“Now do you see?” the gods ask, the vision ending back at my wolf, a man who I resemble kneels before my beast and touches head with the animal. The wolf was my fathers… “You are not just half man; half beast, nor are you just a wolf. You are Karzan, King of the Jungle.”
“I am all,” I say, the true force of those words coming alive.
“Yes, our child. And now you know what you must do.” Seeing my fate; my path, I nod, “Go, honor your fallen, then save your mate and take your rightful name.”
Feeling the presence of the gods leave my body, so does the surging power. Coming back to myself, I no longer feel lost, nor do I feel angered. All I feel is purpose.
Laying the last body on top of the makeshift pyre beneath our village, I stand back from the pile and stare at it in mourning. It’s been a full rise and fall of the moon since the slaughter of my people and I have since found peace. With every innocent body I carried and laid to rest, I grew stronger and wiser.
Everything about my life becoming clearer.
Searching for the bond of my mate, I breathe a sigh of relief when I feel her. Faint with distance, I use my power to send her comfort and assurance.
Having heard the approaching army long before they arrived, I grab the torch and bring it to the fire I had built. Lighting the end, I face the elders just as they break through the depths of the jungle. Behind the four men, hundreds of humans and even several beasts come forward, circling the mountain of bodies. Stopping in their tracks, they take in the horrid scene before them, gasping and crying to the gods. The men who had accompanied the elders on their quest to the other villages, fall to their knees shouting in pain as they find their loved ones within the pile.
“Karzan,” Elder Raylen gasps, tears falling from his eyes “What happened?”
All their eyes fall to me. Standing before them covered in the blood of our people, I hold the torch high above my head and meet every single one of their stares.
“Look at this!” I shout, pointing with the flame at the tragedy. “How is it, after hundreds of years, forced into darkness we are still fighting the same war that put us there in the first place?” I ask, walking around the circle so each and every one of them can see, hear, and feel my pain; my suffering…my power. “How is it that after such a long time, humans are still forced to hide, and beasts are forbidden to shift?” How is it that you have been waiting for the prophecy to bring you peace instead of obtaining it yourselves? You have had the power to stop this injustice inside you all along but yet you waited for someone else to do it for you.”
Heaving from power, I walk back to the pyre with the torch in my hand and set it aflame. Sending one last silent prayer to all those who were lost before facing back to my people. The reflection of the blaze shining into their eyes.
“I am Karzan, son of Queen Kala and King Klayton. I am the lost prince and the true heir to the throne.” I allow those who don’t know me and have waited for this moment for so long, to take in what I am telling them. “I was born a myth; a legend. Something you all hoped and prayed for in your darkest moment. The son who would bring peace. But I am here to tell you that you were wrong.” Dropping my voice, I let the true anguish show. “One person cannot bring peace to all. That is something you have to find within yourself. I may not be able to promise you that you will always be happy or that your days will always be filled with light. but what I can promise you is that as long as you stand beside me and never give up on yourselves or each other again…I will always be here to guide you.”
One by one, all those around fall to their knees, their heads touching the ground.
No one says a word as the flames burn because no words are needed.
These are my people. This is my jungle. And it’s time for the darkness to end.
Blinded by the cloth covering my eyes, I tilt my head in the direction of the sinister voice, listening as the sound of his footsteps carries him in a circle around me.
Forced down onto my bruised knees, with my arms bound behind my back, I stay silent. My body exhausted and battered from being knocked around during the trip here, I draw the comfort and strength I need from my mating bond.
He grows closer.
“Did she give you a hard time?” he asks, amusement in his tone having seen the state I am in. I don’t need to be able to see to know I look like I went one on one with the hunters. Dressed in only the furs, I can feel every scrape, every bite, every scar being exposed to his invading pursual.
“She is… intoxicating, my lord. And wild. It proved to be an entertaining trip.”
Unable to hold back my disgust I turn and spit in the direction I heard the alpha hunter at, “You murderous piece of— “
A hard slap to my face cuts me off and sends me flying, my blindfold slipping from my eyes, the pain and light from the lit torches momentarily blinding me. With my hands still bound, I lay on my side, moaning, trying to gain some clarity. The wound on my neck I had received from the hunter’s sword opens, and the feel of blood seeping down to my chest tells me just how hard I’ve been hit.
“Stop! Kircheck, leave her alone!” I hear a woman cry.
“Silence, Kala, before I hang you from the castle tower for your bastard son to see.”
Blinking through the fog, I feel the alarm and rage of my mate as he senses my pain. Sending me strength and power through our connection, the ancient golden room starts to come into focus.
With my head on the cool marble floor, I watch as the largest man I have ever seen steps up to me. Not a man, a beast…King Kircheck. Only dressed in a midnight black loincloth, his muscles ripple as he leans over me, balancing on the balls of his bare feet.
“So, you are who I’ve been waiting for…” His scrutiny tracks the blood that seeps from my wounds and trails down my flesh. His nostrils flare, and he jerks forward, and to my horror, orange fur sprouts from his arms before pointed fangs drop past his lips.
No. It can’t be…
Stumbling back a few steps, the king seemingly fights for control as he shouts, “No!” to his animal.
Glancing around the room with wide eyes, I take note of the hunters that watch in awe and envy as their king struggles to keep from shifting.
How is this possible?
Movement beside the throne catches my attention. A woman, stunning and regal, watches the events with just as much shock and fear as I feel. Feeling my gaze, she meets my stare and I instantly know its Karzan’s mother. Wearing a tattered fur dress, her eyes soften and become motherly as she looks me over. Approval, promise, and love radiates from her in that short moment before we are both drawn back to the beast before us.
Having barely gained back his control, Kircheck stands there, muscles strained as he gulps down air. His animal still lurking behind those lost and cruel eyes.
Watching as anger and desperation consume the beast, I realize that though he might have broken the curse, he’s not free. His animal still threatens to overthrow him.
Slamming his focus back on me, I jerk from the impatient rage I see glinting in the depths of his eyes. Stalking towards me, I do my best to push myself away, but it’s no use. His meaty hand reaches for me, yanking my body from the floor and hauling me to his chest.
Karzan’s mother screams for him to stop as his hand grips my hair and jerks my head back. Before I can even grasp what he is about to do, he sinks those fangs deep into my neck, ripping a startled scream from my throat.