CHAPTER 11 _ THE PRICE OF A FATHER'S LOVE
1026 Words
Three days had passed since the birth of Megan's son.
Midnight Pack remained peaceful.
The palace continued its daily rhythm, unaware that another secret now breathed quietly within its walls.
Hidden inside a modest chamber far from the palace, Viera gently rocked her newborn.
Her tired eyes softened as she watched him sleep.
"My little warrior," she whispered.
"You already have your father's eyes."
For a brief moment, she forgot every hardship.
Forgot the secrecy.
Forgot the fear.
Forgot that the child in her arms could never openly call Midnight's greatest warrior his father.
Then...
The baby cried.
Not the ordinary cry of a hungry infant.
Something different.
Something painful.
Viera frowned.
She lifted him into her arms.
His tiny body felt colder than before.
"My baby..."
His cries grew weaker.
His small fingers curled tightly.
Then Viera noticed it.
Dark silver veins slowly spread beneath the delicate skin of his tiny arm.
Her heart stopped.
"No..."
Her hands began trembling.
She quickly uncovered more of his body.
The strange veins were spreading.
His skin had become unusually pale.
Tears immediately filled her eyes.
"Megan..."
Without wasting another second, she sent one of the trusted warriors to find him.
Commander Megan arrived moments later.
The moment he entered the room, he saw panic written across Viera's face.
She rushed toward him with the child.
"Something is wrong."
Megan carefully took his son into his arms.
At first, he searched for signs of fever.
Then...
He saw the veins.
His expression immediately changed.
His heart sank.
The child's breathing had become uneven.
His tiny cries were growing weaker with every passing moment.
"What happened?" Megan asked quietly.
Viera shook her head through tears.
"I don't know."
"He was perfectly healthy."
"Then suddenly..."
"He became like this."
Megan's jaw tightened.
His warrior instincts told him this was no ordinary illness.
Someone had done this.
Less than an hour later...
A trusted warrior quietly arrived at the residence of the Pack's Great Shaman.
"Great Shaman Rhema."
The old man looked up.
"What is it?"
The warrior bowed respectfully.
"One of Luna Seraphine's favorite maidens has just given birth."
"The child has suddenly fallen ill."
"The Commander requests your wisdom."
Rhema frowned.
"The Commander himself requested me?"
"Yes."
Without another question, the old shaman gathered his herbs and followed.
Inside the chamber...
Rhema examined the child carefully.
He placed ancient herbs around the infant.
He whispered sacred prayers.
Moonlight energy flowed gently through his palms.
Minutes passed.
Nothing changed.
Instead...
The baby's cries became weaker.
Rhema slowly withdrew his hands.
His face had become unusually serious.
Megan noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
The old shaman remained silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"This child..."
"...has been poisoned."
The room froze.
Viera covered her mouth.
Megan's breathing stopped.
"Can you cure him?"
Rhema slowly closed his eyes.
"No."
The single word struck harder than any blade.
Viera collapsed into tears.
"There must be something..."
"There has to be something."
Rhema looked at the child again.
Then his expression became thoughtful.
"This poison is unlike anything I have encountered."
His fingers gently touched one of the dark veins.
"I know every poisonous herb..."
"Every venom..."
"Every spiritual toxin that exists within Midnight Pack."
He looked toward Megan.
"This..."
"...does not belong to our pack."
Silence.
"It was created beyond our borders."
Megan stepped forward.
"Can an antidote be made?"
Rhema slowly shook his head.
"Only if I knew what created it."
His voice became heavier.
"The one who crafted this poison..."
"... also crafted its cure."
"And unless we find that person..."
He looked down at the child.
"The boy's life will continue slipping away."
Those words broke something inside Megan.
For the first time in years...
The Midnight Blade felt powerless.
Unable to think...
Unable to breathe...
Megan left the chamber.
His feet carried him toward the place he always sought whenever battle could not solve his problems.
The forest.
The ancient woods welcomed him with silence.
He walked without direction.
Without purpose.
Only carrying the weight of a father watching his child die.
Then...
Something caught his attention.
A freshly broken branch.
Moments later...
Another.
His wolf instincts awakened.
This was no accident.
Someone wanted these signs to be found.
His hand immediately reached for the hilt of his sword.
Slowly...
He followed the trail deeper into the forest.
Until he reached a small clearing.
Waiting there...
Were two familiar faces.
Gideon…… Rogan…. And few other warriors.
None of them drew their weapons.
Megan's eyes darkened.
"So..."
"You wanted me here."
Gideon nodded calmly.
"We did."
Megan's sword left its sheath.
Steel reflected beneath the moonlight.
"If this is another trick..."
"You will both leave this forest in pieces."
Neither brother reacted.
Instead...
Gideon calmly replied,
"We're not here to fight."
A pause.
"We're here because your child is dying."
The words landed like thunder.
Megan's grip tightened around his sword.
His wolf surged beneath his skin.
"What have you done?"
Rogan finally spoke.
"What is happening to the child..."
"...cannot be cured within Midnight."
Megan's breathing became uneven.
His eyes burned with rage.
"If either of you laid a hand on him..."
Gideon calmly interrupted.
"Your anger won't save him."
Silence.
Then Gideon slowly stepped forward.
"There is only one antidote."
Megan's eyes narrowed.
"And only one person can give it."
The forest became deathly quiet.
Gideon met his eyes.
"Our Alpha."
Megan's jaw tightened.
"I would rather watch the world burn than beg Darius for anything."
A faint smile crossed Gideon's face.
"I thought you would say that."
He reached into his cloak.
Then slowly produced a sealed scroll bearing the Redclaw crest.
"Our Alpha knew exactly how you would respond."
He extended the scroll.
"He has prepared another path."
Megan stared at it.
His heart pounded.
"What is it?"
Gideon's smile deepened.
"A proposal."
He paused.
"And if you refuse to hear it..."
He looked directly into Megan's eyes.
"Your son will never live long enough to call you Father."
The forest fell silent.
And for the first time in his life...
The Midnight Blade stood before an enemy he could not defeat with his sword
- Writer
