Lahat ng Kabanata ng Desired Mate: Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

CATHERINE Camille stepped into the room with a tray of snacks and the scent of freshly baked bread wafted in the air. I rolled my eyes in appreciation. At least, the smell of fresh food will ease the tension in the space and it did as she approached; slightly, though.“I thought you two might need something to eat,” she said softly, setting the tray on the small table in front of us.Kane sat up straighter, nodding his thanks. “Thank you, Camille,” he said with a rare warmth in his tone. “You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”Camille gave him a small smile. “It’s the least I can do. You’re both working so hard to help the people out there. Besides,” she added, a teasing note creeping into her tone, “it’s not every day I get to play hostess for royalty.”Kane chuckled lightly, surprising me. “Well, if royalty means sleeping on a cot and hauling supplies, then yes, I suppose you’re right.”Camille laughed and for a moment, the atmosphere felt lighter.Kane leaned back slightly, stu

CATHERINE Immediately she shut the door, Kane let out a sharp breath, completely frustrated at this point, but Camille turned to us. “Give me a moment,” she murmured, raising a hand to knock again.Camille knocked again, the sound louder and more insistent this time. The heavy wooden door remained stubbornly closed, and there was silence everywhere. Camille exchanged a nervous glance with me before raising her hand to knock once more.This time, Barbara’s voice came, raised and scornful, from behind the closed door. “You can take your leave, please! Stop disturbing my peace!”I winced as the harshness of her toge jarred even though I’d expected resistance. A low growl rumbled from behind me, and I turned to see Kane, the veins in his neck straining. His eyes gleamed with an unnerving golden tint, a clear sign his beast was about to take over.“What is her problem?” He coldly seethed seething with suppressed rage. “Kids are suffering out there, and she’s hiding in her lair acting lik

CATHERINE The air around us was suffocating. Kane stood at the center of the empty room, his body rigid as he surveyed the sparse surroundings. His eyes glimmered faintly gold, a sign his beast was close by. Without a word, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as though drawing something from the air.I watched him intently, as he did whatever. Kane had told me once that his senses, heightened by his feral nature, allowed him to perceive things others couldn’t. Well, that was no doubt the fact. I only hoped they wouldn’t fail him now.Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.“There are tracks,” he muttered. Without waiting for a response, he moved quickly, striding out of the building.Camille and I exchanged a glance before rushing after him. Outside, the air was still and the sun casted long shadows across the clearing. Kane knelt on the ground, fixing his eyes on faint footprints trailing away from the building.“What is it?” Camille asked, worried.Kane didn’t look up as he replied.

CATHERINE The car door swung open, and a young lady, assumed to be Davina stepped out. She was a striking woman in her late thirties, with jet-black hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her almond-shaped eyes, scanned her surroundings before they landed on the old woman who was outside already. She was dressed in practical yet stylish clothing, a fitted blazer over a patterned blouse, paired with dark jeans. One other thing, she carried herself with an air of quiet authority. That couldn't go unnoticed."Mara!" she exclaimed and hurried up the steps, pulling the old woman into a firm hug. "It’s been too long. How have you been? And why are you looking so stressed? I thought we talked about this!"Mara chuckled softly, patting Davina’s back. "Oh, Davina, you know me. Stubborn as always. But I’m managing just fine. You, on the other hand, look like you’ve been working yourself to the bone again. When will you learn to take a break?"Davina pulled back slightly, her eyes

AUTHOR'S POVAfter hours of treating the children and stabilizing their symptoms, one of Davina’s team members, a scientist named Dr. Elena, approached her, holding a clipboard in one hand and a phone in the other. She was the one Davina said she would reach out to earlier."I’ve analyzed the samples," Dr. Elena said briskly showing the clipboard to Davina. "It’s not smallpox, though it mimics it in many ways. It’s a viral strain, an offshoot of the Orthopoxvirus family."Davina frowned. "What does that mean? How is it similar but not the same?"Dr. Elena adjusted her glasses, explaining further. "The virus shares genetic markers with smallpox but has mutated in a way that makes it less deadly and more treatable. Its symptoms are similar, fever, rash, and fatigue. But the pustules it forms are superficial. They don’t penetrate the skin deeply like smallpox does. Technically, it’s an engineered virus, possibly accidental, but it’s much weaker."Davina narrowed her eyes. "Engineered? Me