Love & Tribulations

Chapter 14

Ezra's POV

When I was a kid, my father would call us down for breakfast on Sunday mornings. He was usually off running the pack, but Sunday was our family day.

My siblings and I raced down the stairs, almost tripping over each other, declaring that the loser has to do all the chores. The sweet aroma of freshly cooked breakfast, the popping, and sizzling coming from the stovetop. I climbed onto the stepping stool to fetch the cups and assist my mother with setting the table. As soon as I walk into the dining room, the warmth in the atmosphere dissipates.

I looked down to find a trail of blood leading to the living room, and the glass I was carrying shattered on the floor as I froze in my spot. My mother inaudibly screamed while clutching her stomach, staring down at my mutilated siblings. My father to the left of her cradling their unborn child, insects dropping out of his decaying body. I couldn't breathe, the bile rising from my stomach suffocated me. My parents turned to face me, their words muted, but I understood. It's all your fault.

Panicking, I shot up from my covers, unable to draw any oxygen into my lungs. "Ezra?", I felt a hand on my shoulder and swiftly drew away, my mind racing as I attempted to flee. "Hey, it's just me", Rose said softly as I slowly started to observe my surroundings.

I turned to face her, noticing that she had a worried expression on her face. I didn't realize I was crying until she reached up to wipe my tears. My hands shook violently as I gripped her arm. "It's okay, it was just a dream." I couldn't bring myself to speak, my body felt so heavy I could barely move.

Since my father's passing, I've been reliving my childhood in this tainted, twisted version. I took deep breaths and gripped Rose tightly as she wrapped me in her arms. She whispered soothing words while my tears fell silently.

We stayed like that long after I managed to stop crying. She planted a kiss on my temple while caressing my hair. "Do you need anything?" She asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I simply shook my head in response, finally pulling away from her.

She still had that anxious expression in her gaze, and I raised my hand to cup her face, not realizing it was covered in blood. I quickly pulled away in shock. Blood!?

"Rose, what happened? Why are you bleeding?" I became frantic in my search for the source of the blood. She just laid there calmly as if simply observing me. "Why aren't you healing?!" I started applying more pressure to her wound.

"You did this to me." She stated in a detached tone that seemed to resonate in my head.

My eyes flew open with a sharp jolt across my body as I gasped for air, much like when you fall in your dream but you wake up before hitting the ground. I struggle to see in the dim light of the room, a thin sheen of sweat covering my body. I'm trying to make sense of my surroundings, not sure if I'm still sleeping or awake.

I'm no stranger to false awakenings, yet even after all these years, I still can't tell the difference between dream and reality. I took a deep breath and sat there for a few minutes, waiting for my body to stop shaking, before deciding to head to my office. I haven't slept properly in weeks.

I can't afford to be sleep-deprived, my pack is being poisoned and now the rogues have become a top priority. Rose is assembling a team to retrieve intel on them, and I've offered some of my members who were more than willing to help.

There hasn't been this much activity from the rogues since the early war when the previous vampire king desolated their numbers down to a handful. They were practically non-existent for a couple of years. Their group has expanded beyond anything we've ever seen in the past.