Night Winter:
Whenever I tried to push her out of my mind, my wolf would pull me toward her with terrifying force.
I cursed this wretched bond that shackled us together, aching from the contradiction that shattered me.
Worse than that, my hybrid had awakened. He wasn't screaming or snarling like the wolf; instead, he watched her in silence, with a gaze filled with suppressed desire.
This stillness was terrifying because it meant that the thing inside me could no longer endure being away from her.
I had always feared the emergence of my hybrid, for it meant losing control. Now, he was watching her, and I lacked the power to stop him. I had become helpless, and she had become the reason.
I was drowning in a whirlpool of thoughts, sinking and floating in an ocean of bottomless confusion.
Why? Why did she get closer every time I tried to distance her? This thought gnawed at my mind, shouting louder than any other sound. Damn me, damn her, and damn this wretched bond.
I no longer felt what was happening around me; I lost all sense of the outside world. My thoughts were my only reality, until I didn't even hear Arin calling my name repeatedly.
I only snapped out of it when his hand shook me violently, bringing me back to this bitter world.
I looked at him questioning-ly, and he spoke in a tone heavy with reproach:
"I was calling you until I thought my vocal cords would snap. I had to shake you to make you notice us."
I gave him a hollow look, for I wasn't really there to begin with. The eyes of Julia, the last of my family, were a mirror reflecting my fear and anxiety. She whispered my name,
"Night, are you okay?"
As if she knew I wasn't.
Her look spoke volumes; she was waiting for the right moment to ask for something.
I sighed deeply and let out a tired voice:
"I'm fine. What do you want?"
She answered hesitantly:
"Brother... will you allow me to check on Sera? I'm truly worried about her; I promise I won't disturb her."
She looked at me with her innocent eyes, and I remembered that I had become responsible for Sera's care. I nodded to her and said in a quiet voice:
"Quickly, I don't want any more problems."
Julia rushed off joyfully, leaving me to sink into my dark world. I lit my cigarette, trying to inhale strength from it.
I didn't look at Arin; I knew what he would say before he spoke.
"Anything new?"
I uttered coldly, while anger boiled inside me. Arin answered:
"Everything is fine, but we received a message from the Red Moon, Alpha Jack. They are requesting that King Night Winter allows them to see Sera to put their minds at ease, because the way you took her was not graceful at all; rather, it invites suspicion."
I slowly raised my eyes, looking at him, and crushed the cigarette into the ashtray with force.
"I'll think about it."
My gaze held a threat, a warning for him not to interfere in these matters.
A small smile passed through his eyes, as if he thought I would back down.
He excused himself and left, leaving me with my rage and the realization that I had become under everyone's surveillance.
Sera:
After he left, nothing remained in the room but the echo of his contradictions.
I stared into the void he left behind, trying to gather the fragments of my mind.
Just yesterday, his words were whips that lashed me with coldness, claiming he cared nothing for the mate or the bond that unites us.
Yet, in another moment, I see him caring for me as if I were the most precious thing he owned.
Has he finally lost his mind, or is he wearing a thick mask to hide his weakness? I don't know which Night is the real one; the one who hates me, or the one who fears for me. Both are real, and both are tearing me apart.
The ceiling with its intricate patterns was my refuge from my scattered thoughts, until the silence was pierced by a knock on the door. Julia entered with her bright smile, pulling a food cart behind her, and a strange sense of relief washed over me.
Finally, someone remembered me.
I felt as if she had read my mind; my stomach was playing a symphony of hunger. The delicious scent of food wafted to my nose, and I dared to smile for the first time in a long while.
I couldn't resist the temptation of the first bite, and I began to devour the food with the greed of a child deprived of nourishment for days.
"Slow down, girl, don't eat everything at once!"
Julia said, laughing gently. I nodded to her while stuffing my mouth, not caring about her words, and continued until nothing was left.
After I finished, I felt a warm fullness and comfort. I looked at her with eyes shining with gratitude and said from the bottom of my heart:
"You are my savior."
Julia said with a bright smile:
"It's my pleasure,"
and I returned the smile. However, her eyes widened in shock as her gaze shifted to my body, and it only took me a moment to understand why.
I was wearing nothing but my underwear. Embarrassing heat flushed my cheeks, and I recoiled, trying to cover up with anything.
"Don't get it wrong!"
I said with stumbling words,
"I-it... the heat... was high... I wanted... to... cool down..."
My desperate attempts at justification only made things worse. She approached me with a mischievous smile and whispered:
"Really, Sera? Or did Night have another opinion on your treatment?"
I felt a blaze of embarrassment sweep over me and shouted at her:
"Julia, stop!"
But my shout was the fuel that ignited her fit of laughter. She fell onto the bed, struggling to breathe,
"Oh my god... I can't... stop... you look so funny!"
