Vincent closed his eyes and took deep breaths trying to bring his body under control.
Next, he called out to the Moon Goddess in his mind, prayed with folded hands and closed eyes, "Hey, the great Moon Goddess! Grant me the half-werewolf avatar, grant me the power to cure the rogue! I agree to cut short my life span and sacrifice for Osborne. Grant him peace and tranquility. This is my wish. So mote it be!"
As Vincent's words approached the end, the dark cell was completely illuminated by a magical light. The light was very bright, blinding the vision of Osborne and Robert for a few seconds.
Soon, the burning light gushed inside Vincent. He could feel his bones breaking. It was painful, but his strong body somehow managed to swallow all the pain and the light rays became softer causing Osborne and Robert to open their eyes.
Osborne was clueless as to what lay in front while Robert had an enlightening smile on his face. He bowed in front of Vincent whose upper body was that of the crimson-furred wolf while the lower half was of the human.
Robert said, overjoyed, "You are great, Alpha Vincent! May you live longer!" Osborne was no longer wriggling like a rogue.
The half-werewolf avatar of Vincent stepped ahead and he laid one paw of his on Osborne's forehead. His forehead shined in golden light as if Vincent transferred his power, his energy to Osborne.
Osborne closed his eyes and became completely well. He was back to normal. Seeing that Vincent released his paw and gaped at his brother for a few seconds with his red eyes that were transmitting an invisible red light to Osborne strengthening his mind and body.
Vincent said in his mind, "May Osborne forget what he did lately!!"
Soon the half-werewolf incarnation bid adieu and Vincent was back with his human body.
He was delighted to see Osborne all normal. He hugged his brother and cried on his shoulders. Osborne broke the hug and asked, "What happened Vincent?! Why are you crying?!"
Vincent grabbed his hands and said, "Nothing! It's just that I missed you a lot!"
Osborne's wide smile broke apart as he said in dismay, "And I miss Sarah!"
Before Osborne would dive into Sarah's thoughts, Vincent shook him and said excitedly, "Guess what, we are having a party tomorrow!!"
On hearing that Robert's happiness faded away. He was waiting for their conversation to end so that he could try to make Vincent understand that organizing a party wasn't a good idea.
Osborne said gaily, "Wow, for real?!"
Vincent nodded, "Yes, your brother will sing live! Would you like to attend Vincent's concert?!"
Osborne clapped his hands, "Hell yes! My Lil rockstar!!"
Seeing Osborne coming back to normalcy, Vincent sent him out of the basement to his cabin; a special and restricted place of the Crystal Blood Academy.
It was just Vincent and Robert in the basement and that was when Vincent asked him gravely, "So, you told me Osborne harmed two she-wolves?!" Robert nodded.
He asked a follow-up question, "I hope you erased their memory! In no way do I want the council's intervention in my family matters!!"
Robert tried to recommend in his soft tone, "But, Alpha, it's better not to lie from the council that Osborne is a rogue! What if they come to know that we were hiding this from them for so long?!"
Vincent rolled his eyes and put his heavy hand over his beta.
"Why the heck are you so eager to tell the council?! When I say no, it means no! I won't let anything wrong or bad happen to my family! Remember, I do value the pack, but for me, my family comes first! When the pack members come to know that Osborne is a rogue, they will try every damn possible way to get him off their lives! After all, rogues can be harmful if they become maniacs, but I won't let that happen to Osborne! I will find a cure for him!!"
This brought a question to Robert's mind. "Alpha, I saw a unique incarnation of yours, something that I had never seen before. I am enlightened to see it. But how come Osborne became as calm as sleep when you pressed your paw on him?!"
In no way did Robert intend to unnerve Vincent, but he was left with no choice, so he continued, "I hope you didn't cure him at the cost of your life!"
Vincent's body was puffed with air. He became angry.
With his hands on his hips, he snapped, "Beta Robert, don't you think you are asking way too much to your Alpha?!"
Robert had his eyelids low and he said with the pursed lips, "I am just concerned about our pack! You are the Alpha! You are the bloodline of our existence! We can't let anything happen to you!!"
Vincent was downright irritated and he broke in, "Listen I am not a permanent Alpha. I am just a temporary one! The permanent one just passed you a few moments back!!"
