1. A Friend

one

A Friend

*FLORA*

I try to stay away from the other children and instead spend time with my little companions. Small dots of light are circling around me wherever I go. They are becoming more and more distinctive now. When I first saw them, they were just like a blur of light, but now it seems they take on an actual form.

Right when I first began to see them, the alpha thought my vision might be impaired and sent me to the infirmary, although Grandma always said that I’m fine, that nothing was wrong.

The doctor agreed. Nothing was wrong.

The alpha is a fair leader, my grandma says, but not really a good man. I don’t know what she means by that, but I think she means I shouldn’t tell him everything. To my surprise, he and the beta and other ranks, like the royal lycans, are nice to me.

Grandma says it’s because of the prophecy and because of Dad’s blood.

I don’t know any prophecies aside from the one in the book Grandma is reading with me. It’s about a princess being locked in a golden cage. She is waiting for someone to save her, but eventually fights back herself. She runs, and on her way, she meets the prince, who is heavily wounded. She helps him heal, and he helps her accept herself. Their fates are connected. And then, they marry and have lots of babies and are super powerful couple.

It’s my favorite story.

When I am not listening to Grandma’s stories or in school, I am usually outside, roaming the forest for the voices I can hear. Today, the light leads me down a narrow path, away from the packhouse and deep into the forest. Some of the kids tend to play there, but I nevertheless go to follow the little dots of light. They want to show me something.

More and more dots join in, and soon it feels like the air around me is buzzing. It’s not uncomfortable, though. It makes me smile at how warm it makes me feel. They and Grandma are my only friends and would never harm me.

I don’t know how I know. I just do. They can’t talk, but I know they are my friends.

They lead me further down the path until we reach a beautiful tree. It’s crooked, its branches reaching out like it’s trying to protect everything beneath it. Right at its root, there is a tiny white flower. It looks so funny, like it has legs and a face. I think I have seen it in one of Grandma’s books. Looking at it closer, I see there are more tiny flowers sprinkled around me, and on the ground there are footsteps.

Oh no!

I try to shovel the whole plant free of the surrounding dirt. It looks like people trampled over it. The light circles it now. They seem sad, so sad. I don’t know why, but there are flowers they like in particular. I don’t understand, but it’s not important why they prefer one over the other, I just know I need to protect those they do.

Before I can do anything, a group of voices comes closer. I instantly notice them, they are pack members, kids my age. We go to the same primary school. They don’t like me, not even one bit. I contemplate hiding, but they have already spotted me, and are running towards me. Some boys tug me away, while others laugh and stomp on the flower.

“No!” I scream. “Don’t kill it!”

The hands holding me let go of me in shock. I never talk, I just don’t see why I should. I talk with Grandma and with the ranked members if they ask me something, but never just… like that.

“She can talk!?” one of the girls whispers.

I push the boy, who grabbed me aside, and hurry back to the little flower, covering it with my body, sobbing slightly at the sadness I feel. The little dots of light are circling me, but they are not a comfort this time.

Why don’t the children like me?

Why do they destroy something just because I like it?

“Don’t be dramatic,” one of the boys huffs, trying to tug me away. “It’s just a stupid flower.”

“She is such a creep,” another boy spits.

“She mumbles something to herself all the time. So pathetic,” one of the girls giggles. “I thought she was mute.”

“And she is so obsessed with flowers. Is she trying to be cute or what?”

I try to shield the flower with my hand, but the boys start pushing me away again. I struggle against them while something keeps drawing me to that flower, like a voice whispering to me to protect it. The light around me goes crazy, circling me, but it's not strong enough to help me.

Another pair of footsteps comes closer. For reasons unknown, I seem to hear these footsteps louder than anything else around me, as if they echo in my mind.

“What are you doing here!?” A voice demands to know. It sounds dark and a bit angry. Raising my eyes, I meet the frame of a boy who I instantly recognize. He is taller than the other kids, his eyes and hair are dark.

I shrink away further. Goddess, this is bad, this is really bad. Something must have alerted him or drawn him to the group. Just like me, he doesn’t hang out with the other children, but unlike me, they actually want him to.

The boy who always looks so angry.

I usually try to avoid him as best as I can. I can’t remember that I’ve ever talked to him, as he has training every day, and our paths barely cross. He is my age, but he already radiates so much power and strength. I have never paid much attention to him, but now that I do, it’s obvious he could easily hurt me.

“Prince Elden,” one of the guys looks at him. “Good thing you came, this girl was being a creep again.”

“What did she do?” Elden wants to know, his dark brows furrowing further as he checks us over.

“Well… she kinda… she was sitting there and pretending to see something invisible… again. And she tried to pet the plant or something. So weird!”

“What?” Elden laughs, and my heart breaks. He is laughing about their words and their bullying. To my surprise, however, his laugh dies down and is replaced by a glare. “So, you want to punish her for existing!?”

