Daddy Next Door

by Tina Lee

  He left me at the window and took a bottle from his table. “Wine?” he asked.

  “No, Your Grace.”

  He poured himself a glass. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing fine.”

  He slowly stepped closer to me and my heart drummed faster with every step. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  His eyes gazed into mine, and I was afraid he was looking into my soul. “I’m sure,” I mumbled under my breath. “I’m sure,” I said again clearly.

  He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We leave for war today. Are you ready?”

  “I’ll do everything my in power to serve you, Your Grace.” I knelt on one knee and bowed.

  “Rise,” he commanded. “I have no doubt that you will. As a master healer, my pack truly values your skill and ability. We need you. I need you.”

  “My loyalty is with you and your vision.”

  “If you ever find yourself in any danger, I want you to blow this.” He handed me a small wooden cylinder shaped object. “Your protection is one of my main priority.”

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s a whistle with a distinct note. Blow it and I’ll find you.”

  I watched his lips as they moved to form words and mine trembled. As if somehow, his lips were magnetized, and it was slowly pulling me in. He was my King and I had no place kissing a King, but a woman can dream.

  I kept the whistle around my necklace, and I was comforted in knowing I could call on him if I was ever in danger.

  “Gather your things. We leave soon.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.” I bowed and left his presence.

  “So? Give me all the details!” Sia pulled me by the arm and sat me down.

  “Nothing happened,” I replied.

  “What happened?” Ben appeared with his luggage on his back.

  “King Leo summoned Elizabeth to his chambers,” Sia spilled.

  “Ohhh. So did you two-you know?” Ben winked.

  “No! It was nothing like that. He just called to ask how I was doing and gave me a whistle.”

  “A whistle?” Ben and Sia said in unison.

  “Yeah. Apparently if I blow it he will come to my rescue.”

  “Your knight in shining armor,” Sia teased.

  “No. Your King in shining fur,” Ben corrected.

  I tried my best not to laugh but I couldn’t contain it. “You two are ridiculous.”

  “He definitely likes you,” Sia said.

  “Don’t be silly. He’s the King, and I’m— no one.”

  “Hey! Don’t talk like that.” Ben tapped his temple repeatedly. “Inferiority only exists in the mind.”

  “Okay wise one,” I teased. A lot of things wasn’t ‘real’ to Ben, and he would constantly remind me.

  The part of me that believed in fairy tales wanted to believe that Leo, The King of the North, The Alpha of the most powerful pack in the lands, has any sort of affection for me.

  I snapped myself out of it. There were more stressing things to worry about. “Are you all ready?” I asked, but I wished I didn’t. It was a question that didn’t need an answer.

  The horns were blowing and the howls got louder. We grabbed our bags and ran to group with the pack.

  It was time.

  In the middle of the village, the wolf pack all stood in formation. All shifters were now in their wolf form, ready to march on. The non-shifters, like me, stood at the back of the pack. We were considered a part of the clan but not the pack. Along with me were Sia, Ben, my healing assistants, other women for their pleasure and other baggage carriers.

  Naturally, I looked for Leo from the pack. There he was, at the front, with his snow white fur. He looked majestic and his fur looked so soft.

  A few steps behind him, was Dante’s black fur to contrast his. Like yin and yang. They were the two biggest wolves of the pack by far. They stood as tall as me. Massive beasts.

  Everyone had an Alias in the pack. Formal names such as Leo and Dante weren’t used. As a man shifted, he took on a new identity, shedding himself from his human name. The aliases were picked by village elders as one joined the pack. Leo’s two right hand men were Hector AKA Spirit, and Dante AKA Midnight. Leo’s alias was Snow.

  Everyone was silenced by Snow’s howl. A deep commanding howl that left me frightened, even when I knew I shouldn’t be. The spectators watched in silence, and just like that, the festive sendoff was over. He took the first step, then Midnight and Spirit followed, then the rest of the pack then us commoners.

  The young boy’s faces were all full of admiration for Snow and Midnight as they watched them march out. I thought about what Leo said to me earlier, about the boys dreaming of the day they could go to war, meanwhile, Snow was fighting so there could be peace among the lands, so that these boys may never have to go to war. Funny, isn’t it?

  We marched out. Our stop would be the Forest of Lights. I never got why they called it that. We should reach there in three days.

  Chapter Four

  Elizabeth

  The pack had a set pace at which we—the humans—had to keep up with. It was hard, especially with heavy bags, but we managed to catch up.

  We reached the Forest of Light earlier than I expected. It was dusk. Which gave us enough time to make our tents and cook our meals. Sia was especially relieved to finally have a seat and rest her legs. She wasn’t used to hard work like Ben and I.

  Some of the wolves spread out to check the surroundings and another group went out to hunt. Snow and Midnight stayed to oversee all the working going on in the camp.

  Sia took off her boots and released a heavy sigh. “I’m charging four times my normal rate for the work they’re putting me through.”

  “Four times?” Ben asked. “You must have one hell of a—”

  “Ben,” I interrupted. “Could you get us some wood to start the fire?”

