The spirit of Èowyn

Chapter3

Lucien

The darkness was dense around us as we hiked up along the difficult terrain. We had been hiking for hours, stopping only briefly for quick water breaks. Zane had shifted, letting Cassian take the reins for a while. The huge black Lycan was on edge.

Worried and agitated about being away from his mate. Yet he kept going.

It was mid-September and the first snow had landed on the hill the night before. It was just a thin blanket of snow, but I wasn't going to take any chances. The landscape had opened up and, with the moon lighting up the night sky and my enhanced vision, I could see the lake and forest edge we were headed towards. I wanted to run, use my supernatural speed to get there as fast as possible.

But I could not. My strength had slowly weakened as the nightmares increased. Draining me to the point where I was forced to walk like an ordinary man. We strolled next to each other in comfortable silence. The truth was, even though Zane was like a brother to me, I didn't know his Lycan, Cassian. I only got to know Zane after Cassian turned his back on him 87 years ago. It was only when Lily entered the picture that Zane and Cassian began to heal their wounded connection.

Cassian stopped abruptly as we approached the clearing by the water. A low growl came from his throat as he crouched down.

In my weakened state, I didn't pick up the strange smell until I heard a branch snap a little further away. I hated feeling weak and not being at my full strength. It made me feel powerless, which pissed me off quite frankly.

Cassian let out a menacing sound as a brown-haired man, with startled brown eyes, stopped mid-step when we caught sight of him in the clearing. "Calm down, Cassian. It's just us." Cassian seemed to visibly relax as Zane's older brother, Damien, stepped forward behind the man whom I now, upon reflection, recognized. Dr. Rick Thatcher. I had seen him in passing in the Lycan capital a while back. I stepped forward and extended my hand in greeting. "I didn't know you were coming. But I'm deeply grateful." He shook my hand as his gaze conveyed understanding. "I would never hesitate to help out a friend. Shall we start by trying to set up that tent you have with you before the sun sets? So you don't get fired up for all the wrong reasons before we find the fair maiden." Damien said with a sly smirk and mischievous eyes in his typical manner. The eternal sarcastic charmer that he was. I couldn't resist rolling my eyes at him, but on the inside I smiled. His eternal cheerfulness would be needed to brighten the mood this night.

***

The four of us sat side by side along the riverbank as the first rays of sunshine peeked over Mount Assiniboine.

"All suspicions point to the girl coming from the crimson pack down in Edgewater. The packs that used to be around these areas have been taken over by that pack and the nearest neighbouring pack is over at pincher creek. There is no way she made it that far on her own.” Zane, who had shifted back to his human form, said as he restlessly threw pebbles into the river.

Damien sighed as he shifted his position and crossed his arms before he answered, “I did some digging after we spoke, Z. Neither of us have visited the Crimson pack. But during my search in the royal archives for knowledge about the wolfpacks in the area, I found notes our deceased father, may Hades eat his soul, made about the packs he himself visited. And by all accounts, I think you're right. Father praised that wolf pack deeply. That alone is a huge warning flag if anything.” Zane huffed. “You got that fu*king right.”

I just nodded in response. My whole body was tense with barely contained anger. Wherever the girl in my dreams was, she had suffered. I swore then and there that every soul who so much breathed too loudly in her presence would be punished.

"Go to bed Luci. Don't worry, we'll be on guard during the day,” Zanes exclaimed, with a pat on my shoulder. I stood up and walked towards the tent, their conversation faded into the background as I drowned in anxiety between what I would be forced to dream and the fear of not being able to dream of her at all.

***

The familiar small, but clean room was empty. I looked towards the tiny balcony where the blue curtains were swaying in the breeze. Through the fabrics I saw something white fluttering. I stepped closer and saw a creamy white shoulder peak forward as the wind blew the long golden blonde hair aside. Goddess, how many times have I stood behind her here like this? Wishing I could inhale her scent and wrap my arms around her waist? Too many to count and each time has filled me with as much longing as sadness, knowing it was only a dream. I wonder what her name is, how her voice sounds when she whispers my name with longing.

I stood next to her while running my hand slowly over her arm that was resting on the balcony railing. I couldn't feel her body heat, or the full sensation of her creamy skin under my hand. Just a faint sensation followed by little tickles in its wake.

She turned her gaze to the side, showing her stunning straight profile as she looked down at her arm that I caressed up and down as if she could sense something but still didn't. She turned her gaze towards me, as if she could sense my presence. But before I could enjoy her closeness or perceive the colour of her eyes, I was pulled back as if by a supernatural force beyond my control and I was once again behind a dense, grey fog. I swore and I resisted. But to no avail. She took a few quick steps towards me as I was being pulled back. Extending her hand as if trying to feel my presence in the air. She looked hopeful at first, but then her expression fell, leaving only dejection in its path. As much as she enchanted me, I could still see that she looked worn down.

Her luscious curves have thinned, her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes seem dull even through the grey veil that separates us.

I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that everything would be okay, that I would take care of her.

But no matter how hard I tried to get to her, I was held back.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Open the door. NOW!" My angel's face filled with terror, and I knew instantly that whoever was on the outside was the root of her suffering. She took a shaky step back as the pounding continued.

"I'll kick the door in if you don't obey me! Which will only make the punishment for your disobedience that much worse, you stuck up bit*h!” She seemed to deliberate with herself before taking a resigned step towards the door. But it was too late.

The door slammed into the wall with a loud thud, causing my angel to throw herself backwards against the wall in fright.

I looked at the man who stepped through the broken door with a wicked expression etched on his hard face. His blonde hair that was perfectly slicked back framed his dark eyes that lit up with anger. He was tall and muscular, dressed in an impeccable tux with his bow tie hanging loosely around his neck. I wanted to kill him already. He closed the door behind him as best he could, although part of it had come off its hinges. "I don't think you want an audience for this. But you can relax. I'm not going to make you scream. Much.” He said with an evil smirk.

The helplessness and the fear of what was about to happen was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

Is this the moment? The moment I have to witness her die before my eyes just like my parents did? My gaze darted around to the woman who haunted me day and night. With a straight back and her nose proudly in the air, she met the man straight on.

She didn`t show the slightest hint of fear or submission. "There's nothing you can do to me that makes me scream. Haven’t I proved that yet? You aren't worth it." She said with a voice entirely devoid of emotion, completely unlike the woman I had seen before.

The man snarled at her, baring his fangs. He was a bloody were-wolf.

“I must admit that my attempts were half-hearted. Fu*king my mistress, as you were tied to the wall, watching, was funny as hell though, little mate. Watch you writhe in agony as your insides were torn apart, again and again and again, brought the s*x to a whole different level.” My heart turned cold and my stomach dropped at his words. Of what he had put her through, the pain, the humiliation. But also, if he was her mate, she couldn't be mine...