KOOKIE:
It’s been a few days since I received the message from the Diamond Moon Pack, and God, I wish I could get it out of my mind. But after researching what is known as the “weekly virus,” the guilt keeps eating at me. I know they hurt me, but the thought of my parents dying from a virus I can easily stop keeps me up at night. And… a part of me still thinks of Levi, wondering if there’s an explanation for what he did.
I kept tabs on him, and I learned he got the virus shortly after I got the letter. Each day I count down to when he is supposed to die, and currently he has about twenty-four hours, or if his immune system is strong enough, he will live for two more days to complete a week.
“Mommy, can we get strawberry milk?” Blue’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I force a smile, nodding.
“Of course, baby. Go grab one from the fridge, okay?”
She grins and rushes toward the fridge at the end of the aisle. I keep my eyes on her for a second before turning to the counter to hand my card to the attendant.
“You’ll have to wait for her to—” I stop mid-sentence, turning toward the aisle where Blue had walked in, only to find it empty.
My heart flinches, but I try to push away the panic rising in my chest.
“One second, please,” I say to the cashier, then rush toward the aisle. “Blue! Come out, Mommy isn’t in the mood to play right now,” I call out, expecting to hear her cute little giggle, but the room remains silent.
Swallowing hard, I check the next aisle. Then another, and another. Three aisles later, my stomach twists in knots as reality kicks in—my baby is really gone.
At that moment, I spot a tin of her favorite strawberry milk on the floor. My hands tremble as I pick it up, my breath hitching when I notice a note attached:
“You should have come when we asked. Now, you’ll come whether you like it or not.”
Adrenaline surges through my veins, and I rush toward the counter, fumbling for my phone. I need to call Alpha Elias—
“Someone took my baby! Call security!” I shout as panic clouds my thoughts, but the moment I look up, a gun is pointed at me, causing my stomach to drop.
The cashier, who has a gun to my face, pulls out a badge. “I’m with the Diamond Moon Pack. Stay quiet, and we won’t hurt you.”
“Where is my dau—”
Before I can finish, an arm snakes around me from behind, pressing a cloth over my nose. The sickly sweet scent fills my lungs. I struggle, trying to fight, but my strength fades within seconds.
“Mummy!” Blue’s frightened cry echoes through the room, and as I crash to the ground with the darkness kicking in, I spot her tiny pink shoes.
LEVI:
Day four of my ailment, and it feels like the sun is directly in my room. Sweat gushes out of my body like a fountain, and my head pounds harder than ever.
“Can someone fucking turn up the air conditioner?” I yell, and then the door swings open.
“Yes, sir,” someone says, and I shut my eyes, only to be met with a worse heat wave that has my skin boiling. This causes me to flick my eyes open to see Kookie standing before me with an evil grin on her face.
“K..OO..KIE.” I choke out, and she chuckles darkly as her delicate hands wrap around my throat, with her nails dig into my skin.
“Shhh,” she whispers, her lips grazing against my ear. “I will make it slow and painful.”
I try to struggle, but my body is weak, drenched in sweat, burning from the inside out. My limbs are weaker than a line of thread, and I watch her as she presses down her weight on me.
Her laughter echoes in the room, and suddenly, tears of blood rain down her eyes.
“You deserve this! You ruined everything!” The more she cries, the more the room fills with blood, and soon I find myself drowning in it while she lets go, watching me from a raised platform with her laughter ringing through the room.
“See you in hell,” she says as I am swallowed by the pool of blood. My organs stop working, and I shut my eyes, waiting to embrace death when a loud bang jolts me up forcefully on my bed, causing a sharp breath to leave my mouth as my body convulses.
My body is drenched in sweat, and my head keeps pounding, but as I look around, the room is normal.
It was just a dream, but why is her scent all over the place like she was here? What if she is dead, and I am connecting more to her because I am about to die too?
The bang on the door comes again, causing my patience to snap.
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?” I yell.
Donald opens the door at once. Seeing him does nothing but intensify the fury in my chest.
“The doctor has arrived!” he announces, and I feel a flicker of hope cross my chest, but I don’t really want to live if Kookie is dead.
“She’s being held in one of the slave chambers.”
