Hey guys,

Please comment, vote, and follow!

Sorry for editing and grammar mistakes!

Enjoy!

-&-

Chapter 2

       "Holy fuck."

       I hardly cussed, usually never- but as a pair of eyes so lightening blue that I could feel their electricity pierce my soul, locked on mine- it seemed fitting. He had seen me. The King of the North had seen my fumble and was staring up at me in a gaze that froze the very air in my lungs.

       Our eyes locked, my heart stopped, and his curious hooded head tilted to the side. There was this sudden disturbing feeling in my stomach- one that turned uneasily and made me want to hurl. I groaned as my grip on the edge turned my knuckles white.

       Oh my God-

       He was gorgeous.

       The rumors and tales of his beauty from the South were nothing compared to the- the- thing who was staring up at me now. I gulped. "What? What is it?" Mae hissed as she peeked up from her hiding spot.

       I couldn't stop her- couldn't pull her away before she saw the damage I had caused. I was as frozen as a statue. "Oh my God- Emrie he's looking right at us! We need to go! Now!" I didn't argue with her as she tore my hand from the edge and dragged me back towards the ladder.

       I couldn't break eye contact with him. I physically could not. Something in those lightening eyes was holding me captive and refusing to let go. It made panic flare in my chest. I felt like I was in a trance- like my body was only agreeing to follow Mae down the ladder because that was what I needed to do to get closer to him.

       I was too dumb to realize how truly terrified I was. The spell was broken as those terrifyingly beautiful eyes glanced at the frantic girl pulling me towards the ladder. I felt air suddenly return to my lungs as his electric gaze hardened and his hands gripped tightly onto the arm rests of his throne.

       Definitely time to go.

       I finally tore my eyes off him before he could lock our gazes again and rushed down the ladder after Mae. Oh my God- We took off running in a vicious sprint the minute our feet hit solid ground. I didn't care about sneaking around anymore, or being quiet. Our main goal was to get the hell out of there as fast as possible.

       I was terrified that one of his infamous huge warriors would jump out of the houses surrounding us and tear at our throats with their sharp fang-like teeth. I ran faster. We were just at the edge of the village, no guard in sight, when the shouting started. Loud, deep, male voices rang throughout the whole town as the sound of stomping feet pounded the pavement.

       "Run Mae!" I shouted as we burst out of the village and ran full speed into the dense trees of the forest. Our only hope was that the thick foliage and the snow falling heavily from sky would cover our presence. But against wolf-bornes- I doubted we would make it out of there alive. Especially since he saw us- the very he that sent cities trembling at the near thought of.

       My heart pounded viciously in my chest as fear coursed through my body. He had seen me. We had locked gazes! The King of the North saw an intruder with his very own terrifyingly gorgeous eyes, and I had no doubt that the feeling creeping down my spine was death. I was going to die today.

       We didn't stop for rest, or air as we ran full speed down the dirt path we took to get there. Mae's shifter was enough to keep her going for a while, but my need to not die was all I had going for me. I tried to push faster as the shouts behind us only grew in both tone and number. They were definitely after us now, and by the sounds of it- they were a lot faster than us. We weren't far enough away when Mae suddenly couldn't hold back her animal anymore. Her fear was far too strong to remain human.

       Her clothes shred to pieces as she shifted mid-run, and the sleek pelt of her snow leopard emerged as she shot like a bullet away from me. My heart dropped to my stomach as I watched her basically fly away from me. Well, hopefully she will be able to get away. I didn't stop running though. I couldn't shift, and I knew they would catch me sooner or later, but I still kept going. Like a last-ditch effort to keep my short life.

       She stopped several meters ahead and her glistening white fur shimmered as she glanced back with a whine, but I waved her off. "Go Mae! Run! Get Lei!" She whined again and pawed the ground, but I waved harder and screamed at her to go.

       She had a chance to get away, and I would only slow her down if she waited for me. And I highly doubted we would be able to outrun wolf-bornes if I was on her back. She needed to go. She let out one last long whine before turning on her heels and heading in the direction of her brother's tower. Her brother Leikos was pretty much in charge of our little village at the base of the mountain, and he was the only chance I had- if the king let me live.

       I knew I wasn't going to escape them- no way, no how- but that didn't stop the small shred of hope glowing in my chest. If I could just reach the border of their territory and the town's they wouldn't be able to do anything without negotiations. But I knew that was impossible. It took us half the day just to get to the border of our village, and the rest to reach his kingdom. At least Mae in her leopard form could reach it in an hour or two.

       I could hear loud howls behind me. The thundering roars of a people whose privacy had just been infringed on. I knew in that very moment, that there was no hope for my life. If they caught me, I would die. I snuck across their border, across their land, into their village, and witnessed part of their ceremony without being detected. Their pride would not let them let me live.

