The Omega Princess

Chapter 44

"Are you alright?" 

I looked up at Dale with a small smile, giving him a small nod as we walked along.  

"You've been so quiet." 

"Just thinking" 

"About?" 

"Everything" I answered cryptically, hoping he wouldn't ask me anymore questions. A wash of relief passed through me as he fell silent, squeezing my had in support. I looked down at it, my tiny smile dropping. We were close to the Witches' cove. She lived in an Oasis just past the Golden Gated Dunes, two giants dunes created years ago that were magically enchanted, or so we had been told my the towns people. 

I could see them in the distance, they looked almost as tall as the mountains in Krysta but something made them formidable, perhaps it was the dark glittering aura that passed from it when I concentrated. Those gates were crafted with nothing more than pure evil. 

The closer we got the more nervous I became, it had been my intention to approach Kai now and reject him there and then but I couldn't. One look at him and my courage withered away into the depths of my mind. I knew that it wouldn't be right to leave it until after I had regained my wolf, Goddess knew that it would be a struggle then but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, that look he'd given me last night haunted me. 

Yet I had not given up completely, perhaps there would be a way that the Witch could prevent me from recognising him as my mate, anything. It would save the three of us a whole lot of pain. As far as I knew they only speculated he was mate but that might not be the case. Or so I told myself, even though there was no denying that within me there were stirrings that had been created by his very presence. 

"Halt!" Kai's voice rang clearly through the air, our entire party stopped thinking the order was meant for us but as I looked ahead a saw a small figure standing behind one of the dunes directly in front of us. 

Kai strode forward, clearly on the defence body tensed and ready to fight. I drew from the energy around me and focused on sensing the figures aura. I was surprised to see it burning white, like Neymeria had been before she disappeared. Letting go of Dale's hand I rushed forward placing my hand on Kai's forearm to stop him from moving any further.  

He tensed up  but it did the trick and as I removed my hand he stayed still beside me. From here I could see that the figure was a young girl, perhaps sixteen years old. She was shivering either in fear or because she was cold, dawn had not quite broken and she was scarcely dressed, wearing no shoes and a long shirt dress which was ripped at the arms, a belt tied around her tiny waist to keep it from flowing freely as the wind blew. 

I moved closely making sure my eyes were locked on hers and that she knew I meant no harm. She had chocolate brown skin and big doe eyes that were dark brown in colour though they had a shine to them which made them seem as though they glowed even from here. Her hair was thick and coily, free with nothing but a black scarf to keep it from her face. 

I gestured gently to her and slowly she moved forward to meet me, though her eyes kept looking behind me. I turned to see Kai following me, I decided to allow it since he was maintaining distance. The girl stopped, allowing me to meet her the rest of the way. 

"She sent me to get you" she said quietly her voice light but heavily lilted with an accent I had never heard of before. She looked past me her eyes lingering on something before her eyes met mine again. 

"She said you can only bring your mate" 

I opened my mouth to call for Dale but the young girl shook her head as though remembering something.