the ship.

                      “Prepare the lines. And weigh the anchors!” I flung around at my father's voice just as he ran his hands on the wheels of the Great Carrack. My heart raced as the royal ship stirred, the Night Crawlers behind her.

                      Is Cathena the salvation I am looking for?