The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 65

There was something drifting outside the window.

But it was not a stalker lurking in the dark, for instead, it was snow.

I hurried over to the window to look outside. The billowing white flakes were coming down like powdered sugar, thick and in heaping clouds. They slowly grazed the window and trickled down to the ground that was already concealed in at least a foot of the cotton melancholy blanket.

Slowly, I turned from the window with a grin. His expression mirrored mine.

We hurried over to the chambers we now shared and dressed in winter gear. My attire consisted of layered petticoats underneath a gray, bulbous sleeved cloak and faux fur lined gloves that matched a warm, rose pink hat. Aldrich wore a long overcoat that matched the gray in mine. With Theo in bed and Aldrich holding off his duties for the day, we hurried downstairs to the back entrance like children.

In the moonlight, it looked like stardust sprinkling down from the Milky Way, kissing our upturned faces. We walked out into the white and dazzling crystal haze to replace that it was purely virgin snow; there were no footsteps or even leaves scattering the blank canvas. It was flat and cushiony, our boots sinking through the iridescent sheets.

I was admiring the vast, white coated landscape when all the sudden something cold and compact nailed me in the cheek. Remembering that we were outside and vulnerable, I silently panicked, whirling my head around to scan for the possible intruder. All I discovered was Aldrich standing there with a sheepish smirk as the snow flaked off my face.

“You bastard!” I shouted before quickly moving to avenge. He cried out in protest, darting through the snow across the fields. I compiled the snow into a ball and held it tightly with my fist as I chased after him, using his footprints in the snow to move faster. His cries soon melted into loud and contagious laughter, reminiscent of his son’s. I eventually caught up to him, thrusting my arm back before throwing the snowball at the back of his head. He pivoted around at a brisk speed and caught it, then proceeded to throw one he secretly had stored against his chest. I squeaked out as the snowball launched at my face.

It exploded upon my nose and cheeks, and I threw my hands up to nurse my face after the hit.

“Shit, did I throw it too hard?” Aldrich demanded with concern, his voice becoming closer. “You alright?”

I let out a few cries, and he stepped in closer to me, his presence large and warm even with my eyes closed. Just as he was delicately taking my hands to pry them from my face, I roared out and tackled him into the snow. Startled, he stumbled backwards, thanks to the fact I targeted his upper chest so that he wouldn’t have time to regain his lower body balance. His heels were above his head as he hit the ground.

Laughing madly, I pinned down his arms in the snow, but it was a futile attempt. He moved my arms away with tease before tossing me from his chest into the snow beside him. I landed into the natural cushioning and almost sank through, my breath hitching.

“That’s just no fair,” I gasped, my chest moving up and down swiftly as I caught my breath.

“Army generals don’t care for fairness, love,” Aldrich grinned. His nose and cheeks were a light crimson from the snow, and there were flakes of it in his hair. He looked like an arctic god, his teeth gleaming as white as the landscape. “We care about winning.”

We both watched the sky above us. It was completely black, feathers of white contrasting against it. The moon only narrowly shined through the clouds. Everything around us was silent, the snow muting each footfall and breath of the universe. No breeze made the trees whisper, no animals sounded. The only sound in the whole world at that moment was our breathing.

I turned to him, admiring the snow fluttering around his flushed face and the flakes of it interweaved in his eyelashes.

“You’re kind of beautiful sometimes,” I said with a lazy smile.

He laughed, looking toward me. “Are you getting hypothermia?”

“No, why?” I asked.

“Because I’m beautiful all the time,” he countered with such seriousness that I barked out a laugh.

“Wow, so humble, too,” I chuckled, sitting up from the ground suddenly. He watched me curiously. “Let’s go explore more of the grounds.”

We ran to the other end of the field connecting to the front yards. It was even more beautiful with all the lights shining down, the glow of the estate casting onto the snow. Like children, we froliced through the winter wonderland with delight. I even tripped him into the snow again and plopped down next to him so we could make snow angels. His laughter echoed through the trees.

I eventually hurried over to the darkest corner to the side of the building to stock up on snowballs. My nose was burning from the cold and my hot breath drifted out in wisps of clouds, but I was having the time of my life.

As I grabbed for the snow in front of me to contribute to my ammunition of snowballs, my hand hesitated in the air above the stark footprint. I frowned at the sight, instantly confused. We had not wandered over here yet, and this was significantly farther than any guard would care to roam beyond the entrance.

It was a relatively large footprint, prominent in the white. Fear began to trickle into the part of me that was formerly confused. That fear broke a fuse in me when I more closely examined it.

There was red in the snow, glaringly bold in the footprint. It looked like spilled red paint on a canvas. My heart jumped.

I didn’t care to examine any further. Gasping, I struggled to my feet before running off in the other direction toward Aldrich.

“Hey,” I gasped out, the cold air making my throat feel raw, and I felt as if a layer of it was shaved off from running. He looked like he saw a ghost, immediately concerned at the sight of my distress. “Let’s go inside.”

I didn’t want this to be ruined. I wanted one day to ourselves, one night that wasn’t cloaked by paranoia or tainted by b***d. I didn’t care how selfish I was.

I tugged at his arm and tried to tow him toward the entrance, but he stayed put with a frown as if he was made of cement.

“What happened, Cathy?” he demanded, the lightness already disappearing from his voice to be replaced by a curt authoritativeness. The night was already ruined.

Defeated, I shook my head, but I knew there was no point anymore.

“Is that where you came from?” he pointed toward the side of the building shadowed by the canopy of overhanging trees. I couldn’t deny it, for my footprints gave away the answer.

He followed my trail in the snow and I cautiously loomed behind him. I debated telling him about what I saw in case he needed to be prepared for a possible attack, but I knew it would only distract him.

“Aldrich, please, let’s just go inside and have some hot chocolate,” I urged desperately.

He quickly found the red stained footprint. After examining it for a moment, he continued into the direction in which it came from.

I followed him, my heart pounding so hard against my chest, I was convinced it would echo through the trees.

There was a mangled body lying on the ground, deep crimson staining the snow.