The Lycan’s Curse
Chapter 7

Larissa

Apounding inside my skull wakes me. My eyes flutter open taking in the unknown surroundings. Something about it feels safe and I don't fight to sit up. That tingling sensation flows throughout my body, that one that's like an irritating bug bite times a thousand. There's not a part of me that doesn't feel it. Footsteps near and a light smile hit seeing Kai in the doorway. "Larissa!"

"Kai..." My throat is scratchy, but I don't feel as though I can move to sit up yet.

"Here let me help," he tells me, sitting me up gently as possible against a mound of pillow. "Now drink this," he adds, lifting the straw to my lips.

The drink has an interesting taste on top of the vanilla bean that I can't place, but it soothes my throat and eases the tingling. "Kai..."

"It's alright, sweetheart, you're going to be fine," he replies, brushing the hair from my face. This time his eyes are glowing, comforting me even more.

"How? I don't understand. Where are we now?" I add before he lifts the straw back to my lips and makes me drink again. My arms are heavy still but nowhere like the last time I was awake. It doesn't feel like I'm dying any longer and I don't know how I possibly survived.

"You are at my private residence, Larissa," a new voice says, pulling my attention to the door. A tall, muscular man stands there with a smile on his lips. He's easily the most beautiful man I've ever seen, and my breath catches for a second. A golden ring around his eyes glows making my brows knit trying to figure out what he is. He's like no shiften that I've ever scented. "I am Cassius and you have had us all worried for over a week now."

"Cassius? The prince?" The words fall from my lips rather than staying inside my head. He couldn't possibly be....why would I be at his private residence? I'm nothing to him.

"Yes, I am the Crown Prince, soon to be king. The last of the Royal Lycan Family," he says moving in to sit on the other side of the large bed. "Do your arms and legs still feel weak, as though it hard to move them?" "Yes."

"You have one of the slowest metabolisms I have ever seen in a shiften. But don't worry, we'll have you all better soon," Cassius states lifting my hand, checking the bones in it and up my arm. The ones in my hands don't hurt when he presses on them, but the ones in my arms do and I can't help but let out a little cry at one. "I'm sorry, little wolf, I do not mean to cause you any pain. Drink, it will help."

"It will," Kai says, and I give in, drinking the remainder as Cassius checks my injuries. A strange warmth fills me as his hands flow over my sides, then down my legs. Even the pain isn't as bad despite knowing my bones are still broken and cracked.

This warmth isn't the same as I normally feel. It's not the warmth from my wolf. It's not the glowing warmth from the drink either. It's odd and I can't understand why this stranger touching me doesn't have me pulling away. There's not even the slightest urge to try to pull away from his gentle touch. If anything, I want to lean into it.

"You are getting better, I promise," Cassius says as he retakes his seat.

"How? I was almost dead, we felt it," I state, looking to Kai for the truth. "It didn't hurt anymore but we were fading."

"I took the pain away at the cave," Kai tells me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "I couldn't bear to see you in pain like that and the water held dragon essence. It paralyzes the body. Dragons used it to stop enemies from escaping if they attacked. That's why you're still unable to move much now."

"It's okay, I know why you did it." I can barely manage to get my fingers to squeeze his hand, but I do it, feeling only a twinge of pain in the rest of my arm doing so. "But that wouldn't have helped me get better."

"No, it wouldn't," Cassius says, and my attention flows over to him. "We were able to ascertain your location with the help of Torin. The drink holds an old Lycan remedy, one we don't often share but, I made an exception for you, Larissa."

"Why?" It doesn't make sense why the prince would care about me. Kai I can understand, but I'm a stranger to this man.

"To ensure that Noah Wellston did not get his way, no matter how much pain and agony he has suffered, I refused to allow him to win if there were any chance of you surviving."

I could feel my face pale at the mention of Noah's name. Realization hit hard that if he, the Crown Prince of Beasts, knew that Noah was dying because I was his mate and had left him that meant others would as well. They would force me to go back, to accept him as my mate...

"Shh, calm down, little wolf," Cassius soothed, his voice soft and calm. "No one beyond myself, my guard Dominic, a few that are loyal to me-not my father, and my mother know the truth of what is happening to Noah beyond those from the camp. We provided our best healers and not one of them has suspected it is mate rejection that is killing him. What he has attempted to do to you overrides any laws governing the rules of mates. There is no justification for attempting to kill your mate prior to their coming of age in order to void it. You are safe from him, now and always. You have my word on that."

