The Lycan King's Witch: Beneath the Crimson Moon

Anastasia's POV

The wind blew my hair in all directions as I ran as fast as I could from my captors. I only had a few minutes to get over the barrier before they could track my scent again. If it hadn't been for that cocky meathead guard, I don't think I would have ever escaped. Who knew challenging him to an arm wrestling match would work in my favor?

My heart was racing in my chest and my lungs were burning. My legs felt weak and brittle, but I couldn't stop running. I had to make it. If I stayed here any longer, I knew I wouldn't survive another day. The trees broke and the barrier was in clear view now. Just when I thought I would finally be free, a howl sounded in the distance and more howls joined in. He must have noticed I was gone. I push my legs to run even faster.

I couldn't let him catch me. Not again. My coven and I were a peaceful bunch. We keep to ourselves and would help others if they needed. There was a time when we were able to mingle freely between the humans and the wolves until unexplained deaths began to surface.

The wolves didn't mind at first because it was only humans. That was until wolves began to turn up dead as well. Witches were blamed automatically, of course. We thought that we could continue to ignore the war between the witches and the wolves.

We chose to stay out of it, but the wolves didn't care if you participated or not. They only knew hate. Our coven remained visible to the outside world until the year I turned 10. We were attacked, losing many of our people, including my parents. That's when our High Priestess decided that it was safest to cloak our coven.

Had I stayed within the boarders of my coven, I wouldn't have come in contact with the Silver Moon pack. I had only ventured a few feet south of the boarder when he caught me.

He held me captive for two years! Two years his entire pack abused me in ways unimaginable. For two years I was forced to do his bidding. I was a green witch. I followed specific laws with my magic, but for the past two years, I had no choice but to forget those laws. My magic was ment to heal, not hurt but I had no choice.

I couldn't go back to that. I couldn't hurt anyone else. I couldn't do that anymore. I was only a few meters away from the barrier when suddenly, wolves came running towards me, breaking through the trees. I was running as fast as I could, but they were faster. My heart jumped into my throat as they grew closer.

Finally, I made it. I was halfway through the barrier when I felt a sharp pain rip through my side. I screamed. My body was yanked back. I was being pulled away from the barrier. One of the wolves managed to sink their teeth into me as I was crossing.

I tried to crawl away but it was useless. I surged up just enough energy to use the earth around me. The ground broke as the roots of the trees rose up and grabbed hold of the wolf that held onto me. It whimpered and let me go as I made the roots squeeze. Free again, I took off running, ignoring how much blood I was losing, and ignoring the pain.

The wolves stopped chasing as they all focused on ripping away at the root that held one of their friends prisoner. I reached the barrier and ran right through it. I didn't stop running until I reached the road. My feet were bare and they felt raw on the cement surface. Now that I was past the barrier, my Coven should be able to track me.

I had to catch my breath before I started moving again. I couldn't stay on the road, it wasn't safe. He could easily get in a car and come look for me. I had to think, but my vision was getting patchy. I knew it was from the blood I was losing, but I needed to get off the road. If I could get to the trees, I could use the earth to mask my scent.

I managed to get across to the other side and the earth welcomed me. I walked as deep as I could into the trees, and found a spot up against an old oak tree to rest against. My breathing was labored now. I needed to stop the bleeding. There was yarrow all around me, so I collected as much as I could. Using my magic, I pulled the water from the damp morning grass and made a paste.

I ripped the fabric from the hem of my now bloodied dress and used it as a wrap. The bite wound wasn't as big as it felt, so it was just enough paste made.

After I patched myself up, I rested back against the tree and used every bit of magic I had left to cover myself in leaves and vines, camouflaging myself from the eyes of anyone. Allowing the soil to mask my scent. The ground beneath me swallowed me whole and I accepted the protection the trees roots gave to me.

A wolf running by wouldn't be able to detect me and that was perfect. I just needed enough time to rest. Just to catch my breath while I waited for my coven to find me. I just hoped they would find me before it was too late. My body felt limp, and I was loosing energy fast. I knew that soon my present state would become a faded memory.

