Heart Of A Lycan King
Chapter 72

AIDEN.

I was floating.

I could feel the clouds on my body, the wheezing sound of the wind blowing, the flapping of my wings…wait, wings?

Yes, wings. I was flying, and someone was sitting on my back. I was up in the clouds, swerving my way through as I noticed they were all red in color. The air was chilly, with multi-colored snow flakesfalling. However, everytime the snowflakes hit my skin, they melted and left their color print on my body. Soon, my skin was looking completely different, covered in different colors.

But snow never falls here, so how come it was falling now?

Something wet slapped my face with a hit. Wet and sticky. I turned my head just a bit to see who it was, and to my surprise, it was Leo. He had his tongue out, enjoying the wind that blew as I flew. His thick gray fur covered him completely, but just like me, he had colors scattered across parts of his body.

But it made no sense, because I’m not a bird, nor a dragon. Nothing about all this made any sense. Not the flying, nor the red clouds, or the birds flying beside me chirping happily, nor Leo riding me.

‘Take us to the castle!’ Leo called. ‘Fly us to the tallest tower there.’

‘How about that cloud?’ I asked, nudging towards a big, thick red cloud glowing with different clouds on the inside. ‘Looks like something fun is going on in there,’ I added.

‘Fun is what we do best. Take us there.’ Leo replied.

I dove around a large dragon that flew past us, eager to reach the cloud and find what was going on in there. I flew right into it, adrenaline kicking in my guts.

But as soon as I got us in, the flashy colors vanished, and we were suddenly engulfed in thick darkness. I couldn’t see anything through it, not even my colored skin. In a flash, it felt like my skin was burning, and Leo’s howls filled my ears as I began to scream. Like a rock tossed outside, I felt myself being flung out. I threw my hands around in a desperate attempt, as though that would stop me from falling. I had no wings anymore, and the darkness around us just kept getting thicker.

I suddenly landed on something solid. It was flat, wet, and sticky. When I finally looked down, I found myself standing in a pool of b***d, the pungent smell of it making my eyes roll back.

Leo was beside me, struggling to get out of the b***d, but everytime he tried, he sank in it, till he was completely swallowed by the b***d. I couldn’t see his movement anymore.

I tried to move to see what was happening, but before I could figure out what was going on, I was dragged by various hands into the pool of b***d.

My throat and mouth were instantly filled with b***d, and no matter how hard I tried not to swallow, it was impossible. It dawned on me then that both Leo and I were drowning in a pool of b***d that smelled so bad.

Then a passage opened, and I saw the Shadows appear. But they didn’t look like I knew them, these ones looked deadly, with red eyes behind the red and white cloaks they wore. I was choking, struggling to breathe through the b***d filling my throat, yet, they were okay. Not covered in b***d. And not struggling to breathe.

“Code Red has been activated.” One of them announced in a raspy, low voice. Code Red? What does that mean? In all my struggle to breathe I couldn’t help but wonder what this could mean.

One of them leaned forward, holding a fan as it blew a white powder through the bubble of b***d I was in. A skeletal hand suddenly wrapped itself around my neck, choking the remaining air out of my chest. Through the corner of my eyes, I saw Leo struggling with the same fate as mine.

Then I wasn’t being choked anymore, and the pool of b***d suddenly drained before I began to cough, spitting out thick black b***d, with long white hairs in it and black worms. My eyes widened, as the continuous urge to cough and throw out all of it gnawed at me. I coughed till I couldn’t anymore, then slowly slumped to the now dry ground and gave way to the darkness embracing me.

*

I heard it.

The faint sound of voices, howls, cries, screams. I heard them all. But I couldn’t move. It was like I had been tied with something that makes it impossible for me to move no matter how hard I tried. There was a burning sensation on my skin, and a few cold touches on some parts.

At some point, it was as though I could understand what was being said. But that wasn’t the case. While I could hear the sound of the voices, I couldn’t understand what was being said, nor understand who was speaking.

I tried to reach Leo, but the connection between us was broken. It was like I was the only one swirling in this endless pit of darkness and emptiness.

My skin pricked, the pain and heating merging together to create a biting sensation on every part of my body. Everytime I tried to move, my body grew more rigid. I hissed, but I wasn’t sure anyone heard me. The pain was too much, and I wasn’t sure I could endure it.

