Chapter 5— Sacrifice Your Child.

•CHAPTER 5

Aeron and Oswald stared at each for what felt like eternity, one trying to read the other's next move. Disbelief was a new emotion the Alpha King processed; one which he couldn't remember when he had felt something similar.

"Who told you this?" Aeron asks.

"The Pack’s wizard." Oswald blurted.

Aeron almost burst into laughter. "That imbecile?! How many times have I told you not to trust his —"

"Many years ago, our father had affiliations with a widow," Oswald interjected, "and he banished her to keep his secret safe with him. She has placed a curse on our father." He turned to Aeron. "She placed a curse on you too."

"What was her curse?"

"She cursed you to know and decide nothing other than evil. I guess that explains your … powers." Oswald said, unsure of how to proceed.

Aeron could tell he was holding back. "Go on," he purred, surprised by his impatience.

"She … cursed you to be evil and to be known for nothing other than evil. She had mentioned that if you don't sacrifice your child, one birthed by your fated Luna, there is no way to break this curse."

It felt like he was listening to a storyteller performing at the Grand Hall. Aeron wishes to laugh but he couldn't. Oswald wasn't smiling. He was serious. This is serious. How can he be paying for his father's mistakes?

He stroked his beard in silence, wondering what this could mean for him. He stared at his brother again, perhaps to catch a glimpse of a feigned frown which would confirm he was playing a prank.

But Oswald wasn't.

"Okay. Let's take it that I am …",

"Cursed." Oswald completed.

"Correct. Cursed. This widow, is she still alive?"

"We made our findings. She is not."

"Are you kidding me?! How can we find a solution to this if she's dead?!" He thundered, his mind clouded with anger once more.

"Why can't you just think straight?!" Oswald couldn't take it anymore. His glare hardened, and his eyes reddened. The Alpha King grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him high, enraged.

"You seem to forget that I am the Alpha. Your ruler! How dare you?!" Aeron spat angrily.

Oswald struggled to speak between strained gasps, "Myra is your fated Luna, and now you have sent her away, thanks to your arrogance."

Aeron's limbs turned jelly. He let go of Oswald instantly, collapsing onto the marble floor. It felt like the window to his mind had been obscured for so long and was wiped clean, letting in the days of the morning sun. His mind reminded him of the first time she was bright to him, when Oswald had mentioned the pick they had made for him. The only night he had spent in her chambers. The preceding months of always ignoring her and acting like she never existed.

"You knew about this all along, and you didn't tell me." he muttered, his voice laced with accusation. It had a hint of sobriety, one he hasn't shown since their father had passed.

"I felt it wasn't necessary," Oswald responded, nursing his bruised throat, "I just wanted to help you."

"You could have at least told me she is my Luna. The clan's true Luna! Now I have lost her."

"No. You pushed her away." Oswald responded, remembering why he stayed furious at Aeron. "I believed once the child was born, you could have the child sacrificed, then the curse be damned. You shall then have your Luna to yourself. Forever." He sat on the floor, close to his brother. "That's not going to happen now, is it?"

Aeron tried to process what he had just discovered. Myra. His Luna. He could care less about the child; it was a girl so it remained useless to him either way. But his daughter is the key to breaking his curse, and if that was true, he had to get them both back.

"No matter where she runs, I would bring her back here," the Alpha King growls. Oswald chuckled, getting up from the floor.

"She remained silent whilst she tolerated you for months. Now that she's gone, do not expect her to be the same."

The door swings open and a dejected Oswald leaves.

* * *

Murmurs and whispers filled the palace hall as the Alpha King gathered his subjects at the Grand Hall. Oswald stood beside Baron, who was surprised by Oswald's actions. The aloha King walks up to him and drugs him to a corner of the room.

"I have addressed the royals and my subjects," he started off, his eyes looking sunken. Oswald was surprised his brother could be this way just after discovering who his fated Luna is."You are in charge now. I would venture out of our territory to search for Myra. I would bring her back. I would bring the child back, and then I can use her to break the curse."

Oswald stared at his brother, unfazed. Like Aeron had expected that, he simply modded and tapped Oswald by the shoulder before exiting the palace. Aeron silently blamed himself for being so arrogant with her. If he had known, he wouldn't have been so harsh. At least not with Myra. His mind scanned possible locations he would find her, but he couldn't think of any.

Meanwhile, Oswald watches his brother leave, his stoic expression rigid. Baron walks up to him, a sinister smile on his face.

"So, my Alpha, where do we begin?"

* * *

The vigorous winds didn't help Aeron navigate his way through the iceland. He prayed to catch a scent of Myra, but he didn't get any luck with that. As he ventured farther away from the borders of his clan, he came across blood-stained tracks which he checked out. None of them matched Myra's. Now, he tried as much to keep a clear memory of her scent. Unlike other werewolves who had given themselves away to the harsh icy wind, Aeron, just the rogues can withstand it without any hassles. He decides to make a stop and camouflage for a while before continuing on his journey.

As he laid his bags down, he perceived movement around him. He was no soldier, neither was he an ordinary wolf. He could tell it was the rogues. He smiled.

They had arrived.