“Set up a meeting at once!” I try to sound commanding.
“We have done that, sir, and you need to get into one of these protective suits.” Donald claps his hands, and the door opens to two guards dressed in overalls, holding a new suit in hand.
In no time, they dress me in a protective suit and help me into a wheelchair. I hate what I have been reduced to, and no one will see me—not even my mother. She hasn’t forgiven me for the incident with Kookie, and I never got the chance to tell her about Amber because she left the mansion as soon as my father died, stating she has nothing to live for here. She never failed to point out how I wasn’t the son she raised.
As the guards get closer to the slave quarters, I should be met with the eerie stench of the poor living conditions of the slaves, but the sweet smell of chocolate and berries clouds the air. It is Kookie’s scent, and this makes me sure that I have only a few hours to live because I cannot stop hallucinating about her.
Soon, we get to the room, and a woman sits on a chair with her body and legs tied. Her face is covered, and on her lap is a little girl, whom she clutches desperately, cuddling her.
“There is no need to cause a scene, ma’am, because I am here for peace. You give me the cure, and I will let you go,” I say to her, and then she chuckles.
The voice sounds too familiar, and for a moment, I believe I am losing my mind.
“Still an entitled brat after all these years,” she says, and my eyes widen.
“Kookie?” I call out at once, but she doesn’t say anything.
“Take the cover off,” I say to the men with me, but they waste just a second, which has my blood boiling.
“Take the goddamn mask off!”
As the mask comes off and I come face to face with my Kookie, my mouth hangs ajar as I try to process what I am seeing. She looks different—of course she has grown into a beautiful woman. Then it hits me—she has a child, which means she is married, and she has moved on.
The pain crawls deep into my chest, and for a moment, I feel my heart stop as more dawns on me. I treated her like trash, and she probably hates me.
“Oh, Levi, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says, and I glare at her without words.
“I have done my research to know that by now, you should be hallucinating, but I want you to know I am very much real, and I am about to be your worst nightmare.”
KOOKIE:Levi stares at me without words, and I cannot tell if regret is sinking in. But I doubt it—anyone who did what he did to me six years ago cannot have a heart, let alone feel.“What’s the problem? Cat got your tongue?” I ask, trying to sound brave to mask the hurt in my heart. After all these years, I still want to know why he hurt me.Even when I ask, he doesn’t say a thing.“Oh, I forgot. Your body must be buckling. Look at you—you can’t even walk.” His lips curve into a smirk as I say this, and it makes me feel like I’m losing control.He lets out a sigh, then speaks. “Thank you for coming, Dr. Sage.”He extends a hand for a handshake, but I do not take it. Even though he is properly clothed, I cannot risk touching him and infecting myself or Blue.“Keep your hands to yourself!” I bite out, cradling my baby tightly to my chest. He lowers his hand.“Very well then, we’ll go straight to the point,” he says, and my brows furrow.“You must have received the mail we sent. We need
KOOKIE:“Them.” His words linger in my head as I think of my parents.I wonder if they are okay, but I’m sure that if something had happened, Levi would have told me. And he’s right, if I don’t release the medication, my parents may catch the virus and die. I know I swore my daughter wouldn’t meet them, but since stepping foot into this pack, the nostalgia has been killing me, and the thought of them dying is almost unbearable.“Mummy, who is that man?” Blue’s question pulls me back to reality. I stare at her, trying so hard to smile, but even my muscles are too broken and sad to cooperate.“You don’t have to worry about him, baby. We’ll be fine, and we can watch your favorite movie soon.” I pat her hair gently, fighting back the unshed tears shimmering in my eyes. I kiss her forehead, pressing her face to my chest.I know she’s no longer a baby, but I couldn’t care less. She is my baby, and no matter how big or heavy she grows, nothing will change that. I pat her back slowly, trying
