My heart pounded against my ribs and my breaths became increasingly labored as I walked along the path; concealed by the shadows. There was an order forbidding me from entering the Lycan Palace. If I was caught, I would surely be punished.
My steps faltered, seeing the guards stroll the doorway, with steady, alert steps. My gaze wandered over the palace slowly. There were at least a hundred of them, visible at different locations. God knows how many were hidden. Why was it guarded so heavily tonight?
My eyebrows furrowed. It was impossible to get inside without getting caught. But, I had to try. I threw a few stones in two different directions to draw the attention of the guards. The moment they moved away from the doorway, I made a bolt for the door.
Unfortunately, there was a third guard, concealed behind the door. He nabbed me faster than a lightning bolt. Pressing my face down against the wall, he twisted my arm on my back, “Who are you? Why were you trying to enter the palace?”
I remained quiet. If my identity was exposed, my pack would be implicated too. He increased the pressure on my back and pushed me to my knees.
“What do you think you are doing?” A furious but sweet voice sounded behind me. “Release him at once.”
“But, Princess…. He was trying to sneak in.”
“He is my friend. Why would he need to sneak inside? I am sure he was trying to give me a surprise.”
“But, Princess….”
“Darwin! Do you have no respect for your princess at all? You are openly defying my order! If my father finds out about this, he won’t be happy.”
“My apologies, Princess.” The guard said, releasing me instantly. He even helped me stand up again. My eyes lit up on seeing the girl standing behind me. My lips lifted in a smile, “Daciana.”
The guard’s face turned pale and he knelt on the ground. He started apologizing profusely, “I am so sorry for making such a huge mistake. I wasn’t aware of your identity. Please don’t complain to the Lycan King.”
I was stunned by his reaction for a moment but I managed to say, “It’s alright.”
Daciana held my hand and led me to a secluded hall. Her smile widened as she chattered excitedly, “I was so cool earlier, wasn’t I?”
“You were. If you hadn’t come on time, they would have killed me.”
“So, you agree that you owe me your life, right?”
“I guess so….”
“Then, tell me honestly. Why are you here?”
“Umm… I have been trying to meet your father for over a month now. He never accepts my request.”
Her face fell for a moment but then lit up again, “If you want I can help you reach him.”
“That would be amazing.”
She raised her hands, “I will only lead you to the room he is in. Then it is up to you. I won’t get involved in this matter.”
“Deal.” I said, holding out my hand. She was quick to grab my hand and shake it. She was a Lycan Princess yet she was unrestrained like a bird claiming the blue skies. It was very easy to talk to her too.
“Why did that guard start behaving all so weird after I addressed you by your name?”
She raised her hands in the air, “Because you said my name, duh-uh.”
My eyebrows furrowed and then my jaws hung open, “I am so sorry Princess. I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”
“I don’t mind. Actually, I prefer being called by my name. Calling me princess makes me feel like an unapproachable, vain person.” She shrugged, “You can continue calling me ‘Ana’ just like the first time we met.’”
We chatted a bit more along the way as she led me to a large oak door. The guards opened it immediately. Though she had said that she wouldn’t get involved, she told the guards that I was her friend and wanted to meet the Lycan king. We were ushered inside shortly after.
The Lycan King was sitting at his desk, his nose buried in some ancient manuscript; his posture erect and regal. “Dad! What are you reading?” Daciana chirruped as she ran up to him and threw her arms around him. “My friend here wants to meet you.”
He flashed his daughter a smile before turning his skeptical gaze toward me, “How did you two get familiar.”
“I…umm….”
“You had asked me to escort him during the triple conference, Remember? We instantly struck off. Justin is a nice person, father.”
“I see….” His gaze remained discerning; his scorching eyes made me shift restlessly.
“Haven’t you recovered yet?”
“Huh,” my head snapped upwards; his question caught me off guard.
“Dad is right, Justin. You look like a zombie. Are you unwell? Do you want me to call a royal healer?”
“No…no…no…no,” I said quickly, in an attempt to stop her tirade of questions. I wasn’t here for that. I hadn’t even thought about my appearance before they mentioned it.
“Daciana is right. If you are feeling unwell I can summon the healer.”
I bowed quickly, “I am grateful for your concern, your highness. But, I am totally fine. I just haven’t been able to sleep properly.”
“I see…” He placed the book face down; giving me his full attention, “Why did you want to see me?”
I wrung my hands and gulped. It felt kind of awkward disturbing him like this, “I apologize for the inconvenience, your highness. I shouldn’t have come here at this time. It is just that… I have been trying to meet you for over a month. So….” My voice trailed off. I couldn’t possibly tell him that I had sneaked into his palace.
Daciana sauntered over to me, skipping lightly, “So, he asked me for help.” She smiled at her father and batted her eyelids, “Will you listen to him for my sake?”
His stern expression melted instantly and for some reason, I felt a sudden pang of jealousy.
“Come over and sit, Justin.” He said as he motioned to the chair opposite him. Daciana beat me to it and sat down on the chair. She waved to the other chair, “You sit here.”
“Daciana,” I muttered as a form of acceptance and sat down. If the Lycan King didn’t like my form of address, he didn’t show it.
Drawing in a deep breath, I went straight to the point, “I know I failed terribly last time but… I was wondering if you can give me another chance to trap the wereheretic.”
He clasped his hands over the table and gave me a hard look, “If you know you have failed terribly. Why do you want to try again?”
“Your highness, please… I promise that I will do my best.”
“Does that mean you didn’t try your best the last time?”
“Your highness, I….” A defeated sigh left my lips. “I did try my best. But, in the end, I still failed.”
I looked at him with a pleading expression, “I haven’t had a moment’s peace since I have returned. She plagues my thoughts and haunts my dreams. So much so, I can’t even sleep.” Pausing for a moment, I added, “I don’t think I can move forward in life before catching her.”
“You seem very passionate about finding her.” His comment flared the hope in my heart but it was brutally extinguished again by the rest of his sentence. “That is exactly the reason, you can’t be the one to lead this mission. You are not rational enough to carry out the task effectively.”
“Dad, stop criticizing him.” Daciana scowled. “You know he is the best you have. Out of the twenty comrades you sent, he is the only one who got close to success. The others were killed on the spot by the wereheretic.”
A chill ran down my spine hearing this. Despite the chance of survival being so low, the Lycan King had still chosen to gamble with my life.