The Reunion
1164 Words
Kael's POV
The first time I coughed up blood, I did not tell anyone.
The second time it happened, I killed a man for noticing.
Now, I could barely move without tasting iron and ash at the back of my throat.
I clenched my fist tight, my knuckles whitening as another wave hit me.
It started as a burn, a drop of tear fell from my eyes.
“Alpha--"
It was too late.
The cough ripped through me violently, causing something thick and heavy from deep within my chest to splatter onto the floor.
Not red, Black.
Silence immediately engulfed the air, my eyes remained fixated on the mess in front of me.
My chest raced heavily at the sight.
“Alpha Kael, it seems to be getting worse.” Damien said in a quiet tone behind me.
I was dumfounded because we both already knew the curse was winning.
Moon-Crest was no longer what it used to be.
The entire pack knew about the curse and just like that loyalty was replaced with fear.
Even the borders no longer felt secure. It was like the news had spread beyond the pack, Rival packs lingered around, waiting and watching for the moment I would finally fall.
I cleared my throat, hastily wiping the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand.
“I am not dead yet,” I muttered, trying to reassure Damien but he sais nothing.
All of a sudden, a small knock on the door echoed loudly.
Who dared visit the Alpha by midnight?
Damien most have noticed the confusing look on my face, he immediately replied. "It is the Shaman."
A small frown grew on my face. "Shaman? You invited a shaman to my chambers without my consent?" I was ready to scold Damien until he replied. "No, the elders of the pack did."
Before I could press further, the door to my chambers flew open wide and the Shaman stepped in.
His presence reeked of smoke and decay.
I remained sat on the throne in the middle of the room as I patiently waited for the Shaman to say something.
“Speak,” I ordered after minutes of silence had passed.
The old man did not move immediately. His eyes stared somewhere past me, as though he saw something I could not.
“You are dying,” he said finally.
I rolled my eyes. "I am aware of that."
"You refuse to accept it." The shaman argued.
I clenched my fist tight. He was beating around the bush and it was starting to irritate me.
“Fix it.”
An hysteric laughter escaped from his lips. “Not everything can be fixed, Alpha.”
Instant anger rose in me. “Be careful,” I warned.
The old man did not flinch. The smile remained on his face. “There is only one way to break what binds you." he said. “An ancient ritual.”
My interest piqued. “Go on.”
“A Blood Bond.” The shaman blurted out.
“With who?” Damien asked, even before I could process any of it.
The shaman’s head tilted slightly “Your direct lineage,” he said, his voice low and commanding. “Blood of your blood. Flesh of your flesh.”
Silence settled as I slowly processed everything the shaman had said.
Then it suddenly hit me.
“No.” The word slowly slipped out of my mouth.
“There is no such thing,” I said coldly, in disbelief.
The shaman only smiled faintly.
“Then you will die.”
Those were the Shaman's last words before he excused himself out of the room. Damien knew this was a time for me to be left alone so he excused himself as well.
I was left alone to wallow in my own thoughts when all of a sudden, the door flew open wide and Elena stepped in.
“My Alpha." she greeted softly, stepping toward me. “I just saw the Shaman walk out----"
“Enough.” I felt instant irritation just by staring at her.
“Did you find a cure?” she asked carefully.
I choked out a bitter laughter. “A cure? No." I paused to shake my head at her in disdain. “But there is a solution."
"That is good ne---"
“It requires an heir.” I interrupted her midway her sentence.
Elena's face fell in defeat. “Kael, you know I—”
"Cannot produce a child?" I completed it for her.
Pain flashed across her face but I did not care. “Leave,” I commanded.
Elena hesitated for a moment before eventually walking away.
I spent the entire night thinking about what the Shaman had said to me.
Days passed too and the only other solution was to marry again and find a woman, capable of bearing me a heir.
It was officially one week since the Shaman had come, I requested for Damien to tell him about my plan but surprisingly he already had a plan of his own.
“Your former Luna.” He started.
I scoffed. "She is dead."
“You don’t know that.”
“I rejected her." I snapped. “She would not have survived a week outside the pack.”
“She was carrying your children.” Damien pressed further.
“That does not mean anything.”
“It means everything,” Damien countered. “If she lived… then so did they.”
I shifted my gaze elsewhere, clenching my jaw tight. Thinking about her made me feel uneasy, it had been seven years.
“She was defective. A scentless wolf with unstable power. She would not last.” I argued.
“I found her.”
I stared at Damien in shock. For a long moment, I said nothing. The words did not register immediately.
Damien continued. "I conducted a search immediately after the Shaman left. She has no scent, yes but she has a history. People leave marks, even when they try not to.”
I felt a strange irritation deep down inside of me. It was hard to believe.
“Impossible.”
“She lives in the human world." Damien said. “Under a different name.”
My eyes narrowed. “What name?”
“Claire Thorne.”
“And the children?” I raised a brow at him. That was the most important thing.
“No confirmed records." Damien said. “But she lives as a single mother.”
My chest tightened slightly.
“Prepare the car.” I announced.
Damien was taken aback by my sudden order. “Now?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“You are going to see her yourself?”
“I don’t trust secondhand information.” I lied with a straight face.
That was not entirely true.
Deep down inside of me, my heart yearned for her.
I wanted to see if Claire was the same weak woman from seven years ago.
- Writer
