REBORN UNDER THE FULL MOON
Chapter 112: The Price of Immortality

Antonio's POV

Kyle was a disapointment. I decided to track him down and use all resources in my disposal to get out the location of the witch from him. So I trailed him down to Russia. Spending the night in the same hotel with him provided the needed spot to spy on him and replace a bait to use against him. Words reaching me was that he was to participate in a fighting contest.

"Che Bella opportunità" I said to myself.

It was night time, and I found it difficult to replace rest and peace within. I rolled over and over the bed in my room, but it was frutile, so I recited some incantations, calling forth Morgan, my personal witch.

"Its time I perform my cleansing ritual, non credi?" I stated to my personal witch doctor.

"Of course, my Lord, it's time," she replied, her voice filled with the coaxing infections of a child.

Morgan, my personal witch, was more like a mother to me. She died several years ago, but was summoned from the dead by my predecessor to cleanse the land of a certain curse she decreed before she was killed. I grew up in her cottage, learning the occultic ways and increasing in the wisdom of magic and procession. After releasing the curse, she was released back to the under world. After I conquered my predecessor, I created a free entrance for her from the underworld. She soon became my personal witch doctor, filling me with the desire to become Immortal. She performed all but one of the necessary rituals and provided all the equipment to use in performing it, but she couldn't perform the final ritual of identification. Only one witch in the supernational realm could perform that ritual. And the witch was last seen with Kyle, which makes him a target.

"You must drink this portion," she said, handing over a tiny bottle containing a mixture to me.

"This, my Lord, would cleanse you, reducing your age, and causing you to sleep like a new born," she added.

"I must perform the very last ritual, to make me the supreme Immortal ruler of our universe. It's my chosen Destiny," I repeated as I gulped the content of the bottle.

"Now, you may sleep....you may sleep," she said, departing to the underworld.

The content was so strong that I slept off, my head facing the roof. It was almost an impossible feet for me to sleep facing the roof, the very climax of sleep, but it happened. I slept, and days after, nights passing lightly in our open world, I slept in peace, waiting for the right time to work against Kyle for him to work for me.

Avira's POV

Days later, the tournament became the talk of the pack, anxiety built up around the discussion.

"Would we let an Alpha from another pack come here to humiliate us?" I heard a maiden ask her company.

"Of course not. Alpha Axel is up to the task at hand, he wont lose," the other replied with a tone of excessive flattery and adulation.

"Let's all keep our fingers crossed, and hope for the best alpha to...." the first maiden was cut short by the other.

"...the contest is not for the best royal blood to win, but for our Alpha to win," the second maiden replied, and so on they chirped, moving on, their voices disappearing into the horizon.

"Lyra," I called out as I got home.

There was no answer.

I went close to our room, but she wasn't there. I searched around, hoping to replace her, but failed. I grew panicked, sensing danger.

I quickly resolved to go to Axel.

"Lyra, thank goodness you're ok," I said, immediately I saw her sitting beside Axel's bed. She looked up at me, eyes dilated with pain and fear. Then I looked across and saw Axel lying on the bed, motionless. "What happened?" I managed to say, moving closer to the duo and studying Axel. He looked very much alive, except for his stillness.

"I got a call from the chamber. He attempted suicide," she replied, tears rolling from her eyes.

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Axel, who was seen as a model to everyone in the pack suddenly fell like a pack of cards.

"Is he ok?" I asked anxiously, hoping not to hear the worst.

"Kind of, he's taking a rest. Luckily I came around on time to stop him from consuming more of the substance," she replied.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

We spent the night with Axel, nursing him to health. I couldn't believe that Lyra could still treat him the way she did, with tender hands and affection. She truly was the best thing to have ever happened to him.

"You know, Lyra, you've been an exceptional soul. Thank you for showing up on time," I told her, in an effort to share my thoughts with her.

"He cheated alright, but he's still a friend, remember?" she replied, getting up to warm his bathing water.

"Speaking of cheating, I've not seen that whore ever since he got sick. A whore in the good weather, hmm, isn't she?" I said.

She laughed lightly, her tone so lovely, capable of knocking any man off his feat, deserving of an Alpha to attempt suicide for her sake.

"You know, I've forgiven him a long time ago, I just can't open my heart so easily for him to love me again," she said.

"I fully understand, Lyra, I just wished things didn't go south between you two. I really love seeing you two together, lover birds, aren't you two?" I said, chuckling.

Her mood was unaccountably chilled.

"I just hope he gets better before. the tournament," she said, in an obvious attempt to turn down the love discussion. I let it slide.

"I wish so too, he can't perform if he's partially ready. it's against the rules of the game. Just wished he remembered that before attempting to take his own life," I replied, looking over him with tender, loving eyes, the eyes he grew up to recognize as that of his closest cousin's

He moved his head.

"Did you see that?" I asked Lyra.

"Hope it's good?" she said, trying to understand what I meant by that, she obviously didn't see him move.

I went closer to him, "Axel, it's me Amira," I called out gently, carrasing his hands.

"Ly...." he tried to say, amidst fits of coughs.

She rushed over to his side.

Lyra's POV

"Lyra," he muttered, and tried to smile,

"Would you...." fits of cough.

"Get him water please," I asked Amira, who left even before I finished the first word. "Would you....attend the tournament?" he asked.

"You almost died, an all you could think about is a contest?" I said in full disgust. "Would you.... attend.."

"Yes I would, I would attend it for the rest of my life!!!" I replied, amidst tears.