HE IS AWAKE

Lutheran has been unconscious for four days since they returned from the war. Most of the pack members have given up on any hopes of his survival except for Isolde, the one they all blame for his condition. Isolde never left his side. Just a moment ago, he had made some movements of his hands; Isolde gasped, and her eyes snapped widely open. Had she imagined it, no, it couldn't be, she saw it with her own eyes.

“Lutheran?” she whispered, frantically grabbing his hand tighter. “Lutheran, can you hear me?”

She called out again, but there was no answer. His fingers twitched once more, then fell still again. The healer, who had dozed off in the corner, sprang up at her cry.

“What is it?” he asked. “His hand moved,” she said breathlessly. “I swear it moved just now, two times.”

The healer rushed to Lutheran’s side, placing two fingers against his pulse, then prying his eyelids open one after the other. He sniffed lightly near the bandage, then unwrapped it slowly.

The wound was no longer oozing black and the purple veins had faded into faint blue. “I don’t know how,” the healer muttered, disbelief lacing his voice. “The poison is receding. I feared we had lost him.”

“You said seven days,” Isolde said in a shaky voice. “I did,” the healer said, still staring at the wound like it was a miracle. “But he’s fighting, his body is stronger than I thought possible.”

Isolde broke down in tears, then she rested her head on Lutheran’s chest. “Please, just keep fighting for me, okay..” she whispered. “Come back to me Lutheran.”

Outside the room, Soren stood in the doorway. He heard everything, and for the first time in days, he entertained the hopes that his best friend and Alpha would rise again.

Meanwhile, at Kaelen’s Pack, he stood at the edge of the forest, watching from behind a column of tall oaks as Mirabel trained in the courtyard.

He had returned broken, bleeding, and bruised from his secret fight against the invading rivals. But no one knew except a few loyal friends and elders. Most importantly, Mirabel had not even noticed his absence.

She was too occupied with the pack's affairs and dealing with her mother's magical world.

He clenched his jaw and moved quietly through the trees until he reached the cave hidden behind the old rock wall. Inside the cave, scrolls, ledgers, and stolen records lay scattered on the ground. Who could have done this? He wondered.

He walked to the centre of the cave and lowered himself to check through the scattered documents. One of them caught his eye; it was a stolen shipment manifest. Eudora’s seal was on it.

He picked it up again, his fingers trembled slightly as he read the markings at the bottom. A trade between Eudora, Queen of the Northern Pack and General Harkan of the Eastern Pack. There were weapons, supplies of food and lots of gold.

Kaelen’s heart thudded in his chest. So that was it. Mirabel’s mother had been siphoning supplies meant for their pack and arming the same enemies who had attacked them.

He struggled to breathe at the thought of this. Then he began to think, what was her end game? Was she trying to weaken his pack… or worse, orchestrate a takeover through Mirabel?

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching, Kaelen quickly tucked the scroll away and pressed his back to the wall. A moment later, he saw Mirabel entering the cave.

She was with another she-wolf, a young noblewoman from her mother’s circle. “Did my mother see you come in here?” She asked, glancing at the door.

“No, she doesn't suspect anything yet” " the woman answered. Mirabel sat down on a wooden stool nearby and looked at the lady, “Tell me everything my mother is planning.” She demanded.

“Mother says we will wait one more week; if Kaelen doesn't come to his senses and declare a formal marriage between you both, then we will force it.”

“How does she intend to force two grown adults to get married? I mean, I do want to be married to Kaelen; after choosing me as his Luna, I had expected that sooner, but he keeps resisting because his heart still belongs to that Isolde. Oh, I hate that she's still alive.”

She inhaled and continued. “But my mother is only doing this for her selfish interest. She already labels herself the queen, it's not like she's favouring me.” She sighed.

“I know that, but what do we do now?” The woman asked.

“I don't know, I do want to marry Kaelen, but I also want to stop her. I'm thinking of telling Kaelen about it, but I know he would not believe me. I can't take his side now, not after everything my mother and I did to him; he would never forgive me; I don't want to be thrown out of the pack. I want to continue to be the Luna of this magnificent pack, I was born for this, to rule and to lead. And if my mother stands in my way…” she stopped herself and stared in the direction of the door with cold eyes.

“I should go back now before she notices, please keep to your word, my Luna. My safety and that of my mother is in your hand,” The woman said, bowing respectively. “You can go,” Mirabel said simply.

Kaelen’s blood ran cold; they were planning a forced marriage between him and Mirabel, obviously to tighten their place in the pack. He backed away slowly, his heart was pounding in his chest, making sure she didn’t hear a sound. Once outside, he vanished into the trees.

Back in the Healing Chamber in Lutheran’s pack, Isolde sat curled up beside Lutheran’s body. She was humming now, softly, an old lullaby her mother once sang to her when she was sick.

The melody cracked every now and then as she struggled to hold in her tears.

“I know I hurt you,” she whispered to him, brushing strands of his hair from his forehead. “I know, and I hate myself for walking away. I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought… I needed to be strong.” She sighed shakily.

“But you were always my strength and I didn’t see it then. But I do now.” She lifted his hand and placed it over her heart.

“You once said this beats for me,” she said quietly. “Now I’m saying it back to you. No matter what happens, Lutheran, I’m yours. And I’ll never walk away again, not even if the whole world turns against me.”

She closed her eyes, hugging his arm to her chest, and then, she felt Lutheran’s hand gripping hers. When she turned to look at his face, his eyes were opened as if he hadn't been asleep for days; he looked charming even in his sick state.

At first, Isolde couldn’t believe it; her body froze, and her breath caught mid-throat. Her hand trembled slightly as she looked down at his fingers still resting inside hers. She thought her grief had finally broken her, that it was a dream.

But as she snapped her eyes back to his face, his eyes still glazed with fatigue and pain. Lutheran was looking back at her. Her lips parted in disbelief. “Lutheran?” she whispered.

He blinked slowly, trying to speak but his throat gave only a low groan. Isolde sprang to her feet and called for the healer.

“He’s awake!” she shouted, her voice cracking. “He’s awake!”