Unwanted Meetings

The wind blew lightly, causing the trees to sing their peaceful song. I listened to how the crackle of the fire would mix with it as if telling a story. It seared a story of when my people were still alive. I try not to think of her, the woman in blue, who spoke so low and fast before her bloody lips kissed my forehead. I was only 12 then, watching as the King's men came burning and killing. I still don't remember how I managed to escape. After the fires had died down and the villager's screams turned to whins of pain and soon after fell to silence, there I stood confused and dazed as if waking up from a nightmare. That day I walked for weeks, with no food, no water. All I knew was that they couldn't find me, and I was safe as long as I kept moving. And so I did, for the last 3 and half years, I kept walking, afraid that if I stopped, they might kill me, too.

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The birds were my alarm. I quickly got to my feet and began to hide any evidence of my presence. I continued my path through the woods, honestly not knowing where I was going anymore. A few days ago, I had been thrown off course trying to outrun the King's guards. They seemed to be looking for something and were determined to find it. So I was determined not to be caught in their hunt. Walking, I began to hear the rush of water. I followed the sound and approached a tributary, and it was perfect for washing away any scent that the guards could be tracking. I jumped in, covering my whole body. When I was fully sure that my scent was covered, I crossed to the other side and continued to venture on, air drying, as I squeezed the water out of my Amber hair which now looked like reddish mud. I began to notice my surroundings were becoming thicker. The trees came closer together; the ground started to dress in mist, dancing around my feet. I knew then that I had walked too far into the woods. I was crossing over into Blogi miškai. This part of the woods wasn't even marked on maps; animals even somehow knew to avoid this part. They knew it was death to venture any further. I turned to go back the way I came, but the sound of guards stopped me in my tracks.

"This way! The scent ends at the water." One of them yelled.

I knew they were close, but I didn't intend for them to be this close. I could see the guards shift into their wolves and cross the water into Blogi miškai. I had to throw them off, but turning into one of them wasn't going to help. I tried to think of an animal to shift into, but I realized I hadn't come into contact with many. I turned into a wolf in a panic and ran along the water, not wanting to travel deeper into Blogi miškai. Every muscle in my body worked to get me as far away as possible. But my body was weak, and I hadn't eaten anything in days. I didn't know how far my legs could take me or how long they would last, but I would keep going until they gave out. I began to hear the growls of the guards as they began to get closer. In a panic, I shifted into a werewolf. I needed more strength. One of them began to howl, enjoyment of the hunt. There was a chance this was no regular hunt. The hairs on my back began to stand. The sound of my beating heart filled my ears as they now ran almost alongside me. At the worse timing ever, my legs finally gave out; I tumbled forward, rolling several times before I finally landed on my side. My legs burned as I lay there huffing, trying to suck in as much air as possible. The guards surrounded my body, their bodies low to the ground as they growled.

"You smell that?" One asked. His fur is a dusty brown.

"Yeah. What is it?" Another one with dark gray fur asked. "You think it's one of them?"

"I don't know. We'll take..." I cut him off with a growl.

No one was taking me anywhere. I tried to move my legs, but they were too heavy. It burned so much, that the thought that this was the end wouldn't stop racing through my mind. It burned till I soon couldn't hold my form and shifted back into myself. I had watched them shift back. Then, finally, the one with the brown fur approached to pick me up. A low growl had escaped me as everything began to fade into nothing.

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My body felt light as if being on a cloud. My head was spinning, my eyes rolling back every attempt I tried to open them. Slowly the ringing in my ears began to fade. The echo of someone's heels clicked behind. I was being carried. My head began to throb as I remembered how I got here. Extreme panic rose inside of me. They caught me. I'm going to die here. No. I needed to get free. I started to thrash around using any strength I had. Finally, I manage to elbow my capture in the face. As she dropped me, I started to run in any direction but was tackled down before I could get far. The weight on top of me got heavier with every crawling movement I made to try to get away. A sharp pain then raised from my arms up to my shoulders. I turned my head to see what it was, and they were claws belonging to a platinum-haired she-wolf. She growled as a warning, but I took no notice as I cocked my head back. Not only did I manage to give myself a headache but to set myself free. But only for just a split second before I was back in the strong grip of a male wolf.

