Frost Bite.

Chapter Seventeen.

Blythe.

I stood in the snow, my feet barely able to feel the harsh sting of the cold as I walked in a direction that lead further away from the castle. I could smell blood coming from not too far away, the sound of a body being drug in the snow was clear to my ears. It wasn't human blood, nor was it a human corpse from the strong metallic scent that touched the air. I could feel my canines start to extend with a need to feast, my eyes flickering to black then back to blue. I had spent nearly a decade living off raw meat from my kills and since I hadn't eaten for quite a few hours, I was hungry. There was a sudden rush of pain that coursed through me, causing me to cry out and grip at my chest, my body collapsing into a tree near a cliff. I gritted my teeth, eyes starting to tear up again. The pain I was feeling, the heartache wasn't mine, it belonged to my wolf but because we shared one body I could feel her agony almost as if it were my own. Below the cliff, Aron worked to tie the back hooves of a deer together then strung it up in a tree. He was covered in dirt and sweat and looked like he hadn't slept in hours. I wanted to be close to him, my hands moving to force my body onto my trembling legs as I pushed my wolf further down into the depths of my mind. My legs stopped shaking, my breathing returning to normal with only an annoying, dull ache vibrating through my skin. I sot forward, leaping from the cliff to land beside Aron below, in a deep crouch. He had long since noticed me, his hunting instincts strong as he searched his bag for his pocket knife. I stood upright, beside him, my claws still extended as I reached to the side "Allow me" I muttered then ran a single nail across the deer's throat, causing blood to spill from its gaping neck, down into the snow.. My hand fell back to my side as Aron looked up from his bag, his eyes first inspecting the deer before they landed on my form. He stiffened at the sight of me, the extravagant dress that fit my body like a glove, the earrings that dangled from my ears like teardrops and the clip in my hair, despite the messy state of it. He came to a stop at my neck where Nixtoni's necklace still hung down to my chest "He will have chosen a suitable noble woman to marry by now" I said, raising my hand to cup the pendant with a sad look in my eyes as they gazed downward. Aron tossed his bag to the side, his arm muscles tensing as he watched me, watched the pain in my movements and heard it in my words. I smiled, a sad smile for the sake of my wolf "She's hurting" I whispered, my free arm moving to wrap around my waist, almost in a hug that was meant for my wolf to feel. Aron leaned back against a tree as the stream of blood began to grow thinner while it trickled down "Who is?" his question made me realized that he had no idea of the two souls trapped within my body like Zane did. I paused at the thought of Zaniel, his hurt eyes as they stared down at me, his angry grip on my wrists still lingering there. I turned to look at Aron, glad that he did not feel a need to look away or run like he did the day before "My wolf" I gripped the necklace tighter as the world around us began to fade from the various different colors of dawn to the dreary grey of day "You see-." I began, my feet brushing over the snow as I fully faced him, my deep blue eyes locked onto his dark, almost black ones "She is the one who loves the King-." I glanced down at the bear pendant that hung from my throat and knew that the reason why I was attached to it was not because of me, it was because of her, she was the one who clung to it as if her life depended on it and not me "But I care for another" Aron stayed silent, his eyes hard as they looked me over. I couldn't tell what was going on in his mind, I couldn't know whether he realized that I was referring to him or not. When the silence dragged on between us, I looked to the side, my eyes fixed on the black sea that was a stark contrast to the white land "Would you mind doing me a favor?" I asked out of the blue. Aron tensed, his arms that were crossed over his chest seemed to turn to stone when I spoke. I dared a glance back at him, my eyes almost lifeless as I tore the necklace from my neck, snapping the silver chain and gripping the pendant in the palm of my hand. I could feel my wolf whimpering in protest inside of me but I ignored her and held the necklace out for Aron to take "Ask your father to embed this into an armor plate for me to wear around my waist" Aron slowly pushed off the tree he had been leaning up against and stepped towards me, his hand taking the necklace from my palm to stuff it into the pocket of his pants. The necklace no longer stood as a representation of love but instead of pain and pain should be used to drive a person, to motivate them so I would use it to guide me, to be a Commander worthy of praise, I would turn her pain into a strong drive to fight for the Capital and all of Myres "Thank you" I breathed, nodding my head before I turned to walk off into the distance, heading for the ocean. Aron stayed behind, watching me venture off, my feet carrying me deeper into the forest and away from him. I wanted to be alone for a little while, I wanted to comfort my wolf as best I could while she lapped at her wounds. I wanted her to heal before we would see his face again.

Aron.

"But I care for another" those words echoed through my ears, bouncing off my skull as his face surfaced in the back of my mind. A golden head of hair and blue eyes staring at me like they had back in the armory with a hidden challenge in their depths, almost mocking me with their playful gleam. His lips tugged up in a smirk made my blood boil but I had pushed those emotions aside, leaning back against a tree to listen to her. She was broken or was it her wolf? The concept of two beings in one body was too much for me to comprehend. One thought that seemed to comfort me as I watched her leave was that she herself, the human Blythe did not harbor feelings for Nixon but almost as soon as relief flowed through me, a deep regret came along with it. The image of her lying on the platform beneath me, the fire from the hearth, the only source of light as she gazed up at me with desperation in her eyes 'Please' the pleading tone of her voice reached me and I stepped towards her, my lips parting to call her name only to come to a stop in the back of my throat at the thought of Zane. I lowered my head, eyes staring at the blood that stained the snow as my fists balled at my sides, trembling. That night had been before she had met Zane, before they had formed the type of playful bond I had witnessed in the Courtyard. She most likely didn't feel about me like she had that night and would push me away for Zane. It made sense, he was a Prince and the Prince's who are not next in line to the throne could sleep with and marry Common women if they so chose, however it was an uncommon thing for the Royal family to do since they preferred noble women. Zaniel had made it clear that he intended to make her his, whether that meant making her fall in love or asking for her hand in marriage was beyond me. I was drawn out of my thoughts by a twig snapping nearby. My head whipped around in that direction to find what looked like a hare dancing through the bare bushes. I breathed out through my nose and bent to grab both my bow and an arrow, aiming for the shrubs. The white and grey fur moved in and out of my range of sight until it broke through into a run. I squeezed one eye shut, aimed for the back of its neck then allowed both the string and the back of the arrow to slip from my fingers. The arrow shot through the air, slicing the light morning mist and embedded into its neck. A snapping, tearing sound caused the birds in the tree tops to take flight, crying out when the hare fell limp in the snow, it's spinal cord having been fractured but the sound did not come from the hare, instead it came from somewhere behind me. I lowered my bow and turned to come face to face with a set of brown, black eyes, glaring at me. My entire body went stiff, hand tightening around the carved wood of my bow as the creature roared, baring its teeth while it stood up on its hind legs. Its white fur was coated in red from wondering into the mess of red with its muzzle soaked crimson, teeth stained pink from having torn a front limb from my deer. Its front paws clawed at the air from where it towered over me even at my height. It was challenging me and from where I was stood I had no way of defending myself. My eyes narrowed and my teeth clenched when it slammed its front paws back into the snow, white smoke coming from its curled lips when it yelled at me. I tossed my bow aside and took a small step back but that only seemed to anger it. The bear stayed still for a moment then shot towards me, barreling through the snow and blood to attack with the intent of guarding its next meal.