Chapter 146: Chapter 146

Chapter 57 – Delegation

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.“– Suzy Kassem

Neron

I don’t know where I am, or how I got here.

All I know is that something terrible has happened.

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01:47

A throbbing pain in my chest wouldn’t leave. It sat, recklessly pulsating against my wishes. I’ve tried rubbing the area to case the discomfort, but it only made it worse. The only thing I could do is try to ignore it as I try to figure out where I am. Easier said than done, so it seems.

Is this a dream? My steps echoed as I walked through the infinite void of white. The blinding light betrayed the reckless chill, goosebumps littering across my exposed flesh. Could this be a sign of things to come, or am I looking too much into it?

Then, I remembered what Onyx said before I passed out. He believes something happened to Kiya. The pain was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, like it ripped my heart from my chest. It was the only sign I’ve received from my mate’s condition, and it wasn’t good. At all.

This is where the panic sets in. What happened to Kiya?

Suddenly, a second pair of footsteps appeared, seizing my attention. Faint sniffles followed. I ran toward the source of the sadness. My distressed heart was eager to alleviate whoever it was. Confusion settled in; why am I doing this? It seemed futile, but I couldn’t stop. Something was telling me not to. As I drew closer, the thoughts of Kiya grew in power. She was all I could think about; her smile, her laughter, her fearlessness–everything that made her perfect..

“I’m sorry…”

The memories faded to dust. I skidded to a stop, eyes widening. That voice. I’ll always recognize that voice, even if it’s just a whisper in the wind.

“I just wanted the pain to stop…”

The white void misted and cleared to a scene that crushed my heart. It was Kiya, on her knees with her hands covering her face. Tears slipped from her fingers, raining on the ground like a storm. Her whimpers were soft, her body curled into a small ball to hide from the world. I couldn’t stand the sight of my mate sad. I wanted to take away her sadness; to reach out to wipe her tears away. To tell her everything will be okay.

But what did she mean by ‘wanting the pain to stop?

“Love?” I took a step forward, worried. My fingers ached to touch her face. Startled, her head shot up from her palms, revealing puffy eyes and a tear–stained face. Brown eyes glistened with fear, Kiya retreated on her rear, scurrying away from me.

“No! Stay back!” She yelled. “Leave! I’m too dangerous!”

“What do you mean, Kiya?” I continue to advance, motivated by my concern. “Please, let me help you.”

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“No one can help me!” Frantically wiping her tears, she rose on her feet, staring me down. “You don’t know you’re getting into, Neron. If you know what’s best for you, you’d leave and forget about me!”

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01:44

“I can’t do that.” I shook my head. “Something is happening, and I need to know what it is. I want to and will help you, even if you’ll hate me for it. Leaving you like this is not an option; I care about you.”

She scoffed. I ignored it. “What made you so sad?”

Kiya didn’t say a word. She hugged her elbows and darted her eyes around as if she was waiting for something to happen. “It doesn’t matter. Forget it.”

“It matters to me!” My fists shook in my frustration, eyes analyzing my mate. Blank stare, rigid movements, monotonous voice–she lost the will to fight. I had many questions, and this was my only chance to get answers, по matter how wild this dream is. “What did Osiris do to you? I know he did something.”

Her movements faltered, but she quickly recovered. “A lot. None of which I can explain.” Sighing, her eyes drifted close. “I’m no longer the Kiya you know, Neron. I don’t think I’ll ever be again.”

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Before I could respond, black energy swirled behind Kiya’s form, growing. It rumbled and howled, pulsating unseen force that chucked us on our rears. What slithered out of the hole was a colossal, writhing, snake tail. It launched toward its target, draping around Kiya’s waist, pulling her toward it, ravenous to swallow her whole.

No! It’s not taking my mate away from me!

Growling, I grasped Kiya’s arms and yanked her body to me, arms around her upper frame. It turned into a game of tug–o–war with my mate as the rope, both sides fighting for the chance to claim her as our own. Losing her wasn’t an option! Darkness cannot and will not take her!

