Chapter Two: Rushing rivers

Nolan

In the castle walls of house Caldore, I sat behind my table, looking at the list. A blinding headache was hindering me from fulfilling the list of duties I held in my hand. If the pain persisted, I would have to see a healer and postpone everything I planned to finish before morning.

It was the day of my parents' death anniversary. I had made sure no one was at the river. The night guards included. I didn't want to think of the number of lives the river claimed every year on the day of my parents' death anniversary. If I had figured it out sooner, a lot of people would have been saved.

At least, the past six years had gone by without a single person drowning in the river. I wondered if the witch's curse had continued even after my parents were dead.

A million lives for one. A million by the river.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. All those people had died for the sake of one girl. Witches were vindictive. I knew that now but I wished my parents had known just how vengeful they could be. If they had, they would still be alive.

So many ifs. There was nothing I could do about it now.

I was the last lycan and king of every werewolf. They all depended on me, I couldn't let them down. Not when the peace treaty between humans, werewolves, and vampires was fragile.

Yet, I couldn't help but wonder where the surviving witches were. Were they waiting to take revenge?

If they were, I was sure my door would be the first they knocked on.

I let out a loud groan as the pain got worse. Sweat dripped from my forehead and my breathing became heavier. I needed rest. By morning, the pain would be gone and I could resume my duties.

The guard outside my door bowed when I walked out and I nodded in greeting. I hurried to my room, ignoring the huge paintings of my parents on the wall. It would only cause me more pain if I looked at it.

I pushed the door to my room open and stumbled into bed. I was sweating buckets now and the pain in my increased and spread to my chest.

What the hell was going on?

I licked the beads of sweat that had formed on my lips and buried myself beneath the sheets. I was sweating and yet I felt so cold. I threw the sheets away. I tossed and turned in bed but found no comfort.

Was I dying? I felt like I was.

I had no heir. If I died, my people would suffer so much and the vampires would invade my kingdom. I couldn't die.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the pain to go away.

For a few minutes, the world went quiet. The only thing I could hear was a loud ringing sound. Then, I saw the woods that surrounded the river. The same river I protected my people from every year on this very day.

The vision changed and I was beneath the river, seeing through someone else's eyes. This person was drowning and smiling at the stars.

I jumped out of bed.

Was someone drowning? Was someone at the river?

Help. Anyone. I don't want to die.

I let out a growl at the sound of the voice. Without thinking, I hurled myself out of my window, shifting midair and landing on four giant paws. I let out a loud painful howl and dashed towards gore river.

My men shifted into their brown wolves and tried to keep up but they were the size of puppies beside me. I sped up as the pain increased, leaving my men behind.

When I got to the river, I whimpered, searching for something or someone. The moon grew brighter, illuminating the water.

I saw her. She was smiling up at the stars from beneath the water.

I shifted quickly and dived into the water. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to the surface with me. I carried her to the bank and laid her in the grass.

Goddess! She was beautiful but she wasn't breathing.

She wasn't breathing.

I blinked, confused and scared. I had to do something. She wasn't breathing.

I tilted her head upwards and held her mouth open as I breathed two sharp breaths into it. Her chest did not rise. I placed both hands on her chest and pressed down. After pressing down several times, I placed my mouth on hers and gave her three more breaths.

I sat back on my heel, watching her. My heart stopped beating and my breath caught in my throat as I looked at her. Her lips were blue and her skin was drained of color.

"Please," I whispered. My lips trembled with fear as I prayed. The seconds ticked by slowly, escalating my fear.

She coughed, spitting out gallons of water.

I let out the breath I was holding and gathered her in my arms. I felt my men shifting behind me.

"Your highness," Aaron, the captain of my guards and my closest companion called out.

"Is the healer here?" My voice boomed. It was standard protocol. The healer always followed the king and his men so if any medical emergencies arose, he was ready.

"I'm afraid not but his daughter is here," Aaron replied.

"Take twenty steps back, all of you. Sara can come closer," I ordered.

Sara would have to do it. Her father could take a look at the girl in the morning.

I looked down at the girl as she snuggled into my warmth. I couldn't believe how relieved I was that she was breathing.

Sara knelt beside us. She gasped when she saw the girl but I shot her a warning look. She needed to keep her mouth shut and work.

Sara brought out a bottle of colorless liquid from the bag she was carrying. She must have ridden on Aaron's back.

"Do you have a blanket?" I asked softly.

"No. But Aaron is wearing a cloak," Sara spoke softly, pouring the liquid down the girl's throat.

"It should help with the pain," she said, referring to the elixir she had just given the girl.

"Aaron!" I yelled. "Give me your cloak!"

A red cloak was handed to me and I grabbed it and wrapped it around the girl. When she was all wrapped up, I gathered her in my arms and stood up.

Aaron drew closer to me and Sara. "I sent the men back. I had a feeling you did not want them here," he told me.

I nodded. I did not want anyone to know about her yet.

"I have a thousand questions," Aaron chuckled darkly.

"I have a million," I said, adjusting the girl in my arms.

We walked in silence until we reached the castle. It was only then that I realized how far I and my men had run.

Who was this girl? Why did I see through her eyes? Why did I hear her voice? Why did I shift for her?

I wasn't allowed to shift. It was a rule my grandparents had agreed on when they signed the peace treaty. Lycans were not allowed to shift unless there was a war. They were too big and too dangerous. I had just broken that rule. Hopefully, word would not reach any of the higher-ups or my council members.

I took the stairs two at a time. With a sharp nod of my head, I dismissed Sara and

 Aaron and headed towards my room. She would stay with me tonight. When she woke up, she had a lot of questions to answer.

I lay her gently on the bed and tossed the red cloak aside. The girl moaned and reached out for the sheets, covering herself with them.

"Frost" she whispered sleepily.

My heart skipped a beat at her voice.

Frost.

I hadn't heard that name in years. How did she know it?

I unbuttoned the shirt of my tunic, ripping it off my skin. I noticed that the pain was gone. Could it be that it was her pain I felt? I shook my head, exhausted.

Instead of laying beside her, I sat in the chair in the corner of the room. The chair faced the bed, allowing me to keep an eye on her. For the first time in my life, I felt a type of excitement I had never felt before. The thrill irritated me and gave me pleasure at the same time.

I couldn't wait for her to open her eyes. I imagined what they would look like.

Were they blue like the sky or brown like honey?

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. I had my suspicions about what she was and I prayed to the mother that when she woke up, I would be wrong about her. How I wished with all my heart that my assumptions about her were a mistake.

But even as I drifted to sleep, my thoughts kept straying to the necklace around her neck.

Goddess! I knew exactly what that necklace meant.