Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha

"We have to keep going. I have to find the Heart of Celeste. I can’t fail her. Not again."

~~~~~~~

They continued to walk; no one took a break, not with how re-energized Cain suddenly felt after the dream he had.

They kept walking tirelessly. The trees hadn’t changed in hours, or maybe they had, and the forest was just messing with them again. They had no idea. Branches stretched like fingers overhead, reaching out to the sky.

Some of the warriors had stopped talking. Even their footsteps were quiet now, just the soft drag of boots over dirt and leaves. They were tired, worn thin. One stumbled, caught by another. No one spoke about it. No one dared to say a word.

Cain led the way, walking at the forefront while they followed behind.

Just as they rounded a corner, one of the warriors stepped up, exhausted from the long hours. It was like they kept circling the same place with no success.

"Alpha..." he began, ignoring the wary gaze of the other warriors. "We are already..." he was cut short by Cain’s sharp gaze, his finger placed against his lips.

He stopped abruptly, eyes darting around the woods, hand up. A single sharp gesture, and everyone froze.

Cain didn’t speak. His head tilted, listening. His mating mark with Avery had been throbbing for the past hour, like an itch underneath his skin. One he couldn’t get through to... not until now. Now, it felt like it was burning him from the inside. Like the mark was on fire.

Cain’s breath hitched; he could feel it, close and burning.

The fire beneath his skin pulsed again. It was hot, insistent, and wild. His entire neck ached now, like the mark was trying to claw its way out. Every heartbeat pounded hard against his ribs, loud, louder...

Xander stepped closer. "What is it?"

Cain didn’t answer. His ears were sharp, listening for it. For a sign. And when he got it, his eyes widened.

"It’s here. We’ve found it."

The warriors glanced at each other, confused. "Found what, Alpha?"

"The Heart of Celeste. It’s underneath us," he said, his voice rough.

All of them looked down, their eyes widening with each passing second, suddenly aware of how large and wide ’underneath’ was. They were there, standing before a large thick tree. It was probably the largest in all of the woods, and they hadn’t even noticed, too lost in their exhaustion to see what was right in front of them.

This was the tree. The one spoken about in tales. It was the valley of death itself.

The mark on his neck burned like a brand, and his instincts screamed that this was the place. The very Heart of Celeste pulsed beneath this cursed tree—he could feel it in every inch of his soul.

He took a single step forward.

And the tree moved.

It was subtle—a twitch of a root, a creak in the bark, but enough to make every warrior tense. Swords were drawn without a word.

"Do not move! Nobody moves!" Cain’s voice rang out. The warning Elder Loris had told him suddenly filled his mind. Do not run. Do not scream. Do not show fear. The tree feeds on it. Lives off it.

Cain’s gaze locked on the monstrous thing before them. It was alive. Not just in a magical sense. It was truly aware. Watching them. Its bark was darker than night, coarse like dried blood, and the roots curled out in every direction like veins, reaching and twitching slightly.

It was no ordinary tree. It was ancient and alive.

He forced himself to breathe slowly. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. The throbbing in the mating mark spread like fire across his collarbone and shoulder.

Behind him, someone whimpered.

Cain didn’t look back.

"Steady," he growled. "Do not show fear. Do not even let it cross your mind."

But it was too late for one of them...

A warrior, one who’d been silent most of the time, trembled violently. He didn’t sign up for this. He never thought it would be this scary. He only wanted to be in the alpha’s good books. He only wanted to be rewarded. He-he didn’t want to put his life on the line like this.

With shaky legs, he stepped forward against Cain’s words. "Alpha... P-please..." he didn’t get to finish his words.

A sudden gust of wind slammed into them. But it wasn’t wind. It howled, high and cruel. It shot through the woods, slamming into the trees, dragging leaves and dirt into a frenzy.

And then... the warrior was gone.

Yanked into the air like a ragdoll. His scream echoed for a heartbeat, then silence. No rustling. No body. Just gone.

They all froze.

Unable to comprehend what just happened.

A second warrior fell to his knees, sobbing, a dark stain of urine spreading across his trousers. "Please," he whispered, shaking. "Please, Alpha, I don’t want to die here."

The moment the words left his lips, the wind came again, stronger, crueler. Yanking the second warrior into the air with nothing left behind.

"DO NOT MOVE! DON’T SHOW YOUR FEAR!" Cain growled.

The silence afterward was a living thing. Suffocating.

Cain’s fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. He looked over what was left of them, four warriors now, pale and trembling, eyes darting to every shadow.

"No one runs. This place, this tree. It feeds off our fear. You saw it right? The way the wind came back stronger the second time? It feeds off our energy. No one breathes unless I say otherwise."

Xander swallowed hard, his face grim. "What now?"

Cain glanced at him. "See that opening in there." He motioned to the slim opening leading inside the tree. "I’m going in through there. I can feel it. I know it’s underneath this place. I can only retrieve it once I go in."

"What?" Xander exclaimed from where he stood. "Forgive me, Alpha, but are you mad? Do you have an inkling of what you’re venturing to do? You can’t possibly be serious!"

Cain’s face was set in determination. "I made a vow, Xander. I’m bringing Avery back." He heaved heavily.

"Remember everyone! The tree feeds off your fear. No one must show fear." He said, unable to look at each of them in the eye. With one deep breath, he lunged into the opening of the tree.