The First King

Prew sat outside on the cold, bare ground. She looked out to the dark, burnt land that lay before her. So much of the area had been destroyed by the fires and darkness. There were no trees, no animals, nothing left alive. All that remained was a dark gray, earthy substance that was more coarse than regular soil.

It had been several days since she had arrived in Huthwaite, but each day felt like a recurring nightmare. When she would wake up in the mornings, her cheeks would be wet with tears. Konrad would haunt her dreams, filling her with hope and love, but the moment her eyes would open, it would all disappear. Duty was the only thing that got her out of the bed. The constant influx of refugees and wounded soldiers was her sole motivation to keep moving. Helping others would distract her from her own sorrows and thoughts.

But for the moment, all was quiet. It had been several hours since the most recent group arrived, which mostly consisted of Earthen Circle witches, including Johanna. She had come to relay news that the fires were nearly under control. Within a few days, her people would stop the ever-expanding hole, or chasm as they started to call it. By now, the estimates were that it was several miles long and probably half as wide. But not all of the news was good. The fires had spread uncontrollably to the North, burning all the way from the Rosstona Sea to the Tides of Banduff. Messengers and ravens were being sent out to the ports outside of the affected area. She wanted ships patrolling the shores, looking for any survivors that may have run to the waters to escape the flames.

“There you are.”

Prew glanced up, noticing Alder approaching her. He sat down on the ground before offering her half of a freshly baked bread.

“Has everyone else eaten?” She questioned as she hesitantly took it.

“Yes,” he nodded as he chewed on his piece. “This was all that was left once everyone had their fill, but more is being made.”

“Good,” Prew replied softly. She nibbled on her bread, though she was not hungry. But if she refused to eat, Alder and Sofia would force-feed her like a child.

“Sofia says that you are not sleeping well,” Alder commented after they sat in silence for a while.

“It’s hard to sleep when he is there, waiting on me every time I close my eyes.”

“Are the dreams at least pleasant?”

“They are,” she nodded as her bottom lip quivered. “I can feel his warmth, hear his heart beating as I rest against his chest. His voice is smooth and soft when he whispers to me.”

As Prew choked on her words, she covered her face. Her back trembled as she sobbed into her hands. Alder reached out, gently patting her shoulder in an attempt to console her.

“I never told Konrad that I loved him,” she admitted through her tears. “He died, not knowing how I truly felt for him.”

“I’m sure that he knew,” Alder assured her. “Sometimes, when you care for someone so deeply, you don’t need to express it with words. You can show it in your actions and your commitments to one another. I knew the moment that I saw you marked that you trusted him enough to be his mate. And to you as a human, it may not mean much, but for a wolf, marking your mate is the deepest form of connection that you can make. That action alone told me that you two loved one another.”

“Then why do I feel so empty?”

“I’m sure it has something to do with the lack of closure,” Alder stated as he looked out to the wasteland before them. “When Johanna returns with news that the fires have stopped, would you like to return to the battlegrounds with me? Even if we don’t find bodies, at the very least, it might be nice to stand where his soul was released.”

“What do you mean by where his soul was released?” Prew questioned as she looked at him curiously.

“Do you know the story of why we wolves burn our dead?” He inquired as he raised an eyebrow. She shook her head, causing him to smile. There were few things in this world that he loved more than fighting: sleeping with women or cooking a fresh kill. But passing along the stories of his ancestors was perhaps his favorite. “Long ago, before the time of the Unsettling, we wolves all lived together in the Quiet Valley. There weren’t as many of us back then, and only a handful of packs. One winter, it was so cold that the lands from the North all the way to Daverwood Harbor were frozen over. Many wolves died during the freezing nights, but we couldn’t bury our dead because we were unable to dig.”

“After a few days, a witch happened upon one of the packs. He spoke with the Alpha, hearing of our plight. So, the man asked the wolf to pray with him on one of the Moon-Kissed peaks. Even though we are blessed by the Goddess Bil, we are not a praying type of people. Witches can transcend to the realm of the Gods, but wolves cannot.”

“The witch and the Alpha traveled up to the tallest flat peak and sat down to pray. The man helped the wolf transcend, to see the Goddess. And, for the first time, one of our kind was able to hear Bil’s voice. She said that we wolves have a special soul, one placed there by the Goddess herself. It is what gives us our wolf spirit and our connection to her. And then she made a request of the Alpha. Apparently, burying our dead would trap the souls, permanently severing their connection to the Goddess. So, she asked that we burn our dead instead. This would allow for our souls to be released, to return to her embrace.”

