Chapter 243: The Cure.
Taros gave Kael the cure as soon as he reached the south house, but what confused him was that Kael drifted into a deep sleep right after. He could not tell if the drug was helping or if something was wrong.
"We should give him time," Hiro said, glancing at his brother. "What do you want me to get you?"
"Wolfscan," Taros answered, lowering himself onto the couch. He wanted to run another check, to see if Kael’s eyes showed any change. "Kael is stronger than I thought. He managed to fight the bad energy inside him."
"This morning his eyes were all blue. Then he started acting strange so I had to chain him," Hiro muttered, his voice heavy with pity. He never imagined he would see Kael like this. "You were late. What kept you?"
Taros let out a tired sigh. It was the tenth time Hiro had asked, and he had already explained, but his brother never stopped pressing. "Do not start, please."
"How? I just want to know what was more important than saving Kael," Hiro said with a shrug as he opened the fridge and pulled out drinks. "Were you with Angela?"
Taros froze for a moment, caught off guard. "How are you able to guess that?" He wondered if Hiro had used his powers to see through him.
"It’s simple. You walked in with a different kind of energy. I knew right away it was because of her."
Taros gave a small laugh as he took the drinks from him and set them on the table. "Well, I would say I’m happy... if not for the situation we’re in."
"You are always happy, Taros," Hiro said as he sat beside him, opened his can of drink and took a sip.
"Really?" Taros smiled and leaned back into the seat. "Isn’t that a good thing?"
"It is, bro. I am happy for you," Hiro replied, tapping his knee before his eyes shifted back to Kael. He wondered how long it would take before Kael opened his eyes again.
"Thanks, but you should claim her. It will complete the circle and break your curse."
"Let’s not talk about it," Hiro pleaded, lowering his gaze.
"Fine, but you can’t just continue like this."
"I already spoke to Kaito. I will think about it," Hiro said with a tired voice. "Let’s see how things go."
"No problem. We still have days before the harvest moon," Taros agreed, deciding to change the subject since his brother was clearly not ready. "What about Mr. Slade? What did you find? Were you able to see Dr. Dylan’s face?"
"No. It has been long since he met his brother. They had a big fight," Hiro explained.
"I don’t understand. What was the fight about?"
"No idea, but Mr. Slade was injected by his brother, and it wasn’t the same injection he gave to Kael," Hiro shook his head sadly before adding, "It gave him a chronic disease. Now he works for his brother because he needs the cure for his sickness."
"That is sad. What kind of brother does that?" Taros was shocked. He still could not understand why someone would choose to hurt his own blood instead of protecting him. Family was meant to stand together, not tear each other apart. It was strange to him and something he knew he would never accept. "Do you think his brother knows about his disappearance?"
"Yes, but it is not easy to trace where Mr. Slade went. I must commend Kaito, our boy did a clean job," Hiro replied. "Dr. Dylan will try to contact the other affected students now that his right hand man is missing. We have to get to those students first."
"It will not be easy."
"Yeah, I know," Hiro said as he stood from the couch. Just then, he heard a sound outside his door. He opened it and found Dr. Dave standing there. "Thank goodness you came."
"I had a meeting with the management," Dr. Dave said as he stepped inside. He placed his bag on the couch beside Taros and shook hands with them. "There will be a celebration tomorrow."
"For what?" Taros asked, confused, setting his drink can back on the table.
"Exactly, what are we celebrating?" Hiro asked, curiosity written on his face.
"You mean you both haven’t checked the academy news page?" Dr. Dave was surprised. He pulled out his phone and showed them.
"A celebration to mark the academy’s success at the nationals," Hiro read, frowning as his brows came together. He turned to his brother. "Wasn’t it last semester we went for that competition? The six of us?"
"Yes," Taros nodded as the memory came back fresh in his mind. Alex and Samuel had joined the four alphas in that competition, and the academy came first with impressive points. "Why are they celebrating it now? Nobody did anything for us when we came back."