Tears slip down my cheeks and before Kai can, Cassius brushes them away.

"I think perhaps you should rest more; you still have a long way to go to fully recover," Kai states and I don't argue. There are too many emotions swirling through me to handle right now. "This is a very light sleeping potion. I think just a sip will be plenty." "Whatever you need, it's yours, little wolf," Cassius whispers against my ear after taking away several of the pillows so I can lay down again. The words wrap around me, rekindling that strange warmth inside me, before I fade back to sleep.

***

"Kai, stop babying me," I state as he refuses to let me try to walk to the bathroom. "It's been six weeks now. The bones are healed and there are only spots remaining that are still numb."

"I won't risk you falling and breaking one of your bones this soon. Your muscles are still recuperating and you're not back to even human strength. You almost died, sweetheart," he retorts before settling me into the bathroom. "I'm going to go get your drink. Stay where you are until I'm back."

I roll my eyes when he turns away, but a hint of a smile remains. As much as I'd like to be given freedom to test my limits, I can't help but enjoy Kai's precaution. I haven't had someone care since my dad died and Kai's been amazing these last six weeks. I know I'm not back to a hundred percent yet but I'm much better than I was when I first woke up, let alone when Kai found me.

I give Kai an extra minute but when he doesn't return, I pull myself up, going slowly and wash my hands. I can hear the blender downstairs running which likely means it's overpowering the sound from the quiet sink. This is my chance to prove to myself that I can do this. I can get myself back to the bed without falling showing that I'm good to move around without being carried everywhere.

Not that I'd argue being carried by Cassius. He's far too gorgeous to argue being close to when he's here.

Getting to the bathroom door is simple enough and I take a deep breath as I shuffle across the open space to the end of the bed. The blender turns off and soft words drift up towards me. I'm curious when Kai says they're out of vials and Dominic swears there are plenty left in the fridge from the latest batch.

The rattle of bottles carries as I reach the bedroom door, moving out into the hallway. "See, there are none left."

"Did you pack them into the car when we left last night?" Cassius asks making me smile that's he's here. I have to admit, having Cassius here makes me giddy. I love Kai, he's like a father to me, but Cassius...he's just if not even more gentle with me, but it feels entirely different with him.

"I thought you said you packed them," Dominic replies.

"It doesn't matter. I'll fill several while we're here and Dominic can return with the others in a day or two. For this one, give me the cup," Cassius states. Moving forward to the edge of the stairs, I can see him at the corner of the counter now. I can't stop the gasp that falls when he bites into his wrist, turning it over the cup, and I stumble trying to move backwards.

My feet slip, the steps rushing towards me, but before I can begin to crash, two arms wrap around me, lifting me against a warm, hard chest.

"Larissa! I told you to stay, you're too weak to be roaming around still," Kai shouts as Cassius carries me back to the bed. I scoot away from them when I'm in it, my eyes on the drops of red against Cassius' sleeve.

"Larissa..." he states seeing my eyes on it.

"No...no," I gasp lowering my head down to my knees to calm my breathing.

"Give us a moment," Cassius says, before the sound of steps receding hits, as I try to continue to breathe. The bed dips next to me and I start to move away, but don't get even an inch before his arm surrounds me, holding me still. "Larissa, look at me." I can't. I can't believe they would do this, feed me blood like I'm some kind of monster. How could they?

"Look at me, little wolf," Cassius says, the soft whisper of the name pulling my gaze up involuntarily. "I didn't mean for you to replace out that way. You saw in the mirror, didn't you?"

"Blood? That's the old Lycan remedy?" My stomach heaves and I drag in a deep breath through my nose trying to stop it.

"Royal Lycan blood can heal anything but death. As long as the person still has a heartbeat, it will keep them alive. Only royal blood can do this, Larissa. Only if we allow it. For you, I would do anything to keep you alive, keep you safe." His hands grasp mine, holding them still but not tightly. If I wanted, I could pull away, but I don't. "The blood is more potion when used as I did. It will not harm you, will not change you in any way other than give you the strength and ability to heal. I would never do anything to harm you." "Why?" I don't fight when he lifts his hand to my neck, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. The nausea, fear, and panic are all gone in an instant at his touch, leaving only warmth in its place.