"Let me go!" I spat at the guard holding me.

He continues to pull me down a long hall as I struggle to free myself. When the hall finally ended, we stopped in front of an old modern wooden door. Before entering, he knocked and waited for a signal. As he opened the door, I began to fight more to free myself in any way I could; tired of my fighting, he threw me in. As I landed, I caught myself before my face could connect to the ground. Before I could turn around and attempt one more escape, a low growl stopped me in my place, making me hold my breath.

"Soul..." The words began to form from his lips.

"Don't you dare finish that word," I whispered to myself.

"Mate!" He almost yelled as he stood.

"No fucking way, this has to be some mistake." I began to rise to my feet. "Sorry I'm not your mate."

He began to walk from behind the desk he was sitting at. "This can't be r-right. Maybe u got the t-the wrong girl." I stuttered.

"You are mine." He was closer now. His hands reached for my face. "No!" I yelled. "You seem very persistent but your not hearing me." I turned to run, but his forearm catches me in mid-waist and pins me against him.

I could feel his heart rapidly pounding against his chest as his dark golden eyes stared deep into mine. Was this really happening? Maybe I was still in the woods. He's our mate, my Esme, had spoken. This is real. Esme, do you know who this is? No. He's - He's the Son of the most feared werewolf. King Maximillian, Alpha King of the BloodMoon pack. The goddess does not make mistakes. Esme growled.

I pushed away at the sound of a knock at the door. A guard that had thrown me in cleared his throat, "She was found on the border of Blogi miškai; they had been tracking regular game until then found her tracked." He paused, waiting for a response. But he was still locked in his gaze with me. So he continued, "They said she doesn't smell like our kind. Dariusz says it looks like a regular wolf one minute, and then she turned to one of us. So we think she's.." The golden boy growled, cutting him off. The rumbling from his chest made me want to whine but suddenly sent a shiver down my spine. "Leave us."

In seconds I could only hear the mixture of our heartbeats. He walked towards me and rested his forehead on mine, smelling and taking in my scent. Esme began to get excited, but fear ran through me as I felt his face slide down lower, soon cheek to cheek. His hot breath on my neck made my body feel so warm. I almost melted into his arms, but then the slight touch of K9s began to pierce my neck, and I quickly snapped and let out a growl. He slowly backed up to make eye contact.

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Kazimiera

Her scent filled my nose with wildflower and moss. My wolf howled for her and ached to mark her. We stood there staring at each other—her, mostly out of fear waiting for me to speak. I just couldn't say anything yet. I was still trying to figure out what to do about the information given to me. Was it possible that some of their kind could be alive? But that mostly seemed impossible, seeing my father made sure to wipe out their existence. But still, who was she?

I cleared my throat. "What is your name?" I dropped my grip around her.

She took a moment to answer me. "Jevgenija. Nija."

"Do you know who I am?" I asked. She nodded.

"Kazimiera Debess. Son of the King Maximillian, the Alpha King of BloodMoon." She said straightforwardly without interruption.

"Yes, and call me Kaz." I walked around to the wall behind her. " And my father is no longer King, I am." I could hear her heart begin to pound again. "I can assure you. I do not rule with the same iron fist as my father did."

"He ruled with fear and the blood of.." She paused. ".. the blood of innocent people."

"I do not support his actions" Is all I could say before there was another knock on the door. "Come in"

"Your Royal Highness, your majesty the mother and father of the king have come." Dejva's voice came through the opening she made with the door. I hadn't expected my father to be here this early. Is it possible that he heard what Dariusz had seen?