Frost Bite.

Chapter Fifteen.

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.