“Did you know that the witch was from the Lode Star?” Sofia interjected from behind them.

“This is my story,” Alder growled as he glanced up at her.

“If I am not mistaken, we have a written account of that very encounter somewhere at our temple.”

“As I said, this is my story. What do you want, Sofia?”

“Another group was spotted heading this way,” she answered. “It looks like a mixture of soldiers and wolves.”

“Then we best get ready to greet them,” Prew stated as she rose to her feet. Alder grumbled as he stood, dusting off his pants.

“I never get to finish a story.”

“You know you can regale us with a tale or two when we are gathered around the fires at night, instead of just sitting there, brooding or stuffing your face,” Sofia suggested with an exaggerated shrug.

“And waste my best stories on you lot? Not a chance.” He retorted with a smirk.

Prew rolled her eyes as she walked away, heading toward the Eastern gate. Listening to them bicker or banter with one another was one of the few things that consistently made her smile. It created a sense of normalcy when everything seemed so broken and lost. As she made her way to the edge of the city walls, the gates were being opened, and people were readying supplies. Prew glanced out to the distance, noticing the large cloud of dust in the air. She could barely make out the outline of the people as they came over the horizon.

“That must be a large group coming in,” she mumbled as she walked over to a nearby well.

Several women were standing there, holding various-sized buckets and water skins. The creeks and rivers to the North had dried up in the fires, while water was already scarce in the East due to a drought. Prew took the bucket that was tied by a rope and dropped it into the well. She counted the seconds until it hit the water. Six seconds. The water levels of this well were getting dangerously low. Prew thought to herself as she tugged on the rope, pulling up the filled bucket. At the rate they were going, they would need to have water imported from other cities.

After filling several water skins, Prew could hear the sound of horses behind her. Assuming it was incoming refugees, she tossed her bucket back into the well. As soon as it was full of water, she began to pull on the rope. But when the bucket was halfway up, the rope fibers snapped. She cursed to herself as she looked into the well.

“Prew!” Sofia called out to her.

“In a minute!” Prew replied as she grabbed a nearby stick. It had a hook on the end and could be used to retrieve fallen buckets.

“Prew!” Sofia continued, her voice louder this time.

Prew ignored her as she concentrated on the task at hand. She could barely see the bucket and feared it would sink to the bottom of the well if she did not hurry.

“Prew.”

That voice—it wasn’t Sofia. It was a deep voice, smooth and familiar. Prew turned around, dropping the stick as she inhaled a sharp breath. Not far away was Konrad, sitting on top of Meeka. She stood there, frozen in disbelief. Was this real? Was he truly here? Or was this just a vivid dream, one that she would soon wake from?

Konrad winced as he slid off of the horse’s back. He wobbled slightly as he stood on his own two feet, causing him to lean against Meeka for support. As he steadied himself, he looked back to Prew. She hadn’t moved, but he could see that she was crying. He took a few hesitant steps toward her, but at the sight of him in pain, she ran to him. Her body crashed into his, nearly causing Konrad to fall over, as she embraced him tightly.

“Is it really you? This isn’t a dream?” Prew sobbed as she buried her face into him.

“It’s really me,” Konrad replied as he held her close, nuzzling against her marked shoulder. Prew’s scent filled his nose, awakening Nero from his deep sleep. With the amount of damage that they had sustained during the fight, the wolf still struggled to fully heal them of their wounds.

But the pain did not matter to Konrad, not anymore. Being here with Prew was all that he needed. He moved his hands up to her face, lifting it so their lips could meet. It was a desperate, deep kiss that neither wanted to pull away from. It was full of passion, of happiness and tears. But after a moment, Konrad had to pull away when his legs began to tremble. Rowan rushed over, taking one of the Alpha’s arms and wrapping it around his neck.

“What’s wrong?” Prew questioned worryingly as she looked at Konrad.

As she glanced down at his arms and legs, she gasped. There was so much scarring from burns that were partially or barely healed. His hands were shaking, and it looked as if his legs would give away at any moment. Sofia stepped up, quickly examining his body with furrowed brows.

“Why have you not healed?” She questioned.

“I was severely wounded,” Konrad answered with a deep exhale.

“He had nearly fallen into the hole,” Rowan added as he struggled to keep his cousin upright. “Lava had touched him.”