"According to the management, the call came from above. My sister has nothing to do with it. In fact, she is angry about it," Dave explained. His eyes shifted to Kael lying motionless. "How long has he been asleep?"
Hiro checked his wristwatch before answering. "About three hours ago. It’s getting scary."
"That’s too long," Dave said as he reached into his bag and pulled out his stethoscope.
"Yeah, but maybe it’s normal," Taros replied, rubbing the back of his neck with unease. "He was given a lupine sedative this morning but it did not work on him the way it should."
"Oh, it got to that point?" Dave asked in surprise. He turned back to the brothers, his expression serious. "So what about the students?"
"We will find them later. Renn told me they found cctv footage at Mr. Slade’s house," Hiro answered. "We should use it to watch the students’ movements. Maybe we can find the rest."
"That guy was sly," Taros frowned at the thought. He turned to Dave. "Why don’t you check Kael? He needs to wake up."
"Sure." Dave put the stethoscope around his neck and went to Kael. He felt his pulse but it was strange. Nothing. He searched for the second pulse point and still got the same result. His brow creased. "When last did you check on him?"
"Like twenty minutes ago," Taros answered, glancing at Hiro who nodded. "Ehnn... what’s going on, doc?"
Dave didn’t respond. He leaned closer, checking Kael’s chest for a heartbeat. He pressed again, then again, each attempt more desperate than the last. The brothers grew restless, their fear rising with every second of silence.
"This doesn’t look well. Is there a problem?" Taros managed to ask. His heart pounded in his chest. He could feel something was wrong with Kael but he didn’t want to believe it.
Dave still said nothing, and Hiro lost his patience. His voice cracked with fear. "What the fuck is going on, Dave?" he shouted, the sound sharp enough to shake the walls. He was terrified, and the doctor’s silence was driving him mad.
Dave finally turned to them. His face was pale, his eyes wide, his lips trembling as if he had forgotten how to speak. The cure that was supposed to save Kael had failed. Instead of declaring him gone outright, the only words that left his mouth were, "I can’t feel his heartbeat."
******
"Stales is right. What really happened in the central house?" Angela asked, her eyes moving from one person to another. "Does anyone know the story?"
"No. We were only told that someone died there years ago," Renn replied. It happened so long ago that he could not even keep track of the years. "I never cared to know because it didn’t concern me."
"Yes. The incident took place in the central house which belongs to a different pack and it’s not under our regime," Kaito added.
"Long before we even got admitted into the academy," Renn said again.
"Marcus mentioned it. He knew about the incident and said it happened to someone close to him," Hailey paused and turned to Stales for a reminder. "Didn’t he mention Angela’s mother?"
"Yes. He said his daughter’s mother," Stales stood up in excitement as pieces began to fall into place. "He also mentioned the board."
"The man accused them," Seraphina added quietly. It was the only thing she could contribute so far. "That’s what I got from the way they argued. The handsome guy..."
"His name is Marcus," Angela reminded her.
"Alright. His daughter’s mother was harmed in that house with another girl. They were both young then. The second girl died but his daughter’s mother survived. Marcus is still angry about it because he never knew what really happened. He looks like someone who would burn the world if anything happened to the woman he loved."
"Every girl is falling for Marcus," Renn rolled his eyes.
"Principal Valois claimed she didn’t know anything. Was she already the principal then?" Angela asked, confused.
"Yes. She has been principal for more than twenty years," Hailey answered. "But we never spoke about that incident."
"Maybe they did something to Grace. That’s why she acts like a mad woman," Alex said, his eyes moving to his Alpha who had been silent all this while. "What do you think, Alpha Kaito?"
Kaito finally spoke, his voice calm but heavy. "I think Grace is not Angela’s mother."
The words fell like a storm, leaving everyone stunned into silence.
*****
Hello sweethearts,
I was supposed to do a mass release today but the power supply got jealous. It was restored like 50mins ago and I have to write this Chapter because I cant leave you without a Chapter today.
The mass release will be tomorrow. I am already working on the chaps. Thank you fir your gifts, ps, goldentickets, time and etc.
Love you a bunch.