Luna Felix

34 | The curse

ALPHA KING'S POV

I am an inherently angry person. Even when I don't express that anger verbally, my entire being exudes my dissatisfaction. And over the years I have learnt to restrain myself and have gotten excellent in pretending to be calm. Today is not one of those days I can say that about myself. 

It's been 10 mins since I handed Felix over to the doctors. I was hellbent on staying inside the room until they tell me what is wrong with her. But I could see the visible side effect of my emotions on the staff. I mean for the love of the goddess, the hands of the aid were shaking as he drew blood for testing. 

So I reluctantly withdrew out of the room and settled in the waiting room outside. I sat down on the couch and leaned my head back until it touched the back of the cold wall. The icy feeling helped me gain stability. I closed my eyes, running through every possible diagnosis. 

Exhaustion is the best of the worst outcome and poisoning is the worst possible outcome. I need to understand what happened, why it happened and make sure it doesn't happen again and and and ..........

My mind drew a blank after that. What will I do next? Stop her from doing anything? Control her activities? Increase her security???

What do I do? How do I do that? How? How?

"Orief." My mother's voice shook me out of my sinking thoughts. 

I shook my head and stood up to see my entire family coming down the hallway. Mum, Dad and even Huxx and Acimer, all sported various degrees of worry and confusion.

Dad sat next to me, his hand rubbing up and down on my back, which he did to calm me and Huxx as kids. Mum was on my other side just patting my head. Their actions made me realise how anxious I was before they came in. 

Acimer had been staring at me from a distance looking guilty. I know he blames himself for letting her go to the dwarf village and it intensifies as he sees her ill and me distressed. Even if I try to console him, he won't listen to a word I say.

Huxx was staring into the treatment room from the small clear window in the door. I concentrate on his expression, for any telltale sign of panic. Because my brother is a sensitive soul when it comes to his loved ones. And he was already exhausted a lot tonight.

But in place of sadness, I noticed a different emergency in his body language. He hugged me and scurried away under the guise of getting everyone something to eat. I mentally focused on tracking his presence as he moved away from me. And just as I know he came to stop a good hundred meters outside of my maximum range of hearing. 

What he does not know is that I have been running on excessive energy for the last 48 hours, and my senses are reinforced to a level even I have never experienced before. 

I strategically moved away from the family and Acimer pretending to walk back and forth but in reality, I was trying to get a better sense of what Huxx was doing. He seemed to have been pacing in circles and I could hear the faint ring of an ongoing call.  I couldn't pick up clearly what was said but the pieces I did hear were concerning. Huxx had called Alpha West. 

"..... yes that's exactly what I am saying, she returned today and went to nap and then my  brother found her unconscious with a running fever." So Huxx was informing him of Felix's condition. But why not talk in front of everyone?

I couldn't hear what Alpha West was saying, but he might have said something because Huxx sighed in relief. 

"It's good to know it's not that. But are you sure? She isn't in any danger right?"

That? Danger? Are they implying what I think they are?

I didn't hear the last part of the conversation but I knew it was over as Huxx's footsteps led him back to the infirmary wing but stopped and made a detour as he remembered his lie. 

I continued to walk around waiting for him to come back. He came back with a tray full of food and offered some for everyone. He eyed me with apprehension trying to figure out if I heard him or not. He opened his mouth to say something but the doctor exiting the room stopped him.

"What's wrong with her?" My mother impatiently questioned.

The doctor glanced at me and I gave a nod as approval to speak openly. "The Luna isn't poisoned. But she seemed to have been very tired. It is not physical exhaustion but something more emotional. We apologize, Your Majesty. We couldn't tell much without test results coming in a few hours." He bowed his head in regret and fear. 

I didn't press them more, because the pale expression of my brother told me he knows what was wrong with his best friend. All I needed to do was get it out of him. I dismissed everyone and they reluctantly retreated hearing the absolute finality in my request. 

"Huxx, chat with me for a second?" I call out to my brother dearest.

He pauses and walks back to me with guilt dripping down his face. Guilt for what I am unaware of. He followed me inside the separate room they are going to shift Felix. I don't say a word just let him sit in silence and sweat it. I know the biggest weapon for probing anyone is actually not saying anything. People will build narratives in their heads and end up getting pressured by the lack of words.

On most days Huxx won't fall for this. But today isn't most days. He has been tired, frazzled and worried. His best friend is ill, his brother is upset and his nation is in unrest. His head is running a mile a minute. 

I do my best to look depressed and worried in front of him. It isn't hard to because I am feeling a fraction of those emotions too. He reaches his limit when the assistant healers completely transfer and leave us brothers alone with her.  

"You know the reason Huxx, right?" I ask him softly, mimicking the tone Felix uses with him. I know what my brother reacts to and right on cue his eyes brim with tears. He looks so pitiful that I wanted to leave all this and just go hug him. And I am about to give up when he utters something, something that I never in my wildest dream imagined was possible.

"The curse.... it's the curse, please save her. Please."

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Umm please don't come for me, my hand just slipped. 

Fun fact: I was listening to wildest dream as I was writing the word wildest dream.