CHAPTER TWO: Rushing rivers

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

It was the day of his parents' death anniversary. He had made sure no one was at the river. The night guards included. He didn't want to think of the number of lives the river claimed every year on the day of his parents' death anniversary. If he 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. He wondered if the witch's curse had continued even after his parents were dead.

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

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

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

He was the last lycan and king of every werewolf. They all depended on him, he could not let them down. Not when the peace treaty between humans, werewolves and vampires was fragile.

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

If they were, he was sure his door would be the first they knocked on.

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

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

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

What the hell was going on?

He licked the beads of sweat that had formed on his lips and buried himself beneath the sheets. He was sweating and yet he felt so cold. Nolan threw the sheets away. He tossed and turned in bed but found no comfort.

Was he dying? He felt like he was.

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

Nolan squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain to go away. 

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

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

Nolan jumped out of bed. 

Was someone drowning? Was someone at the river?

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

Nolan let out a growl at the sound of the voice. Without thinking, he hurled himself out of his window, shifting midair and landing on four giant paws. He let out a loud painful howl and dashed towards gore river. 

His men shifted into their brown wolves and tried to keep up but they were the size of puppies beside him. He sped up as the pain increased, leaving his men behind. 

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

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

Nolan shifted quickly and dived into the water. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to the surface with him. He carried her to the bank and laid her in the grass.

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

She wasn't breathing. 

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

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

He sat back on his heel, watching her. His heart stopped beating and his breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. Her lips were blue and her skin was drained of colour.

"Please," he whispered. Nolan's lips trembled with fear as he prayed. The seconds ticked by slowly, escalating Nolan's fear.

She coughed, spitting out gallons of water.

Nolan let out the breath he was holding and gathered her in his arms. He felt his men shifting behind him.

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

"Is the healer here?" Nolan's 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," Nolan ordered.

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

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

Sara kneeled beside them. She gasped when she saw the girl but Nolan shot her a warning look. She needed to keep her mouth shut and work.

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

"Do you have a blanket?" Nolan 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!" Nolan yelled. "Give me your cloak!"

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

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

Nolan nodded. He did not want anyone to know about her yet.

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

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

They walked in silence until they reached the castle. It was only then that Nolan realised how far he and his men had run.

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

He wasn't allowed to shift. It was a rule his 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. He had just broken that rule. Hopefully, word would not reach any of the higher-ups or his council members.

Nolan took the stairs two at a time. With a sharp nod of his head, he dismissed Sara and Aaron and headed towards his room. She would stay with him tonight. When she woke up, she had a lot of questions to answer.

He 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.

Nolan felt his heart skip a beat at her voice. 

Frost.

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

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

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

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

Were they blue like the sky or brown like honey?

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

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

Goddess! He knew exactly what that necklace meant.