After Amber left, she checked on the progress of Zayier but up until now they found nothing. She was already tired of thinking about the 'darkness' and about her mate who did not want her to stay in the same room as he is.
Without nothing to do, she decided to lay down for a bit and close her eyes. She was only able to close her eyes for a couple of minutes when a familiar smell wafted through her nose. And her eyes flashed gold, as she was rudely awakened by the disgusting smell. She scrunched her nose and found a handkerchief to cover her nose lessen the smell.
'Zayier, where are you? The 'darkness' appeared and it is inside the pack house.'
Without wasting time, Zayier run to the pack house together with the other pack warriors. He instructed them to surround the house before he entered. The Alpha was already waiting for him and he could already smell the scent of blood and something rotting as soon as he entered.
"Alpha, do you know where it is?" he asked before looking back and nodding to the pack warriors to check all of the rooms inside the house.
After a few minutes, one of them reported that the smell was strong on the second floor and it seems that it was coming from one of the rooms.
Amber's eyes widened then she rushed up once again towards her room where Xander was staying. The moment she opened the door, the smell became stronger. Amber looked at the uneaten food but she did not see Xander. She then noticed that the door to the bathroom was slightly open and without hesitation, she pushed it wider and was stunned at the what she saw.
The room was bloody and Xander was looking at her while covering his mouth where blood was coming from. He turned around with startled eyes when he heard the noise and he wanted to talk but the blood was not stopping.
After Amber left, he could finally sigh in relief and started to eat his food when he suddenly felt uncomfortable. It started from his chest where he felt a small ache and he only rubbed it only to feel it again. The pain started to get unbearable to the point where he started to shake. He tried lifting the spoon but it fell on the plate as he abruptly stood up and rushed to the bathroom.
He was yet to reach the sink when he suddenly coughed up blood that flowed to the bathroom's floor and staining his clothes. After the first cough, the pain intensified and the urge to vomit followed so he ignored the blood to rush towards the sink.
What he vomited shocked him, it was black blood and the pain had intensified. Another cough wracked his body that nearly toppled him down but he managed to hold the sink and anchor himself but the blood did not stop from flowing.
He was struggling to keep his balance when he heard the door being pushed open. He turned around with wide eyes and saw Amber's shocked and worried eyes before he felt himself losing consciousness.
Zayier moved forward and caught him, "I can feel the 'darkness' in him." The power of the darkness made him uncomfortable once he made contact with Xander's body but he chose to ignore it and tried his best to support his weight.
"Bring him to the bed and while I call for Dr. Silver. Escort the other members out of the pack house and don't let anyone in after the doctor arrives. All of you leave, except for you Zayier, please stand guard outside the door." She did not waste time as she contacted the doctor. After telling her briefly about the situation, she also connected with one of the elders of the pack, Elder Leonides. Zael entered the room without hesitation to give the Alpha a hand.
The warriors moved after the command while the leaders of the pack stayed behind. Amber looked with concern at the unconscious man, "Get me a basin of water and a towel."
Zael entered the bathroom and filled the basin with water, he ignored the blood on the sink and on the floor for the meantime. Amber had already removed the sullied clothes from Xander and after that she wiped his body using the water from the basin. On the other hand, the Beta made his way once again to the bathroom to clean up the mess.
Dr. Silver arrived together with Elder Leonides. The moment the elder entered, he could already feel the 'darkness' coming from Xander. A frown appeared no his usually cheery face after he saw the blood-stained water on the floor.
Even without the Alpha's command, he did not waste time and checked on the man. He held his wrist and felt for his pulse but after a moment his frown deepened. After checking his pulse, he placed both of his hands on his chest and slightly pressed on it then he moved to his neck before standing up and taking a step back.
"Mahalia, check him thoroughly and the extent of damage the 'darkness' had done to his body, list everything," he lightly tapped her shoulder as he looked her in the eyes. "Alpha, I'll have a talk with you in your study."
Amber nodded but before she left, she gave Xander one last look before she left. Leonides followed behind, he closed the door gently before facing the Alpha.
Based on what she had witnessed, she could already tell that he was not doing alright and that thought alone had already made her mad. She did not know if she could accept this once Elder Leonides confirms her fear.
"Your mate is not doing well, the 'darkness' had already done damage to his body. You know very well that we cannot remove 'darkness' completely once it possessed a living being and you know that there is only one way to eliminate that darkness," his voice became solemn as he waited for the Alpha to speak.
Amber had been clenching her fists ever since they left the room and now, she was gritting her teeth. She wanted to destroy something while keeping herself calm in the outside. She knew that it was her neglect that the 'darkness' was able to infiltrate her territory without her noticing it and now it was too late.
Her mind was in a mess for the past couple of days that she was not able to detect that something unsavory had entered Ceurian and now it has even possessed her mate. "Is there any other way aside from death? You know that I can't kill my own mate. The death of him would only spell destruction for our pack and I do not want to lose him," she growled. Killing her mate was not an option. She would rip anyone apart who would threaten her mate.
The elder could feel that the Alpha was only holding herself back but in this kind of situation, he was not sure if she could remain calm. "There is but it will not completely remove the taint caused by the 'darkness'. What it can do is to suppress the 'darkness' and minimizing the damage. It will also give you time to find a way to completely remove the 'darkness'."
"Where can I find such a way?" she took a deep breath to calm herself especially the raging wolf in her mind. She had been growling nonstop and it was taking all of her willpower to stop her from coming out and wreaking havoc.
"It is a story that had been passed through the winds. No one knew where the legend had come from but some had said that it was true but no one had proven it." He started while he walked to one of the chairs and took a seat. "You'll need a purifying light to remove the 'darkness'. Since time immemorial light had been the enemy of darkness. But only a pure light can truly drive out this darkness. If you can find this pure light then there is chance for your mate to live."
Amber started to pace through the floor after hearing the story, "How could I find a light like that? You cannot touch nor hold light…" she answered. It was a difficult task and she did not have a clue on how she would find something like that.
"According to the legend, the man had found that light for his brother who was possessed by 'darkness' and after that his brother had lived a normal life. Before he died, he told the people where he found that light and this is what he said, 'in the darkness there is light, but in this light, there shall be darkness'. Many people had tried to ask the younger brother but he did not know the meaning of his brother's words nor what had happened before he was saved from the 'darkness'. They had tried to understand what he had said but they came up with no answer." Elder Leonides continued the story and this part had irritated Amber even morel.
"Then it is virtually difficult for me to find that light with only those ambiguous words as a clue!" She slammed her fists on the table. "If no one had deciphered the meaning of those words, then how can you expect me to know the meaning behind it?"
"That is why we will do what we can to suppress to 'darkness' to give you time to figure it out. All legends were based from truth, it was only twisted as it had been passed down from generation to generation. I have read some books about the legend and the only thing that did not change was that phrase from the older brother." He made eye contact with the Alpha, his tone firm and his overbearing aura. "It's unlike you to be this indecisive and for you to give up easily without trying. This is very unlike you Alpha Amber de Lune."
Amber fixed her posture and stood straight, what the elder said was a wake-up call. It was not like her to be this depressed over something when what she should be doing was looking for a solution.
"Do you really want your mate to die just like that?" he once again asked.
"No," was her firm answer. "Tell me the way to suppress the 'darkness' inside Xander."