Save his mother

Depression hung over the Red Moon Manor's hall as fog, enveloping the three of us as I sat in front of Lucian's mother on the richly appointed bed, as white as a phantom.

“Clark, is she going to be okay? Lucian asked with desperation and hope in his voice.

I specifically paid attention to the woman's breathing, to the fine movements of her chest. She's been poisoned, I said, calmly but seriously. “It’s severe. If we don't act fast there won't be much time left for her”

Sarah, arms crossed, scoffed. “What’s your plan, healer? Wave your hands and make her well? You’re just playing games, Clark.”

Turning from her, I reached the woman's arm and tried to find her pulse. “She needs a rare herb to counteract the poison. It is also located out of the ground in the northernmost part of Silver Fang Pack on its own", with, and so on.

“Silver Fang?” Lucian echoed, his brow furrowing. “That territory is heavily guarded. We can’t just waltz in there.”

I know that," I replied, getting off the ground and facing him. “But it’s our only option. It's an herb, Moonshade, and that's the only treatment for her.

Sarah’s voice dripped with skepticism. “And you expect us to believe you? If this is just another plan of yours? You might be working with the Silver Fang Pack, to knock us out.

“Enough, Sarah,” Lucian snapped, his frustration boiling over. “Clark has no reason to lie about this. She's the only one that can save us, and that herself is in jeopardy to save Mom.

“Aren't you a bit too innocent, Lucian? " Sarah said, stepping forward. “She could be leading us into a trap, and you’d follow her blindly.

“Sarah, this isn’t the time for your doubts! I shot back, my patience wearing thin. “We need to focus on saving your mother, not on your paranoia.”

“Tell me, then,” Sarah demanded, her eyes flashing. Where to take this precious herb from the Silver Fang territory? Are you volunteering, Clark?”

I looked at Lucian, the burden of that decision resting squarely on his back. “It’s up to you, Lucian. You are faced with the decision whether to trust me enough to go to your rival pack to search for the herb.”

He walked back and forth between Sarah and me, his expression in the face of a diaper. “I want to trust you, Clark,” he admitted. Even if we succeed and send someone it's a risk they could lose everything trying for nothing.

“I’ll go,” I offered, my voice steady. “I know the territory well enough to navigate it. But I cannot go alone. I’ll need someone to accompany me.”

Sarah’s expression twisted with indignation. “You? You think you can handle yourself in enemy territory? It's a stupid game to suppose that you will just walk in and walk out.

Lucian’s gaze hardened. “If anyone is going, it’ll be me. I can’t let you go alone, Clark. Not after everything that’s happened.”

“You?” Sarah laughed bitterly. “You’re just going to get yourself killed. That said, the Silver Fang Pack is not a crazy mob for letting a"Red Moon" territory Alpha into their territory.

“I’m aware of the risks, Lucian said, his voice low and resolute. But I'm not going to let my mother die from the terror, Sarah.

“Fine,” she spat, frustration evident in her tone. “But you’re making a grave mistake trusting her.”

“Sarah, enough!” Lucian’s voice echoed, silencing her. “Clark is the only one who can help. All this will just happen if we act now.

I got a rush of determination when I saw Lucian. “If we’re going to succeed, we need a plan. I know what to do to get into hiding, to impersonate. But we must move quickly.”

Lucian nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. I’ll get some of my strongest warriors to defend us. We’ll leave at first light.”

“First light?” Sarah interjected, her anger bubbling over. “You can’t be serious! You’re going to risk your life for this woman?”

“Enough!” I shouted, my frustration boiling over. “This isn’t about me; it’s about Rapheal mother’s life! Because you don't want her to die, you will have to shake off your personal grudge and cooperate with me.

Sarah's face whitened, anger replaced by a fleeting, terrified look. “What if something happens to you? Or to Lucian?”

I held her gaze, unyielding. “I’m not afraid of the Silver Fang Pack. I’ve faced worse than them. Unless we do it right now we will lose the opportunity to save her.

Lucian took a deep breath, the weight of that choice hung over him. “We’ll do it. We’ll get the Moonshade. I trust you, Clark.”

“It's done," I told him, and my heart thumped fast from its weight. “But we need to prepare. Of course, we will need materials and we must be strategically planning how to provide both.

And then, when I tried to propose an idea, Sarah strolled over and her face altered. “But, if you really think this would be effective, I'd not hold you back. But come listen, Clark, if you betray us, you will regret it.”

“I won’t,” I interrupted, my voice firm. “I’m doing this for your mother, and for Lorenzo. I have no intention of turning back now.”

Then, a notice echoed from the corridor, interrupting the tension among us. The sound echoed within the hall, giving us a startle of alarm.

“What was that?," Lorenzo whimpered, his tiny hand gripping at my leg like a vise.

Lucian’s expression shifted from determination to concern. “Stay close, Lorenzo. Don't be afraid, your mother's here to protect you.”