“Let’s get him inside, and I’ll try to heal him,” Sofia instructed as she looked at Prew worryingly.

As Konrad attempted to walk, a wolf rushed over, quickly shifting into Julius. He smiled warmly to Prew before attempting to help Rowan with the Alpha. But even with these two men, Konrad was having trouble walking and was on the verge of collapsing.

“Alder!” Prew shouted. When he didn’t respond, she looked around, noticing him standing in the distance. “Alder!”

The Alpha turned to her, looking as if he was in a daze. He took a moment to glance back at what he was staring at before hesitantly rushing over to her. Alder grimaced upon seeing Konrad’s injuries. Never once had he seen such damaged, discolored skin on a wolf. Julius stepped out of the way, allowing for Alder to help Rowan.

As the two men carried Konrad inside, Alder’s gaze was elsewhere. He did not look where he was walking, causing him to nearly trip. Konrad looked at Alder before glancing back behind them. Not far away, there was a woman standing there, staring at Alder. Konrad could not help but smirk as he was carried inside.

“I guess that is one less person who shall lust for my wife,” he chuckled as they laid him down on a bed.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Prew questioned as she crossed her arms.

“I’ll tell you later,” he replied as Alder stormed from the room.

There was something that he saw in Alder’s eyes; it was light, hope, need and desire. There was a pull that the Alpha was experiencing for the first time, and it was something that Konrad had experienced before. One of the wolves that came back with Konrad was Alder’s mate. But as he thought to himself, Konrad began to scream as his clothes were removed from his body. There were bits of partially healed and exposed wounds that were stuck to the fabric. With each layer that was removed, it was more pain that radiated through his body.

“I can’t heal you until I can see the extent of the damage,” Sofia murmured apologetically.

By the time he was fully naked, Konrad was in tears. It was torture for him, and even with Prew nearby, Nero could not dull the pain. Everyone in the room hissed at the sight of the Alpha. There were red, blistering burns that covered the majority of his body. Down his legs, there were several opened, pus-filled wounds.

“It was worse than this,” Rowan whispered as he looked at the witch. “When I pulled him from the fire, he was missing so much skin and even a few of his toes.”

“Wolf spirits were never meant to heal something this severe,” Sofia replied as she touched some of his wounds gingerly. “I’m surprised you were able to sit on the horse, let alone stand.”

“Someone had to bring the beast back,” Konrad grunted through gritted teeth. “Took me half a day and nearly a dozen apples to gain Meeka’s trust. It definitely slowed us down, and I could hardly climb onto him, but it was worth it to make my mate happy.”

“And I appreciate that, but your health and well-being should come first,” Prew interjected as she knelt down beside the bed. She reached out, gently wiping his tears with her fingers.

“If I can survive lava splashing onto my body, I can survive taming your horse.”

“Thank you,” she whispered as she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.

“I’m ready to start,” Sofia uttered as she held her hands over Konrad. “This is going to hurt, and I cannot guarantee that I will heal all of it.”

“Do what you can, and Nero can handle the rest,” he replied as he gripped the sheets on the bed.

Sofia let out a deep exhale as she closed her eyes. She visualized her magic that swirled through her body, calling for it to come to her hands. There was no spell required to heal people, but there was only so much that she could do on her own. In her mind, she called upon Eir, the Goddess of healing. She begged for the strength to heal Konrad, to repair the damage caused by the lava and fire. After a moment, there was a surge of power that flowed through her veins. With another deep exhale, Sofia’s hands began to glow.

Konrad could feel his muscles healing, his skin stretching, and his nerves reconnecting. At first, it was just uncomfortable, but after a few seconds, the pain became unbearable. He attempted to fight her off, to get away from her healing hands, but Julius and Rowan helped to hold him down. Sofia did her best to hurry the process along, but there was so much tissue that needed to be regenerated. Several minutes into the process, Konrad finally passed out; the pain and agony of healing were too much for him to handle. He drifted into the sea of darkness, his consciousness escaping to the furthest depths of his soul.

Konrad’s eyes drifted open at the sound of paper being rustled. It was dark in the room, but out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a bit of light. As he slowly became more aware, he could feel that his body was stiff, but there was minimal pain. And Nero was stirring within him, whining for his mat.

“Prew… Where is she?”