LEVI:From my window on the second floor, I see it all. The way Donald smacks her and the guard who rips her daughter from her arms. It eats deep into my chest, wounding me more than I already am.My grip on the wheelchair tightens, my knuckles paling. My wolf growls angrily at what it has witnessed. How could he? I want to hit Donald, but I know I cannot because my body is weak, and I hate it, but at the same time, I love it. This is because the Moon Goddess granted my last wish. All I asked was to see Kookie before dying, and now that I have, I do not mind dying.I should leave her a detailed note on what happened, I say to myself. But first, I have to make Donald pay for touching her. A part of me wishes I could live so I could give her the protection I couldn’t provide years ago because I was a foolish boy who allowed my mate to go so easily.As I watch Donald sling her over his shoulder, I manage to wheel myself back to my bed, where I slump onto it as more pain courses through m
Levi:“Mum, what are you doing?” I ask, watching her take off her mask and rub my sweat on her face.“What a mother must do,” she says, then I watch her put on the mask and cover her fingers. Suddenly, it hits me as I realize she wants to use herself to get Kookie to work, but I might be dead before then.“This will probably not work because I have only a few hours, and you might not get it before then.”The corner of her face lifts in a smile.“I am old, Levi, so I will be down with it by tomorrow. Besides, it can be detected in the body before one falls ill, so I will get her to see me, and I will let her run some tests.”She has a plan, but I try not to bank on it because I do not know how feasible it is.“That isn’t all there is to it,” she says, and I glare at her, waiting for her to speak. “You need to keep Kookie here. The Moon Candy Pack is not the reason she is great because we all know that pack is nothing compared to ours. She was raised here, and she studied at the Opal Mo
KOOKIE:When I hear this, I try to maintain a calm face, believing it is all a lie and they are trying to get me to fold because they know how much I care about Luna Jasmine. I ask questions, and I hear she lives far from the alpha’s pack. Her home is secluded, so how did she get the virus?Donald puts the phone on speaker.“Mom, what is going on?” Levi asks, then I hear Luna Jasmine’s hoarse voice.“I came down with a headache this morning.” My heart flinches a bit, and suddenly, I feel a little sense of care creeping in. She never really hurt me, and I know they kept the wedding away from me to protect me.I shouldn’t let her suffer because of her stupid son, I say to myself.“Is… Ko..okie there?” When she asks, my heart skips a beat as Levi looks up at me.“Yes,” he replies, causing me to inhale sharply as I try to ground myself.The emotions coursing through me are a lot to process, but I try my best not to have an outburst because a part of me wishes she could have come to my res
Kookie:As I stare at my parents, sitting on a couch in the Luna’s living room, I think I am dreaming. They haven’t really aged in the past six years, apart from the strand of gray hair that my mother has grown, which has only made her even more beautiful.The moment only lasts for a few seconds before it hits me—this could be a setup, and Levi might be using them to get me to help him. But Luna Jasmine would never do that to me, would she?“Kookie,” my father calls out to me, then rushes toward me, throwing an arm around me. He presses me to his chest, and I swear to the goddess, I want to be still, push him away, and not accept the hug, but my hands wrap around him involuntarily.My mother stands close to us, staring at me with tears shimmering in her eyes. I cannot imagine how they have lived all these years, but I try not to beat myself up or live in their perspective, because I, too, was hurt, and my feelings are valid.“I am sorry, my little girl,” my father mutters as he plants
KOOKIE:Rushing out of the room, I make my way downstairs, where my parents are waiting.“You guys can see her, but do not take off your suits until I am back!” I rush out without waiting for their response.Once outside, I see Donald seated with the driver.“Let’s go back to the Alpha’s mansion now!” I command, making my way toward the vehicle while they both rush behind me, trying to keep up.**Shortly, we arrive back at the mansion, and I waste no time. As soon as I enter the house, I walk up to the first guard.“Tell your Alpha that I would like to see him now!” The guard nods, rushing up the stairs while I make my way to the room Blue is in.I give a gentle knock on the door and wait for her to open it, but she doesn’t.“Blue, it’s Mummy.” The lock clicks as soon as I say this, and I open the door with a wide grin on my face. I have successfully taught her one safety precaution. Even I almost forgot about it, but she didn’t.I lift her up as I walk into the room, then plant a ki
