Coming Home (BoyxBoy)

Frosted Heart

Noah's POV

"We're here so that you can all finally meet our leader the dark king. A few of us have already tasted the power that he's been so gracious to share with us. You don't know the magnitude of his strength until you've felt it swimming in your veins!" Nate yelled to the crowd of werewolves gathered in the main hall.

The noise that had been dying down erupted into howls of excitement.

I shuddered at the coldness icing over his words. It was Nate saying them but it felt like a whole different person. I inched forward following the others into a more comfortable position. Through what looked like a peep hole constructed under a shelf I was able to peek through to the main room. To my disappointment Nate's back was facing me as he stood in front of the werewolves.

"Let us begin!" A beautiful woman with raven black hair said as she lifted her arms. She looked like the woman described as the queen of this werewolf clan.  A wicked smile curled at her lips and then she launched into a chant.

Even though I couldn't understand the language, I could feel the power. Goose flesh erupted all over my skin as the feeling of uneasiness grew. This was it, I was finally going to meet the number one threat to the Nosti existence.

The room got darker and a chill I was pretty sure everyone could feel, passed through the main hall. As far as impressive went, the dark king was doing a much better job than Nikkal at blowing me away. Swirls of dark mist formed into three vague figures.

Two of the creatures that attacked uncle Flynn, Nate and I, in Martha's house stood beside one dark, ominous figure. Instead of keeping up the illusion of looking human, the two creatures showed their true form, rotting flesh, bone and all.

The dark figure never defined itself, instead swirls of dark mist ebbed and swirled in the form of a man. I knew it was the dark king. He stood at 7 feet tall and even though I couldn't see his face he still filled the room with dread.

"Look at the commander before you," the dark king rumbled, "My power flows through his veins and his weaknesses have been destroyed, all except for one. There is one weakness that still plagues all of you, the Nosti. For years they've watched your kin die and feed on each other, cannibalizing children while in the rogue state and what did they do?

They've laughed at you while they praised their goddess for the plague she set loose. They pretended to care by permitting their source to treat you just enough to keep the plague at bay but she only saved some of you. I'm here to save you all!"

Deeply entranced in the dark king's speech, I almost didn't notice Nate leave the hall. In a moment of indecision, I thought I might be able to save him if I could just talk to him. The others were quietly watching the speech and I just knew this was the only moment I'd get.

I took the opportunity to go back down into the basement when I was sure the group wouldn't see me. By the time I climbed out of the window I realized that 10 minutes had passed. I had 20 minutes until the scent pill wore off and that's when the group would swallow the second pill and head back to the settlement, according to standard procedure.

I hoisted myself up to the ledge of the open window. It took a lot more effort getting back out then it did getting in.

Carefully, I stuck close to the wall of the building and looked around. There were guards stationed at each entrance of each building. The guard that had helped us, was walking in front of the building I was hiding behind.

I shook my head as the hopelessness of the situation sunk in. I had no clue where Nate had gone, even if I did I didn't know anything about the security of the werewolf compound. I would get caught... and wouldn't that just be perfect. I'd fail before I even got the chance to save anyone.

I nearly lost my shit as a hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. I caught the scream before it escaped, it was just Cameron.

"You want to see him," Cameron said directly into my ear, barely whispering. I nodded my head. As if he expected this, Cameron walked back in the direction of the window. We made our way quietly, past the window and then further behind the building, into the woods.

Cameron was making quick work of the dense vegetation in our way. There wasn't a path worn into the ground to guide us so I had to just trust that Cameron knew where he was going. I was getting concerned that we were lost when a cabin came into sight.

"Be careful and don't be as stupid as you were back there. What the fuck were you thinking leaving the group?" without waiting for my excuses, Cameron pointed to the cabin.

I took a deep breath and creeped up to the front door. I noticed that a dim light shone through curtained windows. I had no idea what to expect, and maybe it was really dumb of me to use the front door, but I wasn't coming to Nate like an assassin in the night.

How was I coming to Nate? As some broken thing hoping to save someone else who was broken? As a pathetic person clinging to the one person that connected me to my past? I didn't know, hell he could kill me, that I did know.

I didn't pause before opening the front door. Nate sat at a table next to a modest bed. The cabin wasn't large and he was easily it's main focus.

"I guess you were expecting me?" I asked.

"I learned a long time ago not to expect anything. You've changed since you've been with the Nosti because I never thought you'd have enough courage to come here, let alone find me. I thought I'd see you again but when the weres and the Nosti began the final battle. The dark king told me I'd see you tonight though."

I looked at Nate trying to discern exactly what that meant. Why would the dark king knowingly let me into the were compound and if he knew I would come, did he know every time Nosti groups infiltrated the compound?

I watched the dark blue veins pulse under Nate's unnaturally dark blue eyes. I wanted to find a sliver of familiarity. Something that reminded me of when we were together, of the way he looked at me when he kissed me. I felt like I was searching through frosted glass. There was nothing but ice.

"I could kill you right now and it wouldn't even take much," Nate said as he got up and walked towards me. "I don't know why I'm not supposed to kill you yet. It seems like he has other plans for you. Fuck, it would be so much easier if I just killed you and got that over with."

Nate's words came out with annoyance, as if killing me was some chore he wished he could get out of the way. My eyes stung with the realization that Nate was gone and how stupid I'd been thinking I could do something about that.

"Why," I struggled through the question.

"Why would I kill you? That's what I was meant to do because my father fucked up, trying to help your dad no less. Why? Because the world doesn't revolve around the source despite the bullshit the Nosti have been feeding you. You don't just get to come back and draw me back in and demand my loyalty. In short Noah, fuck off."

Nate was just a breath away from me then. His eyes were an impossible blue and they were truly empty. Maybe it was desperation, but I pulled him closer and kissed him with everything I had. I don't know what I expected but with my thoughts I begged for him to melt against me. To kiss me back.

I pulled away to find the same emptiness.

"Not that you've ever listened to me but I'll give you some advice anyway, run away. You can't defeat the dark king."

My watch vibrated silently against my wrist. I knew it was time to leave so I swallowed the last scent masking pill and left.

Cameron and the others were waiting for me so we could head back.