The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 71

I wasn’t sure if anyone tried to catch me, but I fell to my knees in the snow.

My son was captured.

Aldrich immediately came and scooped me off the ground. I was ashamed to display such weakness, for he had been seeing me at some of my lowest points recently, but when it came to Theo’s well-being I could easily melt into nothingness if it was threatened.

“Cathy, maybe we should get you inside,” he said with some alarm, most likely concerned by whatever look I had on my face.

“I’d rather die,” I immediately spat out, shaking my head violently, “Let’s go.” I used his arms as balance beams before digging my feet into the ground. There had to be more footsteps trailing to wherever my son and his captor went.

Who knew if it was even a captor? He could have willingly gone with him. Theo had been targeted so many times throughout this experience, that I would not be surprised if he was coaxed right out of his bedroom window and scaled down the wall with the person poisoning the estate.

Throughout the stretch of the field, our men examined every patch of leftover snow. The footprints were fresh; their wolves had smelled Theo and an unfamiliar scent interweaved with his. My skin crawled in horror as they discussed it. Despite this, I worked right along with them, examining every piece of snow and blade of grass.

Screams rose in the distance, faint as the stars were. Everyone immediately perked up as my heart nearly ceased to beat.

A voice sounded through one of the guards’ equipped walkie talkies. “Vampires,” it said in a wavering emission, “The enemy has attacked.”

“Vampires? I mumbled, frowning. Then my gaze shot to Aldrich in a very reluctant realization. “They captured Theo as a distraction to take you and the guards away from the estate.” This meant it was a vampire that had my child.

A b***d sucking, cold and heartless creature had my child

Aldrich silently cursed before calling out more orders. “Alright, I will carry out locating Theo with Alan and Cathy. At least four men must return to the estate to defend the village.”

“Sir,” a guard responded tentatively, “we know you must find your son, but how are we to fight the attackers without a general?”

More screams in the distance. I prayed none of them belonged to Theo.

“Aldrich, we have to keep going. Each second counts,” I pushed impatiently, walking deeper into the woods, “go back with your men and I will find him.”

“You’ve gone mad then,” Aldrich snapped. “I am not going back withoud you.”

“You need to protect the village! There are children other than our own,” I demanded.

“Cathy,” Aldrich began slowly, but before he was able to finish his sentence, I was darting into the trees.

I sprinted through the dark woods, illuminated only by scarce dim moonlight.

The shallow footprints continued on, and they left only light and subtle grazes in the snow, as if the person moving was practically floating. The vampire must be graceful. My son’s footprints stopped at one point, so the man or woman probably picked him up.

Or did something worse.

They wouldn’t kill him, I reminded myself. They would have no leverage, no goal. The only thing they would have left is an angry werewolf general planning their brutal murders.

1 kept running into the snowy brush until something was blocking the terrain.

1 dug my heels into the ground abruptly, nearly stumbling right into whoever it was. I gasped as I looked at him.

A vampire.

He was terrifying. His eyes glowed, illuminant with b***d, his lips curled into an animalistic grimace. I could smell the death from his skin-smell the corpse he technically was.

The second person in the path I noticed was my son. I jolted at the sight; the vampire had his arm locked around his neck like a white marble bar.

“Theo,” I cried out, sucking in a shaking breath.

I instinctively reached out for him, but before I could blink, the vampire’s other arm had thrusted out fast as a slamming door and wrapped his hand around my jugular. Even with one hand, the creature’s strength diminished mine to a mere ounce. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe, grasping at the vampire’s arm to try to pry it from my neck. It was not working. Hastily, I released my claws to attempt a transformation. My werewolf would not be as strong as him, but I had to try.

An arrow shot through the air and cut through the pale arm. Startled, the vampire’s hand released my neck and stumbled backwards, still gripping Theo.

I fell back into the snow, looking behind us to find Aldrich and his men had finally caught up to us.

“Not so fast, general,” the vampire purred before casually pulling the arrow out of his arm, “take one more step and your wife and son are dead in less than a second.”

1 froze on the ground, gulping. Theo was silently crying as if he was afraid to make a sound.

“You seem to have an important role, soldier,” Aldrich responded. Noictured him holding his hands in the air as a brief surrender, “taking the generaKs son as a distraction while the clan attacks the village. Can’t say it’s a bad plan.”

“The longer you’re out here with your son, the more people of your own die, the vampire said with a devilish, predatory smile. He seemed to revel in that fact.

“So what are your general’s terms to cease that?” Aldrich asked amusedly, as if he already knew the punchline and was entertaining a joke. I didn’t know if he was secretly scared under his professionalism. Maybe he was good at putting on a front. He sure was calm for a man facing a creature that is a snap away from killing his son.

1 dug my hands into the snow so hard that my fingers reached through the grass.

“It seems you have already guessed the terms and conditions,” the vampire smirked, glancing down at my trembling son.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, soldier,” Aldrich replied in a curt and professional tone. I shot an outraged glance at him behind me to see him crossing his arms defiantly. His men flanking his sides and the ones stationed behind him all stood frozen, including Alan. I wondered if they already had a plan.

I prayed they did.

“Then I will kill your son,” the vampire stated smoothly, his bright red eyes diverting to me, “maybe your wife on top of it as a bonus from my general.” My breath caught, heart racing too fast to breathe. Every bone in my body ached to move closer to Aldrich. But I was like a deer in headlights, paralyzed and afraid of the consequences resulting in one mere movement.

“Alright,” Aldrich urged calmly, holding his hands up, “I officially surrender to” It all happened in a fluid motion. As Aldrich moved his lips, Alan moved his bow.

As he moved his bow, the vampire was shot through the heart with the wooden arrow. As the vampire fell dead, my son crumpled to the snowy ground.

Crying out, I quickly crawled over to Theo. He immediately reached for me and I instinctively scooped him up against my chest. I laid a palm over his eyes so that he would not see the perished vampire next to us.

1 cradled him as Aldrich ran over and did a once-over on Theo, checking his body and face for any wounds.

“He’s okay,” I said, running my other hand through his hair, “Physically.” As we cradled him together, I realized that throughout the prior encounter, the b***d curdling screams traveled closer. In the silence, it was clear that whatever was causing the screaming had eventually approached us.

“I think we got company, general,” Alan said.