All of us looked at the young man in surprise and his words left the King shocked. That powerful man rose from his throne. His face blushed with outrage and his hands clenched, restraining his desire to puke his fury.
I could only watch that King in defeat for I knew that judging from how he reacted to Kane's request, he would never spare my life. My eyes closed slowly in surrender to my destiny. Whatever would happen today, I regretted one thing; I had no chance to bid goodbye to my mother.
"You can ask anything, Kane but letting her live is against the kingdom's law. My son was kidnapped by a stranger; and based on the law, all strangers should be executed."
I swallowed my fear listening to the roaring voice of the king who deafened my ears. There was no way I could be safe from death.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty for my audacity."
That was Kane's voice, I bet; even though I was lying with my eyes closed, I could sense it. His voice had been familiar despite our short interaction.
"As you are my most trusted person, I'll forget about your impertinence. Now tell me what kind of gift you want from me, Kane?"
"I hope you allow me to talk to that girl, Your Majesty."
His request got me startled. My eyes jerked open in disbelief. Why did he want to have a talk with me? What was he about to say?
"Your request is granted."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
I saw Kane surging to his feet and turning around before he walked closer to me who was helplessly sprawling on the stretcher in the center of the hall. I gulped my saliva while calming my pounding heart. What was he going to do?
He then crouched near me; his face drew toward my head. His mouth moved closer to my ear.
"When will you turn eighteen?" He questioned me. My eyes balled out in reaction to his query; why did he need to know about my birthday. Despite my curiosity, I was not suspicious about his action as he would never have a bad intention for me.
"Tomorrow." I responded to him with a short answer.
Kane got up and abandoned me who could do nothing but stare at his back. He had stood on his knees before the king in a few seconds.
"Your Majesty, it is not that I am impertinent or against your order. However, there will be a full moon tomorrow night which will be the best time for execution. I do hope you will consider my last request."
His words sounded like thunder which destroyed me. He still supported my execution despite his initiative to delay it. How could he do that to me? If he did care, he should have asked the King to jail me, instead of delaying my execution.
The King fell silent, thinking of what Kane said. Since the request was not that hard to fulfill, I saw that man nodding his head in agreement.
"Alright. Bodyguards, take her back to the dungeon!"
I sighed but it was not the end of my suffering; I might face demise tomorrow. I had to do something to save myself but what could I do?
While my stretcher was moving past Kane who was still in his kneeling position, I took a side glance at him who didn't even look back at me. I regretted that I once put my hope on him.
"No one cares for you here, Xima!" My heart cautioned me.
***
"Ouch…"
I felt my body wrecking in pain as soon as the bodyguards dropped the stretcher to the floor. Couldn't they do it in a more gentle way? I had the urge to curse them but the people had filled the hall. It was the day of my execution after the delay.
The twilight had turned the sky into red, meaning that night would fall and the full moon would shine through and remove the darkness.
I was nervous and panicked as my time in this world would end soon. Never did I imagine that I would leave in this way; this was truly a nightmare.
My cheeks were soaked in tears in a minute. My chest hurt with anger and sadness. How could they do this to me? I didn't have time to get angry as a group of people, led by the King entering the hall followed by the welcoming announcement that the king had arrived.
The King sat on his throne as always while the others stood by, protecting him from any dangers. Kane who just stepped inside chose to stay far from the King. He avoided my eyes by lowering his gaze. It seemed that he was fighting against his guilt and regret for taking me here.
The King's face raised to the sky and a smile emerged on his lips when the moon had been full. He then declared to start my execution.
"It's the time! Do it now!"
I closed my eyes when the bodyguards lifted the sword but this time a miracle happened. A strong energy exerted out of my body which let me fly and hover above the ground.
Everyone in the scene screamed in shock while pointing their fingers at me in shock and yelling out in fear. Some of them ran toward the exit to save themselves from what they just saw, me.
My body reacted to the power; my eyes rolled, bigger which gave me the ability to see everything, even objects in far distance. My hands and limbs became strong; not only did I walk, I could also jump and run more than normal people could do.
But, my claws turned into sharp long beast claws. My teeth altered, as sharp as fangs. My face might change as well because I heard people scream in dread while accusing me.
"Beast…werewolf…."
"No! This can be!" The king murmured which I could hear clearly.
"She is a she-wolf, a part of us, not a stranger!" Kane announced excitedly.
"So, I am a werewolf! But, my mother is a witch and my father is an ordinary human being. How could it be?" I wondered while observing my body that was no longer in human form; I was now standing on my paws.