Kiya begged me to let her go. Her whimpers and yells of pain were all I could hear. I wanted them to stop because she was in pain, but I’d risk losing her for good. My heart can’t take that! I couldn’t give up!

I pulled and pulled, gaining traction over the swirling darkness. Into the light is where Kiya belonged, not in a pit of black. Losing footing, the snake tail began slipping, giving me the advantage. It seemed like victory was in my hands. I was going to save my mate!

Until it wasn’t.

Without warning, I felt an extreme stabbing pain spreading from my Pack Mark to the rest of my body. Sadistic, the agony seized control of my muscles, infusing in every fiber to render me helpless. I fought against it, but it became tougher to breathe. My vision blurred, sending a pounding, rhythmic headache straight into my skull. My hands slipped and my knees buckled. I lost focus. I lost my momentum and Kiya slipped from my hands with an echoing scream. Collapsing onto the hard ground, weak and lips cemented together, my vision gave me one last look of my mate swallowed by everlasting darkness.

“NERON!”

Rapid beeping from the heart monitor bombarded my eardrums when I shot up from the hospital bed, sweat clinging onto my clothes. How the hell did I get here? I felt multiple hands on my arms as my heartbeat rung

in my ears, urging me to rest. My eyes found my Betas and Gamma gazing at me with frowns and eyes eclipsed with concern.

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“Calm down, Nero.” Valerian said, lightly pushing me back to the pillow. “We found you passed out in your room. We couldn’t wake you up, so we had you rushed to the emergency room. What happened?”

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01:41

I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what I should say. My hands shook and my mind swam like a cruise against the wild sea, threatening to throw me overboard in its watery prison. Kiya’s screaming felt so real–the dream felt real. My hands ached from her touch, desperate for her warmth, but got relentless chill. I just in stunned silence, thoughts running a million miles a minute.

“The bond…” Onyx hissed in pain. “I can’t feel the mate bond…”

No. Oh Goddess, please no!

I reached out to Kiya through our bond, hoping for a sign. Hoping for an answer that she’s okay. But I’m met with an impervious wall. Unable to feel her on the other side. Unable to feel the rest of the bond. My side was like a flickering wire, helplessly jumping for its other part but couldn’t get through.

Like Kiya is no longer there.

Did…she reject me? Was this the pain I gave her five years ago?

All fight in me vanished. Punishing agony danced with my guilt, punishing me worse than my father ever could. A normal person would cry in their bed as they struggle, but I couldn’t. I felt numb. Nothing felt real to me, anymore. I glue my eyes to my lap, ruminating over what transpired in the past several days. I’m losing everything left and right; trust, my sanity, my father–and now, Kiya.

Looks like karma finally caught up to me.

“If you know what’s best for you, you’d leave and forget about me!” Kiya’s voice from the dream echoed in the recesses of my mind. Could that be what she meant? Maybe it was her way of saying she rejected our bond. Osiris has her. Kiya said, in the dream, that he’s done something to her. I don’t know if the dream was just a dream or a strange premonition, but I trust in what she says. If Kiya rejected me, there is no way in hell she’d chose Osiris as her second chance. Not him. He’s evil, and she’s full of light and goodness.

Osiris infuriates me. I cannot wait to rip his head from his body!

y voice flat

“Any updates from Alpha Anthony, Kwame?” I asked, my

“Yes. He called earlier.” He nodded, dreadlocks bouncing lightly. “The bad news is Phoebe’s location ritual failed. She couldn’t find her, even with the aid of other witches. The good news is she isn’t giving up and Alpha Anthony and Luna Alesia are considering other avenues to locate her. Not all hope it lost.”

It seems like it is. No matter what we do, Osiris is five steps ahead of us. He planned this to the smallest detail and we’reping at straws. I feel like I’m about to lose my mind with all these different, contradicting emotions at war. And misery is prevailing. We have nothing to go on with Kiya, and the damaged bond made the situation worse.

