Twelve years later
Lycan sat on his bed staring blankly at the ceiling. In his time on this new world, he’d learned a lot. He learned that his old world was about a third the size of this one. He found out early one that he was born into a noble family of warriors. It suited him. His family lives the northern continent. And his family lived in a castle that sat on the side of a mountain. He learned that Lystra had not only given him a new life, but had also made him her heir on this world. They called him a Chosen. He still wasn’t sure what that meant, but he guess that since his father was called to the Royal city shortly after he turned three because of it that being Chosen was a big deal. His father was Lord Morzan Snow and the first and foremost leader of the northern army. Well his mother was Lucinda Snow but was born Lucinda Clearwater. She managed the logistics of the army. When he turned two he got twin sisters. Unlike him, who was named by Lystra, they were named like they’re mother by Isra the Goddess of beauty. They were identical in every way except for their eyes. Well the first, Malia, had green eyes like they’re grandmother. The second, Lara, had deep blue eyes like they’re mother.
In the last twelve years, he realized that his wolf was still maturing within. If his guess was correct, he would have his first shift in four months if things remain peaceful. But he could already feel that the magic of his world was affecting him. At twelve years old, he was already muscular for his age. He knew from his past life that Werewolf children were always bigger than others. Last year, his parents had sat him down and asked him about what he was. He had just replied that they would see in time. They had been disappointed but they accepted it when he told them that he would show them first when the time came.
He learn that this world had six races on it. Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, and Demi-Human. Each lived on their respective continent. His mother had taught his sister and him about the world as part of their basic education. His sister’s didn’t learn as fast as he did, but he didn’t mind because it gave him time to dive a little deeper into the races.
As he thirteenth birthday was approaching, he became more restless. Although he knew it was the wolf beginning to stir from its slumbering he could feel its new strength.
He slowly got up and moved to his wardrobe. As he dressed, he heard someone coming down the hall toward his room. As he took a deep breath through his nose, he smile as he recognized the scent. He moved to the door and opened it as Malia was about to knock. Faster than anyone in the house could see, he moved in and scooped up his little sister. She squealed in delight as he spun her around before setting her down right where he’d picked her up. Her green eyes looked at him with sheer joy. Well both of his sister loved him. Malia had started to try and sneak up on him a few weeks ago. Although he always knew she was coming, he would sometimes let her jump on him without moving to stop her.
“What are you doing up here?” he asked kindly as he listen to her heart beat slow.
“Mama said to come get you for breakfast,” his little sister answered with her normal sing song voice that she shared with her twin.
He took another deep breath and found that there was a meal waiting for them in the family’s private dining area. He could tell him mother was sitting with Lara and he could hear his father coming up the stair too.
He reach out and took Malia’s hand causing her to beam with joy and headed down the stairs. As they ran into their father. Malia smiled ear to ear as she explained how she’d tried to sneak up on him using the thing that their father had thought her. Although she looked down as she told him that it didn’t work.
Morzan Snow looked at his daughter and listened to her chatter. Although he knew that his son was never unaware of his sister trying to sneak up on him, but never grew annoyed with her and would sometimes play along. Lord Morzan waved them to follow. As they descended the stairs, Lycan caught a scent coming from his father that he hadn’t smelled in a long time. Anxiety. His father knew that the time was coming for him to learn what his son was. Although he had never held back his love for his son. In the back of his mind, he always wondered. In the last few years, he’d watched his son grow, but the boy never acted his age. He always seemed too mature. Not that it bothered him.
They entered the dining room. Lycan looked at his mother. The last few years hadn’t changed her in the slightest. She was still stunning. The only difference was the way her eyes seemed to have gathered more wisdom. As she looked at her son, her face lit up. She couldn’t help but notice that he was becoming handsome. Although he had never been a fat baby, he was becoming a man. He had the bearing of a noble. But even though he hadn’t hit his growth spurt, he was already as taller than her.
Lycan walked over and sat next to Lara after giving his mother a kiss on her head. As Malia sat across from him, their father sat at the head of the table. As he took another breath, the aroma of anxiety was thick in the air coming from both of his parents. As they ate it just got stronger. It was almost like he could see the tension in the air. He didn’t know what was happening but he could tell it was big. Finally, as everyone finish except for Lara who always took longer to eat. Lycan could take not knowing.
“Father,” he said in a serious tone that caught his father’s attention instantly, “what’s happening? Mother and you are extremely tense.”
His father shot a glance at his wife and as she nodded. After taking a deep breath explained, “Son I’m not going to sugar coat this, the Royal family is coming here to meet you formally. Because you being the only Chosen in the Kingdom they want you to join their family. The king has three daughters. Two are about your age. He would like to betroth you to one of them.”
