Dark Twin Moon - The Beast of Darmaruk

Chapter 14:

As dusk fell and gave way to the dark night, Kayleb yawned out of boredom. The seemingly endless rain grew heavier one last time, washing away the last remnants of the land's corruption. He was lying in bed with a book and a Hamilien tea at his side. He hadn't slept well in a while. Dal was dominating all his nightly thoughts. Remembering his heavy scent made his heart jump, and seeing his beautiful dark eyes and soft, white-yellow skin in his dream robbed him of any semblance of intelligence. He missed being close to him, his touches and little kisses. Kayleb already knew he was a goner as soon as he had seen Dal for the first time, but he never thought it could be this bad. At least no one could see his blushing cheeks in his bedroom.

Later, in the middle of the night, when he found himself in a passage in his book in which the protagonist fought a beast so large that it broke through the thirty-meter-high wall of the city he had sworn to protect, that he heard something strange: the sound of naked feet tiptoeing around.

Although he already knew who was walking around at night, he didn't intervene, interested in what would happen. But he quickly became suspicious when he heard the bare feet wandering further to the right side of the building. Before he knew it, he was already standing up, his bare feet touching the cold ground. Undeterred, he made his way to his bedroom door. He opened and closed it behind him almost silently, already walking towards the door that led to the wide hallways.

When he looked out into the hallway, there was no sound, just the silence of the night. The footsteps he had heard before seemed like nothing more than a distant dream. There was no sign that anyone had moved inside the building. But Kayleb knew what he had heard.

He closed the door behind him and proceeded quietly. Almost nothing could be heard, only the air he pushed aside as he stormed through the halls to the ground floor. He searched the place but couldn't find anything. The pit in his stomach grew because he knew that anyone who dared to enter the part of the building he had forbidden anyone from entering would be in big trouble if he found that person.

Slowly, he walked down the hallway. There were no lights on. Only the light of thunder coming through the windows illuminated his path. Still, there was nothing to be seen. He began to wonder if perhaps he had really imagined it all. But he shook his head, knowing he heard someone walking in that direction, even if the person was trying to be sneaky and hide.

Kayleb became truly worried. Why did anyone even try to get there? Only death was waiting there, and why was HE the one who decided to go there? Does it have something to do with his recent behavior? He wouldn't know until he finally caught him disobeying his orders.

Soon, he was standing in front of the room he had been going to several times a day for the past week, sometimes for hours, to ensure the boy would survive after everything he had been through.

With his heart beating heavily, he placed his hand on the cold doorknob. He would never have been able to open the door silently, so he pushed it open in one quick motion. Inside, he saw something that froze the heated blood in his veins. Luke, with a blade in both hands, a heavy, ancient sword that once hung on the wall in the room, stood over the younger boy, the sharp part of it at his neck. The Alpha's gaze moved to the wall where he knew the sword once hung, but the sword was gone, just as he thought.

Luke kept his gaze on the boy the entire time, lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his skin still pale. He was breathing, but only barely. Despite everything Kayleb has done for him, he hasn't woken up yet and perhaps never will.

The young werewolf didn't even notice that Kayleb had stormed into the room. He completely ignored the older boy. Conflict was visible in Luke's eyes, his hands shaking as if he was unsure whether he should do what he planned to do or not.