Talia's POV

I had just annoyed the shit out of Kael and I knew it. The realization dawned on me as soon as I was in the safety of his own bedroom. What did I even do that for? I'm sure there are better topics I could have deflected to, but I just had to choose that one sensitive one. It was foul.


I wanted to tell him how sorry I am, and that although I had been thinking about it, the timing was poor. I shouldn't have embarrassed him like that.

I felt terrible. I was a terrible person after all. Would I really ever be able to make it up to him? Does he even want to see me right now? Either way, I hastily threw on the clothes I had on before and went to his room. It was empty. My heart sank. It was as if I had thrown us back to the time's when he preferred staying out to being with me.

'Kael!" I called out to him. In truth, I was somewhat scared to step out. I still had trauma from the last time I did, and now, there was no Kael to help. 'Let's talk! Please!" I kept screaming from the door post hoping the wind was carrying my voice to wherever he was. 'I'm sorry." I felt stupid for shouting that, but I was going to do anything to get him back.


I heard feets scurrying towards me and quickly banged the door shut. I could feel how hard my heart was beating against my rib cage. I've not been this scared since the first time I was here. Thankfully, they seemed to run past the cottage.

'...run this way." I heard a voice describing breathlessly to the other person. I prayed to whoever fervently that they were just hunters and not after either me or Kael. Then it suddenly struck me. It was probably Kael who they were chasing. Why did life have to be this unfair? What could he have done?


I ran into the room and locked myself in. Hopefully if they get through the main door, it'd be harder for them to reach here. That's what I thought until I locked eyes with the younger looking one through the room window when I looked out to see who they were. They did not look mean, but they were definitely hell bent on getting whoever they were pursuing. It could've been my poor Kael. That's what I thought until he pointed at me and screamed for the other to come.

I immediately ran out of the room and went into the bathroom, locking the door first.

I turned back to see Kael in his own pool of blood. His eyes were lazily closed, and it seemed like he hit his head against something. After the first scream from fear, I ran out to willingly let the men who were about to break the door down to help me with Kael. He was still breathing faintly and could pull through if we could get proper care. I hated Kael for putting us in this situation. How would he prefer somewhere so lonely? Where emergencies could easily become casualties.

The men ran following me to the bathroom where I left him untouched. For a split second, I regretted not throwing a cloth over him before calling them in, but it really did not matter now.

The younger one immediately lifted him up with so much ease that made me question where he could summon all that strength from his lean body. He lifted him and brought him out to his room where they lay him on his bed, coloring the sheets with that awful color of stale blood that I would forever hate. He quickly made a pillow of everything that could raise his head above his body level. Kael stirred, giving me hope. They were talking to themselves in some special language, and spoke nothing apart except they were talking to me.

It was strange that they were helping me when minutes ago they had just wanted to break down the door and kidnap me. Or at least I thought it's what they wanted to do. They made a stretcher of some unused board by the side and placed a wrapped Kael in it.

It felt like a bad dream I wanted to wake up from. This couldn't be real. Our life together had just started. Fate couldn't be playing such an expensive joke on me. I did nothing to deserve this. I just wanted to get closer than we were before. I blinked rapidly, several times, if by some stroke of luck, in wake up in a world where Kael is by my side, nudging me to take my clothes off because he prefers cuddling without clothes on.

The header out the door and I ran following them. We walked in a direction I never knew led to anywhere. It was thick woods and forests that they somehow navigated. All the while I was scared for Kael with the leaves passing over his body, and low hanging fruits almost making contact with his skin, but the men were very cautious and in no time, I could trust them.

I kept tagging behind them, and finally, I could hear sounds of people near by. Before long, we entered civilization. I haven't been in somewhere like that since forever and I was sure I looked like a misfit. There was no time to bother about that, all those would be a small price to pay for Kael to be well. Children and their parents were stopping to start so I made a mental note to not look sideways. We quickly arrived at some house that reeked strongly of some sort of antiseptic. It smelt like a clinic but looked nothing like it.

As soon as the men dropped Kael off, the younger one grabbed my hand and held it. First thought was that he was trying to be reassuring, that was until I heard him receiving instructions from the older one, so he led me out of one of the inner rooms of the one they called 'Doctor". It seemed more like a vegetable house, save for some used syringes I sighted in the bins, with gloves and masks.

'Doctor says he will be fine." He said to me, Immediately realized that English was probably not his first language with how much difficulty he had just pronouncing.

'Can I wait here?" I asked him. The former set of tears had stopped streaming but I felt a new one threatening. I really wanted to see my Kael alive, he was the only one who made life worth it for me. I really didn't want to think of a future without him. He always seemed so strong I never thought this could ever happen to him. He was this big constant I had safely assumed that Moon Goddess had tucked into my destiny to make life worth it.

'We will take you to the palace now." Younger one broke the news to me. What the hell was I supposed to be doing in their pack palace? Couldn't their Alpha wait for Kael to get better? Afterall I'm not a rogue, and I clearly needed assistance.

'How about Kael?" I asked him, but got a confused face in return. 'I mean him, what is the doctor saying? Is he dead?" I had a feeling they would have been scared to tell me if something had indeed happened to him, I might as well just give them leads.

'Oh!" He exclaimed in realization. 'Doctor says to give him about two days."

'Okay." Nothing was okay but I couldn't vent on them. They weren't Kael. Besides it was venting that got us all here in the first case.

'Let's go." He stood up and gave his hands to me.

I took his hands and we walked out. I prayed to Moon Goddess for Kael's life, I was just the news of his away from taking my own life. What could have happened to him though?

We walked across people who began to form a crowd being us as he led me up to wherever their Alpha lives. It was a beautiful city with nice houses and cars. A more modern pack than Moonstone. Is this their tradition or something where the Alpha say everyone who came in.

I could tell it was their pack palace from how magnificent it looked. It seemed like it sat on a hill. The sun rays were bouncing off the golden walls.

I drew in a very large breath as he took me in.