"How much longer before we get there!" My patience was waning thin. We've been driving for hours already and this car was too small for my huge frame.

We were supposed to be there hours ago but thanks to Benji, he managed to get us completely lost. I told him to just use the damn GPS, but this moron swore by the Moon Goddess that he could read a fucking map.

'Why did you choose this dip shit to ride with?' Amos growled.

'He was the more discreet option! If anyone recognized Cyrus, then it would have given away my identity!' I grumbled back.

We were supposed to be visiting the Silver Moon Pack to get a better feel of who we were forming an alliance with. With the war between the witches, we needed trustworthy allies. The last thing I needed was to join forces with a power hungry pack leader with an inferiority complex.

I am responsible for all Lycan's. I am their king. I had no room for error. If I trusted the wrong person, that could cripple my people. Our numbers weren't very big thanks to the last war with the witches.

That last attack came from out of nowhere. We were hit while we were celebrating a sacred holiday. I lost a lot of great warriors that day. The pack was still recovering from it. It was crucial that any alliance I made moving forward was concrete.

Alpha Cane had his beta reach out requesting an audience with me. I figured it would be better if I checked the pack out myself before I accepted his request. I wouldn't know if it was a good alliance based off of that meeting alone. I needed to visit their pack. Get a feel of who they were before they had time to adjust their behaviors based off of me.

"Um, we should be here now, your majesty. The map is showing we should be here now." Benji's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked at the back of his head with annoyance.

"You better be fucking right!" I growled.

I looked out the window, half expecting to see something. Anything. But there was nothing here. My eyes darkened as Amos brewed to the surface.

"What the fuck, Benji! There's nothing here!" My patience had officially expired and I needed to get out of this piece of shit car before Amos ripped right through it.

I exited the car, slamming the door. Amos was angry and needed to run. He hated small spaces just as much as I did. I walked towards the trees and pulled my clothes off. I couldn't afford to ruin them. I didn't entend on shifting and didn't pack another set.

Amos was huge. I was rather large myself being 6'4 but my lycan stood close to 8 feet tall. I felt quite proud of that. He's the largest lycan in documented history. Even larger than my father's lycan who stood at 7'6 feet.

I sat back and allowed Amos to take control. The feeling of letting your beast take the lead was freeing, well, after you got used to the pain of shifting. I relaxed as he swing from tree to tree, shaking any small animals from their resting places in his path. He jumped down and readied himself to run when the most beautiful scent caressed our nostrils.

It was faint, but the warm smell of amber and vanilla flooded our airways making it impossible to ignore.

'Could this be?' I asked as Amos moved towards the smell. The closer he moved, the stronger the scent became.

There was not doubt about it. This was our "Mate." We both spoke in unison. Amos looked around frantically. We were unable to locate them.

'Mate!' Amos growled as he frantically ran around in what appeared to be circles. The scent was everywhere and yet we couldn't find anyone.

'How is that possible?' I asked.

'She's close I know it, but where?' Amos spoke.

Our mate's scent was strongest around this old oak tree. Amos climbed it in hopes of finding our mate, but was at a loss when there was no one.

'Wait! The ground!' Amos immediately stuck his nose to the soil.

'She's buried!' I barked.

With quick claws, Amos dug away the ground. He halted as the scent of iron mangled with our mates scent and for the first time in my life, I felt fear.

'Stop! Let me! You might hurt her more!' I ordered and he immediately gave me back control.

With desperate hands, I scraped the dirt away until I finally reached what felt like a hard surface. I dug and dug until I finally could see what it was. The tree's roots were formed into some kind of egg. It appeared to be protecting whoever was inside. I used my strength to pry it apart and to my surprise, it was pretty easy.

My breath caught as I looked down at the woman who was lying inside. She was absolutely breath taking. A sleeping beauty. Her long chocolate colored hair spread around her. Her eye lids were dressed with thick, long lashes and her nose was the cutest little button. Her facial features were something out of a magazine and her lips were full and plump.