  “Sure. I’ll get right on it.”

  Sia took a small flask from her pocket and sipped what was inside. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “Do you think we’ll be here a hundred years from now?”

  “Well, I doubt I’ll live that long.”

  She return the flask to her pocket. “No. I meant us—as in humans.”

  “Why wouldn’t we exist?”

  “I don’t know. I just get the feeling that they won’t need us anymore. You heard what neighboring packs are doing to the villages. They’re hunting all the remaining humans.”

  “Yes, but still, I doubt they’ll be able to wipe us out.”

  “Maybe that is our fate. This could all be natural selection.”

  As much as I wanted to deny it. Sia was right. Humans were on a path to extinction. And the one thing that we had to keep us alive were our skills. But what happens when the shifters eventually learn to make their own weapons or learn how to heal on their own? We become useless. I’d like to think that all the humans in the North were safe. I knew our king would never dispose of us as if we were trash.

  I gave Sia a faint smile. Not because I felt like smiling, but because I knew she needed one. “I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

  “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

  Worrying what might happen to our species was not my priority at the moment. For now, I would take thing one step at a time, and that meant setting up my tent and preparing dinner.

  “Help me unload, would you?”

  Ben came back with the firewood and we wasted no time in roasting our duck meat. Ben was especially excited, he had a raging appetite for duck meat. But then again, Ben had a raging appetite for any food he could get his hands on. To make things better, Ben brought wine, and lots of it.

  “Where did you get wine?” Sia grabbed the bottle and sipped it. “This is quality stuff,” she said with genuine astonishment.

  “Yeah it’s real quality stuff.” He chuckled. “I sneaked it out the castle,” Ben boasted.

  “That’s stealing.” A low growling voice came out the shadows.


  Ben’s face, frozen with fright, slowly turned around. It was one of the Shifters. Big and broad like a boulder. He stepped into the fire’s light. His fat head made him look like a Bear.

  “I-I’m sorry,” Ben quickly spat out.

  “I don’t like thieves, but wine is of no concern to me. Come. There are armors that need repairs.”

  “Yes.” Ben placed the wine down and quickly followed.

  Sia and I shared small glances until they were both gone then erupted in laughter. “Did you see the look on his face?” I laughed while trying to breathe.

  “I guess that means more wine for us!” Sia said.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  As the night grew darker, we settled in. All the tent were built and everyone fed. The shifters preferred fresh kill than our roasted ducks. I had never seen a pack hunt and kill, so I was unsure what they ate. At first thought, one would believe it was small animals, but at the very back of every commoner’s mind, we wondered if they hunted other humans. Humans not belonging to the North.

  As soon as the tents were built, it wasn’t long before the service of Sia was in demand. Tonight would indeed be a profitable night for her. But with Ben gone and Sia gone, that left me alone, well, not alone-alone, for I had other commoners around me chatting around the fire, but I’d rather not engage in their topics of war.

  This place was not meant for a woman. All our duties had to be done in the bushes. The wine flowed right through me and sent me walking through the dark woods for a nice spot to pee. I didn’t mind the walk, it was calmer in the woods. Just the breeze blowing the tree and small animals scurrying about as they heard my footsteps.

  I found a nice spot in the woods to pee, and while I was doing so, something caught my eye. A light. It was glimmering and dancing in the trees with a hypnotizing allure. Like a moth to a lamp. I finished up and went off to seek it and to know why I was seeing lights in the forest.

  With every step, I went deeper into the woods and farer away from the people who were there to protect me. I was aware that I could be putting myself in danger, yet I took step after step. When I got closer, it was evident that the tree weren’t producing the blue light, and it was only reflecting it. So the question was, where was the light coming from?

  I could hear something in the short distance. I couldn’t quite tell what it was but it sounded like movement. I was now close to the source and the whole area was glowing blue. It was beautiful. The trees swayed in the light, a leaf fell from the tree, dancing and descending to the earth like a shooting star. With beauty like this, my eyes need not to look at the stars, for there were stars hear on earth.

  I was sure where the light was coming from and where I heard the movement. Behind the glowing blue trees, was a river, a stream of blue running on and on. I had seen many things before, but never had I seen a river giving off light. What was this river and why was it producing light? I stood and watched in amazement. Suddenly, the name ‘The Forest of Light’ made perfect sense.

  I stooped and felt the river flowing through the spaces between my fingers.

  “What are you doing here?” A familiar voice said from behind me. I quickly spun around only to bounce my head on his chest and lost my balance, falling backwards into the river. His firm hands gripped my shoulder before I could fall and set me on my feet.

  “Thank you, My Lord,” I said to Dante.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked again. His face lit beautifully under the river.

  “I saw the lights in the distance and my curiosity got the best of me.”

  He looked at the river. “It’s not safe for you out here.”

  “I know. Forgive me, My Lord.”

