Chapter 173

Chapter 173
Freya's POV

Just as Dad was about to continue explaining, the hospital room door burst open.

Edward limped in with his cane, his face grave with worry. Anson followed close behind, his brow furrowed, and then Cedric entered, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Luke on the hospital bed.

"What's Luke's condition?" Edward asked immediately, his aged voice filled with concern.

Dr. Aubrey quickly updated them on Luke's situation.

But it was when Dad continued his explanation that Cedric's reaction became truly alarming.

"As I was saying," Dad's voice was heavy with years of buried secrets, "her real name was Amelia Faith—"

"Faith?" Cedric's voice cracked like a whip, his face going white as if he'd seen a ghost. "You're saying she's descended from the Faith bloodline?"

The disbelief in his voice was so sharp it cut through the room's tension like a blade.

"This can't be possible..." Cedric whispered, his voice trembling.

Then his gaze snapped to Alexander, and his expression turned fierce, almost desperate. "You cannot be with her! Absolutely not!"

'What the hell is wrong with these people?' My patience was hanging by a thread.

"Why?" I demanded, stepping toward Cedric. "What is it with you people and your obsession with keeping us apart?"

Cedric looked at me with pain in his eyes, then squeezed them shut as if the sight of me caused him physical agony. "Some blood feuds aren't something love can resolve."

That did it. The silver light around me exploded outward, wild and uncontrolled, responding to my fury and desperation.

"Enough!" I shouted. "I don't care about blood feuds! I don't care about family vendettas! I don't care about any of your ancient bullshit!"

I turned to face all of them, my eyes blazing with tears but my voice steady with maternal determination.

"My son is dying on that bed, and if any of you have even a shred of decency left, you'll help me save Luke first and deal with your precious politics later!"

I walked to Luke's bedside, gently stroking his fevered forehead.

"Everything else can wait," I whispered, but my voice carried throughout the room.

Alexander immediately moved to stand beside me, his presence a solid wall of support. The gesture was unmistakable - whatever these blood feuds were, he was choosing our family first.

"Tell us what we need to know to save him," Alexander's voice carried all the authority of an Alpha.

Dad took a shaky breath, his eyes never leaving Luke's small form. "Your mother... Amelia... she had these exact same symptoms when she was pregnant with you."

I gripped the bed rail so hard my knuckles went white.

"What happened after I was born?" I forced myself to ask, though I dreaded the answer.

"After you were born, Amelia's condition deteriorated rapidly," Dad's voice broke slightly. "The silver markings spread everywhere. She couldn't control her wolf form anymore. The worst part was the hallucinations - sometimes she couldn't recognize you or me."

'My poor mother...'

"In her final lucid moments, she told me this was a hereditary condition in the Faith bloodline. That was all I knew... all she had time to tell me."

The room fell into a deathly silence broken only by the beeping of Luke's monitors.

I looked down at Luke, imagining my mother going through this same agony while carrying me, and terror filled my heart.

Alexander pulled me into his arms, and through our connection, I felt his determination and love flowing into me, giving me strength to continue.

Before anyone could speak, the door opened again. Evander burst in, followed closely by Isabella, who was carrying an armload of ancient documents and files.

Isabella's sharp eyes took in the scene - Luke unconscious on the bed, the silver markings, the gathered crowd of worried faces.

"I came as soon as Evander told me," she said briskly. Then her gaze fixed on the people in the room with a cold smile. "I've just received the complete DNA test results."

She looked directly at me. "Freya is indeed blood-related to us. She is my sister's daughter."

Isabella spread out an ancient family tree on the nearby table. "But there's more you all need to understand about the Faith bloodline."

She pointed to various branches of the genealogy. "The Faith family was chosen as guardians by the werewolf royalty precisely because of our unique bloodline. Our blood manifests in two ways - dominant and recessive."

"Dominant carriers like Freya can control the ancient power and become powerful guardians. But recessive carriers like Amelia and Luke..." Isabella's voice grew grave, "cannot withstand the ancient power in their blood. The power turns against their bodies, ultimately leading to death."

"This is the pain our family has endured for generations."

My heart sank. 'Luke has the recessive gene.'

Isabella's expression hardened. "The Faith family were once honored as guardians of the werewolf royalty. But gradually, we discovered they weren't satisfied with just our protection - they wanted to use our bloodline to create super soldiers."

"When we refused this plan, we were accused of betraying the royal family. The Reid family, as loyal allies of the princess at that time, participated in the campaign against us."

"But what about my wife! It was your Faith family who killed her!" Cedric practically roared. 

"We did not!" Isabella shouted back, unflinching. "We would never do something so cruel!"

"Stop it, both of you. This endless fighting... I just want to save my son," I cried, a mother's grief temporarily halted their confrontation.

Before anyone could respond, Isabella continued with urgency. "According to ancient records in our family, there is indeed a way to cure this condition."

Hope flared in my chest. "What is it?"

"In the Arctic wasteland, there grows a mysterious plant called 'Moon Grass.' It only grows there, guarded by some of the last human hunters in the modern world."

"The treatment must be administered before the next full moon, and it requires blood from both parents to create the special healing serum."

Dr. Aubrey looked up from her charts. "From Luke's current condition, he has at most three weeks."

Isabella's expression grew grave. "That Arctic region is called 'The Graveyard of the Forgotten.' Not only does it have harsh natural conditions, but it's also filled with traps set by the hunters."

I didn't hesitate. I took Luke's small hand in mine. "I don't care how dangerous it is. I'm going."

Alexander pulled me against him. "We'll go together. We'll face all the dangers together."

Just as we were making our decision, there was a sharp knock on the door. Three figures in official uniforms entered - investigators from the Werewolf Court.

"Which one of you is Freya Austen?" the lead investigator asked formally. "Please cooperate with our investigation and come with us to the Werewolf Court."

My face went pale. "No! My son is fighting for his life!"

Alexander stepped forward, his Alpha power beginning to radiate dangerously, ready to shift if necessary.

The investigator, though clearly intimidated, stood his ground. "Even if you're from an Alpha family, you must obey the laws jointly established by the werewolf world."

I looked at Luke one more time, my heart breaking. But I knew resisting would only make things worse.

"I'll go," I said quietly, compromising for the sake of my family.

As they escorted me toward the door, I kept looking back at Luke's unconscious form, my heart tearing apart with each step.