~ RichardI already have an idea of what the reason for Alpha Kendrick's shock was. I mean, Athena is my wife, so I have seen the birthmark on her hip area quite a number of times. But what I didn't know was why it evoked that kind of reaction from him, unless…Just then Alpha Kendrick rolled his sleeves up, and the same birthmark on Athena's hip area was revealed on his arm. I was stunned; it had turned out just as I expected. They both had identical birthmarks. Now there was no denying that he was her father.Alpha Kendrick took the phone from Rebecca, his hand trembling as he watched Athena's star-shaped birthmark."My… my daughter, I… I have a daughter," he stuttered through tears. He was overwhelmed by the discovery. I could imagine how he must feel. A man whose wife had been barren for years suddenly discovers he has a child from another woman.He lifted his eyes from the phone and declared aloud in excitement, "I have a daughter, I have a daughter!""Alpha Kendrick, that daught
~RichardAlpha Kendrick was the one who spoke, his voice very subtle and calm."Your Majesty, she is insisting she won't ride all the way to your pack with me and ordered the driver to alert you."I was getting fed up. Rebecca's attitude was beginning to irritate me. I didn't understand why she couldn't put her pain aside just for as long as the journey would last. The main reason we were out here was because we needed a solution to her daughter's ailment, and if she was a priority to her, she would stop trying to be an obstacle and instead do all she can to ensure we get to her daughter on time and provide what she needs to survive; her father's blood."What exactly is the problem, Rebecca?" I asked, keeping my temper under control."I don't want to ride with him, Your Majesty. I would rather ride with you for my own sanity; he is driving me crazy!" she shrieked.I wanted to lash out at her but decided against it. We just had no time to waste. I inhaled deeply and exhaled, calming m
~Richard"Where is my daughter?" Alpha Kendrick asked as soon as we walked in. He was just as eager as we all were to see Athena."Is there a problem, Doctor?" Rebecca asked anxiously.The doctor shook his head. Beads of sweat adorned his forehead. Things didn't look well at all. My heart was palpitating. The few seconds it took for him to speak felt like an eternity.He swallowed hard, his lips eventually parted, and the words we feared came forth, "She is not looking very well; she's with the sorceress, and even her powers aren't doing much to hold her together.""Where is my daughter? I need to see her now!" Alpha Kendrick growled.Pushing past the doctor, I hurried towards the Intensive Care Unit where Athena was kept, with the rest of them following closely behind. I could hear some faint noise coming from the direction of the room they were in. The rate of my heartbeat increased with each step.As soon as I got to the door, the noise grew louder. I immediately pushed it open, an
~Richard"Your Majesty, you can't do that! You are the king of the Lycan kingdom; a whole lot rests on your shoulders, you have a pack to lead," Nuella reasoned. She was so surprised at my suggestion, and she was not the only one; everyone in the room was."I have already made up my mind. Draw out the cold from her and put it in…" Before I could finish, James barked from behind as he approached me, tossing my shirt back at me."Nonsense! You would do no such thing, Richard, not under my watch!" I turned around to look at him. I didn't really get angry at him for lashing out the way he did because I understood he was acting based on his emotions, but that didn't mean I would heed to what he said.I reprimanded him calmly. "You don't tell me what to do, James. Know your place," I turned back to Nuella and just as I was about to speak to her, his words stopped me."I know my place, and I am acting in accordance, Richard," he walked around and stood in front of me in a challenging manner.
~RichardI was so torn as I watched him remove his shirt and sit down at the foot of Athena's bed as instructed by Nuella, waiting for the process to begin.I tried to open my mouth and speak, but could not. I was dying inside with a mix of several emotions: anger, hatred, regret, and pain, the most palpable being pain.It should be me sitting there in his stead, waiting to have the cold in Athena's body transferred into mine, but he had beaten me to it. I had fooled myself by thinking I could do anything I wanted as king. When had he even planned it all? When had he colluded with the doctor to subdue me the way they had done? He was one step ahead of me again! I hated it whenever that happened!My eyes stayed on him, taking in his strong and courageous frame. His face was set and focused as he waited for what was to come."Hold her hands in yours," Nuella instructed, and he instantly obeyed. Moving closer to Athena, he held her tiny frail hands in his large ones firmly."Now close y
~RichardEven though Athena blinked her eyes, she was still motionless. "What is wrong? Why is she not moving?" Rebecca panicked.Nuella lifted her face to Alpha Kendrick and said, her tone serious, "She is out of the danger zone, but she still needs her father's blood if she must become fully conscious again."Alpha Kendrick stepped forward, "Then let's waste no time, give my blood to her," he said hastily, rolling his sleeves in preparation."We will do that right now," Nuella looked over her shoulders at the doctor, "Doctor, it is time for the blood transfusion."The doctor nodded, turned around, and left. I could feel strength gradually coming back to my body.A few minutes later, the doctor returned with a nurse who wheeled in a cart containing some medical equipment needed for the transfusion.Behind them were two male nurses who immediately carried James from the bed where he lay almost lifeless.With all the strength I had in me, I asked anxiously, my eyes fixed on James' bo
~RichardHer bright eyes brimmed with excitement as she exclaimed,"She's awake! The Queen is awake, Your Majesty!"I was a bit taken aback by her words. It took a moment for them to fully register, and I repeated them in a daze, "She's awake.""Yes, Your Majesty, she's finally awake," the nurse's excited voice echoed through the room once again.I placed a hand over my mouth, suppressing the emotions that threatened to tear me apart—emotions that were already beginning to express themselves through silent tears falling freely from my eyes as I glanced at James.Placing both hands on his arm, I cried out, falling to my knees, ignoring the nurses who watched in surprise, the scene unfolding before them. They probably didn't understand why I was acting the way I was. I should be excited that Athena was finally awake, and I was, truly, but here in front of me was my best friend who had sacrificed himself for her, battling for his life. I had conflicting emotions; I was crying tears of p
~RichardThat I had already figured out. It was obvious something was wrong with Athena; she looked like she was suffering from some sort of memory loss."What is the problem, doctor?" Rebecca asked in fright. It wasn't unusual for her to react very emotionally to things, and I didn't blame her; she was a woman, and being very emotional was almost second nature to them. In this case right now, though, even I was a bit scared.The doctor leaned forward from the door his back was against and responded in despair, "I am afraid she is suffering from temporary memory loss." His eyes averted to mine, searching it as he continued, "While treating her yesterday, I did a CT scan on her brain and discovered an issue like this might arise due to the slight brain damage she suffered, but I had hoped it wouldn't, which was why I didn't bring it up." He heaved a sigh of frustration as he nervously massaged the back of his neck."I thought my blood completely healed her?" Alpha Kendrick asked, his