Chapter 2: Betrayal

Nightfall's POV

As I walked down the corridor, a cold wind blew on my back. It was as if it was pushing me to go to the gathering of the pack's elites.

They seem to be having fun, I'm jealous. I looked at the party lights for a while, 

"I mean I could be considered as an elite too," I convinced myself. Though I know deep down that I wasn't invited at all.

'Should I go or not?'

I took some deep breaths and gathered some courage to go to the eastern pavilion.

The eastern pavilion is where the party is being held. 

To be able to get there, one must keep quiet as you'll have to pass through the matriarch dowager's quarters. She is really obsessed with peace due to her fragile health. 

The sound of my footsteps echoed very loudly in the halls so I had to deliberately lift my heel to make as little noise as possible, but my wound from earlier hurts everytime I do so. 

I whispered to myself, "Please feet, save me from the matriarch's wrath just for toda–"

On my way to the pavilion, I paused, looking in the direction of the matriarch's room. 

The door was ajar. The only light of the dark hall coming from that small opening of the door, caught my eye.

'This must be a mistake… right?' 

 I pondered over it for a while and decided to just close it quietly as the matriarch might end up hearing me mess around the halls.

I was startled when I saw Luci and my father inside.

"But Mother, are her herbs not enough anymore? Do we really have to absorb her blood's divinity itself from her? What if this Archen smug won't succeed in absorbing her power? Time is running out, Mother!"

I never thought the matriarch would accept guests at this hour so I stopped. The owner of the voice was my father.

'Blood's Divinity?'

…

…

…

I covered my mouth as soon as I realized what they were talking about. 

It had only been a month since my 18th birthday when we discovered that my blood mysteriously developed and was able to heal injuries and illnesses of any kind no matter how worse it is.

They said my blood has divinity 'blessed' by the heavens above…

But I beg to differ…

My vision swarmed before me and my hair strangely stood on end. I concentrated on moving my feet quietly even though I can't seem to feel them at the moment. 

The gentle breeze around the atmosphere before suddenly turned so cold that it became suffocating and sent chills down my spine. I felt my whole body tense up and my heart jump out of my chest as I kept running.

The halls felt like an eternity, so as soon as I saw an opening where my whole body could fit, I jumped down from there. 

I didn't even feel any pain as I finally made it outside.

I hid under a tree and tried to recall what I had heard. 

The matriarch…

My father…

They wanted my power… and Luci was in on this?

'Do they want to kill me?'

I saw my whole world crumble in front of my eyes as soon as tears fell down my cheeks.

My chest ached to hear of their betrayal to the point when even breathing was just painful. 

I had never considered it a possibility that they would all seek to take advantage of me. 

I thought…I thought grandma was just someone in need of dire help because her health is deteriorating and she needs rare herbs. Ever since I was young, I only had my affinity with nature which made me able to grow plants even if they existed a long time ago. 

But it turns she actually covets my blood's power?

More tears trickled down my face thinking of the times when they would defend me from people who deem my ability unworthy. Was that all just a show to gain my trust because they knew all along that I would develop this kind of 'divine blood'? 

My heart refused to believe that, but my mind knew the truth.  

The words of my father that kept ringing in my head like a broken recorder, overpowered the calming sound of the rustling leaves. 

I clenched my fist and rested my head on the tree. My throat felt dry for some reason. 

After a while like this, I stood up and headed outside the pack's territory not knowing where to go.

'I need to face them head-on if I don't want to die,' I said, attempting to boost my will to live. 

But why? 

Why are they doing this to me? 

All these years… how can they go that far into fooling me that they loved me?

All this time… I was living in a lie? 

…

I closed my eyes to stop the tears and finally felt a painful throbbing on my injured arm from the fall. The wound from my leg also bled once again. 

But the pain in my heart was the only thing I could feel. It was as if… my body went numb. 

'If my ability was really as they call A GIFT, then why can't I use it for myself at desperate times like this?', I looked coldly at my bleeding arm.

It was like another load weighed down my heart when I remembered that my blood's divinity can only be used in healing other people. 

"HAH!"

'The heavens sure are messing with me,' I laughed in pain

 As if they were telling me that I am only to be taken advantage of by other people. 

The very blood that was supposed to be the foundation of my life… 

Almost led me to my demise. 

Because of this CURSED BLOOD of mine, no one took me seriously! Even the only people who had shown me kindness in this world was blinded by their greed just because this curse exists!

I took deep breaths to slow down my heartbeat. I can't pass out from stress once more. Especially now.

'Should I just let myself bleed out? Maybe the curse would be gone that wa---'

**THROB** 

I hissed in pain. The throbbing brought me out of my melancholia.

'I must be rational at times like this. I must not let them get through my head,' I said to myself. 

I looked at the sky. The stars are twinkling above.

'Mom, are you watching me right now?'

My chest tightened thinking about her again

Mom please lead me somewhere, where I could forget about this pain.

'Mom I need you'

You are all I have.

...

I couldn't bring myself to think of anything anymore. I'm just following the direction of the wind. 

'Where am I running off to?'

It was at this moment when I heard a light chuckle from the dark which spooked the soul out of me. 

It was familiar. 

He started speaking in a chilling voice, "My, what an interesting hunt it is tonight! Just what is the infamous Lady Lotus doing here in MY territory?"