CHAPTER 5

          Emily’s POV.

          The air smelled of salt and cedarwood, blending with the fragrances of the flowers hung on the walls. I tried to read the book in my hands, but my thoughts were disjointed, images from my nightmares flashed in my head and I shut the book. It's been hours since we left the shores of Azalea, hours since I left the main deck of the Great Carrack, and joined my mother in the great cabin.

          Exhaling, my gaze darted across the windows, to my father and his men working tirelessly under the afternoon sun.

          “Would you care for some tea?” my mother's gentle voice cut through the atmosphere. We were seated on a couch near the windows. 

          At my mother's question, I straightened on the couch and nodded. “Yes, please,” I replied.

          A smile lighting Queen Larissa’s expression, she turned and signaled the servant with us in the room and I was served tea. “Thank you,” I mumbled and took some sips.

          “So, did you feel it last night?” my mother suddenly asked out of the blue. I stared at her in perplexity.

          “Feel what, mother?”

          “The mate-bond,” she said. “Did you feel it with someone last night?”

          I lowered my tea cup to my laps and shook my head. “No, I didn’t. Isn’t that one of the importance of our wolf, they help us with the mate-bond...”

          “I was able to feel the mate-bond even though I was just a human.” Queen Larissa signaled at the servant and she was served some tea too. “Perhaps your mate was not in the room,” she added.

          “Of what use is it, mother? After all, no one would want a wolfless as a mate. Even if my mate is a human, no human would want a deranged person for a lifetime partner. It's fine if I’m alone. Perhaps I’m really cursed.”

          “Do not say such a thing again!” Luna Larissa chided. “I may be a human and understand nothing about the mystical world, but I know the moon goddess is a woman like me, she’s a mother. She is kind and compassionate and wouldn’t curse her children. Cathena holds all the answers to our questions, and might offer you the chance to grow and discover more about yourself,” she said.

          “How long are we planning to stay?” I asked. She avoided my gaze and sipped her tea. It dawned on me they’d be leaving me behind in Cathena.

          Tears threatened my eyes but I fought them back. Sniffling, I also took a sip of my drink.

          “Land ho!” the lockout man hollered outside.

          “Land ho?” My mother jerked to her feet and I followed her, my feet a bit unsteady under the constant swaying of the ship. “That must be Cathena!!” my mother was exhilarated

          She hurried outside to the quarter-deck, and I followed her. Queen Larissa gasped and brought out a spyglass, she peeped through the device and smiled. “There she is, the beautiful Cathena.”

          Glimpsing at the distance, all I could see is a gray hump over the horizon. “Can I please have a look, mother?” I requested.

          “Of course.”

          Handed over the spyglass, I stepped forward and peeped at what would be the place of my redemption. The settlement was on a small hill, but what drew my attention was the several ships and canoes on its shores. “Is Cathena always this crowded?” I asked my mother.

          “Today is their annual trade fair, neighboring towns and villages are in attendance,” she explained and I continued, peeping through the device.

          “Prepare for anchor! Put out the fenders and I want the ballast even out!” my father's voice rang through the air from the main deck. I lowered the spyglass just as he looked up and our gazes met. I could see it in his eyes, he was still very disappointed in me. “Randolph, how’s the rigging holding up?” he asked and looked away. 

          “The lines are secured, my lord. She’s ready for the dock!” his gamma replied.

          An hour later, we sailed closer to Cathena and dropped anchors. Minutes later, we lowered our canoes to the water and paddled for the bridge. My heart raced as anxiety gnawed at me.

          If I thought the shores was crowded, then the village was massed with a handful of trading activity and entertainment in full swing. It became clearer why my parents chose today of all days; their arrival won’t be noticed and they’d blend easily with the crowd.

          We rounded the village and arrived at a secluded corner, and my heart began to thud all over. At last, we came to a halt and what I saw almost brought me to trepidation. A hamlet on the outskirts of Cathena bordered by a forest. Over a dozen of people were scattered about the place, some by themselves, some with caregivers. My gaze darted to a man talking to his fingers and laughing, and then to a lady hitting her head on a tree, a girl about my age was cuddling a stick like a baby.

