Chapter 573 Several Shades Of Intense Pain
(Author’s POV)
“Brother Dio, are you alright? You look pale,” Elio remarked as they both made their way to their rooms.
“Drey has been feeling a bit antsy,” he replied, rubbing his chest, still donning his usual casual expression.
“Should I get something for you?” Elio asked with concerned filled eyes.
“Nahh~ …” Dion shook his head, “It must be due to the full moon. Don’t worry, Eli. It will be fine soon.” He assured Elio. Then added, “You take care of yourself as well and don’t step out of the room before the moon’s power subsides, no matter what. Okay?” After providing timely advice, they reached his room. He patted Elio’s shoulder, gesturing him to go.
Once inside, another wave of ache and itchiness washed over Dion. He panted as Drey grunted inside him, ’Dio~ …. this feeling~ …. it isn’t just because of the full moon. Something is clawing at my heart, trying to tear it apart. It’s hurting.’
Dion panted heavily, his back pressed against the door as he slid down. His forehead as well as his back were drenched in thick, cold sweat. Drey continued, ’Dio, I am having a bad feeling. It doesn’t feel right. Something is terribly wrong. Mate~ …. our mate, Myra~ …. check up on her. Check whether she is safe or not.’ He spoke while having a hard time breathing steadily.
Dion, with slightly trembling hands, reached into his pocket. Taking out his phone, he dialled Myra’s number at once. The ring echoed, but no one picked up. This made him and his wolf even more anxious. So, he dialled a second time. After four rings, which felt more like flaring alarm bells, the call finally got connected.
“Hello, Myra~ ….” Dion spoke instantly, sighing in relief.
The line was silent for a while.
“Myra~ …. where are you? Are you alright?” he asked rapidly, anxiety creeping in on him as he stood from the ground, ready to go to her. The next second, her sweet, melodious voice came from the other end, as she chuckled softly, “Hehh~ … Dion~ … where else I would be. I am fit and fine, helping dad with dinner at my house. Why did you call?”
He exhaled a deep sigh again, then answered, “Nothing, just thought of checking up on you.” Although he tried to sound like his usual self, the pain was increasing every minute, bit by bit.
“What happened to you, Dion? You don’t sound good,” she inquired, her voice sounding achingly sweet and worrisome.
Dion felt something off. The tone was very unlike Myra’s. He once again queried, “Myra, are you really okay?”
“Of course, I am. Umm, hey~ …. Dad’s calling for me, I gotta go, Bu-bye~ ….” The line disconnected before he could utter anything else. Dion stared at the display for a while, then a sharp pain surged inside him as he grasped his hair, fisting them with all his strength; his eyes went dark, dangerous. The moon hasn’t even fully bloomed, and the effects were a lot more brutal than they have ever been.
After hearing the news of Fabian’s successful surgery, all four Everests brothers returned to their respective rooms. The moon has started to ascend. All of their wolves were getting agitated with each passing moment. Until the moon’s full effect had abated, they needed to be away from any sort of person: human or vampire.
This wouldn’t happen on a normal full moon night, at least not to them, who possessed Lycan blood. But they were not inside Moon Shine Pack’s territory, but within the vampire kings’ lands. Plus, with the nullifying barrier in place, their wolves weren’t feeling settled. So, it was perilous for them to be outside.
Inside Brave’s room, as soon as he entered, he went straight to soak himself in warm water. He had endured such nights quite a few times before. When he was getting trained for the Lycan heir’s position, there were instances when he would be away from the pack’s borders on a full moon night. So, he knew a trick or two from that time. He had even told his brothers to follow the same things.
After the bath was filled and the steam had misted the whole bathroom, he jumped into it without a minute’s delay, waiting for this uncomfortable throbbing to lessen. But strangely enough, just like Dion, the twinge shifted into stabbing pain. He clasped the edges of the onyx marble, his knuckles losing their colour. Closing his eyes, he bit his lower lip, trying to suppress the pain, but it didn’t work as well.