KOOKIE:Today is the day my life changes.I recently turned eighteen, and there is no mate in sight, which gives me hope that Alpha Prince Levi is my mate.Today is my induction—the day I finally step into my role after years of studying werewolf medicine abroad. My pulse races as excitement fills me, but mostly because I get to see Levi again after three years.I exhale shakily, smoothing my dress as I stand before the mirror, staring at my reflection. The silk fabric clings to my figure, the deep blue color complementing my pale skin. Luna sent it days ago as a congratulatory gift for passing my final exams. The thought makes me smile because I know Levi must have picked it out—blue is his favorite color on me.Levi has been my best friend for years, and we practically grew up together with my father being Beta. As kids, we always believed we were meant to be mates. Even our parents believed it, and Luna used to joke that if I wasn’t Levi’s mate, she’d exile our mates so we could be
KOOKIE:Rushing out of the room, I make my way downstairs, where my parents are waiting.“You guys can see her, but do not take off your suits until I am back!” I rush out without waiting for their response.Once outside, I see Donald seated with the driver.“Let’s go back to the Alpha’s mansion now!” I command, making my way toward the vehicle while they both rush behind me, trying to keep up.**Shortly, we arrive back at the mansion, and I waste no time. As soon as I enter the house, I walk up to the first guard.“Tell your Alpha that I would like to see him now!” The guard nods, rushing up the stairs while I make my way to the room Blue is in.I give a gentle knock on the door and wait for her to open it, but she doesn’t.“Blue, it’s Mummy.” The lock clicks as soon as I say this, and I open the door with a wide grin on my face. I have successfully taught her one safety precaution. Even I almost forgot about it, but she didn’t.I lift her up as I walk into the room, then plant a ki
Kookie:As I stare at my parents, sitting on a couch in the Luna’s living room, I think I am dreaming. They haven’t really aged in the past six years, apart from the strand of gray hair that my mother has grown, which has only made her even more beautiful.The moment only lasts for a few seconds before it hits me—this could be a setup, and Levi might be using them to get me to help him. But Luna Jasmine would never do that to me, would she?“Kookie,” my father calls out to me, then rushes toward me, throwing an arm around me. He presses me to his chest, and I swear to the goddess, I want to be still, push him away, and not accept the hug, but my hands wrap around him involuntarily.My mother stands close to us, staring at me with tears shimmering in her eyes. I cannot imagine how they have lived all these years, but I try not to beat myself up or live in their perspective, because I, too, was hurt, and my feelings are valid.“I am sorry, my little girl,” my father mutters as he plants
KOOKIE:When I hear this, I try to maintain a calm face, believing it is all a lie and they are trying to get me to fold because they know how much I care about Luna Jasmine. I ask questions, and I hear she lives far from the alpha’s pack. Her home is secluded, so how did she get the virus?Donald puts the phone on speaker.“Mom, what is going on?” Levi asks, then I hear Luna Jasmine’s hoarse voice.“I came down with a headache this morning.” My heart flinches a bit, and suddenly, I feel a little sense of care creeping in. She never really hurt me, and I know they kept the wedding away from me to protect me.I shouldn’t let her suffer because of her stupid son, I say to myself.“Is… Ko..okie there?” When she asks, my heart skips a beat as Levi looks up at me.“Yes,” he replies, causing me to inhale sharply as I try to ground myself.The emotions coursing through me are a lot to process, but I try my best not to have an outburst because a part of me wishes she could have come to my res
Levi:“Mum, what are you doing?” I ask, watching her take off her mask and rub my sweat on her face.“What a mother must do,” she says, then I watch her put on the mask and cover her fingers. Suddenly, it hits me as I realize she wants to use herself to get Kookie to work, but I might be dead before then.“This will probably not work because I have only a few hours, and you might not get it before then.”The corner of her face lifts in a smile.“I am old, Levi, so I will be down with it by tomorrow. Besides, it can be detected in the body before one falls ill, so I will get her to see me, and I will let her run some tests.”She has a plan, but I try not to bank on it because I do not know how feasible it is.“That isn’t all there is to it,” she says, and I glare at her, waiting for her to speak. “You need to keep Kookie here. The Moon Candy Pack is not the reason she is great because we all know that pack is nothing compared to ours. She was raised here, and she studied at the Opal Mo