“I’m no longer the Kiya you know, Neron. I don’t think I’ll ever be again.”

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Cryptic messages, galore. Hope is miniscule, but it is better than nothing. Better than not having her with tou people she loves.

01:38

“Giving up isn’t an option, Neron. Things are becoming crazier by the day, but we can’t expect a miracle to happen.” Onyx’s strained voice betrayed the confidence in his words. But he doesn’t relent. He is feeling the brunt of this recent development as much as I am, yet he stands strong. “Since Garnet Moon is doing what they can to search for Kiya, we must match their level. Being an Alpha when your world is collapsing isn’t easy.”

“No kidding. Every single day is a struggle unlike any other, Onyx. To be a leader when you aren’t sure you’re doing

it right.”

“Having doubts is part of being human. You have your humanity, dude. Few Alphas do; some wouldn’t dare to show any emotion. But I think that makes you unique from the men before you.”

My left eye twitched. “The last thing I want is to be anything like them; crude, callous, and selfish.”

“You’re far from it, and for that, I’m happy. Kwame is correct about one thing; not all hope is lost. Our options are limited, but I believe in you. This is the time to prove that you can lead when shit goes awry, with or without Kiya–though I still prefer her with us. Without your Dad breathing down your neck, we can do the best we can.”

Even if the rejection speculation is true and after her rescue, if she doesn’t want to see me anymore, I can go to sleep at night knowing I did my part to help her. She can trust me to do my due diligence instead of wallowing in my self–pity. Dad blames my weakness on her kidnapping, and I’ll prove him wrong in every way.

I want her happy. I want her protected. Kiya needs to be with her family.

“Okay.” I huffed, shoving the hospital blanket off my legs, gathering my resolve. “We can’t afford to waste any more time. We will find something that’ll lead us to Kiya. Osiris cannot hide forever. There has to be someone out there in the world who has seen him or knows about him, and I want them found. We’ll start in Carson City and spread out from there. Gamet Moon has things handled in Califomia.”

“What do you need us to do?” Valerian asked.

“There are a couple of minor details we have to take care of, so I will assign everyone tasks.” I glance at Kwame. “Where is Odessa?”

“She was transferred to the dungeons while you were unconscious.”

“Ariel made a request for a soul separation from Odessa.” All eyes widened in shock as I explained. “I can’t forget about her. Kwame, I want you and Lorelai to find people, preferably Elders with experience, who can perform this ritual. Connect with the Elders from Garnet Moon and see where that leads you.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Valerian, you and I will search throughout Carson City at popular spots for the supernatural on clues about Osiris. He targeted Kiya when she was here and comered at the mall; he knows the area. Someone had to have seen him.” My Beta nodded in agreement.

410 I glanced at Raina. “For this task, I want you to work with Kwame’s parents to put out BOLOS to our partnered packs. We need trusted eyes on the streets. To be frank, even though Kiya is their daughter, I don’t think trust your parents with this mission.”

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“That’s fine; I don’t either.” She responded, running a hand through her thick hair. “They don’t know Kiya is missing: that’ll send them off the rails.”

“Nice work! That natural leader in you is coming out!”

Oddly enough, I felt a lot better after delegating. Confidence ran through my veins like a marathon runner with victory in their sights. A gentle smile made its way on my face, marveling at my trusted team as they discussed minor details of their tasks.

Hmm. Maybe I’m not so bad after all.

“Alpha?” Lorelai walked into my hospital room with a ruffling ball of feathers in her palms. “This owl has been causing trouble with the hospital staff. Is it alright that it is here?”

“It’s a she, and yes.” Diana flew to my shoulder, nuzzling her head on my cheek. “You need to behave, Diana.”

“They found her eating the garlic croutons in the kitchen! I thought owls were carnivores.”

That p

the tiny crumbs on her beak. I laughed, admiring Diana’s cute head bops as she delved further

into the crook of my neck.

“Well, Miss Phoebe did say Diana is a special bird.

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