'The Moon Goddess favors us! She's beautiful' Amos spoke proudly.

'Yes, and she's human.'

'Doesn't matter. She's ours!' Amos cheered.

I examined her further. Rage filled my chest once my eyes gravitated towards her side. She was bleeding badly. Panic filled my veins once my ears picked up on how shallow her breathing was and her low heart rate.

'We need to get back to the car, now!' I barked and without hesitation, Amos took over. He gently cradled her to his chest in one arm as he swung from tree to tree with his other. Benji was standing outside of the car scratching his head looking confused when we reached him.

"Your majesty, I must have-" he stopped talking mid sentence when he noticed I was completely naked holding onto a what seemed to be lifeless woman.

"We need to get back to the castle, now!" I order as I gently put her inside of the back seat and climbed in after her.

Benji looked on puzzled.

"Now!" I yelled, snapping him back to his senses.

Thankfully, he didn't argue this time and used the fucking GPS. After a thirty minute car ride, we made our way back to the castle. I didn't give a shit I was completely naked as I carried her through the castle's doors. I immediately called for Hannah. She was the packs doctor.

'Quickly, to the infirmary!" She barked and ran ahead of me.

I followed after, ignoring Cyrus's offer to take her while I got dressed. There was no way in hell I was letting her go right now. It had taken me so long to find my mate, and to have found her in a state like this, I couldn't leave her side.

Once I reached the infirmary, Hannah had the bed ready for her and motioned for me to put her down. Gently, I placed her on her back, and Hannah immediately got to work.

"I'm gonna need space, my king." Hannah looked up at me with concern.

Amos was pacing back and forth in my head. I stepped back, allowing her the space. When she turned to me again, she looked to me with cautious eyes.

"My king, this may take a minute. Why don't you get dressed and come back?" I heard her words but all I could do was look at my mate.

"Your majesty." Cyrus rested his hand on my shoulder.

Nodding, I left the infirmary.

It's been three days and my mate was still unconscious. Hannah said she was malnourished and lost a lot of blood, so rest was what she needed. I couldn't stand seeing her in the infirmary, so I moved her to my chambers. My mind played over and over again a variety of scenarios that could have landed her in this state.

Amos grew anxious over time, and his anxiety didn't help me maintain my own. I temporarily left the kingdom in the hands of Cyrus. He was my beta, so he already knew how I ran things. It was only temporary. I needed to focus all of my attention on my mate.

My life was now tangled with hers and yet, I didn't know her name or even the color of her eyes. I craved to hear her voice. Would it be sweet as honey? Or warm as tea.

'Perhaps both.' Amos answered my thoughts.

He stared at her longingly. I could feel his desire to mate with her, hell, I could feel the desire in myself as well, but that would have to wait. For now, all I needed was for her to open her eyes.

" Your majesty!" Brianne, one of my strongest warriors, burst through my chamber door, her heart was beating so loudly, I could hear it from across the room.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Sorry, it's.. the prisoner. She's.. she's killed herself." Jumping to my feet I asked,

"What?" I quickly moved from the room, and mind linked Hannah to stay with My mate.

I followed Brianne to the dungeons and stared in disbelief. The witch looked as if she was sucked dry of all her bodily fluids. The once youthful woman who inhabited the cell was now crumbled on the ground like a shriveled raisin.

Looking over at Max, Cyrus's sentinel, I asked,

"Tell me everything."

"She was fine until three days ago. She jumped up out of nowhere and kept repeating the same phrase. 'All will end in a gaze of emerald,' she just kept saying it over and over again." He looked at her corpse in confusion.

"It was like she became possessed or stuck in a loop. She just kept repeating it up until just a few minutes ago. She stopped and began to chant something and just.. well, I don't know how to explain it, your majesty. I've never seen anything like it." I looked on for a few more minutes before I ordered the guards to open the cell's door.

Stepping inside, I was able to get a better look at her. Her fingers were curled unnaturally and her mouth was still open with her eyes empty of any color she once had. On her forehead was a sigil that looked to be burned into her. That wasn't there before.

