Frost Bite

Chapter Nine.

Blythe.

My hair was done up and curled while the rest of the gifts covered the remainder of my body. I stepped out onto a balcony that overlooked the castle ballroom to fine over a hundred people mingling below, all of noble blood. My hands gripped the marble railing of the balcony as I searched the crowd for anyone I recognized. There was no one, all just faces plastered in makeup or clean shaven with their hair slicked back and their clothing hand made to fit their skinny or muscular forms. I turned to head for the main doors, two giant door that were held open by Knights and had a man standing just ahead of them on the stairs with a curled mustache. I took the skirt of my dress in both hands, slightly lifting the material to make it easier to move then headed for the doors, taking a deep breath with my shoulders rolled back and head held high. The heels clicked with every step I took, the sound sharp and short as it echoed out around me. I was about to approach the man who looked exhausted at the top of the stairs when an arm hooked itself through mine. I froze, turning to look up at the person only to find the person who had gifted me the shoes standing up against me. His arms were well built, his dark brown almost black hair combed neatly to one side as his pale blue eyes stared down at me with a smile in them "They can't expect a young lady to attend a ball alone, now can they?" he said, his voice almost as smooth as Zane's but not quite as deep. I stared at him, my blood running cold and my lips parting slightly to speak but the only words to come out was in a faint, questioning whisper "Prince Nazaiha" a couple passed by us, a woman and a man with their arms linked together in a similar fashion as ours. They approached the man with the mustache who then announced their arrival loudly across the ballroom. The corner of his lips tugged upward as he reached across with his free hand, gripping my chin between his thumb and forefinger "We best get moving or we'll be late" he felt the need to say, dropping his hand away from my chin when I turned my head to look in the direction of the grand, decorated room ahead. I had thought that Zane was a charmer but the man beside me was far more skilled in the art of seducing women than he was. He was a player, that much was clear. He began to guide me over to the man who stuttered and stammered, bowing to show his respect towards the Prince "My Prince" he formally greeted, his head bowed and hiding his face. That's when he noticed my shoes and began raising his eyes to look at me. He sucked in a deep breath and his eyes widened at the sight of me, like he knew exactly who I was, what I was. Nazaiha waved him off, motioning to the room, filled with people below as if to get straight to the point. The man fumbled then nodded, adjusting his glasses to peer down at the piece of paper he gripped in hand, most likely a list of expected guests. He then turned to the room, signalling to a man that was stationed near the orchestra that was playing. The second man calmed them down enough for the first to announce our arrival "Now presenting Sir Nazaiha Triguard, fourth son of the Triguard Line and Lady Blythe Redwood, ninth Commander of the Royal Guard!" everyone turned to look at us, the Prince dressed in a black suit with rose gold rings decorating his fingers and a rose gold chain dangling from his neck. I felt too exposed, too out of place as he lead me down the stairs, my mind to focused on not tripping in front of so many people "Relax" he whispered into my ear, his head turned so that his lips touched the shell of my ear when he spoke. I nodded and looked up for the first time at the people, eyes searching for Nixtoni but not spotting him anywhere among the guests. The orchestra began to play again when we reached