Moaning painfully, Raw spoke, his words broken, ragged, ’Ra~ Rave~ … it’s aching badly, just like the time, the time~ … when Ha~ …. Hann~ah~ …’ before finishing his words, he howled distressingly, his eyes shifted dark too. Then, with a faint, almost inaudible voice, he called only one name, “My~rahhhhh~~~~~ …. mate.”
As for Elio, unlike his brothers, neither he nor his wolf, Leo, was feeling any pain at all. Not until he walked towards the closet to get his clothes. When he passed by the window, the moon rays hit the exposed skin, and all the pain hit him straight at once like an ice bucket. His knees buckled, and he collapsed on the marbled floor. His skin tingled as if a million ants were crawling on him at the same time. His breath laboured, his greenish blur orbs unsteady. Leo didn’t even get a chance to utter a single word, as another bolt of searing pain jolted his entire being. Neither of the two knew what was happening to them. But his senses were predicting a clear foreboding warning. He closed his eyes, and what he saw chilled him to the bone. He saw Myra. She was crying, her tears made of blood, her cheeks sunken and hollow. She looked less like a human and more like a decaying corpse. Right at that moment, he and Leo both knew, whatever this is, it has something to do with Myra.
He wanted to get up and run to her, but he had never felt such pain, so the impact for him was powerful enough to bind him.
But Alaric and Alex were having the worst of all. His eccentrically palpitating heart, the sound of it was ringing in his eardrums like a gong. To him, the pain felt like someone was stabbing with a sharpened silver dagger, laced with deadly poison, twisting it without any desire to restrain. Even the scar on his palm, which he got while saving Brave, was piercing.
Out of all four brothers, physically, he was the strongest, thanks to the moon goddess bestowing him with a special ability of immense strength, the power equivalent to a hundred elephants. Yet, now, right at this moment, he and his wolf were suffering the most. His ability had little to no effect. Alex felt suffocated because he couldn’t summon his powers, making him irritated to the core.
Alaric dug his claws into his palms, his scarred hand tearing open as fresh, warm blood oozed out of it. Alex was running wild, trying to get out and take control, but Alaric knew full well that if he was free now, chaos would erupt. Currently, the situation is already tense in the vampire king’s vicinity. If Alex ran rampant at this critical time, not just him, but the entire pack would have to suffer the consequences. So, he endured it, at least, he tried to, but this pain wasn’t going away. The agony was only escalating with the tick of the clock.
Rather than the full moon’s effect, it felt more like someone was punishing him, chastising him for his misdeeds, for his wrongdoings, for his arrogance.
Once this thought occurred, the name, the face that flashed across his blurry vision was Myra’s. He recalled what happened inside the bathroom. How ruthless he has been towards her. How he was, in a fit of rage, ready to reject her. Knowing that it could do a lot more damage to her. It could even have been life threatening.
Even in such searing pain, he was filled with a rare sense of remorse for his past actions towards Myra. His eyes started to shift as she mouthed her name, “Myra~~~~~ ….”
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Once the call was cut off, Elisa looked at Myra’s phone and scoffed, “Hahh~ …. playing the desperate lover, aren’t we, Dion?” She glanced at Myra, who was now under Aamon’s spell. Her eyes were closed, as she stood still, without any movement, like a lifeless doll.
Aamon approached Elisa, “My dear queen, the rune stones have been placed. The demon circles have been set up. Our golden goose, the human sacrifice, is under my spell. All arrangements have been fully completed. We can start the ritual now.”
“The moon’s power has started to take effect,” she commented, remembering Dion’s ragged voice. When she heard him, broken and heavily panting, she wasn’t worried. She was rather thrilled, exhilarated. She was on the final step, the final step from getting the ultimate prize. So could she not be excited?
Breathing in deeply, already sensing the victory within her sight, a triumphant smile curved up her lips. She took out the sacred protective charms belonging to the Lycan brothers. Clenching them, she looked at Aamon and addressed, “Let’s begin the ritual. Let them meet their end.”
Aamon was satisfied with her choice of words, as he knelt and took orders like an obedient servant, “Yes, my hell queen. It is time for us to return to our rightful places. It’s time for us to go home.”