Chapter 19: Hea

It had been almost a week. Lotus had not uttered a single word in those days. Neither Damien had sensed her wolf. Lotus was living like a dead body. She hardly ate anything. She barely left the room. She was getting thinner. The emptiness was her only company.

Adeline and Ben tried their best to make Lotus laugh. They always cracked jokes. Adeline dragged her into the kitchen and made her favourite kinds of stuff, chatted with her for hours though she was the only one talking. It seemed like Lotus was not even listening. Her eyes were always vacant. Adeline remembered how her eyes used to sparkle looking at chocolates, but now they kept no emotions while she was eating one. She somehow felt like it was partly her fault as well. She was the one driving the car on that day. In fact, Ben took them out because she could not hold back her feelings anymore. Alex apologised on that day to her. Their relationship was getting better now, but it cost Lotus losing her smile.

Ben used to take Lotus to the garden or near the lake. He used to tell her the funniest stories he knew. He never got any response from her. It was hard for Ben to digest the fact that the strong girl he once knew, the fighter, who shut down fifty rogues in a few minutes, was now turned into a living dead. Ben blamed himself for that. He was the one who took them out on that day. He couldn’t protect her like he wanted to do. Her eyes were so empty that Ben did not even want to look at them.

Lotus was still living with Damien in the same room, but she hardly cared about anything. Damien did everything to make her happy. He dedicated most of his time to her leaving his pack duties to Alex and Ben. He took her to fancy restaurants, bought gifts for her. Damien received an invitation from Jakob to attend the moon festival. He showed that to Lotus, but it seemed like she was not even in this world right now. He even tried to annoy her by kissing her publicly or hugging her, but she did not show any emotion towards anything. His kitten did not fight back anymore. Her eyes were always blank, holding no feelings. Her wolf was still missing. Clara was also checking on her almost every day. She was also searching for her cure, but she had no luck till now.

One day, Damien was working at his office. Lotus was sitting there in one of the chairs. Suddenly Damien got a mind-link from one of his border warriors, ‘Alpha! We smelt something. It may be a rogue.’

Damien asked them to be prepared. He mind-linked other warriors, including Alex and Ben, to be ready. He grabbed Lotus by his hand and started to search for Adeline.

“Adeline, take her in a shelter with others.” Damien ordered her. Then he turned towards Lotus, “stay safe, Kitten. I will be back soon.” He pecked her lips and left the packhouse.

Adeline started to gather every female, elder, and pups and lead them to the shelter. Once everyone was inside, she closed the door in relief. Suddenly she realised Lotus is not beside her. She started to search for Lotus in the shelter. The shelter was big. She asked others about her, and everyone said that they saw her while entering the shelter, but then they lost track. It was almost one hour now she was searching for Lotus. Suddenly another she-wolf howled in pain. She ran towards Adeline, knowing she was their future beta-female, “My pup! Please save her! I cannot find her!”

Adeline was no warrior, but she couldn’t sit back anymore. Lotus was also missing. She came out of the shelter and started to search for Lotus and the pup. She knew that the numbers of rogues were not much this time, and hence she felt a little relieved. She walked into the kitchen, dining but none was there. Suddenly she smelt some rotten eggs. The smell is not strong. She followed the scent and went out to the backyard of the packhouse.

There she saw Lotus walking towards the woods. She couldn’t find any warrior guarding the packhouse.

‘Alex! We need help here in the packhouse! I cannot see any warrior here.’, being unsure what was wrong, she mind-linked her mate and started to run towards Lotus.

‘What do you mean? I will be right there!’ Alex replied to her in a mind-link.

Then she saw that Lotus bent down and picked something up. It was the pup.

“Lotus!” Adeline shouted. Lotus turned towards her. Her eyes were still vacant. Adeline started to run towards her again. A loud growl made her stop. She saw three big wolves coming towards Lotus. Rogues! She didn’t know what to do! Lotus looked towards the rogues once she started running towards Adeline, holding the pup on her lap. She held Adeline with another hand and dragged her towards the packhouse. She pushed them inside the packhouse and closed the door from outside.

Adeline understood what Lotus was trying to do. She pushed them inside to be safe, and she was outside alone, trying to get rid of them.

“Lotus! Lo! Open the door and come inside!” Adeline started to shout. She can smell the rotten eggs again. The smell is getting stronger.

‘Alex! Alpha! Help us! Lotus is outside. She locked us in! Rogues are here’, Adeline shouted in mind-link. Her voice was feeble.

Alex has already informed Damien about the packhouse. There were only three hundred rogues this time, that too only in the east. Damien and Alex ran towards the packhouse, leaving Ben and Curtis at the border.

Damien picked up his speed. The smell is getting clearer for him. Rotten eggs! Rogues.

‘Chocolate’, his wolf purred in joy. Yes, he can also smell chocolate. He had not smelled that since the day he marked her.

