Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 • Poison Is Getting Stronger

The sky was cloudy and the air was freezing, the wind howled through the forest, an owl's hoot resonated in the silence, as it was the night of the full moon.

The crunches were getting louder and heavier in speed, growls coming from each side and corner of the fir trees.

His paws hit the ground, strengthening his leg muscles to move forward and faster away from the wolves chasing them. He felt fragile as a result of the poison weakening him but his mind was focused on keeping his mate and pup safe and shielded from the danger closing in on them. 

Caitlin bent and held on to Alpha Caddel's fur to keep from falling, the wind was blowing through her hair and skin as Caddel was running at an increasingly faster rate. She clasped her five-month-old pup to her chest, shielding him from the cold wind with her medieval cloak. 

She turned and gazed at their back, seeing the wolves a little far away from them. Caitlin looked at her mate, Caddel, her eyes filled with pain and anguish at the sight of him in this condition still trying to protect her and their pup. It shattered her heart knowing that he was weak but pretending to look strong for their safety. She grasped his fur warmly, to remind him that she was right there with him in that moment and even till the end, no matter what happened. 

They kept running as fast as they could. Just then, Caitlin spotted one wolf that had caught up to them, she was startled and terrified, he was racing beside them at the same speed as Alpha Caddel. The brown and grey wolf jumped to catch them. 

"Caddel!" Caitlin screamed, shouting out his name in fear, but Caddel was quick to perceive him already. 

He dodged the attack and grabbed the wolf's neck, spearing his sharp fangs into his throat as they tumbled along the way, while Caitlin held on tightly to Caddel's fur and their pup, with her face down. He let go of the wolf and his head fell to the snow, decapitated from his body, while Caddel continued running…

Alpha Caddel was a full-blooded Alpha, feared by many kingdoms and adored by his people but not all of them. After the death of his father, he became the new Alpha king because of his strong, capable, and courageous nature like his late father. He also had a younger brother, Gregory, who he loved dearly. 

He married a beautiful vampire, Caitlin, and he announced her as his mate. Many people were not happy about their union but some others learned to accept their relationship as they were destined mates. 

Alpha Gregory had always been jealous of his elder brother, Caddel, so his love towards him was only pretentious. Hidden deep in Gregory's heart was intense hatred and jealousy toward Caddel, but he pretended to care about his brother and took advantage of his genuine love for him. 

Soon enough, Caddel's wife, Caitlin, gave birth to a son for him and he named him Raizel. Unknown to him, his younger brother began plotting and planning on how to kill him in those years, with the help of those close to him and those close to his Luna, Caitlin. 

On the full moon night, Gregory executed his plan; he gave Caddel a strong medicine through his food. The poison acted by weakening Caddel's wolf so as to prevent him from fighting when they attacked him, but Caitlin had already found out about Gregory's evil plan and rushed to save her mate.

She had always doubted Gregory's intentions, but because her mate loved his brother dearly, she had kept her reservations to herself even after an unsavory incident when Gregory tried to misbehave towards her. 

When Caddel got to know about his younger brother's deceit, and how he was using his love, he was heartbroken. He couldn't bear to think that the brother who he had cared for and made a priority, was now his biggest enemy. 

Caitlin took Caddel and their pup out of the pack house, knowing that if they stayed there, they would be easy prey. So before Gregory could get to them, she went into the cold, dark forest with her family. 

Gregory wasn't satisfied with just the poison's effect and their immediate flight, so he sent his hunters to kill them and bring back their dead bodies.

After a long run, Caddel saw a small hut and took his family there. To make sure it was safe, he used his nostril to smell the area, observing whether it was dangerous or not. When he felt secure, Caitlin came down from his back, with their son. 

Caddel morphed into his human form and fell to the ground with a heavy grunt. Caitlin, already panicky, used her strength to pull him up from the ground, supporting him with her right shoulder as they walked toward the hut. 

They went inside it, but couldn't see anything because there was no light inside the hut. Thankfully, Caitlin's well developed vampire vision allowed her to see more clearly. She noticed two stick-homemade beds, and immediately laid Caddel down gently, put his legs on the bed, and gazed at him with sadness in her eyes. 

She laid her pup on the other bed, beside Caddel, wrapping him well with the comfy duvet he was wearing, but she knew that wouldn't be enough to keep him warm. 

Caitlin scoured the place to see if she could find something with which to make a fire. She sighed as she gazed longingly at Caddel and her pup, then she turned and stepped back outside. It was icy cold and cloudy, so cold that a human being exposed to that environment could easily freeze in a matter of seconds. 

She picked some branches, leaves, and whatever else she could find in the area and quickly went back inside the hut. She used the material she found to make a small fire, but it was too small to generate enough heat, so she blew on it with her breath, causing the flame to burn brighter. The room started to warm up quickly.

"Ahh… argh!" Caddel grunted. Caitlin twitched and looked terrified, she quickly went to him and stood beside him. She saw that he was trembling even when the place was warm. That could only mean the poison was getting stronger.

Caitlin didn't know what to do. She had no idea on how to help her husband and the helplessness seemed like it will drive her nuts…