Songs of Fallen Stars

3

Rion.

I’m jolted awake by the most unexpected occurrence.

I can smell her. My mate. I’ve been waiting three centuries for her. I assumed she had not yet been born or else I’d be able to smell her before now. Suddenly, my senses are overwhelmed by her. I need to find her, she will be a newborn and I will have to wait, but at this point what is another seventeen or eighteen years?

As long as I know she is healthy and alive, I will wait.

But I have to see her. I’ve waited far too long to ignore this.

I assemble my companions and we head out by lunch to find her. My lands are vast, there is much to cover. I send four groups to look for newborns, telling them to monitor, not to engage with the mothers. I do not wish to frighten anyone. Observe and report. Within four hours, there is word back from everyone. There have been no newborn females anywhere. I sniff the air but her scent is diluted now, tainted by something else. Something dirty, it’s not enough to track.

I know who I must go see. The Witch, Zara, the oldest within the lands. She will know where my mate is.

I make my way to the deepest part of the wood, her cabin is secluded and hidden. I knock three times.

“Enter” She calls.

I push the wooden door open and step inside,

“King Rion.. what can I do for you today?” She is blind and doesn’t turn towards me.

“I smelt my Mate this morning. As you know, I’ve waited centuries for her. The only issue is there are no newborn females in the lands. I cannot smell her clearly now, it’s like her scent is being hidden. Obscured. I need your assistance.”

“She is not a newborn. There is an old ancient legend.. One that says there will be a woman brought from another land. I believe her to be your mate. The one you seek, the one who has her, is a werewolf. That is all I know.”

“Another land? As in another kingdom? How is that possible? Mine is the only one for thousands of miles. How could she cross over?” I demand.

“Another kingdom, in a way. I cannot reveal what I do not know”. She snaps at me. I nod my thanks and leave her to her own devices. I hear her humming as I close the door behind me.

“What’s the plan?” Yazier, my second asks when I emerge from the woods.

“We are hunting werewolves tonight,” I tell him. He grins wickedly and cracks his knuckles.

Yazier loves a good fight, his own werewolf side takes over. He has been my second for nearly two hundred and eighty years, going into every battle with me, by my side. He is the leader of werewolves and loves any opportunity to put them in their place. He likes to keep them in line, so hearing that one of his own has crossed me excites him.

He howls into the night sky, summoning his kind. He can’t hide his excitement, even if he tries.

An hour later, the werewolves are assembled and awaiting my command.

“One among you is hiding something that belongs to the King” Yazier announces to the group. There are over one hundred werewolves. I am zoning in on each one, taking in their scent. I come across the one I’m looking for, walking towards him.

“Where is she?” I seethe at him.

“I’m not sure what you mean, King Rion?” He is sweating, it pours down his temples. I can smell her on him stronger now, I tower over him and he shifts uncomfortably on his feet.

“I will not ask again” I warn him. I can feel Yazier watching from the side, along with the entire pack. Their heads are turned down in respect, but I know they are paying close attention.

“She will be dead by the time you find her” His voice is shaking, he’s scared. Good he should be. Now that I have her scent again, I don’t need him. In one smooth motion, I grab him by the neck, lifting him off the ground by a few feet. He struggles and claws at me, he half shifts, his claws are dull and his teeth snap at me. I toss him to the ground and turn to Yazier,

“Take care of this. Show them what happens when they cross me” I order, his smile returns and he nods. I push off the ground, jumping into the sky, shifting into my true form. I fly over the forest, my senses honing in on her. My heightened eyes see her walking slowly. I circle around and land, shifting back into my human form.

She has fallen down from my impact, she is crying, the tears staining her dirty face. Her legs are filthy and one is bloody and looks swollen. Her body shakes from the breeze in the air, she is hardly wearing anything, no furs to keep her warm. I can smell the blood on her, it is strong, it makes my mouth water.

“There you are” I say as I reach for her. She flinches away but I ignore it. I lift her to her feet and look her over. She has been bitten on her left calf, that’s why she's bleeding.

She wears a cream colored thin fabric, it goes to her mid thigh with a large split up to her hip. Her chest is barely covered and I can see the outline of her breasts, her n*****s hard. I remove my cloak and wrap it around her before I pull her over my shoulder. She fights me for a moment before her energy dies down. I place my hand on her lower back to keep her from sliding off my shoulder. I can feel the shape of her ass as my hand grazes it. She tries to keep her head up, but she fails. In the end, her body is weak and frail. Once I know she is no longer going to fight me, I slide her off my shoulder and cradle her in my arms, her head resting against my chest. Her eyes flutter closed, then open, over and over. She has a strong will, that much I can tell.

“Sleep, you’re safe with me” I tell her. Her eyes close and do not reopen this time. I enjoy watching her sleep in my arms as I walk. Once I’m confident she is not going to wake, I shift back into my true form, holding her in my large claws. She stays unconscious the entire way back to my castle.

I take her to my room and tend to her wounds, cleaning the bite and making sure it is not infected. I slather healing ointment over it and wrap it. I do not want to violate her privacy, so I get a maid to come and clean her and change her.

Yazier finds me in the hallway as I’m heading back to my Mate,

“Did you find her?” He asks, seemingly uninterested. He has no interest in mates or the bond that follows.

“I did. She is sleeping.”

“So what is she?” He refers to her powers, Witch, Werewolf, Siren, Vampire, Fae or Dragon.

“I do not know yet” I admit.

“You are the King of all beasts, and you do not know? You do not sense it on her?” He raises an eyebrow in confusion.

I shake my head, “We shall see. I can tell she is special” I say as I reach for the door handle. I hear her scream before I even open the door. Something crashes to the ground and I rush inside, Yazier behind me. He looks slightly amused.

My Mate is crouched on the bed holding the bed warmer in her hands as if it is a weapon. The poor maid has her hands up in fear.

“Who are you? Where am I?” My mate shouts at her.

“Rosa, you may leave” I announce as I walk into the room. She doesn’t need to be excused twice and she rushes from the room. Yazier chuckles as he watches from the door.

Her eyes shift towards me and she tightens her grip on the bed warmer.

“Where am I?” She repeats, narrowing her eyes at me.

“You are perfectly safe, calm down and tell me what’s wrong” I say with an even tone. I look her over, she is still quite dirty but it’s an improvement. She is now wearing a clean cotton dress, her curves hidden from me.

“Calm down? Calm down?! Who the hell are you people?”

“I am King Rion, this is my home”. I try not to boast as I tell her, but I am proud of my home and my lands. I want to share that with her.

She just looks at me, unimpressed.

She seems to have no idea who I am.