       At least I got to see him before I died.

       I shook my head of thought and shoved on. Was it really worth it? That glimpse I so desperately craved? Was breaking into his kingdom, his ceremony, just to see him worth my life? The nagging need in my head had disappeared, only to be replaced with one that begged me to turn around and stare into those beautiful eyes until I died- until he killed me.

       Was it worth my life?

       Yes, it was.

       Eventually, I had to stop running. I couldn't help it. Air wouldn't reach my lungs and I had a cramp the size of the lower kingdom stuck in my side. I needed a minute- just a minute to regain my breathing. Then I could run again. But luck had left my side and I didn't get that minute I so desperately needed.

       The howls that reached my ears in the quickly fading daylight were too close for comfort. My hands ran furiously through my hair as I frantically looked for some kind of hiding spot- any kind. It was when I heard the sound of pounding paws on snow that I found a little cubby-like-hole dug at the base of a tree. My heart soared in my chest. "Freaking yes." I murmured and dived into the little cubby without thinking of the little critter's home I probably just disturbed.

       I tried to still my breathing and ease my rapidly pounding heart as a group of wolves who were twice the size of me, and equally as ferocious looking, came storming down the path I had barely escaped. I pressed back into the dark cut of the tree as far as I could. I was terrified they could hear my heart- could smell the fear rolling off me in waves as they paused and sniffed the air. I just prayed the bushes smell surrounding me was strong enough to mask my scent.

       They were so tall I could really only see their paws as they clawed at the ground and howled. They truly were wolf-borne. Those that hail solely from the moon. Night worshipers in their finest. Their stories and rumors were almost as great as their king's.

       I closed my eyes and prayed they wouldn't find me.

       They howled one last time before pawing at the ground and taking off back down the mountain. I prayed Mae was already across the border.

       I can't believe that worked.

       I felt hope start to swell in my chest, but quickly squished it down as I waited a few more minutes in the little hole. I wasn't going to even let myself think of hope until I reached the border- if I reached the border.

       I waited until the silence filling the dense forest was once again humming with the sounds of the small creatures living there. I let out a heavy sigh as the moon slowly took its respectful spot in the sky and I began to slowly edge my way out of my hiding spot. I let out a heavy sigh and rested my head against the cold snow as I tried to clear the fear-filled thoughts running freely through it.

       There was absolutely no way I was going to get out of there alive, at least not while I was on that path. There would no doubt be patrols surrounding all paths on every side of the territory until the intruders were caught. If I kept running down that one I was bound to collide with a guard- or worse, a wolf. My only choice was to go off road- to make my own path down a haphazard mountain I had never scaled before.

       "Here goes nothing." I groaned as I turned off the path and headed in the opposite direction of the ginormous wolves that I'm pretty sure were set on eating me.

       I had no idea how long I was walking. My only judge of time was the moon's position in the sky, and even that didn't offer any comfort. I felt like the further I walked, the further I wandered into the density of the forest. Many feared these woods, these trees. The rumors that circled around them were almost as intense as those of the King of the North- but I feared him more. Even if his eyes were the most beautiful crystal clear-electric blue I had ever seen.

       I wandered further down the mountain and into the dense forest. Those eyes were unlike any I had ever seen before. The way they had held me there on that roof- the way they caused my whole being to freeze, was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I hadn't wanted to leave, to move. I wanted to stay in that very same position and never look away. And the freakiest part was that, for a moment- just a moment, I thought he wanted that to.

       He hadn't freaked when he saw me standing there, peeking up at him over the roof. He didn't automatically call his guards to capture us. He had just sat there silently and stared with as seemingly as much curiosity as I did at him. It was- unnerving.

       A branch snapping somewhere from behind drew me from my thoughts, and I halted as the sounds of the forest quieted once more. I could feel eyes now- watching me, following my every movement. There were no small chirps of the birds, or murmurs of other little animals- a tell-tale sign that a predator was among them.

       Fear gripped my heart in an icy cage. Were they back? Did they follow my scent? This wasn't good- Another branch snapped behind me as if large paws couldn't find quiet places to put them. Relax Emrie, breathe. I told myself quietly as I gripped tightly at the end of my sleeves. I'm sure it's not a wolf. Maybe it's a bear, o-or a mountain lion!

       Neither of those options were reassuring either.

       When a growl so low, and powerful that it sent shock of vibration through me sounded in the silence- I ran. Ran like my little bitty heart would never give out from over exertion. Obviously, I didn't make it very far. I had barely ran five feet before the beast tackled me to the ground from behind.