"You're saying she did this to herself?" I asked.

"Yes, your majesty. She just started chanting and then crumbled." I believed what he said, I was just having a hard time believing she was the one who did this.

"This cell was designed to prevent any magical use. As well as the shackles that was placed on her wrist. There's no way she could have done this."

"Are you saying it was another witch? But how?"

"Link Cyrus and inform him of what's happened and bring anyone who entered the dungeons three days ago to my office." I turned and made my way out of the dungeon.

'We shouldn't have left the castle! If we were here, another witch wouldn't have been able to slip through the cracks!' Amos growled and I understood his frustrations.

'You know why we had to leave, and if we didn't, we wouldn't have found our mate.' Amos huffed but he remained silent.

He knew what I said was true. If we had stayed home, she would have surely parishes in that very spot we found her.

I was now sitting at my desk in my office with two omegas sitting in front of me with clear signs of fear coating their faces. I could tell almost immediately that they didn't have anything to do with what happened with the prisoner but I still needed answers.

"You two were on watch for the dungeons three days ago correct?" I asked, resting my hands on my desk.

"Yes, your majesty!" They replied in unison.

"Did either of you see anyone or anything out of the usual that day? Even if it was small, it's important you tell me." I allowed my alpha aura to wrap around them.

The younger looking one eyes began to dart around the room. He was clearly hiding something. Using my alpha voice, I commanded him to speak.

"Reign was ssupposed to be guarding that day but asked me to insstead. SShe said she needed to hhelp a friend." He stuttered.

That was something that could be useful.

"Anything else you're leaving out?" I asked never lifting my aura.

"NNo. I don't know anything elsse, your majesty." He cowarded in his seat.

I stared at them both for a few more minutes before I dismissed them. I was getting ready to mind link Reign and summon her to me when one of the house maids came barging in.

"Sorry, my king, for the intrusion, but the woman you brought home, is awake!" I quickly jumped to my feet and ran to my chambers.

When I stepped inside, I was amazed. Standing in the corner was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. Hannah was trying to talk her down as she held onto a lamp preparing to throw it.

'She's scared! She needs us!' Amos roared.

This I already knew. Moving into the room, her eyes shifted to me. They were the most beautiful shade of green. She stared at me with a look of both fear and confusion.

"Who are you! Why am I here?" She demanded and my heart fluttered at the sound of her voice.

It was exactly the way I imagined it. Moving closer to her, I reached my hand out to her, hoping she would calm down. I put all of my faith in our mate bond, hopeful it would give her some ease and to my satisfaction, it did.

The fear in her eyes began to clear and a look of recognition took its place. She slowly began to lower the lamp as I moved closer. Her scent filled my lungs and it scent Amos in a frenzy.

"You are safe, my love, I won't hurt you." I was now a foot away from her.

She was really looking at me now. I expected her to close the distance given the mate bond should be irresistible, but instead she began to step back until she hit the wall.

"No! Moon goddess, no!" She spoke as fear consumed her face once again.

I took a step closer to her, wanting to help her but this movement made her freak out even more.

"Stay away from me you monster!" She yelled.

'Monster?' Amos spoke what I thought. I was confused. I didn't understand where this was coming from.

"My love, what's wrong?" I asked and before I knew it, I was on my ass.

'She's a..'

"Witch!" Hannah's voice rang in the air.

As I scrambled to get up, Hannah had already shifted and my mate's arms were stretched out towards her.

"No!" I yelled as Hannah lunged forward, dodging the wooden bed frame as it stretched out and tried to wrap around her.

I moved quickly jumping in front of my mate and wrapping her in my arms. I could feel Hannah's claws graze my back as I received the blow intended for my mate who was now looking up at me with tear stained eyes.

I had so many questions but that would have to wait until later. What was important was keeping my mate safe.

"Stand down Hannah!" Or ordered and she immediately shifted back.

I continued to use my body as a shield between her and my mate.

"But, my king, she's a witch!"

"No! She's my mate! And your luna!" I growled.