With a wince, he turned his head, noticing that she was sitting in a chair beside him. In her hands were several papers and a quill. He watched her as she scribbled something down before grumbling and marking through her writing. It made him smile to see her, to smell her.

“So… beautiful,” he rasped with a hoarse voice.

“You’re awake!” Prew gasped as she dropped several of the papers. She quickly set the rest down, reaching for a cup that she pressed to his lips. “Here, drink this.”

Konrad opened his mouth and drank the liquid in the cup. It wasn’t water, and it had a slightly bitter taste. He grimaced but drank as much as he could. Once she took the cup away, he attempted to sit up.

“You shouldn’t move too much,” she stated as she helped him up. “You’ve been out for over a day, and Sofia said that your body has been through a lot.”

“I can’t stay in bed forever,” he replied as he removed the blankets that covered his body. His arms were totally healed, but his legs still had some scarring. It would take some time before they went away, if they ever did. When he glanced at Prew, he noticed her tired, worried eyes. He reached his left hand out, gently caressing her warm cheek. “Are you alright? Were you hurt during the fight?”

“Only my heart,” she whispered with a wavering voice. She leaned into his hand, fighting back her tears. “I thought you were dead. I mourned you, cried for you until I was out of tears. And then, when Sofia was healing you, I thought I was going to lose you again.”

“You can’t get rid of me, not that easily. I can fight with every witch, swim through lava, or jump through fire, but I will always find my way back to you. Nothing will keep me from you, not the Gods, not fate or even death. You are my reason for living. The love I have for you kept my heart beating and my blood warm. I was willing to risk everything to get back to you. I love you, Prew. Gods, I was a fool for not telling you that before, but I do. Every fiber of my being burns for you, and it always will. You’re my wife, my mate, my one true love.”

“I love you, too,” Prew cried as she leaned over the bed, pressing her head against his shoulder. “Thinking you were dead broke me, beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. You promised me so much but left me with a broken heart.”

“And I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it,” Konrad murmured as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

“You being alive and by my side makes up for it,” she replied as she snuggled against him.

“I can do that,” he smiled as he kissed the top of her head. For a few minutes, Konrad held Prew, enjoying her warmth and the beating of her heart. It was soothing to be with her again, as if her very presence healed him. After a while, he looked curiously at the window. “Where is everyone else?”

“Probably around the fire outside,” Prew answered as she lifted her head. “Alder has been busy vying for a woman’s attention, but the she-wolf doesn’t seem to care.”

“That would be his mate, Devora, the Luna of the Grayfur pack,” Konrad replied with a smile.

“A Luna? Does she have a chosen mate?”

“No. Not all packs have a pair of leaders. In Devora’s case, she challenged the previous Alpha and won, making her the Luna.”

“Then why is she not, I don’t know, falling head over heels for Alder? Isn’t that what the mate bond does?” Prew questioned.

“If you had a wolf spirit, I feel you would be very similar to Devora. Which means she won’t fall for Alder just because fate told her to. She will make him earn her, and I’m almost certain that her price will be high. What about Rowan? How has he been? I know he was worried over me the entire time we traveled.”

“He was actually in here not long before you woke up,” she replied with a sigh. “He feels as if he failed you.”

“Why?”

“Because you got seriously injured. He blames himself for not staying as vigilant. Now he says he will never leave your side, which is a waste.”

“Why do you think it a waste?” Konrad inquired curiously.

“Ava told me once that he has an Alpha wolf. He could lead a pack and pave his own way in life, but instead, he chooses to stay with you.”

“Well, he can stay with me as long as he wishes, but he will be an Alpha.”

“Of what pack?”

“The Wild Haer pack,” Konrad stated confidently. “I can’t be an Alpha of a pack and King over many. So, when we get back to Guilford, I’m stepping down. I’m almost certain other Alphas will agree to forgo the traditional hunt and instead just name Rowan Alpha. He has earned his place, and I refuse to be the one who stands in the way of that.”

“Do you think he will accept?”

“I won’t give him much of a choice; I’m stepping down no matter what. You and I have a lot on our plates with the dark witches. They are still out there, as are the vampires and humans who sided with them. I can’t worry over one pack when there is so much that needs to be done. Evie and Thayer might be dead, but the threat isn’t gone. Darkness still looms over our heads. And it’ll probably take us years, if not decades, to rebuild all that has been destroyed. So, Rowan will have to take up the mantle of being the pack’s Alpha while you and I help to bring order and peace to our realm.”