I knew what was going on with me. I was unconscious, but I can still feel. The faint touches on my skin, the breath fanning my face from time to time, the feathery touches. I wish they could continue, because they bring peace to the part the pain was eating.

Then suddenly, a loud growl reached my ears, and a gripping sense of fear wrapped me in tight clutches. I tried to move, yet, it didn’t work. But I felt the impending sense of danger coming, and my nerves, deep within me I knew something was going on.

Nala. The name ripped from my chest, causing my body to jolt. I had no idea what happened, but when I saw a two colored wolf come at me, then almost like a flash, I felt myself hitting something and flinging it to the side before I collapsed back, getting sucked into the endless pit once more.

NATASHA.

I was still breathless by the time Mav and David managed to hold Donald back. Amidst all the chaos going on, I didn’t think of how to save myself. I had willingly given up on saving myself.

But when Aiden growled angrily from where he laid, leapt up and knocked Donald off, the air whizzed out of my throat, knocking me out.

When I shut my eyes a few moments ago and waited, I had really thought it was finally time. And that maybe that would’ve saved both Aiden and Donald.

But nothing happened, save for the loud thud and screams that filled my ears. When I pried my eyes open, I found Donald on the far side of the room. He had collapsed, but his yellow eyes and bared teeth were still directed at me. Before me, however, was a wave of thick shadows, whizzing through the air. And a growling Aiden standing behind them.

Then they vanished, a strangled cry following them before I caught a glimpse of the two colored wolf for the briefest moment as she limped away and vanished too. Before Aiden collapsed again.

Donald sat up again, but he didn’t come at me, instead, he kept growling at Mav and David as they tried to approach him. He made himself ready to jump on them, his whole body rigid in preparation for the fight.

“Don?” Phil called him softly. She approached him in slow steps, her right hand stretched towards him. “I’m right here, Don. And I’m here with your child. The child you’ve always wanted, my love,” she paused, her body shaking as she cried.

Donald’s growling quieted down just a bit as she walked towards him. His teeth were still barred, and his gaze still pinned on me, although, from time to time, they shifted towards Phillison as she continued to approach him with timid steps.

“I’m here for you,” she continued, reaching for his snout briefly before he growled, causing her to take a step back. “I came back for you, so you can feel the life we created. I’m here, Don, here just for you.”

His gaze snapped from me, and fixed them on her. “Yes. Look at me, my love. We created a life together,” she murmured, rubbing her stomach with her right hand as she stretched her left hand towards him. She continued. “That’s it, Don. You’re okay. You’re a fighter, my fighter. Fight for your life and come back stronger. We might not have a chance to be together, but we created a life that’ll keep us together regardless of my choices. Fight for the child you always wanted, Don.”

Like magic, Donald leaned into her outstretched hand. He purred and growled slowly, falling onto his front paws. As though he’d understood what she had said, Donald looked up and howled. A very sad howl. From where I sat, cradling Aiden to my bosom, I saw Donald begin to shake, like a wet leaf. The smoke from last time rose again, thicker than the first time.

The tempo of Inna’s dance increased, the chains on her waist giving a different tempo to the dance.

Then he stopped, and like a switch had been snapped, Aiden began shaking in my arms. His once cold body was now hot. As hot as an iron rod. Large patches similar to Donald’s appeared on his body. In moments, he was gasping for air, his hand gripping his neck in a firm grip. A large gash appeared on his chest, with black ugly worms sliding out of it.

“He’s burning up!”

“He’s collapsing!”

Phil and I screamed at the same time.

“It’s the switch. It is happening,” Inna said, finally stopping her dance.

I watched helplessly as the patches grew bigger, no b***d however. There was nothing.

As I watched him in pain, struggling, fighting for his life, I suddenly felt the urge to feel Erin. So I took down the barrier I made between us and felt her seep through my mind. She didn’t say anything however, and simply nudged at the bond. It gave me the boost I didn’t know I needed.

I leaned down and brushed a faint k**s on Aiden’s forehead, wiping the sweat off it . He stopped shaking, and the patches slowly began to disappear.

“I think it worked,” Inna said, her exhausted voice sounding relieved.