‘Kitten’, Damien replied to his wolf. His wolf started to run faster. He crossed the woods and reached the backyard garden. He saw Lotus, sitting there with vacant eyes. She was surrounded by three big wolves, not bigger than him, though, he thought. He did not waste a single moment. He jumped in front of Lotus and growled loudly like thunder. He held one wolf on his throat and ripped him off. The other two wolves gritted their teeth while backing up. Alex and the other two warriors were there by then. They surrounded the other two wolves at the instance and forced them to shift into their human forms.

Damien looked at Lotus. Her eyes were still vacant, but he could smell her wolf. The smell fainted. Still, it was there. Damien’s wolf nudges Lotus on her face using his nose. Then he ran towards woods, shifted back, wore a piece of cloth, and carried Lotus back in the packhouse. Meanwhile, he got a mind-link from Ben that the fight is over.

Alex also shifted back and ran towards the packhouse. As soon as Alex opened the door, Adeline almost bumped into him.

“Lotus! Alex, they were there!” she was crying inconsolably, holding a little pup in her arms.

Alex hugged her and pointed her towards Damien, “She is fine. It is over now!”, he said consoling her.

Damien took Lotus to his room and gently placed her on his bed. He caressed her face and kissed her softly on her forehead.

“Kitten! What were you doing there? I told you to be safe, kitten!” he said softly. Her eyes were blank as before. He sighed.  Lotus closed her eyes and fell asleep. Damien covered her with the blanket. He took a quick shower, dressed, and went to his office. He mind-linked Alex to bring Adeline with him. Ben was already waiting for him in his office. Alex came with Adeline after a few minutes.

“What on earth was she doing there?” Damien harshly asked Adeline.

“Alpha, I took everyone in the shelter. She was there with me. Suddenly I found that she was not there. Everyone saw her entering the shelter. Then a woman cried out that she lost her pup. I ran out from the shelter and found her in the backyard, walking towards the woods. Then I saw her bending down to grab the pup. When the rogues were there, she ran so fast towards me and dragged me to the packhouse. She handed me the pup and looked at the door from outside.” Adeline stopped after finishing that whole story.

“She grabbed the pup?” Ben was surprised. Damien sighed. She worked on her instinct, and that was why he could smell her wolf. After all, she was the Luna. She would never give up when another’s life was in line. She had always been perfect for him.

Lotus was sleeping on Damien’s bed. She had not felt anything for the past few days. She even could not feel her wolf. She felt like a part of her soul was missing. Everyone tried to make her happy, but she could hardly hear what they were saying. But when she sensed a member was missing, she went out of the shelter right away. She followed her instinct and found the pup. She felt her wolf again, but she was so tired. Her wolf was in pain. She could not respond properly. Then she sensed the rogues. She grabbed that pup along with Adeline and ran towards the packhouse. She pushed them inside and locked the door, and started to run in another direction. She was tired. Her wolf whimpered in pain. She could not move anymore. She sat on the ground and then she saw Damien. He saved her today once again.

Suddenly Lotus woke up. She felt a sharp pain all over her body. She felt too much heat radiating from her body. Her vision was blurry. She stood up from the bed, unable to lay down any longer. She felt weak on her legs. They were shaking. She walked towards the bathroom and took a shower. Her heat was reduced a little because of cold water. As soon as she came out of the shower, she felt the pain again. Her stomach hurt like anything. Her head was heavy. She grabbed something to wear from Damien’s closet. She fell to the ground again. She yelled in pain. Then she gathered her strength to stand up again. She suddenly felt her urge to see Damien. She came out of his room and started to walk towards his office.

With every moment passing, the pain became unbearable. The heat coming from her was driving her crazy. She saw Adeline. Adeline ran towards her seeing Lotus in that condition. She touched her to hold her back from falling on the ground.

“Ah”, Lotus shouted in pain. She felt that her skin got burned with Adeline’s touch.

“Lo, you are in heat!” Adeline said in shock. “Let me take you to the alpha”, she said again.

But Lotus could not bear her touch anymore. She pushed her away and started to walk again. Adeline was walking behind her. Lotus reached in front of his office. She opened the door without knocking. She saw Damien. She saw him holding another girl by her waist. That girl was almost on his lap. Their lips were about to touch. Lotus could not take it anymore. She fell to the ground. Adeline was also shocked. Damien pushed that girl away in a blink. He stood up from his seat.

“Kitten! It’s not what you are thinking. Let me explain”, he said immediately. Lotus did not answer anything. She was panting. She felt a sharp pain in her heart again. The pain of betrayal. He felt her wolf again. She was whimpering.

‘I cannot take it anymore, Lo. Let’s run away!’ her wolf said to her. It's the first time she was talking to her after he was marked.

‘We are stronger together, Lo! Don’t give up, she said again.

Lotus stood up with all her strength. She stared back at Damien. Her eyes were not vacant any longer. But there was no sparkle either. There was only pain.

“Kitten!” Damien called her again. Adeline was standing just behind her. Lotus turned towards Adeline and started to run.

“Kitten, stop!” Damien started to run behind her. She ran towards the big window in the corridor. It was the backside of the packhouse. She turned her head to look at him for the last time and then jumped out of the window, shifting into her wolf in midair. Her wolf vanished in the woods.