The Last Daughter

Chapter Eleven: feels right

Carswell's viewpoint

   I stood in front of my mirror, my full-length mirror, watching my fingers as I clicked the lock of the cape over my shoulders. It wasn't needed, but it was the royal cape passed on from generation to generation. My best friend, Zane, sat on my bed, checking his flawless nail polishing work for the fifteenth time in thirty minutes. Caesar was trying to find my favourite ring.

   That scent came again, but briefly. It had been troubling me for days. It wasn't like the roses to trouble me. It usually gave me peace so the new trouble was confusing me. My beast was more reckless but silent, he wouldn't talk because the confusion had gotten to him bad. It was starting to give me constant headache. The others said they didn't find anything weird in it, but I doubt they perceive what I was perceiving.

   Caesar said the scent remains the same to him, while Zane said it kept switching from honey pine and snow, to the usual scent. It was confusing him too but not as much as it was to me. I exhaled loudly from my mouth and turned around, a brief blurriness flickered in my vision but went away with a blink.

   "I don't feel good," I said queasily, "my head hurts again," I pressed my thumb to my temple and groaned. My throat was closing up but I was forcing it back down. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Do you think the roses have been infected with black magic and it's trying to warn me?"

   "Doubt it. One, who would affect the roses they think is regular with black magic? Makes no sense,"

   "Except if they know," Zane said.

  "True, but I doubt they do. Plus, I don't think this is the way they would warn you. I think it would affect the barrier, not you…"

   "I'm connected to it," I cut him off.

   "And Zane? I doubt it," Caesar, my beta. His father was my father's beta. He came from a long generation of betas as Zane came from one of warriors. But Zane was closer to me because I knew him before we later met Caesar and added him; he was worthy of it.

   "Look, let's just get this over with. After today, we can check the mirror and see what's wrong?" Zane asked tiredly. It was a rare thing to see him tired. He was usually energetic, loquacious and act like a crazy teenager. But don't challenge him, he was a brutal fighter. Caesar was more of a thinker, a good beta and quiet one.

   "Three hours," I murmured. I swept the cape out from underneath my feet and walked to the door. Zane stood up and followed. Caesar didn't bother looking for the ring again, he knew I wouldn't wear it.

   The guards bowed as we made our way to the ballroom. With each step I took, the scent got stronger. It almost felt like it was trying to strangle me or force me to shift. My lycan stirred in me, his confusion hitting me as strong as the scent. Something nudged the back of my mind, trying to remind me of what the scent mean. But it seemed like the information was locked tight, somehow.

   "Announcing the arrival of His Royal Majesty, King Carswell Finneas Adrienne R.D. Maximilien, Beta Caesar Payne, and Honourable Chief warrior, Zane Berlanti."

   "He didn't have to call my full name," I grumbled.

   "Technically, he left out the other two," Zane chuckled.

   "What difference does that make?" Caesar questioned. I chuckled, just before the doors open a little. It was like an explosion of wind accompanied with a powerful aura and scents. The aura was powerful, and the scents entwined so tightly it pushed me some few paces back. Caesar pushed me forward in time for me compose myself, at least to them I was. Zane on the other hand, surreptitiously gasped for air.