new beginnings

Chapter 3: Farewells and New Beginnings

Ezra

"What do you mean dying?"

Milo's voice came out strangled, barely above a whisper. His face had gone pale, purple eyes wide with horror as he stared at Healer Daphne like she had just stabbed him.

Damon's reaction was more explosive. "That's impossible. He's fine. He has been fine…"

"He hasn't been fine," Daphne interrupted, her tone sharp enough to cut through a True Alpha's denial. And in the whole of the six provinces, it was only her that could achieve such without having her head separated from her body.

"The burning. The exhaustion. The loss of control during battle. None of that is normal, Alpha Damon. Prince Ezra has three mate marks, and without completing all three bonds, the power building inside him will kill him before Winter Solstice."

The room went deathly silent.

I watched my fathers process the information, saw the exact moment realisation finally hit him. Milo swayed on his feet, and Damon caught him automatically, both of them looking at me like I was already dead.

"Three months," Milo whispered. "You are saying we have three months to… what? Find two people in the entire world who might be Ezra's mates? That's… that's…"

"That's what has to happen," Daphne said firmly. "I've already explained this to the prince. The triad bond is rare but documented. Without all mates present and bonded, Ezra's body will continue producing more power than it can contain. Eventually, it will tear him apart from the inside."

"Then we find them." Damon's voice had taken on that dangerous edge that meant he was two seconds from giving orders. "We send out search parties to every territory. We use every resource at our disposal…"

“Actually that is where the problem lies…” Daphne started.

"That won't work," I cut in quietly. "The mate bond doesn't work like that. I have to find them myself. I have been dreaming of them for months. One in the north, one in the east. I can track them, but only if I go alone."

"Absolutely not." Milo's response was immediate and firm. "You are not wandering hostile territories by yourself while you are dying. That's not happening."

"Papa…"

"No!" His voice cracked on the word. "Ezra, you are my son. My first child. You think I am going to just let you walk out of here on some impossible quest while your body is falling apart? No. We will find another way."

"There is no other way!" I could feel the frustration creeping in. "Daphne just said…"

"I don't care what she said!" Milo was shaking now, tears streaming down his face. "We will find healers, experts, someone who knows more about triad bonds. We will figure this out without you risking your life…"

"I am risking my life by staying here!" The words exploded out of me. "Every day I wait is another day closer to dying. You want to waste time searching for answers that don't exist while I burn from the inside out?"

"Watch your tone, Ezra," Damon warned.

"Why? Because I am the Golden Prince who's supposed to be perfect and obedient?" I laughed bitterly. "Look where that got us, Father. I have been perfect my whole life and I am dying anyway!"

"That's not fair…"

"None of this is fair!" I was shouting now, power crackling beneath my skin. "You think I want this? You think I want two mates in a world that barely accepts me? You think I want to leave everything I know and hunt down people who might not even want me?"

"Ezra…" Milo reached for me.

I recoiled back. "But I don't have a choice. And neither do you. So you can either support me or watch me die here. Those are your options."

The silence that followed was heavy enough to suffocate.

Then the infirmary door burst open.

"What's all the shouting about?" Lyra demanded, striding into the room with all the confidence of a fourteen-year-old who knew she wasn't supposed to be there but came anyway. Her silver-blonde hair was pulled back in a messy braid, and she wore training clothes that were covered in dirt. "We could hear you guys from the courtyard."

Behind her, Ten-year-old Kieran peeked around the doorframe, his purple eyes wide and uncertain. He was at that awkward age where he was all gangly limbs and growth spurts, caught between being a child and a teenager.

"Lyra, Kieran, this isn't the time…" Milo started.

"Is Ezra okay?" Kieran interrupted, his voice cracking slightly. He stepped fully into the room, looking at me with concern. "You collapsed during the attack. Everyone has been talking about it."

"I am fine," I said automatically.

"You are a terrible liar," Lyra said bluntly, moving closer to examine me. "You look like death. What's going on?"

"That's none of your concern…" Damon began.

"He is our brother!" Lyra's voice rose, that stubborn streak she had inherited from both our fathers showing through. "If something's wrong with Ezra, we have a right to know!"

Kieran nodded emphatically, moving to stand beside his sister in a show of solidarity.

I looked at my fathers, at daphne, then at my siblings.