Lycan stopped listening after that. He wasn’t surprised by any of it. He had expected it to happen eventually. But knowing it would happen and it happening were to different things. In a sudden flash of anger, the beast stirred more than ever before. He felt the heat in his eyes that he remember from his last life. He shuttered at the pleasant feeling. He felt the heat settle. He had his eyes closed but he knew that he had the eyes of a wolf at the moment. He didn’t know what color they were, but he could hear his mother asking what was wrong. A smile spread across his face as slowly open his eyes and looked into the eyes of his parents.
Lucinda was shock when her son seemingly shut them out after hearing about what his future held. She herself wasn’t happy about it but being one of the queen’s childhood friends she had met all of the girls that were coming. They were good girls although a little arrogant. They both were gifted with magic. She could feel her son held a monstrous amount of magical power. But as he shut them out, she notices his magic flexing within him. As she felt it, her son shook himself. As she asked him if he was alright, a smile crossed his face. Slowly, he turned toward Morzan and her and open his eyes. She gasped as she looked into those amber eyes. They glowed like twin lanterns. They were both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. She quickly realized she was looking into the eyes of the first Werewolf.
Morzan looked at his son. Those eyes were that of a wolf. The only difference was that they gave off an otherworldly glow. They looked like they was a fire burning within them. He had felt his son magic was powerful, but as he stared into those eyes he realized just how powerful his son was. He remembered his son saying that he wouldn’t be able to use his full power until he started doing something called shifting. He felt his pride for his son grow a little more.
Malia and Lara looked at their brother as his eyes started glowing. Being the innocent children they were they thought it was amazing and started to ask him to teach them to do it to.
Lycan watched all of this before his own curiosity got the better of him and he looked at the first reflective thing he could find which happened to be Lara’s spoon. When he saw the color of his eyes, he gasped in surprise. He was already half way to becoming an Alpha.
“High Beta,” he said before turning his attention to his parents well willing his eyes back to their normal grey.
“What?” his father asked as he heard the unfamiliar word. His mother had the same confused expression.
“Werewolves can have three different eye colors,” he explained, “Normally, they start with ice blue eyes. They are at the lowest rank known as Omega. Next comes a molten gold the middle rank: Beta. Last is the highest rank Alpha. They have crimson eyes. At the moment, I’m somewhere in between Beta and Alpha.”
His father seemed more interested in the rankings then his mother. He flared his eyes up as he spoke getting a feel for it again. As his eyes died back down, his mother spoke, “I can feel something inside you. Like something is sleeping within you. It’s always been there, but before your eyes change I felt like it was about to wake up. Whatever it is, its power is enormous.”
Lycan smiled as the comment before explaining it, “what you felt mother was the being that I will become soon. Actually it is going to be sooner than I thought. Maybe a few days a most.”
He pause for a moment before adding, “how far out are the royals?”
Morzan understood his son’s question. He didn’t want anyone but family to be present for whatever was going to happen. Luckily, He had just gotten the letter telling them the date that I royal family would arrive.
“How does three week sound?” he said as he stood up and walked to the window that overlooked the mountain valley.
As Lycan turned his attention to the beast within and gaged its growth speed. His face paled as he realized the small shock of hearing that the Royal family was coming to engage him to one of their daughters had cause him enough stress to cause the wolf to be on the edge of waking. The shock hadn’t been enough to upset him, but he had been annoyed. He knew he was much stronger than he’d been in his last life, so it made sense that his triggers would be more sensitive. As long as he didn’t get over excited, he’d have until nightfall. As he told his father this, he didn’t miss the excitement in his Lord father’s eyes. His father like him didn’t like not knowing about the things around him.
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His mother was just as exited but for a different reason. Of his parents, his mother was the better magician and as she’d said she feel great power inside her son. Power that out shined her own by a great margin.
Quickly, Lycan told them what needed to happen. He need a large open area outdoors. And he need all the servants to be kept away. He need a clear path into the forest. At first his parents were against him running off into the forest the half surrounded their home. But he quickly explained to them that of everything that with in the forest, he would be the most dangerous.
The day was slow for the Snow family even though they were having everything prepare for what was going to happen. Lycan could be seen pacing in the northern courtyard. He was notably frustrated. Every once and a while the servant could see steam rising form the young lord’s shoulders. His sisters watched everything with great interest. They didn’t have a clue that soon they were going to watch the birth of a legend. In fact no one knew that what was going to happen that night would change their lives forever.
