TBL-1 6

The day Eirene had her accident.

Arden stood by the bedside with trembling hands while Marla clung to the blanket wrapped around her. Marla’s face was still pale after giving birth, but what was more striking was the fear in her eyes as she searched for answers that had not yet been given to her.

Halden slowly closed the door to the recovery room, making sure that no medical staff were inside or in the hallway other than himself. The faint sound of the door shutting echoed like a boundary drawn between the truth and the outside world, which should not hear it.

“Mr Arden and Mrs Marla,” said Halden, his expression heavy. “I’ve reviewed the initial examination results of your son.”

Arden tensed, then straightened up, his knees trembling. “He’s fine, isn’t he?” he asked desperately. “He cried loudly when he was born. Everything was normal. Isn’t that right, Doctor?”

Halden took a deep breath and looked at Arden and Marla with sympathy. “His initial development did appear normal, but an hour later, there was an unusual fluctuation in his body’s energy.”

Marla’s expression shifted. Her heart pounded. “What do you mean by 'fluctuation', Doctor?”

“His heartbeat spiked very quickly, then dropped suddenly. His body temperature changed within minutes. And besides that...” Halden hesitated briefly, choosing his words carefully. “There was an internal reaction that has only ever been recorded once in this pack.”

Arden became even more tense. “What do you mean?”

Halden answered in a low voice. “There is a particular pattern in his energy. It's extremely rare and sensitive. We classify it as a primordial conduit anomaly. The Palace has special protocols for cases like this.”

Arden fell silent, as if he had been struck by something unseen. He rubbed his face roughly, looking helpless.

Meanwhile, Marla could hold herself back no longer. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “So... is our child sick?”

Halden did not answer immediately. Stepping closer, he tried to make Arden and Marla understand. “I want you both to understand this clearly. This is not an ordinary illness; it cannot be treated in a regular hospital. For the safety of your child—and you—you will be transferred to a special care facility owned by the Palace. There, a specialised medical team will handle conditions like this.”

“The Palace?” Arden repeated, confused. “When do we have to go?”

Halden replied firmly, “As soon as possible. This is not something the public can know, not because you are dangerous, but because this condition is extremely sensitive. It happened once before to someone who is now an important figure in our pack. The Palace only wants to ensure your baby survives without any risk.”

Marla clasped her hands tightly. “What if we refuse?”

Halden’s gaze shifted. Now he looked at Arden and Marla with a deeply human expression. He no longer saw them as patients, but as people who mattered. “I beg you, please don’t refuse. Dr Louise will be there. She is the palace physician and the only one with direct experience of handling this condition. She will take care of your baby. You don’t need to worry. You won’t be separated from your baby. You will just be staying in a different care environment.

Arden’s body lost its strength. He slumped weakly, burying his face in his hands.

Halden continued speaking. “I know this is shocking, but please trust me. If you want your child to survive, the safest place for him is under the Palace’s protection.”

Arden and Marla looked at each other without a word. Their eyes filled with fragility and sorrow. Yet they knew that their child’s life was in jeopardy. They did not want to lose their baby.

*

Eirene barely moved in Yoren’s arms. Occasionally, her body trembled, perhaps from the wound or shock.

Yoren did not loosen his hold on her, not even for a moment. Whenever the carriage turned, he gently steadied her—a gesture he had never shown anyone before.

When they arrived at the palace courtyard, the guards were already bowing respectfully and clearing a path. Yoren walked swiftly into the palace, still carrying Eirene.

Yoren called out to the nurses, who ran towards him. “Prepare the main treatment room!”

A stretcher arrived. Yoren laid Eirene on it with the utmost care. The nurses then immediately pushed the stretcher towards the medical corridor.

At the same time, Louise appeared, slightly breathless. “Alpha, what—”                                                                                                   

“Save her,” ordered Yoren quickly. “Whatever happens, I have to save her. Also, check her blood.”

Louise froze for a moment. She looked at the blood on Eirene’s clothes, then at Yoren’s face, which showed a level of tension he never usually displayed. She nodded, understanding. “Yes, Alpha.”

Moments later, Louise and several nurses entered the treatment room. The door closed, leaving Yoren and Fabrizio outside.

*

Louise entered the small laboratory connected directly to the palace's medical unit. The white ceiling lights switched on automatically as the sensors detected her presence. She carefully placed Eirene’s blood vial on the metal table, put on her gloves, and took a deep breath.

The basic tests began. Louise filled a small pipette with blood and dropped it onto the reactive medium. The result made her freeze.

Usually, werewolf blood turns a deep red and stabilises, but this time it was different. This sample's colour reacted violently within a second of touching the medium. It sparked with an unnatural golden sheen. Additionally, the automatic sensors on the reaction table lit up, indicating an extremely high energy intensity.

Next, Louise placed the sample under the digital microscope. The screen lit up and she instantly tensed. The cell structure in the sample—luminous lines spiralling like a living double helix—was something she had never seen before, except in one place: the Lumerys archive of ancient pure blood records. The primordial essence energy within the sample was so strong that the detection graph beside the screen spiked uncontrollably.

Louise grabbed a chair and sat down sharply. “Impossible,” she whispered.

But the graph climbed even higher, and the reactive medium in the beaker emitted a soft golden glow—a colour that appeared only in descendants of the Lumerys' pure bloodline. It took only a few seconds for Louise to realise that whatever she held in her hands far exceeded anything she had ever imagined. She removed her gloves and hurried out to meet Yoren.

“Alpha,” she said quietly when she found him. “I’ve examined it.”

Yoren sat on the chair with his back rigid. “What’s the result?”

“Yes, Alpha. She is a pure-blooded werewolf, descended from the Lumerys Pack.”

Fabrizio couldn’t hide his shock. “The Lumerys vanished twenty-five years ago.”

Louise nodded slowly, then continued to explain. “Furthermore, Alpha, her power is considerable. Her primordial essence is so strong that it almost damaged the laboratory's reactive sensors.”

Yoren closed his eyes for a moment. His breathing eased, as though he had finally found what he had been searching for all these years. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was sharp with resolve. “Good.”

It was only one word, but Yoren’s tone carried dozens of hidden meanings. He ordered Louise to monitor Eirene’s condition personally. His command was clear. He wanted Eirene to make a full recovery.

The moment Eirene regained consciousness and was declared fully healed, Yoren wasted no time. He spoke immediately.

“I want your blood.”

*