Chapter 163 Kaden's POV
The pack house was no longer defensible.
Half of it was destroyed from Xavier's attack. The walls were breached in multiple places. The defensive positions had been compromised.
"We need to evacuate," I told Marcus.
"Move everyone to the forest encampment; it is our only option."
"The forest? Alpha, we have elderly, children, wounded-"
"I know but if Xavier attacks again, the pack house is a death trap. At least in the forest, we can scatter and hide and make ourselves harder targets."
Marcus nodded grimly. "I will organize the evacuation."
Within hours, the entire pack was moving. People carrying whatever belongings they could. The wounded were transported on makeshift stretchers.
Elara walked beside me, carrying Adrian. Kira and Kara stayed close, helping protect them.
We moved deep into our territory to an area dense with trees and natural cover. Far from the roads. Difficult to find if you didn't know where to look.
"Here." I said, stopping in a clearing.
"We set up camp here."
The pack worked together to establish the temporary settlement. Tents erected. Perimeter defenses set up supply stations.
It was primitive compared to the pack house. But it was safer. More defensible against the kind of assault Xavier had launched.
I was helping set up one of the larger tents when Kira approached.
"Kaden, we need to talk about Damian."
"What about him?"
"I have been watching him, something is wrong. He had been acting strangely disappearing for hours and when he came back, he looked worse."
"He is exhausted we all are-"
"It is more than exhaustion, he's really sick. And he is hiding it from everyone."
Concern shot through me. "Where is he now?"
"His tent on the eastern edge of the camp."
I started walking in that direction immediately.
"Elara!" Kira called out. "You should come too!"
I heard footsteps behind me. Elara runs to catch up, Adrian in her arms.
"What's wrong? What's happening?"
"Damian is sick, Kira says it's serious."
We reached Damian's tent and I pushed through the entrance.
He was sitting on his cot, hunched over, breathing hard. Sweat poured down his face despite the cool evening air.
"Damian?" Elara moved past me immediately. "What's wrong? Let me see-"
"I'm fine just tired-"
"You are not fine!" She handed Adrian to Kira and knelt beside Damian. "Let me help you."
She reached for his shirt and he tried to pull away but he was too weak.
Elara ripped open his shirt, buttons scattering.
A growl rumbled from my chest seeing her hands on him seeing her undressing him.
But then I saw what was underneath.
Black veins spread across Damian's chest like cracks in glass. Radiating out from his heart. The same dark substance that had killed Ethan.
"What is that?" I demanded.
Damian laughed bitterly. "The curse is finally manifesting."
"What curse?"
"The one I told you about the curse on my father's bloodline. One son serves the light. One serves the darkness."
He coughed and black liquid came up. "Xavier chose darkness and thrived. I chose light and this is the price."
"But you have had the curse your whole life. Why is it manifesting now?"
"Because Xavier is losing. Erebus's power is weakening. The curse is trying to balance things out by killing me. By eliminating the light-serving son so the dark-serving son can survive."
Elara was staring at the black veins in horror. "There has to be a cure some way to break the curse-"
"There isn't anything I have researched for years; this curse is ancient. Unbreakable. The moment it was placed on my father's bloodline, it doomed both his sons."
Damian met my eyes. "I don't have much time left. Maybe days, maybe hours, the darkness is spreading faster now."
"How long have you known?" I asked.
"Since the day Xavier revealed himself as Erebus's follower. I felt the curse activate then. I felt it start to consume me.”
He smiled weakly. "But I had to keep working. Keep helping, keep trying to save people for as long as I can."
"You should have told us-"
"What would that have accomplished? Making everyone worry about me instead of focusing on the war?"
He shook his head. "I chose this path to serve the light knowing it would kill me eventually I have no regrets."
"Damian, please-" Elara's voice broke.
"I'm sorry, Elara. I'm sorry I won't be here to see you and Kaden build your life together. To watch Adrian grow up. To help deliver your future children."
He touched her face gently. "But I'm glad I got to know you to care for you even if you could never love me back."
Elara burst into tears and threw her arms around Damian, pulling him close.
"You're not dying! I won't let you die! Not on my watch!"
She was sobbing against his chest. "We will find a cure! We will break the curse! We will do something!"
"Elara-"
"No! I refuse to accept this! You don't get to just give up and die!"
She pulled back to look at his face. "You are my friend! You've saved my life more times than I can count! I'm not losing you! I'm not!"
Damian looked at me over her shoulder. Pain and resignation in his eyes he knew he was dying knew there was no cure.
But he let Elara hold him, let her cry, let her pretend there was hope because sometimes, that's all you can give someone.
The illusion of hope even when you know it's futile.