The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 25

Aldrich

I didn’t care that she took it back; it was too late, the words already uttered into our little universe.

I smiled to myself in the darkness, my desk light the only thing illuminating the cabin. It was quite humorous, rejoicing about my wife admitting that she loves me. My only wish was that she let me respond.

Agar’s words haunted me, constantly drifting in and out of the forefront of my mind.

I ripped out a piece of paper from the pad on my desk and got to work. I had to let her know what I was feeling whether it came from my lips or my pen. Whether she would know soon, or years from now, she had to know in some form what I was feeling right now.

I wrote through the night until the pen ran out. Then I pocketed it, making sure it was always by my side.

My condition was dwindling, and the pain was gradually worsening from background pain to pain that crippled me some days. Of course, I could not present that to anyone, not even Agar. I had to constantly be restoring a tough front to my warriors.

The war had been difficult and extremely long, longer than I thought it would be. As my condition worsened, I wondered if I would make it out alive

As I tended to my wound in secret, I recalled the day I made a fatal mistake.

It was an offensive battle. We found a camp of unsuspecting vampires in the afternoon; they were not prepared to fight in daylight. It made them extremely weak, and our warriors cut them down with ease. The battle probably lasted no more than ten minutes, and we were so exhilarated from the easy win, we drank our rations of alcohol that night.

But I was the only one not celebrating with them. During the battle, a young vampire was brave enough to face me. I doubted he had any hope he would kill me, but he wanted to get a piece of me before he was taken out.

He knew he was going to die either way, and practically assigned me as his grim reaper so that he could go out swinging.

I had no hesitation in killing him–at first. I threw my ax back, my favorite weapon to wield in an easy battle with vampires. Then I froze.

He looked up at me fiercely, his green eyes blazing. It felt like I was looking down at Theo.

He had an expression rich with rebellion and his stance defensive, stood like he knew he was going to die but didn’t care; he would never back down. It starkly reminded me of my son.

I had never paused in battle before, never once had sympathy for an opponent. After years of training, I was programmed to spill b***d with no hesitation. Like a machine. Never look them in the eye, don’t even look at them long enough to remember the face of the person you killed. Just swing and shoot and hack; the only part of them that mattered was their b***d.

I let a breath pass, then two. Then the vampire lunged at me; he must have smelled my already suffering wound, because he sank his teeth right into my stomach, ripping at the scabbing flesh.

I roared out, the pain so seizing that I almost transformed into my human form. My men noticed my howl and swiftly came to my aid, closing in on the young boy. It didn’t take them more than one second to decapitate him; Agar ripped the boy’s head clean off with his jaws. He did it easily as if his head was a hollow pumpkin.

They knew I was injured, but didn’t know why or how. After I was bandaged, they did not ask any questions.

Except Agar.

“How did you even get injured?” he demanded, barging into the general’s cabin. He was angry I was not celebrating with them. “When you fell to the ground, all we saw was a youngling by you, no one else. What got you?”

I hesitated a moment before merely looking at him without a word.

He met my stare and seemed puzzled at first before the realization gradually settled in. Letting out a sigh, he put down his drink, plopping down on the same bench he always did to talk with me.

“Your son,” he eventually said in a somber tone.

I nodded slowly, looking away. “The boy must have been turned the same age as Theo. He looked just like him. It would be like killing my son.”

Agar just sat there silently, giving me his company as I submitted to the defeat.

Cathy

“You what?” Danika exclaimed in glee.

We were adorning her room with flowers and decorations as I admitted to her the conversation Aldrich and I had.

“I know, it was so stupid,” I said, shaking my head in embarrasment as I threaded a couple petals into the canopy over her bed.

She threw a stem at me. “No, no, this is marvelous news!” she squeaked excitedly, “I’m so glad you finally told him.”

“Yes, but I didn’t mean to,” I looked at her pointely, throwing the stem back at her, “plus, I took it back, anyway.”

“Coward,” she teased, flashing me a smile, “You know you love him. And the way you describe him…he’s a great guy.” Her eyes faded into a distant, admiring looking trance.

“I’m going to tell him I forgive him, I’ll give you that,” I offered, “but not profess my undying love,” I said mockingly, rolling my eyes.

“Well, I think you both deserve it,” she urged, folding her undergarments to put into her armoire drawer.

“I’ll tell him eventually. We just kissed…”

“I know, I know,” Danika protested, holding her arms up in surrender.

“Kissed who, mommy!?” Theo cried. We both jumped when we heard my son’s voice appear. He came dancing through the doorway, his cheeks flushed from playing outside.

Danika let out an exploding laugh, the kind of laugh she’d make when we were children. I joined her, doubling over at the intrusion. He just stared at us in puzzlement.

As I bent down to pick him up, I noticed Danika staring at us with a longing smile, her eyes still far away.

“No one, buddy,” I rolled my eyes, twirling him around. He giggled, protesting as he kicked his feet out.

“You have such a wonderful life now,” Danika observed, focusing on hanging her gowns in the armoire. “I am so happy for what it has become.”

I set Theo down on my rocking chair for him to entertain himself on. “It doesn’t feel like it. Not with everything going on.”

She nodded, pressing her lips together.

I gazed past her shoulder and focused on the grooves in the wood of the furniture. Did I have a wonderful life? I lived on an estate, had an adoring son, and a handsome prince kissed me in a glowing garden. But I felt I was being slowly hunted. My life was more lavish in the cottage. I barely went outside anymore

“I just have a horrible feeling,” I admitted, gazing out the window at the slowly dying garden.