       The air was knocked out of me for a few, long, fearful seconds, and I sat there gasping as the giant monster pinned me to the ground. From what I could tell by the weight crushing me, the body was huge. At least twice as large as the wolves I saw before- and more around four times the size of me. A body that big should have crushed me to death in an instant. I wasn't sure if I should be thankful that it didn't.

       I sucked in lungfuls of air as the beast eased slightly off my trembling body. I didn't want to turn around and face it- I just wanted to curl in a ball and bury my face in my knees, but a dark growl had me cautiously rolling over to my back. Then I screamed, screamed the ever-loving day lights out of me.

       "Ahh-!" The shrill sound of my voice reverberated through the trees, but I didn't get much more out as the giant wolf's head launched for my throat.

       My scream stuck in my lungs, and my eyes slammed shut as I waited for the inevitable tearing of flesh those giant fangs would rip from my throat, along with the agonizing pain of death- but it never came. I trembled in terrified fear as I felt hot breath continuously hit my cheek, neck, and shoulder. Teeth just barely touched the edge of my skin as a hot, wet pressure rested firmly against the base of my throat.

       I slowly pried my eyes open to stare up at a wolf whose fur was blacker than the night sky during a new moon hovering over me with my neck grasped gently in its ginormous jaw. It wasn't tearing into me, it wasn't kill me, but it was making me know damn well that it could. The beast's want was simple- shut the hell up.

       So, I did.

       We stayed in that silent stance for a few long minutes as the abnormally giant creature made sure I knew who the dominant one was in this situation- and I was all too eager to agree. Anything to keep my throat safely intact.

       I laid flat on the ground when the wolf finally let go of me, and kept the scream that so desperately wanted to breach my lips stuffed tightly down my throat. The huge beast didn't move off me as he raised his head- a head that was larger than any animal I had ever seen, and glanced down at me.

       I gasped.

       Those eyes.

       The eyes I had been wondering about for my entire disastrous trip down the mountain. Eyes so blue they put the daytime sky to shame. This ginormous, huge, abnormally large monster was the King of the North. My heart dropped to my stomach. Good lord, I really was going to die. He let out a hot breath of air that blew straight at my face.

       I gulped.

       His beautiful eyes narrowed and his giant head tilted to the side like it had the first time our eyes locked together. All four of his ginormous, muscled legs kept me trapped under him. I shuttered under his glare. He was probably thinking of the best way to eat me.

       But he didn't.

       Our gaze stayed locked in that intense stare as his electrifying blue eyes shot lightening straight to the pit of my stomach. His gaze made my insides feel frozen, but it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. The longer I gazed up at that beautiful blue, the more I never wanted to look away. It was hauntingly beautiful, in a very dangerous kind of way.

       My nervous, fearful breathing slowly eased until it matched the relatively calm ones of the wolf. He seemed so relaxed- so at ease, that it made my body slowly follow suit. My mind was too far gone in his eyes to notice. But that's when I caught the slight tremor in his left arm, the arm that I could tell was hurt earlier. It must be bothering him to stand on it for this long- much less suffer through all that running I was sure he did to track me down.

       I tore my eyes away from his agonizingly beautiful ones to glance over his injured arm. He let out a dark growl at the action and I stiffened under him as his lip raised in a snarl. My eyes glanced back over to his as he tried to hide the slight tremor. He let out a low growl again.

       "Y-you're hurt." My voice was barely a whisper as I glanced over back at his arm. His body froze above mine for a second, just a second, before he let out another snarl. "I-I can help you." I murmured softly as he stood to his full height over me.

       I gulped.

       What exactly was I trying to do? Escape in any way I could? Help him? I had no idea, but the insane part of me that needed to see him, and noticed he was hurt in the first place, wanted me to desperately do something.

       I slowly raised my hand from its trapped position at my side and went to gently touch his left arm that let out a small shake next to my shoulder. He growled as my hand got closer to him. "It's okay..." I eased softly as my fingertips gently brushed over the muscle just above his paw. It wasn't hurt there- it was in his shoulder that then tendon had torn, but I didn't want to frighten him.

       Isn't this an ironic situation?

       "See? I won't hurt you." I eased softly as I let just the tip of my fingers run from the paw that was as big as my face up to his muscled knee. I saw amusement flash in those bright blue eyes, and he seemed to almost let out a wolfish snicker.

       I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my own lips. I guess he was right. He could kill me with a hurt shoulder or not. I just said I wouldn't hurt him as a formality. I honestly had no idea why I wanted to help the king who sent his beasts after me and my friend, but this aching tug inside of me demanded that I did.

       "Let me help you, please?" I asked softly as I ran my fingers along his soft paw again. He snapped his jaw shut and hesitated for a moment before he let out one more growl.

       Was that a no or-?

       He eased his ginormous body off me and slowly sat not an inch away from my left side. I carefully, and very slowly rose to a sitting position next to him. I didn't want to make any sudden moves and have him lunge at me again.