"I have three mate marks," I said quietly. "And if I don't find all two of my mates and complete the bonds, the power building inside me will kill me before Winter Solstice."

Lyra's face went pale. "What?"

"Three months," I said. "I have three months to find them."

"Then we'll help you look," Kieran said immediately. "We can search together…"

"No," Damon said firmly. "Ezra has to do this alone. The mate bond doesn't work with search parties."

"That's stupid," Lyra said flatly. "Everything about this is stupid." She crossed her arms, and I could see tears building in her eyes even as she tried to look tough.

"I don't have much choice, little wolf."

"Don't call me that!" Her voice cracked. "Don't act like this is normal!” The tears spilled over, and suddenly she wasn't the confident fourteen-year-old anymore. She was just a scared kid who didn't want to lose her big brother.

I pulled her into a hug, and she buried her face against my chest, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Kieran stood frozen, looking lost. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, and I could see him fighting not to cry.

"Come here, Kier," I said softly, extending my other arm.

He crashed into us, wrapping his arms around both me and Lyra. For a moment, we just stood there, the three of us clinging to each other like we were children again.

"You have to come back," Lyra said, her voice muffled against my shirt.

"You better," Kieran said, his voice thick. "Because if you die out there, I am going to kill you."

Despite everything, I laughed.

"Alright, that's enough," Damon said gently, though his voice was rough with emotion. He placed a hand on Milo's shoulder. "Honey, take the children out. We all need to calm down before we discuss this further."

"I am not leaving…" Milo started.

"Yes, you are." Damon pulled him close, pressing their foreheads together in that intimate gesture they had shared for years. "You are spiraling, love. We all are. Let's get some air."

"I hate this," Milo whispered.

"I know." Damon kissed him, soft and reassuring. "I know."

"Ewww!" Lyra announced loudly, pulling away from me to glare at our fathers. "Gross! Papa and Father are kissing again! Do you have to do that in front of us?"

"My eyes!" I added dramatically, covering Kieran's face with my hand even though he was almost as tall as me now. "Children present! Children!"

"I am fourteen, not five," Lyra protested, but she was almost smiling through her tears.

"Oh, hush, all of you," Milo said, but he was smiling too, that fragile expression that said he was barely holding it together. He reached for Lyra and Kieran. "Come on, little wolves."

After a lot of promises, Lyra and Kieran finally left. The door closed behind them, leaving me alone with Damon.

My father… the Alpha King, the legendary warrior who had defeated Queen Millen… looked old suddenly. He moved to sit on the bed beside me, his movements heavy.

"Please," I said quietly. "Please let me go."

Damon nodded once, then pulled me into a crushing hug. "Don't make me regret this," he whispered against my hair.

Then he was gone, and I was alone with the weight of everything that was about to change.

*****************

Dawn broke cold and clear on the day I was supposed to leave.

The entire family gathered in the main courtyard to see me off. Damon had assembled a small team to escort me to the northern border before I continued alone. James was there, looking grim. Selene kept dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Lyra stood with her arms crossed, trying to look tough, but I could see her chin trembling. Kieran kept wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand, pretending he wasn't crying.

I knelt down in front of them. "Take care of each other while I'm gone, okay?"

"We're not babies," Lyra muttered, but she threw her arms around my neck anyway. "Don't die," she whispered fiercely. "Don't you dare die."

"I won't," I promised.

Kieran hugged me next, nearly knocking me over with the force of it. "You better write," he said. "And bring presents. Good ones."

Despite everything, I laughed. "I'll bring you the biggest present I can find."

"Be safe," Damon said, gripping my shoulder. "Trust your instincts. And remember everything I taught you."

"I will."

"And Ezra?" His voice dropped lower. "When you find them... your mates... give them a chance. They might surprise you."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

Milo was the last one. He hugged me so tight I could barely breathe, and I heard him whisper a prayer to the Moon Goddess under his breath.

"Come home to us," he said.

"I will. I promise."

Then I was climbing onto my horse, settling into the saddle with my pack secured behind me. Kieran's scarf was wrapped around my neck, warm against the morning chill.

The gates opened.

I looked back one last time at my family…my fathers standing together, Milo's hand in Damon's, Lyra and Kieran waving, James and Selene and all the people I had grown up with.

Then I turned my horse north and rode toward an uncertain future.