Chapter 8

What was the use of his Two piece jade if he no longer had a mate?. He was always aware that one day Ninah would die but he never expected it to be this soon... She wasn't an immortal druid yet so she'd never reincarnate like other druids and witches. Plutonic knew that one day he'd reincarnate and he would meet his other mate but that was supposed to happen five hundred years later after he and Ninah had lived to their fill, after Ninah had mastered the makings of immortality for them to live forever together and then, he wouldn't need to have another mate... Because he would have her but now?... Now she was gone... Long gone never to return and all those dreams they'd had together and shared were left unfulfilled and half liven. Those dreams now would just become a part of a memory in his mind that would hurt every time. He spay blood out of his mouth as he felt the bond between him and Ninah diminish into nothing. He hadn't even given her yet his jade as tradition and he wasn't sure what hurt most. Was it because he hadn't given her his jade or was it the fact that he had taken a step and married his job for the last few months?... or was it years?? he wasn't sure but he regretted staying over at his work place instead of being home and savouring every moment with her and Lucky. Maybe then, this wouldn't have happened.. he would have been able to protect the clan... to protect his nest and above all to protect his mate... He had now lost all and there was no way he would be able to bring them back.

Regret.

Plutonic regretted and was disappointed in himself. He was sure that Hamlin and Aisha were feeling the same way... Disappointed and ashamed of him. His tears glands were dry... they never felt this dry, he felt powerless. He couldn't cry. He couldn't heal her let alone rise her back to life. He looked down at his son... At least life was merciful enough to let his son live but what was the point of the little lad to live in this world full of hurt and pain and above all without a mother to care for him?. Lucky was still holding tight onto Ninah. He hadn't moved, he hadn't said a word let alone even whimper. He was lost in his own thoughts... lost in his pain. Rufus just kept a hand on the boy's hair, trying the simplest form of gesture to comfort him and he said nothing as well.

Plutonic looked at his jade. It looked awful now and undesirable. He remembered when Ninah had first laid her eyes on it, the way she had gasped with surprise but later squealed happily as she saw it spin around acknowledging her as the mate... The jade was their heart. Every Phoenix had a jade. The fireball between the Jade signifying their power and phoenix is what kept them alive. A phoenix was supposed to give his or her mate one piece/spiral of their jades to show that they'd given their mate their heart. Giving your mate a piece of your jade signified how much you loved them but was also dangerous because the jades were very fragile and breakable in the hands of the "chosen mate" plus the only person able to kill them very easily was the holder of the jade... yes, if Ninah had his jade and wanted him dead, she could have easily done it but Plutonic didn't understand why he had never given her a piece of his jade. He loved her so much, she was his mate and yet he had failed to give her the jade. Now that he thought about it, jades were able to protect the mates from danger. If he has given Ninah his jade then she wouldn't have died, the jade would have protected and healed her. It was all his fault.

A jade also determined how long or how many rimes the supposed Phoenix would live or reincarnate. His had two pieces.. he was to live two lifetimes... Lucky had three, his son would live thrice. . he wouldn't be there later to protect him. Anyways, the jade meant a lot to them. The larger the Jade the more powerful one was believed to be but now all that didn't matter now.... his upper jade had cracked, obviously because his mate was no more showing how badly heart broken he was. He was going to live like this, with the sadness and sorrow and the darkness of his jade until he reincarnates again to live his second life. His Jade morphed back in him same with his wings and claws. He stood up, Ninah in his arms as he carried her body in bridal style. Lucky was still sandwiched between them but the extra weight didn't bother him. He took several steps away and Hamlin helped by creating a fire ball big enough to bomb the ground deep in front of them. Plutonic wished that he could give her a more decent burial... a more deserved sendoff but now, his mind was too hazy to think straight. Aisha managed to take Lucky from Ninah's body (the lad didn't protest let alone make a sound) as Plutonic laid her in the moist ground, kissed her forehead and nuzzled her hair as he took a deep breathe... the last breathe and smell of his mate. It hit him harder that he would never nuzzle her, scent her not even smell her so as to locate her... he already missed her and there was nothing he could.

"I love you so so so much". He whispered into her cold ear. She wouldn't hear him anyway perhaps her soul could?.

"Plutonic?". Hamlin called.

Plutonic didn't answer. He just took another deep breathe of her and jumped out of the grave that Hamlin had bombed out. Hamlin covered it up and set a boulder on top.

"Remember this?". He asked Plutonic. He just nodded. This was the boulder where he and Ninah had curved out their names. The boulder had been somewhere in the woods as they had gone for a walk in their date a few years back and they had decided to curve out their names on it.

"Your sunshine. Ninah". It read where she'd curved out herself. The sunshine had already set and it would never rise again to brighten up his days. He was in a dull world now.

Plutonic took out his chain that held the trunk's key and took a couple steps towards the boulder.

"Sunshine forever in my heart and soul. A living wife, mother and best friend". He curved out below Ninah's words and touched it... feeling it's coldness and roughness before pulling away.

"What now?". Aisha asked in a small voice which was not her usual.

Plutonic looked at the mansion. It was burnt not to the ground but they could easily repair it and live their lives. But more hunters would come to make sure they're all dead. He didn't want to wake up every morning and be reminded of his dead clan members and wife... only the heavens knew if he would be able to sleep.

How do you find sleep alone without the warm embraces and raspberry kisses all over you... The warm cup of coffee in the morning and the smell of dew and peach petals around you?. He couldn't survive here let alone live.

"We'll move. We'll voyage the world and become the justifiers we were meant to be!". Plutonic said. This was the best decision... Moving around the world and the hunters would never know their specific locations, they'd be justifiers and live the way their ancestors did years ago.... protect humans whole heartedly but only this time he'd get rid of hunters too.

"We'll train our sons to be leaders and warriors just the way our fathers taught us!.". Plutonic said after minutes of silence and no response from Aisha and her husband. He wasn't looking at them but he could tell that they were looking forward to their new way of life.

"We are no longer a clan... But a pack. Where we live more closer together... We move fast and we have strength for united we stand, divided we fall". Plutonic quoted.

"Spoken like a true alpha". Hamlin interjected. "My wife, son and I are at your service. Together in this!".

Plutonic then turned to look at them. Lucky looking back at him with sad eyes, expressing nor saying nothing. Aisha and Hamlin looked at him eyes full of hope for a better life. They gave him a slight nod of approval. He looked up at the sky.. the moon was covered by the clouds save for a few stars that twinkled from a far.

He roared.

Hamlin and Aisha looked up as well and roared back in response.

This was a start of something new. Something strong. Something unbreakable.

Their new lives were set and new dreams made. Life had to continue... but not here, Plutonic looked at his pack and smiled at them before taking Lucky in his arms and starting to walk away with Aisha, Hamlin and Rufus a few steps behind him.

He had something small to protect and he swore to himself to treasure it the most he could... his pack... his son... his new family and the future a head of them.