the bottom step which Nazaiha took as his cue to drag me onto the dance floor, spinning me so that my front was firmly pressed up against his. He took my one hand and on instinct I gripped his shoulder with the other. I wanted to protest not only because I could barely dance but because I felt like I was suffocating from the amount of skirts that hung from my body. The dress was too constricting for my liking. The song was slow which meant that I could keep up with his steps and movements if I concentrated hard enough, staring at his features as if to try and read what his next move would be. Everyone around us kept watching us, gossiping over why a Prince would bother with a lowly wolf like me. I turned my head to look at them, wondering what they would think if their King was to take me as his lover. They would most likely protest, saying that I was a simple commoner and would end up tainting the Royal bloodline. The thought caused my heart to ache and my eyes to grow darker with sadness. I looked back to the Prince but my eyes caught sight of a man beyond him, perched on one of the balconies, looking down at me with eyes as blue as ice. Zane. I wanted to go to him, his familiarity a comfort in such an unfamiliar environment but Nazaiha turned me so that he was facing Zane and I was no longer able to see him "You seem distracted" his voice pierced through my thoughts, drawing me out of them and back to the situation. I focused in on him, the fourth Prince that was smiling down at me, his tender grip on my hand slightly tightening when he spoke "I was wondering about your brothers?" I managed to say, my eyes lowering down to the marble flooring as I thought about one brother in particular. I knew where Zane was but Nixtoni had yet to make an appearance since I was constantly looking for him. Nazaiha hummed, turning us once, twice, three times "Let's see, I am here-." he began in a playful tone but it was more dangerous than Zane's usual playful banter. It felt like he was mocking me in a sense as he turned his head this way then that to take in the world around him "Zane is listening in on our conversation-." he stepped away from me, hand still holding mine to spin me around in time to the violin and cello, only to bring me back into his arms when the piano began playing again "Navil is most likely boring guests with his talk of history, Zachary is off with some young noble woman and-." he turned us so that I could see Zane again, he was looking elsewhere, his eyes narrowed in on the sight of something. I tried to follow his gaze but Nazaiha's movements obstructed my view, until he took a step to the side and I could clearly see what Zaniel was so interested in "Nixon is flirting with a few noble woman to find a suitable bride in time for the summer seasons" my heart dropped, my lips parting at the sight of him tucking a woman's hair back and brushing his finger over her cheek. Nixon stood, glass of wine in hand as he laughed with the blonde woman, hair as gold as that of Zane's. The sight along with Nazaiha's words were enough to cause my stomach to flip and my wolf to start howling in agony, clawing at the back of my mind. I collapsed from the pounding in the back of my head and the burning of my skin. My hands gripped the sides of my skull as I stared down at the ground, my breathing echoing in my ears, no longer able to hear anything around me. I leaned over, my forehead pressed to the tops of my knees as a pulsing pain began to vibrate through me. My lips parted and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to regain control over my wolf but there was no stopping her. The pain was just as bad as it had been before when I had shifted "Blythe!" a voice cried out to me, sounding far away but it was loud enough for me to realize that they were rushing towards me.

