The Tangled Red String

Chapter-4

Paige was sitting beside Alec's bed, lost in her thoughts.

She was worried for her son, who has been sleeping the whole afternoon. Her heart ached to see him in pain. He was getting weaker day by day.

It has been six months since he collapsed in school for the first time. With all the test reports clear, no sign of illness, the doctors could not figure out the cause. As the months passed by, things became crystal clear. Dawn and Paige figured it out at last.

*Loud knock*

There was a loud knocking on the door.

Paige went to get the door. Dawn entered the apartment, huffing and puffing. She directly rushed here after closing the store. Paige offered a glass of water to her. Dawn sat down on the couch near the kitchen counter and took a deep breath before chugging down the whole glass in one go.

Regaining her composure, Dawn spoke, "Take this before we continue our talk." She handed her a small glass bottle with a purple viscous liquid inside it.

It was a potion made of some herbs and other ingredients, of which she was unaware. It tasted bitter and caused a lot of pain after 2 hours. The pain was a hundred times than the one caused by the stab of a knife. It caused excruciating pain.

Even after knowing the effects of the potion, she took it without hesitation.

"This one will keep your wolf at bay for a while and reduce the pain near the bite mark," Dawn sighed, feeling sorry for Paige. It was not easy to make that potion. After some experimentation, she found the exact ratio of the ingredients. She didn't disclose it to anyone, not even her, keeping it as a trade secret.

"I made one for Alec too. I have doubled the dose. It won't work beyond that, Paige. You should consider what I told you last time." Dawn handed a conical flask with golden liquid in it. This liquid was less viscous than the earlier one.

"I am afraid that we will lose our lives if we go back. You know the condition I was in when you found me that night."

Paige looked terrified even at the thought of it.

"What if they take away from me?" Paige said, nervously fidgetting with her fingers.

"I understand it, Paige. Darling, look at me." Making Paige look at her instead of the floor.

"I know what happened before. We can't change it. I will go with you. You have to make a choice soon. Alec is barely holding on."

"I know that." Paige looked at the sleeping Alec.

"You know he is being called to that place. He will grow weaker if he can't get blessed. We will have to get him blessed on the next full moon."

Dawn was determined to convince Paige today.

Alec is giving the signs of an Alpha wolf. He is far away from the blessed land where all the wolves reside. He is growing weaker while his wolf is pushing him in the corner. Alec's father is an Alpha, the leader of the pack. Being an alpha's successor, Alec is showing early signs of his wolf's awakening. He has been drawing images of wolves, forests and the moon.

Paige got betrayed by the pack and her mate. Her life was in danger, gravely injured, somehow she managed to reach a motel. She met Dawn at that motel. Dawn saved her and was kind enough to let Paige follow her to Finrich.

The potion which she has been taking was to ease the pain of the broken link with her mate caused by his betrayal. It also prevented her wolf from going crazy.

"I will not be able to heal him after this point." Dawn looked serious.

Looking at the drawings on the kitchen counter made by Alec, Paige responds, "I will go back there. I can't lose my son." Dawn patted her shoulder, comforting her by hugging.