"What?" I exclaim and jump out of bed. "How?" I ask her in confusion.
"I don't even know. I just finished rounding off at the hall and was on my way to my house when one of the attendants came running towards me. He then told me what happened." Kiara answers.
I place my palm on my head, feeling my whole body grow really hot. "Where are you?" I ask her.
"I am on my way to your house." Kiara tells me.
"Okay, I will meet you halfway." I tell her and end the mind link. Everything becomes really blurry and I have to hold on to the pillar of my room to calm my raging nerves. When I feel better, I go into my closet and put on one of my thick winter coats and I leave the room.
I walk out of the building and hasten towards the hall. I have not even walked for up to five minutes when I see Kiara. One look at her tells me that she has more bad news.
"Alpha Kalista," she calls my name breathlessly. The poor lady has been walking for a long time.
"You have more news." I state.
"Yes, and I am afraid it is not good." Kiara confirms and then tells me that four more pack members have died.
I stand there, looking at her, unable to say a word. Just a few weeks ago when we were planning the Festival, I was thanking the Moon Goddess for keeping all my pack members safe, and now this? On the night of her Festival?
Is this some sick joke?
When I am finally able to catch my breath, I ask Kiara who the dead people are and she tells me. She also tells me that their bodies have been taken to the Pack Hospital for an autopsy.
"Let's go." I tell her and we both leave for the hospital.
The doctor on duty, Dr. Rhodes, asks me and Kiara to come into his office for a private conversation. We follow him into his office and sit down, dreading what he has to say.
"Alpha Kalista, I really don't know a better way to put this, but there is fire on the mountain." He says.
"Please, tell us what the hell is going on." Kiara asks, clearly agitated.
Dr. Rhodes shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "The dead werewolves did not die of natural causes, they were infected by the Blizzard." He drops the bombshell.
My eyes widen in shock and I have to pinch myself severally to 'wake' myself up from the bad dream I am in. However, the main from the pinch tells me that this is as real as it gets, and the same sickness that took my father's life in a matter of five days is back.
Dr. Rhodes still continues to speak. "The disease is back with full force and it has mutated. Because of the mutation, it is worse than before, and this is why people are dying in a matter of hours." He concludes and looks at us with worry in his eyes.
At this point, I do not even know how to react. Memories of how my father had died come back, and I start to imagine the kind of pain the families of the deceased wolves are feeling.
"I am so sorry, Alpha Kalista." The doctor says and I nod absentmindedly.
Kiara and I leave the hospital and I ask one of the guards to get us two horses. We ride, even in our extreme tiredness, to the houses of the bereaved and try to comfort them. It is a painful thing to watch and at a point, I have to excuse myself.
I transform into my wolf and race towards the Cemetery of Alphas where my late father was buried. I locate his tombstone and throw myself on it. This is one of those times when I need him. If he were alive, he would have told me exactly what to do in this daunting situation. What would he have done if this had happened under his reign?
I cry and cry until I cannot cry anymore. The tears keep flowing….
They are tears of sadness, pain and exhaustion.
*******
The sound of crickets wakes me up and I feel the dew on my whole body. My vision is blurry so I wipe my face gently with my hand. It dawns on me that I had actually slept off on my father's grave. I get up and feel a little better than I did earlier this morning. I leave the cemetery and go back to my house. The soldiers guarding it stare at me; I know I look a mess.
Not a hot mess, but a mess.
I do not even respond to their greetings, I just go into my room to freshen up and catch some sleep. I know that there is a terrible thing going on in my pack, but I also know that if I do not sleep, I will be not be able to think straight and make the best decision for my pack.
With this in mind, I sleep off.
I am woken up about four hours later by a knock on my door. I ask who it is and Kiara mentions her name. I ask her to come in. She looks more relaxed than she had looked in the wee hours of the morning. I immediately conclude that she has also gotten some sleep.
"How are you feeling, Alpha Kalista?" She asks me.
"You woke me up…I really needed to rest." I tell her.
"Oh, I am so sorry about that. I never knew you were asleep. I just came to check up on you and see how you are doing." Kiara says.
"Thank you. I am bothered about this whole issue and I hope it does not get out of hand. What are we going to do about it?" I ask her.
Kiara is about to speak when we hear a knock on the door.
It is my most trusted guard, Roman.
"Roman, come in. What's going on?" I ask him, wondering why his eyes are bloodshot.
"Alpha, my youngest child…." He whimpers. "…..he died."