Check-Mate

37. Farewell

"His scent is very faint. It's almost as if he was not home all night," P' Terk says as he sniffs the air. Among all of us, his smelling ability is the strongest as he is an enigma. 

"What? All night?" Mom covers her mouth with her hands and sobs. "Where could have this kid gone?"

I am feeling extremely guilty, knowing that Warm had left the house because of my harsh words. I wish I could undo what I did.

"I can't smell his scent at all," Dad looks distressed.

"I can't smell him either but I can sense my shield," P' Terk says looking in a certain direction.

"Really? You can sense him?" Mom is relieved and excited.

"Khrab. He is not far from here." P' Terk replies.

Soon, all of us set off to look for Warm. We hadn't alerted anyone else in the pack as we didn't want to expose his pregnancy. Thank goodness that P' Terk could sense his shield.

I got in the car with P' Terk while Mom, Dad, and Aunt Lita got in the other. P' Terk is not really familiar with the roads here. So, he needs me to guide him if necessary.

"P' Terk," I hesitate before starting the conversation.

He hums in reply, his eyes still focused on the road as he drives.

"Do you think that Warm left because of me?"

"We will find him, In. We will find him and bring him back with us. Safe and sound. Don't worry." He ruffles my hair.

How I wish that he was my phi-chaai! He understood what I actually wanted to ask even without me spilling it out.

"I know this way," I say seeing the familiar path.

"Where does this lead to?"

"The Moon goddess temple!"

Why didn't I think of it? This place had always been one of Warm's favorite spots. As a sorceress, he often came here to pray. I actually ruled out the possibility of him coming here because he is no longer a sorceress.

The car stops in front of the Moon goddess temple. Our parents' car stops right behind ours.

"He is here?" Aunt Lita asks as she gets out of the car.

"Khrab. I can sense my shield inside," P' Terk replies.

Our pack's Moon Goddess Temple is very ancient. It is said that it was once a cave that was later turned into a temple by our ancestors.

"Let's go in," Aunt Lita commands.

Normally we are not allowed to visit the temple casually like this. We visit the temple only on special days.

As we walk in, P' Terk is looking all around, admiring all the architectural marvels inside the temple. The worry he had on his face all the way here is nowhere to be seen now. Maybe because he knows that Warm is safe now.

All of us reach the center of the temple, where the temple pond is situated. We spot Warm sitting on the stone in the center of the pond. He has his eyes closed, back straight and is sitting in a cross-legged position, completely immersed in meditation.

He loves to meditate, by the way. I don't know if it is the light's effect or not he looks like he is glowing. 

Aunt Lita puts her finger on her lips gesturing us not to make a single sound and disrupt his meditation. We nod in understanding and find places to sit down as we wait.

P' Terk is a gone cause. He is completely mesmerized and is staring unblinkingly at Warm. I had to pull him to the side to sit.

We had to wait for a while before Warm finally opened his eyes.

He looks surprised to see all of us here. "Mom? Dad? Why are you all here?" 

 "We were worried when we didn't see you at home." Mom replies as he makes his way over to us.

"I was planning to come back home before the sunrise. But I lost track of time." He sighs and looks back at the spot where he was sitting. "I am going to really miss this place after leaving."

"Leaving?" I ask. "Where are you going?"

Warm isn't even looking at me.

"Chain, he is coming with me to my pack." P' Terk answers instead of him.

"You both are leaving and neither of said a word to me?" Wow, that hurt.  "When are guys leaving?"

"Well," P' Terk looks at his wristwatch. "There's two more hours till the flight." He looks at others. "We better head back to get his things. Or else we won't be able to check in on time."

What? They are leaving today? Why didn't anybody tell me? Why do they have to leave so fast?

Warm ignores me and gets in our parents' car while I get in the car I came in.

"In" P' Terk calls out as I had been silent all this while. "Are you okay?"

Of course, I am not okay! I just had a huge fight with Warm, for the first time and he is leaving the house just like that. We don't even have the time to clear up things.

"Phi, can I come with you guys?" I plead.

"You can. But not today."

"Why not today, phi?"

He smiles at me. "Don't you have to sort things out with you mate?" 

I do. But...

"If he concedes and is willing to take the blood oath, then go for your relationship." He adds.

"I thought you hated him," I say in surprise.

"I do. But I am not the one he marked. It's you." He chuckles "And I know you love him. If he agrees to take the blood oath, he is willing to stay loyal to you. Once the oath is taken, he will be fully yours. You can keep your other worries aside."

I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't realize that we had already reached home until P' Terk patted me.

I get out of the car and enter our house. 

Mom is hugging Warm and crying so is Dad. Even Aunt Lita is in tears. Only Warm looks calm. He is trying to coax our parents to stop crying but they cry even more when he does that.

That is when I realized that once he leaves this pack today, he is never going to come back! He will be delivering his babies in P' Terk's pack. Then, he won't be welcomed in our pack anymore!

My limbs move subconsciously, and I get to him. I hug him tightly from behind. I can't stop my tears. 

I don't know what to say. I want to apologize. I want to say that I am sorry, but I can't talk. All I could say was "I love you, Warm."

His eyes are teary, and he hugs me back, whispering "I love you too, In." He loosens the hug and steps away, making distance between us.

"We need to get going," Warm says looking at our parents.

"I will drive you to the airport," Dad offers.

They nod, accepting the offer. The luggage is boarded on the car and Warm gives Mom and Aunt Lita a final hug before getting in the car.

He isn't even looking at me. I turn to P' Terk.

He smiles at me. "Go to your mate. He must be up by now."

"Phi, can I hug you?" I don't know why I asked this but I do want to hug him.

"No," He giggles. "You mate would be pissed if you get my scent on you. Take care." 

They bid farewell...just like that.