          We stopped before the most decorated hut in the settlement and my father turned to me,.“Wait here!” he said, mindlinked with Randolph who was standing behind me, and then he continued inside. Queen Larissa followed him.

          Fighting back tears, I saw a girl about my age seated on a bench, and I joined her. “Hi. I’m Emily.”

          “I’m Lydia.” 

          “Lydia why are you here?”

          “They killed her.”

          My brows scrunched. “Who?”

          “My wolf. I saw them when they killed her,” she began to cry. “I- I tried to help my wolf but couldn’t. I couldn’t save her. And now I can’t shift.”

          The grounds moved beneath me and my breath lodged in my throat. Why was our story looking familiar? 

          “Lydia?”

          “You don't believe me? It’s fine, my siblings don’t believe me either that’s why they brought me here.”

          I jerked to my feet, my heart hampering against my chest, I moved away from the girl and just then, my parents emerged from the hut with a chubby woman.

          “There she is our lovely daughter, Emily!” my mother introduced with a smile. 

          “Mother, our stories are the same,” I whispered, gesturing at the girl. The woman with my parents chuckled.

          “Some illnesses follow this same pattern, a shifter suffers nightmares which if left untreated over the years can result to mental deterioration. They start seeing things that don't exist and sooner than later after they clock eighteen, they fail to shift as well. If left untreated, these sickness would result into something more vague.”

          “No, it's not true. I’m not sick, I saw it. There was a stranger, there was a box in the garden and I--”

          “Emily!” my father barked and I quietened, tears streamed down my face. “You will stay here and get the help you need. You don't seem to realize our hands are tied as you’re the heir to the throne of Azalea. You need to get better, you need to complete your first shift!”

          I hugged myself and sobbed quietly. “I’m sorry, father. That I put you in this shame, I am truly sorry. I will try my best, I’ll make it up.”

          “Good!” the chubby woman said. “We will commence treatment tomorrow, first thing tomorrow morning. Get some rest.” 

          Torrents of tears gushed down my face as Alpha Thane left, and my mother pulled me into a hug. “We love you, Emily. More than you can ever imagine,” she whispered.

          “Randolph and some guards will be staying back to keep you safe.” She kissed my temple and followed her husband, leaving behind Randolph and a few men.

          “I shall see your parents off. Give me a moment, ” the chubby woman said and left too.

          An ache pushed my heart as I saunterd around the hamlet. I tilted my gaze, and found Randolph and the men watching me.

          Fresh tears rolled down my face and I wiped them. I glanced at the people here, I am nothing like them. Or am I? Are there two or more worlds colliding in my head?

          Someone screamed in the hamlet. A patient. She threw herself on the floor and laughed. I looked, and noticed Randolph and the men were distracted. Grabbing my dress, I moved.

          

          ***********

          Calix’s POV.

          

          The thought of him breathing– the thought of him living while my father is no more fueled every gallop of my horse. The hooves of the stallion pounded against the muddy floor of the Mugo forest as we raced through the vegetation that bordered Tyr and Cathena.

          According to Mr. Westley, it'd take only a three-hours on a fast horseback. And I’d be in Cathena, face to face with the man who took everything from me.

          I can’t wait to see the shock on his face when I introduce myself to him and eventually rip off his head.

          My horse released a snort as we emerged from the forest and approached a cliff.

          “Hia! Hia!” I spurred, as the grounds beneath us changed from mud to uneven rocks. We raced up the cliff. We reached the summit and I pulled back on the reins, and we came to a halt. I panted. The wind tousled my hair and hurled my cloak behind me.

          The cliff overlooked a valley, and beneath was a river. I turned to leave and my eyes caught sight of something.

          It was a girl. She was standing on an old bridge of Cathena, and was staring at the deep, tugged nervously at her necklace.

          

          Whoever it was, I heard my wolf call her, mate!