       His beautiful eyes watched me in cold calculation as I slowly turned my body toward his. I licked my lips and tried not to let fear race down my spine as I placed one hand on the part of his arm just below his shoulder and the other out in the open for him to see.

       "Do you mind if I touch the part that hurts?" I asked softly as his abnormally large head turned to look at me. He didn't growl or snarl, so I took that as a yes- but I still proceeded with caution. I didn't need him changing his mind at the last minute and eating me.

       I could basically see the torn tendon throbbing painfully under his fur and skin, and frowned at the red lines of pain flowing down his arm. "This looks incredibly painful." I mumbled more to myself then anything as I gently, and with one hand, probed the area around the tendon. "Don't you wolf-bornes heal incredibly fast or something?" I grumbled as I gently rubbed down the red pain line with two fingers.

       I had only been able to see pain in someone one other time, and that time hadn't been pleasant either. I don't know why the healing sight comes or goes- but it does, and like the nagging inside my head, it wanted me to help him.

       He rolled his beautiful eyes and let out something close to a snort. I sent him a small glare, but otherwise ignored him. "This might hurt a little- so don't bite my head off, okay?" I mumbled as I finally let my other hand rest gently on his upper arm. He locked our gazes again and I stared into those blue eyes for a few long seconds before he gave me a slow blink.

       I took that as a yes.

       I gripped onto his upper arm tightly for some form of stability as I let my other hand rub gently across the torn tendon. I hadn't done this since I was a kid, and the last time I ended up unconscious for three days. I didn't even want to think what would happen now- so my dumb ass didn't. Helping him was my number one top priority at the moment, not my safety- and that knowledge alone confused me. But I didn't linger on it long. That nagging in me wouldn't let me.

       "Here goes nothing." I grumbled as he stared down at me with an amused curiosity. This pompous wolf didn't believe I could help him.

       Well I'll show him.

       I closed my eyes, let out a few deep breaths until I felt slightly lightheaded, and embraced that small glow of heat that simmered in my chest. When I felt that my mind and body had a firm grasp on the beautiful gold humming through my being, I pressed my thumb into his torn tendon.

       He howled into the night air as my finger jammed itself into his hurt shoulder, and tried to viciously tug himself away from me- but the gold shimmer of- of- well, I don't really know what it was- was zipping through me stronger than the lightening in his eyes had. And it was holding him firmly in my grasp. At least he wasn't trying to bite me.

       This was a power I could not control. It controlled me, my soul, and it let me tap into it now and then. Apparently, it liked this beast that was trying to tear himself from me. The beautiful golden warmth flowed from my chest, down my arm, into my thumb, and then finally into the torn tendon of his shoulder.

       As soon as the gold hit his wound- he froze. His body no longer desperately tried to rid itself out of my hold, and I could feel his eyes watching me in amazement as I kept mine closed and hummed.

       As the gold shimmer healed the tendon my eyes slowly blinked open and I watched the red lines of pain shooting down his arm turn to gold as this power healed him. I let out a small smile. There, that was better. Once I was satisfied it had done its job I tried to call the power back to me, back to my chest and into my soul where it would rest once again- but it denied me.

       I gasped as a full-blown surge of power ripped through my chest and into his body. It wanted him, it wanted to be in him. I could feel it. It wanted to flow into his heart, into his being and heal every scratch, scar, and cut in his body. Air escaped my lungs as more and more of the gold power fled my body and into his. Black dots danced around my vision and I clawed at my throat with my free hand.

       I couldn't let go of him. I couldn't drop my hand. The gold power wouldn't let me. It no longer wanted to be in me, in my soul- it wanted to be in his. And it was going to kill me to do so if it had to. I heard him let out a strangled cry and bark as my thumb dug deeper into his shoulder.

       I'm sorry. I wanted to cry out to him, to let him know that I didn't mean to hurt him- but the power wouldn't let me breathe enough to say anything. Tears suddenly streamed down my cheeks as air refused to enter my lungs, and the black dots dancing around my vision were quickly growing until all I could see were thin slits of the moon's light.

       I clawed at my throat, and then the ground like that would help me cut the power off, but it didn't. I felt the wolf biting gently into my wrist, like that would make me let go. It didn't- and the harder he bit the more the golden power wanted to be in him.

       So, this was the end. This was how I was going to die. That warm, golden, power I had thought was a gift was draining from me faster than blood from a cut wrist. And it was killing me. At least I helped him.

       The last thing I was aware of was a wet tongue running hastily over my face, and a pair of bright beautiful eyes staring worriedly into mine.

-&-

So, not one of my best chapters and kind of cliche, but necessary.

Tell me what you guys think!