As the sun met the horizon, the Snow family gathered in the northern courtyard facing the forest. Everyone was tense, but none more than Lycan himself. He knew that this shift would be different from the ones in his old world. Slowly, he turned inward and looked at the beast. But for the first time in this life, the beast looked back. It like in his last life was just a shadow. As the moved toward him, he felt him real body heat up. He reach out to the beast and as it closed in Lycan took a deep breath and embrace it. He felt as the power flowed through him like ice cold water. It shocked him. He knew that his new wolf was stronger than his last, but he hadn’t expected it to be this strong. Then came the shift. It was much different than in his last world. There it had been a painful experience, but this time it was liberating. As the power buzz died down. He found himself crouched down. Slowly he stood and on impulse throw his head back and howled.
Morzan watched his son as an otherworldly power that had manifested as black mist engulfed his son. He could hear bones snapping and a labored breathing that soon turned into a deep growl that he could feel in his chest. Suddenly a dark mist disappear as quickly as it had appeared revealing something that he had never seen before. The being that crouched were his son had been was like a wolf that seem to be built to stand on its hind legs. The head was that of a wolf, but what caught his eye next made him freeze. He had expected to see the same amber eyes he’d seem that morning, but instead were two crimson eye that glowed much brighter. As the beast that was his son stood, it stood about the same height as his son. Suddenly, it raised its head and howled. The sound reach into his bones and caused him to shutter. In all his travels, he never once heard a sound so nobly monstrous.
Lucinda had cringed at every snap of bone but she was didn’t mind as she could feel the power that was being unleashed. She had never felt anything like it. Not even at the academy from the arch mage. It was primal. Suddenly, the inky mist that had covered her son disappear reveal the source of the power that overwhelmed her senses. The being that stood before her was majestic. It had long arms making it appear as it stood on its hind legs it could switch to all fours and be just as comfortable. Then it howled. She could feel the power within it. It reach into her making every part on her body hum with her own magic.
Suddenly, as Lycan stopped his howl. He turned toward the forest that had called to him his whole second life. Without a moment’s hesitation, he took off sprinting into the forest. To everyone who a witnessed it only saw a blur disappear into the darkness
He felt amazing. Never before had he felt so free. The sailed through the forest with ease. It wasn’t long before he came across a herd of elk. In the blink of an eye they’re heads were on the ground and a fountain of blood sprayed from the bodies. Lycan was already moving again. He was circling to the west. He knew that was the direction of the Royal family’s caravan. He want to see how fast he could go. As he pushed his body pass his previous limit, the air that he passed rippled. Before long, he had to stop. In the distance he could see camp fires. And on one of the post was the royal banner. It was just after dark. He drop to all fours and began to move silently toward the camp. He easily avoided the sentries. As he crouched just out of the fire light. He knew if someone were to look in his direction they’d see the reflection of his eyes. But one no did. Too much faith in the sentries he guessed. Before long he saw a man that could only be the king himself.
The king was a big man. He was a little bigger that Lycan’s father, but not as muscular. He had a strong aura of nobility. Next to him was a woman that matched his mother in beauty was the queen. Both had blond hair. The King’s was dark well the Queen’s was light. Lycan watched them for a while, but got bored and was about to leave when he heard a scream.
It was female and young. Everyone on the camp began to move toward it. But Lycan was already there. Next to a small stream was a girl that was no older that seven back paddling as fast as she could as a mountain cat moved toward her. He watched for a moment as the King and all his knights arrived. But as they moved closer, they saw what was moving toward the girl. It didn’t take him long to realized that the cat was a magical beast. Every step it took the ground beneath it would freeze. Lycan also notice that the girl had to be one of the princesses because she looked like the king.
It wasn’t much of a choice for him as he shift back to human. The only thing that had change was he looked just a tad older and he was shirtless showing off he well develop muscles. Just as the cat was about to pounce, he appeared and grabbed it by its throat. As he held it off the ground, he motioned with his free hand to someone to grab the princess. It didn’t take long for one of the knights to rush forward and carry the princess back. The whole time the mountain cat struggled. It scratched him a couple of times, but he didn’t feel much. After he was sure that the girl was moved, he growled at the cat. The sound was deep and monstrous. His crimson eyes glowed like to gateways to the pits of hell. In the mountain cat’s mind it realized that it was at the mercy of an apex predator. It slow resigned to its fate.
The young Werewolf looked at the creature he held. He had to admit that it was a beautiful creature. Its fur was white as fresh snow and eyes like glacial ice. It was a pity that it had to die. With a sigh, he squeezed the cat’s neck until he hear a snap and the light of life slipped from its ice like eyes. He focused for a moment making his eyes human again before turning to look at the King and his Knights. The Queen was holding the sobbing princess well looking at him in awe. The King also was shock at the turn of events.
