Chapter 5 Ice and blood

Kael's POV

No matter how long I lay in bed, sleep never came. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the roaring crash of ocean tides louder, more violent than before. Even the water on the table beside me began to ripple. Not gently this time, but with force.

Something was wrong.

I tried to ignore it, turning over again and again, but a primal instinct urged me awake. It felt like something or someone was calling me.

Giving up on sleep, I slipped out of bed, pulled on a robe, and made my way to my office. If I couldn't sleep, I might as well get some work done. I briefly considered waking Matif to help with my insomnia, but it was late. Even he deserved rest.

I was halfway through a stack of documents when I heard hurried footsteps pounding down the corridor coming straight for me.

A knock.

"Enter," I called, already sensing who it was.

Lucien, my Beta, stepped in, breathing hard.

"What is it this time?" I asked, keeping my voice even, though the tension in the air coiled tight.

He bowed. "My King, another werewolf has been spotted near the Northern border, along the snowpath."

I straightened. "And?"

"We tried to approach, but... there's a magical barrier. We couldn't get close. None of us could."

The word magic made my skin prickle.

"Fetch Matif. Now," I ordered, already changing into a more suitable outfit I kept in the office.

By the time I was dressed, Matif had arrived. Together, we teleported straight to the boundary.

The moment we arrived, I felt it an ancient, dark oceanic magic that clung to the air like mist. The forest was shrouded in shadows, the moonlight unable to pierce the heavy energy. It was a kind of magic I'd only heard whispered about.

The signature of the Dark Ocean Queen.

But then, cutting through the oppressive air, came a scent delicate, disarming, unforgettable.

French roses. Damp earth. Vanilla. And a trace of lavender.

It struck me like a blow to the chest. My fangs itched, lengthened involuntarily. I looked at Matif his gaze was as wide and bewildered as mine.

I followed the scent. It led me to a body female, motionless, encased in a shimmering, ocean-blue magical sphere. The barrier pulsed with power, keeping everyone at bay.

Within it, I caught a glimpse of long white hair, and the closer I moved, the stronger the scent became. It tugged at something deep and buried inside me.

Matif stepped forward, eyes wide. "The lost royal mermaid bloodline..."

I turned sharply to him. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, my king," he whispered. "She's the last of her kind. The Healer of the Seas. The prophesied half-breed destined to unite the ocean and the land."

I watched him trace a hand along the barrier, his expression turning to awe.

"How do we get in?" I asked.

Matif knelt, uncorked a small bottle of ocean water, and poured it onto the frozen earth. Then he began to chant:

"The tides have shifted, the tides have changed.

The ocean rises, the ocean cries.

The princess returns, the darkness fades.

The cold king is burned

And the balance is restored."

The moment he finished, the magical sphere burst, throwing several of my guards backward.

The scent rushed in again, raw and overwhelming. My control slipped. I took one look at her pale, still form, and a word tore itself from my lips.

"Mate."

Silence followed. Even the forest stilled.

I hadn't meant to say it. I hadn't wanted to. But my instincts betrayed me and everyone heard it.

Then the moon dipped behind clouds, and her scent shifted. A werewolf.

My stomach turned for a second, disgust threatening to override everything. And yet... the pull toward her grew stronger.

Matif's voice broke the silence. "The Cold King will be burned."

I narrowed my eyes. "You knew this prophecy applied to me?"

He nodded solemnly. "Congratulations, my king. You've found your fated mate."

I stepped forward, lifted her carefully into my arms, and Matif opened a portal.

Moments later, we were in my chamber. I laid her gently on my bed.

"Leave us," I told Lucien and Matif, and they obeyed without question.

Alone with her, I stared. A werewolf. From her scent, I knew she was an omega... yet the power radiating off her was unlike any omega I'd known.

Why would the Moon Goddess curse me with a mate from the very species I've despised for centuries?

And yet...

Somehow, I slept. Deeper than I had in decades.

The next morning, a shrill scream tore through my peace.

"Kael!"

I opened my eyes to find Lianna standing at the door, rage darkening her face.

"Keep your voice down," I said, rubbing my temples.

"Who is she?" she snapped, storming toward the bed.

"Does it matter?" I said flatly.

"Yes, it does! Why is a werewolf in your bed?" she shrieked, shoving me in the chest.

"Leave, Lianna. Before I make you. And next time, remember to address me by my title."

Her nostrils flared, but she turned and stormed out.

I exhaled slowly, then turned back only to meet a pair of terrified, wide eyes.

She was awake.

The fear in her expression hit me harder than any scream. I'd seen countless people terrified of me before I killed them, but this th,is one pierced something in me.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" she asked, voice shaking.

"Kael Valois. The Vampire King."

She froze. I swore I felt her heart skip a beat.

"How... how did I get here?"

"You trespassed into my land. I found you and brought you here." I let the word trespassed hang in the air, knowing full well what it meant to werewolves.

Her eyes widened. She sat up abruptly. "Let me go!"

The glass of water on the table trembled... then shattered, water spilling across the floor.

I stared at her.

How powerful was she?

"I'm sorry," I said, "but I can't let you go."

"Why not? I wasn't trying to harm anyone I was running for my life! I didn't even know where I was going. Please... I don't want to be here. I haven't done anything wrong."

She tried to shake my grip from her wrist. I didn't let go.

"You're not just a werewolf," I said quietly. "You reek of old magic. And now that you're in my land..."

I leaned in, eyes locked on hers.

"...you belong to me."