  Dante had a calmness about him that I had never seen before. He wasn’t shouting or growling or fighting. Just calm. I had never been this close to him before, and up close, his battle scars became visible. Slashes and bite marks etched in his neck. He was just a boy when he entered the pack. All his childhood he had to fight.

  “They say if you want to rid yourself of dark energy, then wash yourself in the river of light. It cleanses you and bring you luck.” He took off his shirt. ”Right now, I think we need all the luck we can get.” He took off the rest of his closing, leaving him bare naked.

  I took short glimpses of him, trying not to get caught staring at his built body and hanging manhood. If I could paint, then I would paint right then, for his body was heavenly. A God. I scrolled down his hard abs and the burning v lining his lower torso. Quick peeks weren’t enough. I was full on staring and admiring every bit of him. I soon realized that I was biting my lips without even noticing.

  I quickly averted my eyes to his face. I needed to get it together. He was Dante Lukas.

  His eyes were different from his brother’s. While Leo’s blue eyes was like the ocean or the freezing cold, his amber red eyes were like burning flames.

  He dived in the light, and for a moment he disappeared, then up from the depths he came. Flicking back his hair. Water dripping from his face and beard.

  “Is there no darkness that haunts you?”

  “Yes, My Lord.” More than I could count.

  “Then let the light wash it away,” he said before he went under again.

  I thought about it and why not. There was nothing to lose, only the darkness. While he was so openly confident with his body, as he should be, I was not. He paid no attention to me, and that calmed my nerves a little. I undressed while he swam, and as I did, the cool wind kissed my most sensitive area, sending shivers throughout my body.

  I stepped into the river and instantly all my nerves jolted alive. Not only was the water cold, there was a buzzing feeling that I couldn’t quite explain.

  He looked at me with a slight grin. “You feel it, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” I said with a smile. This energy, whatever it was, was having an effect on me. I just wanted to laugh and smile. Suddenly, all my happiest moments came flashing through my head.

  “Take a dive,” he said.

  “But it’s so cold.”

  He shook his head. “You humans are so weak.” He dived under. Not wanting to be weak, I dived after him. Soon after, it became a game of catch me if you can. He went deeper and further off but I stuck with him all the way. I grabbed after him, gripping his arm, catching up to him, showing him that I wasn’t weak. We were deep under. Not sure how deep.

  He finally stopped. Both of us just lingering under water, exchanging looks. His fiery eyes looked into mine, but never before like this. For once, he didn’t look at me like a lesser being, and for me, that look was empowering.

  His hand move to my cheek, gently touching it. My heart drummed. My jaws twitch from his gentle touch tickling me. Is he going to do what I think he’s going to do? He came closer. He’s going to kiss me! How should react? Do I kiss him back or just let him kiss me? Of course I should kiss him back!

  I felt woozy. At first, I thought it was just Dante leaving me breathless, but I actually was breathless. I was so focused on Dante’s eyes and lips that I forgot I needed air!

  He immediately sensed it and quickly carried me to the surface where I gasped and breathed like there was no tomorrow.

  He looked at me with one eye brow raised. “You forgot you needed air?” he asked. “You are a strange one.”

  I didn’t answer. I just wanted forget about it.

  “Is this your first time in the river, My Lord?” I asked.

  “No. I’ve been here many times.”

  “Is it that you have much darkness in you?” I asked, treading carefully on what I say.

  He paused for a moment, deciding if he should answer. “Yes. I supposed so.”

  “When I went into the river, I thought of my mother. Knowing I will never see her again. A fact that has been plaguing me.”

  “Do you hate us?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t!”

  “Well, you should.”

  “My Lord?” Was he re
ally suggesting what I think he was suggesting?

  “We ripped you and others like you from your families to come work here until you die. If that’s not a reason to hate someone then I don’t know what is.”

  “Everyone has been so kind to me. Including your father.”

  He chuckled. He thought I was pathetic. I could tell. “Kind, you say?” He turned to me. “I assure you, it is not kindness, rather, we are protecting our own self-interest.”

  That shot right through my heart. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t. Yet it was ripping and twisting through me. I refused to believe that everything was a lie. My breaths were shorter and my heart was racing, both of which I was sure he could sense. Tears came to my eyes, but I would not cry in front of him. That was exactly what he wanted, to prove I was weak.

  “If one day you chose to betray or kill us—”

  “I would nev—” He held a finger up to silence me.

  “If you want to kill us, that’s fine. I understand.” He took my hand and placed it at his throat, my fingers pressing on his windpipe. “Slice here and slice it deep.”

  I withdrew my hand, which amused him. His low menacing chuckle gave me goosebumps. This all was a game to him.

  “The North took me from my mother. Still, I don’t hate the North. I don’t think my mother would want me to hate the North. She was such a loving and gentle soul.” The more I grew older, the more I feared that I would forget her and her values. I didn’t remember her face like how I used to. She was slowing fading away and that scared me.

  There was short silence between us. ”I’ve never seen my mother.” He looked down into the water. “She died the day I was born. Apparently killing people is what I do best.”

  “Don’t say that. That was out of your control.”