"Because I understand how it feels to be bullied and belittled, to be told you're worthless, to have a beast that isn't normal," he adds pulling my brow up in surprise. "For you, it was your peers and the trash that the stars paired you with. For me, it was my father. Many centuries before I was born, my father cruelly played with a witch's affections. They meant nothing to him, she meant nothing to him but a body for his pleasure. In turn after he dumped the witch in front of his friends, she cursed him. He laughed about it but finally when he'd been king for just over four hundred years, he took a mate, my mother, and they had me a little over a year later.

"It was only when I was old enough to speak, that he realized the curse was at least partially true. She wanted my father to suffer the most but also whomever he finally chose as his mate as well. The curse was that he would have but one heir, who would be hollow inside, unable to provide an heir, to live fully as a Lycan. My father attempted to have additional heirs with any woman he could replace, but I was his only one. Lycan are not like other shiften. The first shift of one can happen at any age, for Lycan, until you are fifteen, you can only converse with your beast. It is meant to help prepare you for that turning.

"At fifteen, I was able to turn into my Lycan, but for only moments. The rest of what a normal Lycan would discover at that time for me did not. I had grown up for years with my father telling me I was useless because I couldn't charm anyone, never smiled, or laughed with them, and then at fifteen, the rest of the curse revealed itself to be true. He insisted that test after test be performed and when each one failed, I was beaten and yelled at by him."

"Cassius, I'm so sorry. You can't feel anything at all?" I ask lifting my hand up to his cheek. The warmth inside me grows as his slight stubble chafes my skin. His dark brown hair is slightly long on top, and it flops to the side, tickling the tops of my fingers. Those golden-brown eyes of his hold me, as his hand comes up to rest on top of mine.

"I can feel your soft touch on my face, but nothing beyond that. Others may feel giddy at such an innocent touch from someone so sweet, but inside there is nothing, a block that I cannot break. The only emotions that I have ever experienced are ones that drag people down, anger, fury, and irritation. Nothing to uplift you, make you smile. The closest I've gotten to a positive feeling is when I shift into my Lycan form. He however tends to sleep the majority of the time as he's unable to connect to the rest of his needs," Cassius states, making my heart ache for him.

"I don't understand what that means," I admit, "but it doesn't sound pleasant."

"Bluntly put, I'm not even half a man. At fifteen a Lycan's desire awakes, the need for physical pleasure, even if not provided by another, strengthens our beasts. I have none. No ability to perform and nothing hiding inside that doctors could attempt to extract to create a new heir."

My cheeks heat a bit realizing what he means easily now.

"The ultimate curse for a man that put the royal bloodline beyond any pleasure or being. With only one heir, that heir will of course take the crown, as I will in six short weeks. When I have ruled for five hundred years, the crown should automatically go to my first born, if there is no heir, then anyone may challenge for it. It ends the royal rule and our bloodlines in one swoop, but it is the end of the royal rule that my father hates the most," Cassius adds and despite knowing that he can't feel the pain from that, I do for him. "There's nothing that can break the curse?" I ask, the warmth inside me touching everywhere but for a couple spots that are still numb.

"Oh, she offered one. A star-blessed mate. Never heard of them before?" he asks as I stare at him in confusion. "You wouldn't have, because witches cursed them millenniums ago and they no longer exist. They're killed in infancy or childhood, and in the last five centuries, none have even been noted to have been born."

"I'm sorry, for everything that happened to you because of your father. It's not fair and neither was I. I'd be dead if you hadn't..."

"You have nothing to apologize for Larissa. I knew when I said it was an old Lycan remedy that you wouldn't be happy to know exactly what it meant, but I was determined that you would survive. You, the sweet girl who knew all too well what it was like to be hurt for doing nothing, whose mate rejected the most sacred bond of our kind. Only a handful of people know of the curse, if the beasts knew, they would demand a new king immediately and I want to make a difference before the rule leaves my family," he states, stopping my tears at the soft words that he doesn't truly understand, doesn't know how deeply they touch.

"I won't tell anyone, I swear. You can trust me."

"I know I can, little wolf. Which is why, I want you to be my mate," he says, his finger staying my lips before I can begin to react.