Chapter 55
AUGUST AND CLEON.
Amber Hart.
We all went for a hunt together with Jason’s new expanded pack, which he had named the Clover. The Clover was now the most formidable of all packs, with the biggest territory ever. We went hunting on their planes, and I had already been accepted as one of them because they trusted that Clarissa would never bring danger towards them, and I had also proved to be of value with my exceptional psychic abilities. The first time we came to Jason’s pack, Clarissa had to swear an oath on my behalf; she swore that she would receive the punishment for any harm or offense that I would commit during my brief stays with the pack. Now, the punishment for treason was death without mercy, so I tried my best not to put myself or Clarissa in danger. It was obvious that the members of the Clover still did not trust me wholly, and I understood them enough to be okay with it. No oath was going to win me their trust; I had to win it myself through my actions.
I was also an adviser, and I helped them strategize. As we walked down the planes after an eventful hunt, I noticed a middle-aged brunette who was breathing hardly and sweating profusely. At first, I thought she was just exhausted from the hunt we had just been on, but no. She was a young wolf, and this type of exhaustion was not supposed to be affecting her in this manner. She was also lagging behind; her arms were slumped like she was carrying something heavier than her body in its entirety. I decided to watch for a while to make sure something was actually wrong. Her name was August.
After we had walked for a while, August bent over a tree trunk and vomited. I was alarmed; she had vomited anything but blood! The blood splattered on her pants, and, like it was the last straw, she collapsed.
“August!” Iscreamed and ran towards others; my screams had alerted a few others, and they all gathered to help me lift her and carry her homeward.
August:
I have never been this scared in my life. I was dying, and I did not know exactly what was killing me. I had been married for just a year, and Cleon (my husband) and I had passed through difficulties before I was able to get pregnant. But as the baby grew, I knew something was terribly wrong; my strength had declined, like I was being drained of it, and I had a huge appetite. Also, I had grown very lanky and lost a lot of blood from the vomiting that would not cease. I don’t know why, but something within told me that I should keep my state of being a secret from everyone, especially the human Amber Hart, who was famous for her ability to see the hidden.
Amber:
Immediately after I held August, I knew something terrifying was growing inside of her and living off her like a massive parasite. August’s life was slowly dwindling; how long had she kept quiet with the pain inside of her? I could also sense fear—raw fear—in her bones as she quivered in bed. The pack doctor had come to check on her, and I sat on a stool beside him as quietly as possible, or I would have been thrown out of the examination. Cleon, her husband, had been summoned and was sitting on a metal bench with his head in his hands. He looked very tired, like he needed a break from everything that was happening around him—he just sat there and nodded in response to all the doctor’s questions.
After some minutes of the examination, the doctor looked frightened and took a seat on the bench beside the exhausted Cleon.
“Your wife, he began, is pregnant.” He stuttered, What was so fearful about a pregnancy that made the doctor so scared? I could feel his own fear on my skin, and my body was taken over by goosebumps.
“But I already know that she is pregnant, doctor; we celebrated this week.” Cleon was evidently as confused as I was.
“I don’t think you understand. Your wife is pregnant with an Orhert.” The doctor announced, finally getting ahold of himself.
“An Orhert!” Cleon gasped and put his hands over his mouth in disbelief.
“This cannot be true, thus it cannot be true, doctor; tell me this isn’t true, please.”
“I am deeply sorry, Mr., but I am afraid this is true. You should inform the Alpha, and other preparations will be duly made.”
August:
I was barely conscious when I heard the doctor’s announcement, and my husband’s reaction broke me. An Orhert. So the goddess had chosen me to be the one to bless our pack with an Orhert. I knew I should not question, but I did. My husband and I were not simply matches that were made; we were really in love with each other, and I could imagine how broken Cleon was inside. I did suspect what my case was; that was why I avoided being found out. I needed to spend more normal time with Cleon before I was torn open by our child. Of course, I had never seen an Orhert before, and I had begun to write it off as a myth. Funny, huh? I had heard of the brutal manner in which the women were gashed to death; for this reason, the bearer of an Orhert was isolated as soon as she was due to give birth. Why? Because the sight of it would torment their family forever. I had also heard the story of a powerful wolf who ran mad after watching his wife get ripped open by an Orhert. I would never want Cleon to see such a thing. It was time to let go.
I sat up on my hospital bed, and a sharp pain punched me in the abdomen. I took Cleon’s hands in mine and squeezed them.
“It is a privilege that we were chosen by Cleon,” I began. Cleon shook his head in disagreement.
No, August, we did not ask for privileges as such. This feels more like a punishment; how am I to live?” He was choking on his own tears, and I could not help but cry with him. He was right in every way; all we ever wanted was to be together and happy. We stayed there, crying and falling asleep in each other’s arms, as we stared into our futures, which now seemed like a wasteland.