LEVI:From my window on the second floor, I see it all. The way Donald smacks her and the guard who rips her daughter from her arms. It eats deep into my chest, wounding me more than I already am.My grip on the wheelchair tightens, my knuckles paling. My wolf growls angrily at what it has witnessed. How could he? I want to hit Donald, but I know I cannot because my body is weak, and I hate it, but at the same time, I love it. This is because the Moon Goddess granted my last wish. All I asked was to see Kookie before dying, and now that I have, I do not mind dying.I should leave her a detailed note on what happened, I say to myself. But first, I have to make Donald pay for touching her. A part of me wishes I could live so I could give her the protection I couldn’t provide years ago because I was a foolish boy who allowed my mate to go so easily.As I watch Donald sling her over his shoulder, I manage to wheel myself back to my bed, where I slump onto it as more pain courses through m
KOOKIE:“Them.” His words linger in my head as I think of my parents.I wonder if they are okay, but I’m sure that if something had happened, Levi would have told me. And he’s right, if I don’t release the medication, my parents may catch the virus and die. I know I swore my daughter wouldn’t meet them, but since stepping foot into this pack, the nostalgia has been killing me, and the thought of them dying is almost unbearable.“Mummy, who is that man?” Blue’s question pulls me back to reality. I stare at her, trying so hard to smile, but even my muscles are too broken and sad to cooperate.“You don’t have to worry about him, baby. We’ll be fine, and we can watch your favorite movie soon.” I pat her hair gently, fighting back the unshed tears shimmering in my eyes. I kiss her forehead, pressing her face to my chest.I know she’s no longer a baby, but I couldn’t care less. She is my baby, and no matter how big or heavy she grows, nothing will change that. I pat her back slowly, trying
KOOKIE:Levi stares at me without words, and I cannot tell if regret is sinking in. But I doubt it—anyone who did what he did to me six years ago cannot have a heart, let alone feel.“What’s the problem? Cat got your tongue?” I ask, trying to sound brave to mask the hurt in my heart. After all these years, I still want to know why he hurt me.Even when I ask, he doesn’t say a thing.“Oh, I forgot. Your body must be buckling. Look at you—you can’t even walk.” His lips curve into a smirk as I say this, and it makes me feel like I’m losing control.He lets out a sigh, then speaks. “Thank you for coming, Dr. Sage.”He extends a hand for a handshake, but I do not take it. Even though he is properly clothed, I cannot risk touching him and infecting myself or Blue.“Keep your hands to yourself!” I bite out, cradling my baby tightly to my chest. He lowers his hand.“Very well then, we’ll go straight to the point,” he says, and my brows furrow.“You must have received the mail we sent. We need
KOOKIE:It’s been a few days since I received the message from the Diamond Moon Pack, and God, I wish I could get it out of my mind. But after researching what is known as the “weekly virus,” the guilt keeps eating at me. I know they hurt me, but the thought of my parents dying from a virus I can easily stop keeps me up at night. And… a part of me still thinks of Levi, wondering if there’s an explanation for what he did.I kept tabs on him, and I learned he got the virus shortly after I got the letter. Each day I count down to when he is supposed to die, and currently he has about twenty-four hours, or if his immune system is strong enough, he will live for two more days to complete a week.“Mommy, can we get strawberry milk?” Blue’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I force a smile, nodding.“Of course, baby. Go grab one from the fridge, okay?”She grins and rushes toward the fridge at the end of the aisle. I keep my eyes on her for a second before turning to the counter to hand m
SIX YEARS LATERDR. SAGE (KOOKIE):Six years of pain, and I am finally living a bit of my dream life in a small pack with my daughter—the only light in my world. She sits in the backseat, swinging her tiny legs, humming along to the soft melody of Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, playing from the car speakers. I smile as I sing along with her, my heart swelling with warmth.The road ahead is clear, with the morning sun streaming into the car, and for a fleeting moment, everything feels perfect.Suddenly, we come to a halt in front of the school, and Blue claps her hands excitedly.“We arrived before Charlotte, yay!” she cheers, bouncing in her seat. I glance out the window to see her friend’s father pulling up a few meters away.“Yay,” I echo softly.I reach for the door handle, but before I can unlock it, her tiny voice stops me.“Mommy?”I look into the rearview mirror, meeting her beautiful golden eyes—eyes that remind me too much of him.“Will I ever see my daddy?”A sharp pang crosse