“But-”

“Flora is a lycan of royal heritage,” he spits, and my heart warms at the idea of him knowing my name. “Show her some respect. She is above you.”

“She is-” one of the girls stares at me in disbelief. “She is… royal?”

“Yes,” Elden snaps. “Her father was of royal blood. Now get lost, before I change my mind.”

The other children don’t wait for him to say anymore and instantly shuffle away. Seems like they are scared of the prince, too. Silence engulfs us. It doesn’t seem like he is going to hit me or push me around, so I crawl towards the flower again, trying to free it from the dirt once more. The boys stomped on it, but the ground beneath it is soft, so the plant is still alive.

Hurt, but not dead.

Prince Elden approaches me and kneels down next to me. “You shouldn’t cry so much,” he grumbles. “They think you’re weak.”

I blink up at him, my heart skipping a beat when I take in his serious features. Grandma keeps saying, he is so young, but already looks so serious. Now that he is here, I’m not sure how to feel about him. I thought he would be terrifying, which is why I never crossed his path. But now, something feels different. I should be scared, but I’m not. To my surprise, I can see one of the dots of light slowly approaching him, as if they are curious.

For a split second, I swear I can see little wings in the light. Is this… what the light is?

“I need to protect the light,” I say.

He looks confused and a tad bit annoyed. “That’s why you try to shield the flowers?”

I’m surprised he catches on so fast. “Yes, the light likes it.”

“Then just take it along, and let’s leave.”

I blink in surprise. He is right. I can just take the plants and put them somewhere safe. The little blobs of light seem to like the idea, too, as they excitedly flow around me. With Elden’s help, I carefully free the plant. The moment I hold it in my hands, the light attaches to it. It’s like I can feel the roots of the small plant moving slightly around my hands. I will head home and find a safe place for it to grow.

Elden reaches out his hand. “Come,” he mutters. “I can’t continue looking at your pathetic frame.”

Is he trying to be nice? I blink and take his hand, letting him pull me up. There are sudden sparks I feel, making me wince slightly.

Elden must have felt it, too. “What was that?” he blinks.

“I don’t know.”

Elden shrugs. “Doesn’t matter.” He turns and signals me to follow him. “From now on, stay close to me.”

“Okay,” I nod, and grab the plant tighter, “and you stay close to me.”

He looks at me, surprised. “Why?”

“The light likes you.”

“Grandma!” I burst through the door to our little cottage. Grandma said we could live in the packhouse, too, but she prefers it this way.

“Yes, sunshine?” Grandma peeks into the living room, and her eyes cloud with worry when she sees how I’m covered in dirt and scratches. “Who did that? This time, they went too far!”

“Grandma!” I say with emphasis. “Look, I saved this plant!” I show her the beautiful little plant with the white flowers on it. “The light loves it! Oh, and I-” I pause so I don’t sound too overexcited. “I have a friend over.”

Grandma looks at my face first, then at the flower, then at the door. “You do?”

“Yes, I-” I turn my head, noticing that Elden didn’t follow me through the door. I jump back outside, grabbing his hand and tugging him along. He tosses me an unamused glare, but I ignore it. “He saved the flower for me, Grandma.”

“Oh!” Her eyes light up. “The young prince.”

“I apologize for dropping by unannounced,” Elden says, suddenly sounding so sophisticated and earnest. “I should have announced my visit instead of disturbing you.”

“What?” I giggle. “Why are you talking so weird? You said I should stay close to you, remember?” I turn to Grandma. “The light likes him too,” I whisper.

Grandma smiles brightly. “Does it?” She reaches out her hand towards us. “Come in, both of you.”

Elden doesn’t say a lot, but I’m surprised at how polite he is to Grandma. He is so different now that no one is around. He even helps me plant the flower we saved. Grandma tells us it’s a ghost orchid and apparently very rare. She says they normally don’t grow in our area, and it’s a miracle I found one. This makes me even gladder that I protected it.

“Please grow and get strong,” I whisper to it.

Elden shakes his head. “You are weird,” he says. But unlike when the other children say it, he doesn’t sound vile.

“I thought you would be meaner,” I point out.

“And I thought you would be shier,” he retorts.

When he helps me carry the potted plant to my room, our hands touch. I can feel these tingles again and squeal. “You are doing it again.”

“It’s clearly you!” he retorts, sounding annoyed. He places the pot in its place before pulling his hands away and rubbing them.

I notice how Grandma peeks into my room. “What happened?” she asks.

“Elden is electric,” I complain.

“She is the one that’s sizzling!” he says.

Something in Grandma’s eyes lights up. She looks joyful all of a sudden, curious, and a bit excited. “That’s beautiful,” she says, and I have no idea what she is talking about. “Now come, I’ve made cake and hot chocolate for you.”

“What does she mean?” Elden asks me once Grandma leaves the room. “What’s beautiful?”

“I have no idea.” I take his hand again to tug him along.

I feel the tingles again but ignore them this time. Grandma doesn’t think it’s dangerous, and they do feel comforting.