BLOOD TIES

CHAPTER 2

Twenty-four years ago...

Howls of the pack filled the night. It was hunting day and as the leader, it was his duty to lead the pack. The pack didn't necessarily hunt for food but to enhance their skills, especially for the new members of the pack, the pups who had just graduated from house duties to the field. It was a lot of work, tiring even but he loved it. He had been Alpha for ten years after his father died and had been chosen to replace him. He would lead until he was too old or too sick to lead and then one of his children would replace him. Leadership stayed in one bloodline for as long as it went until it was wiped out and there was no one else left to lead.

His sons were just five and two years respectively which meant that it was going to be a long time before they are old enough to lead. His mate, the Luna of the pack was expecting a third child which she said was a girl. He didn't know how she knew that but he was excited to be the first Alpha in the history of close to a hundred years to sire a daughter. Who knew, if it was true, she could become the second female Alpha after the founder of the Greypark clan which consisted of twelve independent packs including his, The Glowing Moon pack.

That however depended on how strong she would be because only the strongest from the bloodline became leaders. It had been a difficult pregnancy for the Luna and it had been getting worse as the due date neared. He knew that he shouldn't have been out there at that moment but she had insisted on him going. She was resilient and strong, almost stronger than him and so was her hardheadedness. Sometimes she wouldn't admit that she needed help even when he could feel how much she was struggling until she was sure that she was not causing him any inconvenience. She believed that their love for each other was their weakness and to some extent, he agreed and at the same time, it was their strength.

A sharp pain struck him as he negotiated a bend causing him to stop abruptly. Something was not right, he could feel it. The first person that came to his mind was the Luna. He mind linked to her just to make sure that she was okay.

"It's time," she linked back. "Please come quick." He panicked and for a second he started heading back almost forgetting the pack.

Without wasting time, he got to the Luna's chambers where she was lying groaning in pain. Next to her were two midwives and a third woman who he was sure if the council knew about her, he would be stripped of his leadership privileges and then banished together with his family.

She was a witch. Werewolves and witches never interacted. They were enemies with every other species but witches were considered the most unclean of all. Going against the rules was a choice he had to make because it was the only way his wife and child were going to survive. Zelda had been helpful all through which distinguished her from all the bad things his clan said about witches. If it wasn't for her, his wife would have been dead already. The good thing was that even the midwives were bound by his household law and were sworn to secrecy. They were loyal to his wife and wouldn't betray them so he was not worried about speaking to the witch with them around.

"How are they doing?" he asked desperately as he took her hand. He could feel her pain and fear which made his own double. The witch's hesitation showed that something was not right but no one was telling him what it was. "What is wrong?" he asked, more authoritatively but when the witch was about to speak, the Luna took his hand and turned to him. She was weak, her eyes were almost fading and her sighs were shallow and hollow. She squeezed his hand with the little strength she had remaining.

"My love," she exhaled deeply and some tears streamed out of her eyes. He leaned closer to her to reassure her, not knowing what exactly was going on. "I'm not going to make it," she stated weakly. He pulled away from her a little as his heart twisted painfully.

"What are you saying? Of course, you are going to make it." He turned to the three women. "They are here to help you."

"No, she is too strong." He turned back to her, his lips shaking. "I can't get her out of me so they have to cut her out."

He was about to speak but the witch's next words run his mouth dry.

"It's not just that." He turned to her slowly. "I can feel her energy merging with mine and it is nothing I have felt before. She is of my nature."

"How?" he asked in confusion.

"We knew the risk, my love," the Luna explained. "Zelda warned us that there was a chance that if we used that serum for too long, it could affect her."

"Yeah, but the chance was next to zero," he replied almost angrily and stood chest to chest with the witch. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know!" Zelda replied fearlessly. None of them was afraid of the other. "I have helped many women before who had difficulties with their pregnancies, and used the same serum but this has never happened. All I know is that if we don't get her out of her soon, they are both going to die."

He turned to the Luna desperately. He was faced with a difficult choice which either way ended up with her dying. He didn't know if he could live without her. He would be weak without her and that was something he didn't want to be. Her pain on the other hand was killing him and her slowly. For the first time in years, he couldn't control his tears. He took her hand and leaned closer to her.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear then kissed her softly. He smoothed down her hair softly caressing her head. This moment was going to stay with him for as long as he remained alive. A Luna was the Alpha's source of strength and with her gone, he was likely not to live long.

The cry of the infant pierced the room the moment she took her first breath. He took a look and emotions swelled inside him.

"It's a girl!" he exclaimed and chuckled as she was brought closer to her mother. She smiled weakly but at that moment he let himself believe that she could survive. "Look! You were right and she looks just like you!"

"My beautiful blossom," she whispered then kissed her. Her eyes glowed a beautiful red for several seconds. He gasped as the beauty struck him and for a moment, he didn't think about what that meant until the Luna added, "You have to kill her."

"What?"

"She will not be accepted by the pack. She is an outcast and it won't be easy for her to be who she truly is as long as she stays here." Looking into her eyes, he realized what she meant by that. It was hard for him to part with the two most important people in his life but he had no choice. He looked at the little girl as her tiny eyes stared back at him. They are full of trust just like her mother's. He turned back to her and nodded in understanding. "I will always be with you," she whispered, closed her eyes, and breathed her last.

His strength waned and he fell on his knees beside the bed. He laid his head on her still body and sobbed until the little girl gurgled. He looked up at her and there he saw his whole life.

"Blossom," he stated looking into her eyes. "Your name is Blossom." She gurgled again as he handed her back to the witch. "Take care of her."