The King had hunted Ice Lions before and knew just how strong they were. He had all but lost hope of saving his daughter. He would have tried with everything he had, but he knew he was too far away to keep her from harm. But his boy that stood before him had moved with speed that the King couldn’t began to understand. And he had heard the Lion’s neck break and the boy had done that with one hand well make it look easy. The King had no idea who this young boy was, but he when he had to find out.
The Queen on the other had wasn’t too concerned with the boy’s speed or strength like her husband. As soon as she saw his hair, she knew who stood before them. She hadn’t seen the boy for seven years, but there was no mistaking that black hair. Black hair was a rare thing in this part of the world, and as he turned too looked at them she could see his grey gaze was filled with curiosity. But she could see there was a wisdom that didn’t belong to a child in his eyes. The grey eyes were exactly like her best friend’s husband, and her husband’s war adviser. She realized that the boy that had saved her daughter was the very boy they’d come to see.
“Lycan?”She said softly as she took as step forward. She was greeted with a mischievous grin. It reminded her of her friend when they were younger. As she studied the boy closer, she quickly realized that he was dangerously handsome. Even at this age, she could tell in the future he would be a heart throb. He was bare chested which surprised her, but at twleve years old he was extremely well muscled. As her husband heard her say the name of his adviser’s son, he looked into the boys eyes and instantly recognized that raptor gaze. If that wasn’t enough, the grin was. The King wanted to laugh at his luck. But as the boy spoke, he was frozen in shock.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Lycan said in the most formal tone he could muster, “but I must he heading back. I’ll see you in a week or two.”
As Lycan was about to turn to leave, he stopped as an idea popped into his head. Looking over his shoulder at the teary eyed princess, he could see she was still in shock. So he decided to try and cheer her up.
“Oh and princess,” he said as another mischievous grin appeared on his face, “I’ll make sure that this cat makes a nice coat.”
As the young girl looked up at him, he let out a chuckle. To the King and Queen, the boy’s voice was confident, but as he spoke to their daughter it softened to the way a parent would sooth a child. Without warning, Lycan shot off in a sprint leaving with the Ice Lion over his shoulders leaving the Royals and their Knights to stare in awe.
As soon as he was sure that they couldn’t see or hear him, Lycan shift back into his Werewolf form. He liked the new look it was much easier to move in. From what he could see of himself without a mirror, he was lean built for speed and agility. He also had a bushy tail unlike his last life. He moved through the forest with ease. Jumping into the trees at one point just to see if he could. At first it was difficult, but after a couple tries he was moving through the branches as easily as if he were on the ground. It didn’t take him long to arrive back at his home to find that his family was still out in the courtyard.
He moved toward them. The first to notice his return was his mother. He guessed she could sense him with magic. She looked at him in his beast form and smiled. Then his father and sisters saw him. He could see his father’s eyes go to the frost cat on his back. There was surprise then fear that as he realized that it was dead turned to awe.
With that, he shift back to human and quickly explained to her parents what had happened. They were amazed by was he told them. He was very adamant that he hadn’t let anyone see his shift. He told them that the Queen had recognized him right away. To that his mother explained that having black hair like her was extremely rare. So it would have been easy to guess who he was. He also told them that he wanted the cat made into a coat for the princess. His mother smiled at him and told him that she’d have the servants skin the beast then have the tailors start on it. His father told him that the cat was called an Ice Lion. He explain that they were one of the top predators in the mountains. Lycan laughed to himself think that was going to change. That night he stayed up reading his father’s book on the beast of the mountains. For the next two weeks, he was going to sweep the area clean of them. Late that night he sense someone had entered the castle. After a moment, he remember the aura of power and smiled.
As the Snow family went to sleep that night, deep in the forest the King and Queen sat with their children. The three princesses slept in part of the large tent that was closed off. The oldest Jennifer was awake and thinking about what she’d heard about the boy that had saved her little sister. She at age twelve was restless to meet him. From the little she could get out of her sister who was still in shock along with her Knight friends, he had killed an Ice Lion with one hand. The knight seemed a little jealous of the boy, but decided to say it was because he was a noble. No one but the King and Queen knew that he was a Chosen. Across the tent, Prince Edwin lay awake. He was in his sixteenth year and was truly troubled by what he’d heard. If even half of it was true, this noble boy of the mountains was even more powerful than the king. If there was anything absolute about this world was that the only thing that was respected above all else it was strength. Prince Edwin wasn’t weak but he could even began to understand the power Lycan Snow wielded.
King Nathan unlike his son was over joyed at the thought of someone with that power living within his borders. With someone like that being the son and heir of his greatest military commander on top of the fact he was a Chosen. That boy had to of just step into his power, and with his raw power was like this the King couldn’t comprehend what he would be capable of in the future.