She laughed as if she had never laughed before. In that moment, I found myself forgetting everything and laughing with her.
How much I needed her laughter to remind me that life is not devoid of comedic moments.
Our laughter stopped, but its echo remained in my ears.
"You should wear something,"
Julia said, catching her breath.
"I can't guarantee that my brother can restrain himself this time."
Then she added in a whisper:
"Alpha instincts are stronger than you think."
I frowned and tapped her gently on the head, but her words troubled me. She headed to Night's dressing room and shouted from there:
"But girl, your body is a curse to men. If I were in their place, I wouldn't let you escape me."
I didn't like her words, but I couldn't deny the truth in them. I gave her a quick look and was about to object, but she threw Night's shirt at me.
The shirt swallowed me, but it was my only refuge.
"Wear this; I'll send you new clothes later. I can't stay; my brother won't let me come again."
I grabbed the shirt, its masculine scent filling my nose; I felt as if I were trapped by his presence, even in his absence.
I didn't know what fate held for me, but I knew I wouldn't be alone, even if I didn't want to be.
I gathered my strength to stand, but my body refused to respond.
A wave of pain and dizziness swept over me, making my legs tremble.
I was about to fall, but Julia was faster than me, catching me before I hit the ground.
"Sera, are you okay?"
She asked anxiously. I closed my eyes, trying to dispel the dizziness. She helped me reach the bathroom and said:
"I'll wait for you here, behind the door."
Her voice was tender in a way I didn't expect. I put on Night's shirt, washed my face slowly, then styled my wet hair into a bun. When I came out, Julia was there; I smiled at her and said:
"I can manage, thank you."
She simply smiled and watched me until I lay down on the bed, feeling some relief at last.
But relief did not last and did not find its way to me. The pain intensified, and a faint moan escaped me.
"Julia, do you have any painkillers?"
I asked her, and she rushed to sit beside me. Her hand on my forehead was warm, but her words were like a sudden frost:
"Sera, your fever is extremely high. Something is wrong. I'll tell my brother."
She was about to leave, but my hand grabbed her wrist pleadingly:
"Please don't!" "But why?"
she asked, and I said bitterly:
"I can't face him now. Not after everything."
She looked at me with anger and said:
"This is madness! He'll kill me if he finds out. And I... I've grown to like you, and I don't want to see you die."
I realized then that her fear for me was greater than her fear of her brother.
But her last words left me in even greater confusion.
I didn't know I had affected her to this extent, or that a kind heart like hers could bear all this worry for me.
I was about to speak, but my chest received a heavy blow from an unknown source.
It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
It was terrifying; silence enveloped me, but I heard a loud whistling trying to pierce through it.
I gripped Julia's hand tightly, and she spoke the words my mind was screaming:
"Air... I can't... breathe."
I saw terror in her eyes. I wasn't the only one suffering. She too was struggling, crying, trying to do something, but she was helpless.
She screamed with all her might:
"Anyone! Save me! Night!"
I felt her tears falling on my hand as she pleaded with her broken eyes for me to breathe, as if she were trying to give me strength from her own soul.
But my body was failing me, and darkness began to creep into my eyes.
I no longer heard anything but the whistle of air that didn't come, and Julia's tears wetting my hand.
Suddenly, the door turned into a mass of shattered wood.
It was Night. His eyes were glowing red, like fire. He was panting, covered in sweat. He ran toward me; I had never seen him move so fast.
He hugged me tightly, burying my head in his chest, while his hands trembled against my cheeks.
"What happened to her?!"
he shouted at Julia, who couldn't speak from the intensity of her crying.
"Come on, Sera... breathe... please."
He was pleading with me, but the air was failing me. In that moment, I no longer found the strength to resist death.
But I felt a strange peace; dying in his arms would be a beautiful journey.
At a certain point, there was no more air, no more pain, and no more struggle.
I went limp and stopped resisting.
I felt his hand, which had been trembling on my face, stop moving.
I heard a faint gasp from him and felt his body stiffen as if he had turned into a statue of ice. But I was somewhere else.
A new world was opening its doors to me, a world I knew nothing about.
This was the end, but it was a quiet and warm end, in the arms of the one I thought hated me.
Night Winter:
I was sitting in my office, trying to focus on the papers in front of me, but my mind was distracted. Thoughts of Sera wouldn't leave me—her image lying on the bed, her conflicting words—all of it filled my head.
Suddenly, Julia's scream pierced the silence of the room. A loud scream, full of terror and despair, made my heart leap in my chest.
The Alpha instinct was awakening inside me. I jumped from my seat, no longer caring about the papers. All I could think about was Sera.
Julia's scream wasn't an ordinary scream; it was a cry for help.
I ran as fast as I could, leaving everything behind. I had to reach her, to make sure she was okay.
