Lycus's pov

I have had to fight demons all my life to get better but I never knew a day would come when I would have to fight them physically. I groaned as I fisted the sheets, my insides tightened in sheer pain as I struggled against their hold to set myself free, but all was to no avail as usual.

Trapped.

That was how I felt being held down by what seemed like a thousand clamps. I felt caged inwardly, my emotions, my memories, both good and bad crashing down on me making my head hazy and my heart swoon in a bad way.

I tried lifting myself which I knew wouldn't work but either way, I tried. I tried hard but it didn't budge. Seems their hold got stronger. The worse part was that I couldn't see them. I was clamped to the bed by invisible hands unable to move with perspiration running through my entire being. The sweat drops ran down my skin making it clammy, the salty liquid fell to the sheets wetting them and in return, they stuck to my bare skin making it all the more uncomfortable.

I struggled against the sheets, groaning in pain as I tried to wrench myself from the mystical hands but it only increased my pain, increased the holding. The more I struggled, the more the pain heightened and the worse the holds got.

"Do something, Xerxes!" I heard my mother yell, she sounded faint and I knew it was because my hearing was filled with an annoying buzzing noise, "I don't want to lose my son!" She added and I could tell that she was grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him now. Terrifying the hell out of poor Xerxes.

"There is nothing I can do my lady." He replied sadly and at the moment I felt more sorry for him than myself. Ever since this issue became recurrent, my mom had been on his neck daily to find a solution, "It's nothing like I have seen before."

"We can't just watch him suffer!" She snapped and I could feel her sad gaze on me. She turned silent realizing what she had just said, watching me writhe in pain and anguish was the only option we had for now, "Oh Xerxes." She cried out erupting Into sobs. She threw herself around Xerxes who embraced her and patted her whispering comforting words to her, "I can't believe he's going through this."

I focused more on freeing myself than listening to my mother cry out about my predicament. I had always hated pity, it was loathsome to me and made me feel weak but now the irony of it all was that I was weak, and I deserved the pity. My case was rare, never heard of before. It weakened me physically, emotionally, and mentally. It drained every single fucking part of me, I had to deal with this alongside the separation from my mate and her daughter. I missed them both, the pain was all too much for me to handle.

After some more groans and grunts from me, I finally yanked myself from the holds. I was breathing hard, my head was hung low with my overgrown hair ends tousled over. I could feel the strain in my tired muscles, the beads of sweat running down my body soaking the sheets, and the loud thudding of my heart slamming against its encase.

"Lycus." My mum ran to me and flung her arms around me. She laid her head on my shoulder and began to cry hard. I was too weak, too tired to pull her close. I looked up at Xerxes who gave me a pitiable look as he clung onto his staff, "I am so sorry you are going through this." She sobbed smoothing my hair with her hands, "If only your father were here."

"It's okay mum," I said gruffly finally speaking for the first time that day. Even my jaws ached, "Any solution yet Xerxes?" I gazed back at him while my mother continued stroking my hair.

"No, your Highness." He sighed before shaking his head, "I think we would have to involve the witches physically not just verbal consultation."

"Can they be trusted?" My mother asked raising her head, "You do know they are like the vampires." She snorted, "Quick to go back on their word."

"That's a known fact, my lady." He agreed with her, "We just have to try, we have no other choice. It's making him weak and his throne is in question." Xerxes's last statement hit me hard all over like I didn't know it before. It wasn't new news. My throne was actually in question, no matter how hard we tried to conceal this new development, news traveled fast and hard with added spice. Now everyone had begun to question my credibility and power.

"We would decide on what to do after the meeting with the council members."

"It is today?" I asked her wide eyed as she stood up from the bed and adjusted her clothing.

"Yes my dear, it is." She patted my cheeks, "We have already wasted enough time today, which isn't your fault but by my calculations, we have less than thirty minutes to get ready."

"I do not want to meet them," I whined knowing how hard it was to deal with them. Even though my mother was their supreme leader, they all were given equal respect. She couldn't boss them around or bend them to her will. She could only influence most things but not all. It was made this way to avoid abuse of power or oppression.

"You have to." She took my hands in hers and squeezed them, "You have to do this, for Nyx, Amara, and yourself. So that you three will be happy together, please."

