Chapter 21: Beta Christian

“We need him to point out the locations of those talismans,” Gamma Dion intervened before Kieran could crush the Red Wolf’s neck.  Lind took the still-sleeping pup from him as he pulled out a pair of heavy metal handcuffs and slapped them on the mercenary’s hands.

Kieran glanced at me.  I turned my head, making him lower his axe.  Instead, he pulled the other two mercenaries and checked for any vital signs.

“Dead,” he declared.  I walked closer to inspect the coat they were both wearing.  My eyes squinted as I caught a glimpse of a familiar piece of jewelry glistening under the moonlight.

I’d recognize it everywhere.  After all, it was one of the few heirlooms my mother, the late Luna Locke, left me, and one of the many things that Medea stole.

She was a crying mess when she saw me wearing that wolf-shaped golden brooch, encrusted with emeralds and rubies. It was a family heirloom from my mother’s side, and she wanted it.

Father raised hell just to make me give up that brooch.  I thought she’d take care of it, given her eagerness to have it…

But now, it was nothing but a trinket to filthy mercenaries.

“Who gave this to your brother?” I asked the Red Wolf, holding the brooch to his eye level.  “Answer me.”

His cuffed hands reached for it, inspecting every corner of it.  He tutted and clicked his tongue a few more times until he held it back to me again, shaking the brooch.  “Oh, this came from that lady’s payment.  ‘Ya know, the one who told us to burn talismans? She also gave us quite a few more jewels.  Rich lady.  Quite a shame she got a temper…”

My eyes caught Dion flinch as he stared into the brooch.  However, he didn’t say anything.  He simply averted his eyes and looked at the now-unconscious, wounded Lycan we saw earlier.  Kieran knelt beside him, checking for any pulse.

“Hestia, this one’s still breathing,” he called.  I quickly used my magic to heal the Lycan until he coughed.  He heaved as he grabbed Kieran’s shoulder, trying to take the deepest breath he could take.

“Easy…” I gently patted his back.  “It’s alright, you’re safe now…”

He gripped Kieran’s shoulder, sobbing.  His green tunic shifted, revealing magical runes painted on his skin.

“You’re a healer… What happened? Why are you wounded like this?”

He composed himself once more before pointing at the Red Wolf.  “I… I tried to stop those bastards from burning those talismans around the pack territory… I was too late… I tried to escape them, but his brothers chased me around… I… my family… my family’s lost their minds…”

He coughed once again.  Lind offered him water, which he gladly accepted.  After downing the whole bottle, he introduced himself to us.

“I’m Mist… I’m one of the few Pack Healers of Nightfall.  I used to study under the Temple, so I’m a bit familiar with certain objects bearing curses.  When I saw what they were burning, I instantly knew I had to warn the Alpha, but he’s at the Capital for the Queen’s ascension…”  A sudden thought hit him.  “Wait… who are you people, anyway?  Our pack’s territory isn’t open for tourists…”

“Hestia Locke,” I simply introduced myself before extending my hand to him.  “I’m contending for my claim on the throne.  We were supposed to go to the Southern border to assist with the rabid outbreak, until we encountered an exodus of your pack coming down from the mountains, exhibiting signs of the Dark Moon curse.”

His eyes widened, laced with fear.  Despite having just recovered from earlier, he tried to kneel in front of me.  “Your Highness—”

“Please, there’s no need for that,” I immediately cut him off as I helped him get up.  “We need to act fast.  We saved a pup among the exodus earlier, and her condition tells me that the curse was still fresh.  There’s still a way to save everyone…”

Mist slowly stood up.  “Beta Christian remained here with his family.  Alpha took some of his men to the Capital for some official business and the coronation, and I think they’ll be back soon…”

“Where’s my brother-in-law?” Dion immediately asked, springing to his feet.

Mist led us deeper into the small town, the houses progressively growing larger and fancier.  As soon as we reached a massive mountain lodge near the Alpha’s pack house, we were met by the sight of the Beta and his family.  The Beta was standing in the middle of the porch, holding a small vial of wolfsbane.  Beta Christian was visibly straining himself as he fought the effects of the curse, while his two children and wife tried to prevent him from hurting himself.

“Christian!”

Dion leapt over the railing to immediately reach the Beta, snatching the vial from his hand.  I created magical binds to tie his hands and arms, forcing him to kneel on the floor.

During the chaos, the Red wolf tried to escape us, but Mist immediately grabbed him by the neck.  Kieran aimed the blade of his axe at the Red Wolf’s throat.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I tried to stop the Beta further.  There was a strong force resisting the binds.  My eyes widened as cracks formed in them.

Blood dripped from my nose.  My knees were starting to buckle, but I couldn’t stop.  I shouldn’t stop.

“Hestia!” Kieran screamed, immediately catching me when I stumbled.  “Are you alright?”

I watched in desperation as Beta Christian escaped the magical binds, his face painted with blind fury.  He grabbed a fireplace poker nearby, aiming it at the children and his wife.  Dion wrapped his arm around his neck to pull him away from his family, but the Beta just slammed him against a wooden post, causing him to lose consciousness.

“Why don’t you ask for help from your Vassal, my dearest Hestia?” Mother’s voice echoed in my mind.  “Now that he’s bound to you, aren’t you curious to the extent of the powers you two could have?”

“Kieran… stop the Beta…”

He nodded before gently placing me on the floor.  He brandished his axe, meeting the strength of the Nightfall Beta.  Lind assisted me as I tried to get up, gathering my strength to boost his strength with my divine magic.

A line of blue light formed between our hands as Kieran slammed Beta Christian against the hardwood floor.  Dust engulfed them.  I almost spat my heart out when we were met by nothing but silence.

“Kieran!”

“I’m here…” Kieran answered as the dust settled.  His eyes were fixated on something on the floor…

I immediately ran towards him.  On the floor lay the unconscious Beta, and his skin was painted with bright-red sigils.  Blood-binding sigils.

My head immediately turned to Lind as I heard him whimper.  The pup, who had now transformed into her human form, was convulsing once again, her skin painted with the same sigils we found on the Beta.

“A blood debt…” Kieran whispered.  “But for what? And to whom?”

I looked at the brooch in my hand.  I didn’t expect much from my sister, but…