5. His Doom

He walked down the stairs leading to the dungeon. His fur coat swept the floor, his long fiery red hair tied in a plait, and the muscles of his striking face were stern as he focused on his way forward.

At every corner, a guard stood watch, and they bowed with their hands on their chests whenever he passed near them.

Not paying them any attention, he stopped at the end of the dungeon in front of one of the cells. He glanced at a guard, and immediately the guard pulled out a key and unlocked the gate.

Inside was an old man bound with chains on his arms and legs, sitting still. The young man stepped toward him.

“Do you know what the Alpha would say if he knew you found me?” the old man asked as he kept his eyes closed.

He didn't reply and only stared.

The old man opened his eyes and looked up at him. “Tell me, why did you trouble yourself to visit a dying man?”

“How can I lift my curse?” he asked evenly.

The old man chuckled, then it turned into laughter. He laughed with all his lungs. “Who would have thought the youngest son of the Eon Alpha had such a shameful side? A curse?”

But the young man only stared at him and waited for the elder to finish laughing.

“What little curse is troubling you, Menelyck? No, since you failed to find the solution, I take it isn't little. Tell me, Menelyck. Who gave you the curse?”

“The Moon Goddess,” he replied in a neutral tone.

The elder went silent and looked at him seriously. “You killed your mate?”

Menelyck scratched his forehead, then sighed and crouched. “Uncle, can’t you just tell me and take it as a departing gift? If you do that, I will take care of Lara when you're gone.”

The old man remained frozen. Where had his sister gone wrong to have such a son? Even without such a curse, no one would dare kill their mate.

The old man glared at him. “You brought that upon yourself.”

Menelyck groaned. “Let’s say I did. It’s not like I can change it. But now… I need someone by my side. This time, I’ll be really careful.”

The elder looked at that unhinged brat. He didn’t even seem remorseful.

Menelyck waited eagerly. He had the qualities to inherit the pack except for the shame that he had no future Luna and lacked the ability to feel any connection to a woman. It meant no future generations. What a cruel punishment.

He was in such urgency that he had no choice but to find that criminal seer, his dear uncle who had once told his father that his downfall was near and that one of his five sons would be the cause and the reason he ended to that situation.

For the sake of his sister, who had only one son in this life, the old man told him, “Give me your hand.”

Menelyck immediately held out his hand.

The old man placed his hand over it and closed his eyes. He remained like that for a moment, sweat dripping from his forehead. Then he let go and collapsed as his strength left him.

“Uncle, what did you see?” Menelyck asked excitedly, despite of his uncle’s condition.

The uncle forced himself to speak. “Eclipse Pack.”

His brow rose. “Do I have to annihilate the whole pack to break it?”

The old man frowned. This monster. “But I’m warning you. She will be your doom.”

He stared, trying to understand the old man’s words.

“Uncle, be specific. Is she meant to break my curse… or is she—” His eyes widened. "My mate?"

He wanted to ask more questions, but the old man suddenly dropped unconscious onto the floor.

“Huh.” He looked at him in disbelief. Only after powerful divinations did seers pass out. Was even a glimpse of how to lift his misfortune that powerful?

He turned and headed outside.

When he reached one of the cell guards, he coldly ordered, “Take good care of him.”

“Yes.”

He knew his father wouldn’t kill that old man. But whether he would stay alive until his father was in the mood to release him was up to fate.

‘Eclipse Pack, huh?’

Soon, he returned to his mansion. He remained outside in the courtyard with his two friends as they had dinner together.

“What? Menelyck, since when do you believe in seer?” exclaimed the guy sitting opposite him.

He had messy black hair. He looked rough, but his good looks were unmistakable.

Menelyck cracked a nut without looking at him and replied, “Since I started believing the curse was real.” He paused before adding in frustration, “Do you think it’s possible I killed my mate without even realizing it? How was that possible? Even my wolf doesn’t remember it.”

His friend drank the liquor in his glass. “Maybe you felt it, but you cared more about something else. Pleasing your father.”

He shot a glare at him. Why did it sound like he wasn’t on his side?

“What’s so important about having a mate?” said the girl with large beautiful eyes and short green hair. “Adrien doesn’t have one, and neither do I.”

Menelyck casually said, “Adrien had one, but she died. As for you, Celia, haven’t you already rejected two of them? As for me...” He swallowed.

How could he tell them he couldn’t feel anything even toward a naked woman? Not even the books had written about something like that. Why was his curse so cruel?

Adrien smirked. “I doubt Celia would let you have another woman after all her effort.”

Celia glared at him but said nothing. He wasn’t wrong. She had rejected two men for Menelyck. How could she let him go?

Menelyck, as if he heard nothing, added, “So, are you coming with me?”

“Obviously. We have to go and have some fun,” Adrien said. Then he took a steak from the bowl and stuffed it into his mouth. “When are we leaving?”

Menelyck stood up. "Tomorrow.. The sooner the better"

Adrien only watched him in surprise. It seemed his friend was indeed determined.

Not long after, Menelyck stepped into one of his rooms, which few people knew existed. Inside were items he had collected during his missions.

In his whole life, he had never cared about anything apart from his father’s orders. He wanted his father to be proud of him and one day entrust the pack to him.

He walked until he reached one of the long boxes on the table. He opened it, and his ocean-blue eyes shone from the light inside. It was a long staff with a curved beast carved into it and a bulb emitting a purple glow.

That was a magical staff he had retrieved from the Queen of Witches. Strangely, the staff had continued to shine even after three years since her demise.

He took a deep breath and closed the box. He should prepare himself for the journey to Eclipse Pack to find his woman.

He couldn’t stop grinning as excitement built inside him. Who might she be?