I didn't say anything, I just nodded at her request, "That's my boy." She kissed me on the cheek, "We would await you in the conference room, don't be long please." After her final words, she left with Xerxes softly closing the door behind them.

I stood up from the bed and walked to the mirror. After taking achingly slow steps across the room I finally reached it. I braced myself up with my hands on the dressing table and looked in the mirror. I looked like what the cat dragged in, literally speaking. I was a mess. Hair overgrown, eyes drained of color, beard disheveled and unkempt, skin pale as fuck almost resembling the blood sucking leeches. I groaned in irritation, I didn't blame the people for spreading rumors, I was like a walking corpse. I was weak, I was worthless at the moment. I was useless on my throne, to my pack, to my mate and her daughter.

I fought back tears thinking of what Nyx was going through in the hands of Titan and Laya, I sniffed thinking of what was happening to Amara and where Andros might have disappeared to. After standing before the mirror for a while, I took the broken pieces of myself and walked into the bathroom to get ready to face the council members. I had to do it for my family.

~~~~

"We shall not send out troops to rescue some abomination." Trevor, one of the numerous council members yelled and everyone apart from my mum and the pack members agreed with him, "We rescue her now, she uses her powers against us! We can't start a fire by ourselves and jump in. She's gone and she's gone."

I tightened my fists ever ready to jump over the table and punch his head but my mother's hand on my shoulder stopped me. I decided to distract myself and looked to my side to see Willow sitting next to me with a brooding face. I looked at her, something just wasn't right about how she looked, she looked, different and strange, "You look different." I voiced out and she rolled her eyes at me.

"You look like a vampire." She remarked causing me to frown, "What are we going to do about this? They are hell bent on not lending assistance with the superior troops."

Just then my mum said something catching my attention, "This is my son's mate we are talking about, it is weakening him for goodness sake!"

"Then let him get another mate or give up the throne!" A low growl came from me traveling through the room, it was a warning, "We can't use our special trained warriors to find her."

"Then get the fuck out!" I stood up and banged my fists on the table, "You are lucky I haven't snapped your head from your body, Trevor!"

"Lycus calm down." My mum pleaded but I ignored her. I wasn't going to sit here and watch them insult Nyx in her absence. It didn't matter if I was weak, I could still deliver a threat.

"Your highness." One of the council members interjected, "If you could see reasons with us."

"How about I pop your eyes out?!" I growled at him and began to advance when my mum held me back.

"Put your son on a leash, Helena!" Trevor remarked and she sneered at him.

"Mind your words Trevor or I would end you here and I do not care about the consequences!"

"We would take our leave now." He stood up clearing his throat knowing fully well that my mother will follow true to her words. He feared her, "If the situation persists and there is no way forward. We shall dethrone you. You are given three weeks to sort yourself out."

"How dare you, Trevor?!" My mother barked at him but he only shook his head and made way for the door along with the other members.

"Those are the rules, Helena." He said as he walked away, "You know the rules, you are our leader and you know it's best to abide by them!"

~~~~~

Spyro trotted along in the snow, making way for the iced cold stream. We had decided to go for a run after the meeting, to clear our heads. He was silent, too silent, I could tell he was sulking. Occasionally, he grunted and snorted but other times he was just silent feeling exactly how I felt. He wanted Hera as much as I wanted Nyx. We both missed our mates, the whole situation was tiring, and being weak was like an injury to Spyro's ego. He was known to be fearless and ruthless not a pathetic wolf. He got nearer to the stream, the rushing of water from the fall could be heard.

We reached the stream, the area around it was snow covered as expected. Most parts of the stream was already iced. Spyro sat and sent out a loud sad howl remembering his memories with Hera right here. He howled louder and louder silently pleading with the supreme beings to deliver us from the pain.

He laid down on the snow when he got tired, releasing low whines and after a while, we heard a harsh gush of wind, it blew scattering snow and dried leaves forming a whirlwind of them. After a while, the debris began to clear revealing a human form before us. I couldn't believe what I saw and Spyro let out an angry growl.

Before us, garbed in a white dress as white as the snow with a white fur coat around her, her hair pulled back and her facial features still looking the same. Never in a million years did I think I would ever see her again and certainly not at the moment.

It was Fay.

_________

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