When I reached the room, the sight was horrific. Sera was lying on the bed, her face pale, and Julia was crying beside her.
At that moment, I felt anger, fear, and anxiety all at once.
All I wanted was to save her, to give her life anew. The bond between us was pressing hard on me, reminding me that she was still here.
I pulled her to my chest; my heart was beating violently, but I couldn't focus on its rhythm.
All I could hear was a terrifying whistle coming from her lungs, as if she were drowning in air. She couldn't breathe.
I felt fear take hold of me, and I exploded in anger at Julia:
"What happened to her?!"
The words came out of my mouth like lightning bolts.
I looked back at her; she was in my arms, yet she was far away from me, fighting for air.
I raised my hand and slapped her cheeks lightly, as if trying to bring her back to reality.
"Breathe... please... try... try."
My hand was trembling, but I couldn't do anything else. She was shivering in my arms, and I was helpless to save her.
"It's no use... no use."
These words echoed in my head like a death sentence. I couldn't save her, and I watched her suffocate in my arms.
This was the harshest thing that could ever happen to me.
I was an Alpha, yet I was powerless to save my mate.
Slowly, she went limp in my hands, closing her eyes and stopping her attempt to breathe. Her chest fell still, and my body froze in place, looking at my mate like a lifeless corpse.
My wolf was howling inside me with pain and snarling, wanting to go out to her, wanting to tear through this absolute silence.
"Not your time, Dark, not your time... we are losing her,"
were the only words I could say to him.
I was struggling between two worlds: my world that I had just lost, and my other world that refused this loss.
My wolf was trying to come out, to do something, but I was holding him back.
I was frozen in place; I felt as if the shock had paralyzed every limb in my body. My mind was unable to comprehend what had happened.
"No... it can't be... she's gone."
This was the only thought echoing in my head, so I let out a powerful scream, rejecting it. No, this didn't happen; I won't let it happen.
I moved quickly and placed her on the floor.
I had to fight for her. I tried to resuscitate her lungs, pressing on her chest, then giving her my breath.
"Get the doctor immediately, Julia!"
I shouted at my sister while my hands were trembling.
"The bond... it hasn't snapped yet."
I felt a sharp pain in my heart; it was pressing on me intensely, and this pain was the only proof that she was still here.
I continued my work, pressing on her chest and feeling for her pulse. But her pulse was weakening with every passing second.
"Where is that bastard?"
I muttered angrily while my hands worked skillfully.
I pressed and pressed, hoping this would help her. She must come back to me; she must open her eyes; she must live.
The doctor entered with a ventilator, placing it over her nose and mouth, and began examining her with signs of horror and panic manifest on his face. He took an adrenaline needle and injected her, hoping it would give a result, while they continued to resuscitate her chest with pressure.
I was angry at his proximity to her and his touching her, but it wasn't the right time for jealousy. She must wake up; she must open her eyes.
I want her to make me angry, to insult me; I want her by my side.
Despair was slowly seeping into my veins, and I almost gave up myself.
But at the moment I saw the despair in the doctor's eyes, the unexpected happened. Her body jolted; life returned.
Her first gasp was powerful, as if she were rejecting death with all her might.
Her chest rose and fell frantically; she was devouring air greedily, as if she hadn't breathed in a long time.
I felt relief wash over me; I felt as if the air had returned to my lungs too.
Her breathing became rhythmic, her heartbeat stabilized, and silence filled the place.
The doctor looked at us after her condition stabilized and said in a low voice:
"What happened to her to reach this stage? She was on the brink of death."
I felt an intense rage boiling in my chest. I turned my gaze to the terrified Julia and said sharply:
"Do you have an answer for this?"
My words were like a whip, but they weren't enough to express the anger I felt. Something was wrong, and I was determined to know the truth.
This wasn't just a random accident; there was something else, and I had to find out what it was.
After her condition stabilized and she was able to breathe, I turned my attention to Julia and asked her to explain what happened.
She spoke while I saw the doctor's reaction change with every word she said.
He knew, like me, that this wasn't normal. It wasn't just a fever or a panic attack. There was something else.
The doctor placed his hand under his chin, thinking deeply.
"We must seek help from healing magic,"
he said in a calm voice.
"There is a problem, and I don't know what it is."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"With healing magic, we will discover the problem and the solution."
I furrowed my brows, asking for details, and he said:
"But Alpha, there is a problem... we don't have anyone with those abilities."
I grew angry, feeling frustration take hold of me.
"Damn it! I should have found someone like that."
I began pacing the room, back and forth, thinking of a solution. I must find someone who can help her, discover what is wrong with her, and return her to her normal life.
Suddenly, an idea rang in my mind—an idea that might be crazy, but it might be the only solution.
The Kingdom of Light. There might be someone with those abilities there.
I might find someone there who can help her.
I had to find this person, no matter the cost.
I had to save my mate.