Zane.

She looked just as beautiful as I had imagined she would in the dress I had sent to her chambers earlier. It fit her body perfectly, gripping her curves down to her knees where the skirts flared out to create a type of fish tail design. Her eyes met mine from below, dark blue eyes seeming relieved at the sight of me. I could only imagine how uncomfortable she felt around Nazaiha and wanted nothing more than to rescue her from his grasp. He sensed me and turned her so that she could no longer meet my eyes, instead I was staring down at him with narrowed eyes. They began to speak, their conversation heading in a dangerous direction since I knew what the true reason behind the ball was. Nixtoni was expected to find a suitable wife whom he could marry in the coming moon turns. I searched the crowd for his black head of hair and found him stood by a woman with hair similar to mine, her large breasts all but peeling out of the corset of her dress. She was pretty but far from the type of beauty that Blythe possessed "Nixon is flirting with a few noble women to find a suitable bride in time for the summer seasons" my head immediately turned so that my eyes were locked onto her at his words to find her staring at Nixon with wide eyes, eyes that began to glaze over. In the blink of an eye she collapsed at Nazaiha's feet with him looking on in confusion as she began to wright in pain, her hands clawing and gripping at her head, her chest heaving like she was struggling to breathe and her body curling in on itself until she was in a fetal position, her mouth open wide, canines rising and falling in time with her short, ragged breaths "Blythe!" I yelled out over the crowd, drawing everyone's attention to me. The music stopped playing when I began running for the double doors, bursting through them and racing down the stairs to reach her as quickly as I could. I pushed Nazaiha back once I reached them in the middle of the room "Blythe!" I repeated, kneeling down in front of her, hand reaching out to grip the sides of her head where her hands were trembling, balled into fists. She was warm, her skin boiling when I touched her, the veins on her neck and arms beginning to stand out heavily as she grew paler than what she naturally was "She needs fresh air" I called out to the people, moving to her side to scoop her into my arms, lifting her off the floor with her head buried in my chest, canines digging into her bottom lip and drawing blood as she tried to conceal her cries of agony that managed to escape every now and then. One of her hands gripped the material of my suit coat, tugging on it in a mix of desperation and fear. Her eyes were tightly squeezed shut but tears had managed to pool from them "Open the doors to the garden!" I ordered to the Knights who stood guard around the ballroom. One wall was made up off glass doors that overlooked the royal garden and the forest beyond it. I pushed past the people until they managed to create a tunnel and I could exit through the doors, carrying her beyond the treeline and deeper into the mess of trees. The moon was close to full overhead and the forest was coated in a fresh layer of snow. I had acted in instinct, wanting to get her as far away from Nixon as possible and the father away I carried her, the more she began to calm down. Her breathing returning to normal, her body no longer trembling and the small protests of pain faded away. I kept walking, looking down at her with her hand still gripping my shirt, her eyes still wet with more tears running down the side of her face. She was dangerous, that much I had learnt from the throne room but she was also fragile with feelings and emotions. I pulled her closer into me, stopping dead in my tracks to lean down and place a kiss to the top of her head "Shhh, he's gone now" I whispered into her silvery hair that smelt of roses and pine. She whimpered, the heels she had been wearing, long since having fallen from her feet, leaving them bare with only the material of the dress to warm them. I sat down in the snow, leaning back against the base of a tree as I held her, feeling her shoulders shake from silent tears building up behind her closed eyelids. My arm moved to wrap around them, my hand cupping the side of her face, whipping away the tears that fell with my thumb. I could hardly understand what she was going through but I knew it had something to do with her being a wolf. No normal woman would react that way if she saw her love interest flirting with another woman. They would grow mad, throw wine in each others faces, scream but not collapse in pain. I felt utterly useless, I wanted more than anything to take her pain away but didn't have the slightest clue as to how. I settled for leaning my chin against her forehead, my eyes closed as I tightened my hold on her, hoping that she would start to calm down eventually.

Blythe.