Vincent traced Osborne walking up the stairs with his finger.
"But he is mateless and he is also a rog…"
Before Robert could complete the sentence, Vincent butt in, "For your information, even I am mateless. I am 21 and I haven't found my mate yet! Despite visiting so many mate-matching ceremonies in the other packs, I am mateless!"
Vincent blew out a long breath, "Phew! There could be a possibility that I am the cursed Alpha with no mate!!"
On hearing the unlucky words, Robert got worried and raised his head. He said, "Please don't say that, Alpha! I am sure Moon Goddess might have carved a mate for you!"
Their conversation was broken by a ringing phone. Robert took out his phone from his pocket. He read the name displayed on the screen, "It's a call from our former Luna!"
He received the call and bowed, "Greetings, your Highness!"
He could hear a sweet voice from the other end, "Yeah Robert! I came to know Vincent visited the academy! Connect me to him!!"
Robert accepted and handed over the phone to Vincent as he said, "Your Highness wishes to speak to you!"
Vincent grabbed the phone and pressed it against his ear. "Hello, mom!"
He could hear her shrill voice, "What kept you from picking up my call?!"
Vincent closed his eyes. He wasn't interested in talking to his mom.
All this while, he was deliberately ignoring his mom because she would often want him to search for his mate.
Vincent lied, "You know mom that lately, I am working to expand the northern territory, so I was busy attending the meetings!"
"Okay, since you are back at the academy, I expect you to work on finding a mate for yourself! I came to know that the Red Moon Pack is having a Coming-of-age Ceremony in a few days, so why don't you attend that?! I know it's not a mate matching ceremony, but what if you find your mate in that ceremony?! It's a good chance and I want you to grab it!!"
Vincent bit his lip. He was not ready for it. He cut in, "Mom, I can't attend any ceremonies, I have got important meetings to attend!"
His mom was reluctant to postpone her mate talk and she said strictly, "All that will be taken care of by the beta! You are attending that ceremony and it's final!"
A fresh lie crossed Vincent's mind and he blurted out, "Mom! I would prefer to attend a mate matching ceremony than a Coming-of-age Ceremony! In fact, one of the packs in the south is having that ceremony and I am planning to go there tomorrow!"
His mom was elated to know that and after bidding her goodbye the call got disconnected.
A big smile descended on Vincent's lips as his lie was successful. He handed over the phone to Beta who was gaping at him with suspicious eyes.
Vincent didn't like it and exclaimed, "What?!"
Robert said in an inspecting tone, "There's no mate matching ceremony lined up in tomorrow's schedule! Why did you lie to her?!"
Vincent scoffed, "Seems like your questioning session won't end!"
He patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "See, I am not interested in this mate fuss right now! All I am excited about is tomorrow's party!"
Robert still had worry clouding his face. He said in his low voice, "But it's inappropriate to hold a party without the permission of the council and your mom and dad! By conducting this party, we are violating the rule and it could have an adverse impact on our pack!"
Vincent nodded, "Your worry is correct, but this party will take place no matter what!" His smile took a backseat for a while as he said seriously, "The atmosphere here is so tense. It's time to lighten up! That's of crucial importance to bring back my old brother!"
He shot a deadly serious glance at Robert whose question simmering over his tongue gutted down his throat. Vincent decided to act cold and no longer friendly towards Robert.
Stepping close to Robert and bringing his head low to meet Robert who was an inch shorter than him, Vincent warned, "This party is supposed to be a private affair, exclusively for the members of the Crystal Blood Pack! I don't want any of the packs nearby and my mom and dad to know about this! This is top secret! Entry of outsiders is strictly prohibited; I hope you have made arrangements to take this point into consideration."
Robert was scared to see him this close. What scared him further was the half-human-wolf avatar that reflected in his mind.
He thought, "What if Alpha eats me alive?!"
His mind stopped when Vincent chuckled darkly, "Yes, I can do that! I can eat you alive!!"
Robert's breath hitched in his throat and he coughed incessantly.
Vincent patted his back and Robert blurted out, breathless, "Don't worry Alpha! This party is going to be a private affair. In fact, entry without tickets is prohibited!!"
Vincent's lips curled into a big smile and he patted Robert's back, almost jerking his body further. He said in his deep voice, "Good! I am impressed, my Beta!"