Someone was holding me, whispering that everything would be okay, repeating that they were there as if to constantly remind me of their presence. The voice grew increasingly familiar as time passed and I could manage to breathe, my body numb from the pain, my mind a cluster of confusing thoughts and images. My heart had been torn into two, one part loved Nixon while the other had feelings for Aron but Aron had rejected me and Nixon was to marry a noble woman. So then, where did my heart belong? I opened my eyes enough to take in the dark world around me and found a man, cradling me to his chest with his head resting on mine. The body belonged to the owner of the voice who had called out my name before. I tilted my head back, hand gripping his shirt once more. He reacted, pulling his head away from mine, tired eyes blinking down at me when his arms instinctively tightened around my form "Zane?" I gently asked to which he hummed lowly in response, his head leaning back against the base of the tree. Hours seemed to have passed, hours of him being worried and fearful of my state and remained at my side no matter how much time ticked by. It made sense that he was tired since the hours had ticked closer to dawn. My hand slid up his chest to his neck, cupping the side of his face in my palm. He smelt similar to Nixtoni, he looked similar to him as well and I couldn't stop myself from tilting his head down and placing a small kiss to his lips. His entire body stiffened, his eyes widening as if he was just now waking up from a deep sleep. I pulled away from him, running my nose along his cheekbone until I could bury my face in his neck, moving to sit up on my knees in the snow, in between his parted legs with his knees propped up "Thank you" I whispered, leaning up to plant a kiss to the center of his forehead before pulling away, my hand dropping away from his face to support my body in the snow. The sun was slowly starting to rise over the horizon, painting the world in a series of pinks, purples, oranges and yellows. Zaniel furrowed his brows up in confusion as to why I had kissed him, slight worry hidden behind his pale blue eyes. I knew that I owed him an explanation and turned my eyes down to the snow, not knowing where to start or what to say "Blythe-." he began, his voice low, laced with fear and concern that was directed towards me. I flinched at the tone, my hands curling into the snow, gripping the stinging cold as an attempt to distract me from the stabbing pain in my chest. I closed my eyes and parted my lips "He is my mate" the words fled from my mouth long before I could stop them. There was a long, silent pause that caused me to open my eyes and look up at him. From the look in his eyes, it was clear that he knew exactly who I was talking about "It's hard-." I whispered, my hand moving to grip my chest past the material of the dress Zane had gifted me. I couldn't look at him and instead tilted my head back to stare at the sky above past the bare branches of the tree he was leaning against "He's the one chosen to be mine, the one my wolf loves beyond compare-." I blinked when my eyes began to grow wetter. I knew that the pain I was feeling wasn't mine, it was her's, my wolf was the one feeling heartbroken but we shared one heart and what she felt, I experienced "He is my fate-." Zane sat perfectly still, wide awake as he carefully watched me, studying my every move and taking in every word. His hands balled slightly at his sides. I breathed a laugh, my eyes searching the heavens as if an answer would be written in the stars or clouds of what I should do "But he's a King and I-I am a commoner, no worse, I am a wolf" my eyes grew foggy and I knew that if I blinked, tears would spill from their corners. I tried to hold them back as long as I could but they soon broke through, trailing down my cheeks and to my ears since my head was tilted back "The people would never accept me as their Queen so there is no avoiding it, he has to marry a woman of nobility, someone the citizens would look up to, admire" I smiled, a heartbreaking sight that made Zane's breath catch in his throat and his hands start to tremble, knuckles turning white, not from the cold but from clenching them so tightly. His legs moved from beside me but I couldn't register it as I continued to speak, words flowing from my lips without paying much mind as to what would happen if they were to be spoken "And I will always be the woman behind the scenes, the one he steals kisses from whenever his wife isn't looking-." I was cut off by two strong arms wrapping around my shoulders, bringing me closer to his warm body. Zane held me close, having got up onto his knees to reach me, his head buried in my shoulder as I froze, my eyes widening at the smell of him, his scent so overpowering, so familiar that it made my canines ache with a need to taste it "You are not meant to be someone's second choice" he uttered, his words sounding muffled by my skin and hair. I raised my trembling hands to grip the back of his suit jacket, my fingers balling around the fabric as my eyes flickered from blue to black. My head turned to hide my face in the crook of his neck "You smell just like him" his eyebrows furrowed up when I ran my hands around his back to place them palm down on his chest, pushing hard until he fell back into the snow, letting go of me from the force of my shove. I loomed over him, supporting my own weight as I stared down at him "It confuses her-." I breathed, my eyes flickering again as if to silently tell him who the 'her' was. He recognized that I was talking about my wolf and stayed quiet as I snaked one hand up from his stomach to his chest, eyes following the trail, slowly "She thinks you're him" I moved so that my knee was brushing up against him, my core rubbing over his thigh through our clothing. He stayed still, his hands clenching in the snow only to relax then ball again. I leaned down so that our faces were only inches apart "She wants you" I moved to kiss him but he flipped us over, forcing me into the snow with his legs on either wise of me, hands pinning my wrists down above my head. His jaw tightened and his teeth clenched as he looked me over, his eyes roaming my features "And you? Do you want me?" he demanded, placing emphasis on the word 'you'. I snapped out of it, my wolf retreating when she realized that it wasn't Nixtoni but instead Zane was the one hovering over us. My mind raced for an answer, mainly because he was being so serious about the question. When I didn't reply, he let go of me "Of course not, you want the Huntsman" he got up, straightening out his jacket and started heading back in the direction of the castle. I couldn't move, my body frozen in place as I watched him leave, his back disappearing in between the trees with the sun still rising overhead. My chest rose and fell until I rolled over onto my side, my eyes blinking at spot where Zaniel had sat, cradling me to him, whispering to me as I cried, holding me and reassuring me that everything would be alright. I found myself asking why he had reacted the way he did towards my wolf confusing him with his brother. Perhaps he didn't like being compared to his older sibling? But why would he ask if I wanted him? Did he want me to want him? I stayed there for some time until I stood up and disappeared deeper into the forest, bare feet brushing over the snow as my hands slid along the bases of trees.