The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 260: Second Chance ()

~~Three Months Later

It was the day... the day the Crimson Moon had been annihilated...

Or the day Zariah was meant to die. The attack on Crimson Moon had happened on this very day though things had played out much sooner, three months ago,

Zariah could not shake off the feeling that something would go wrong today... and it had.

The air in the High Oracle’s chambers was thick with an unspoken tension. Zariah lay on the bed, her face pale and drawn, her hair was matted to her forehead. Her breathing was shallow, and her eyes were locked on Darren, who stood stiffly by the door also uncertain and visibly worried.

He had brought Zariah to the High Oracle in a panic after she had lost consciousness in the middle of a meeting.

But Darren was not nearly as worried as Zariah herself. He did not know...as well as Zariah did, what today was.

Anxiety churned in her gut, her hands trembling against the soft fabric of her gown.

"Why today?" Zariah thought to her wolf,

"Why must it be today of all days?" Zariah thought.

"Calm down, Zari..." Torin reassured, though she herself was equally unsettled.

Darren’s eyes were fixed on the floor, as if he could will the answer to why Zariah had collapsed from the stone tiles.

Before the silence could stretch further, the door burst open with a resounding crash. Askel, breathless and wild-eyed, stormed in. His outer coat was halfway undone, his usually neat braids unraveled in his haste.

"Mhijani!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with panic.

"I heard you collapsed during the meeting with the dwarves. Who was it? Who angered you?! I will capture them all! Just say the word!" Askel roared.

Zariah’s lips twitched, almost imperceptibly. She shook her head weakly.

"Draskovi, calm down. It’s not... it’s not them." Zariah replied with a shake of her head.

"Then...?" Askel asked, glancing at the High Oracle.

The High Oracle, raised a hand to silence Askel before he could pose a question. He had been sitting by Zariah’s side, his fingers lightly pressing against Zariah’s wrist, his expression unreadable.

"What is wrong? Is she ill? How could she be ill? Have her injuries relapsed?" Askel still posed his question.

"Askel, lower your voice," The Oracle said sternly.

"Her Grace needs calm." The Oracle lectured

"But..." Askel protested.

"Enough," The Oracle muttered, his tone leaving no argument.

He closed his eyes briefly, as if gathering his thoughts, then turned to Zariah, his expression softening.

"My Queen, I have news. Unforeseen, perhaps, but not unwelcome." The Oracle relayed, ignoring Askel.

Zariah frowned, confusion flickering in her eyes.

"What is it?" She asked.

The Oracle straightened, his voice steady as he delivered the revelation.

"You are with child." The Oracle revealed simply.

The room went utterly still. For a moment, the words didn’t seem to register. Zariah stared at the Oracle, her lips parting slightly in disbelief.

"What?" Zariah croaked.

"You’re with child," The Oracle repeated, his tone now amused.

Askel was frozen in shock for a moment before his face split into a wide grin.

"Mhijani! That’s... that’s incredible!" Without thinking, he shoved the Oracle aside and wrapped Zariah in a tight embrace.

Zariah stiffened in Askel’s arms, and then broke into quiet sobs, burying her face in his chest.

"Draskovi...it’s too much," Zariah sobbed, her voice muffled.

"I thought today...I thought..." Zariah trailed off, her words dissolved into tears.

’I thought I would die again.’ Zariah completed the words in her thoughts.

Askel held her tightly, unaware of the reason, yet he sensed the depth of her turmoil.

"You’re here, Mhijani... everything is fine now," He whispered.

The door creaked open again, and Nile stepped in, followed by Kristen. Both wore expressions of tentative relief. Zariah turned her tear-streaked face to Nile, her eyes brimming with gratitude.

"Nile," she choked out, her voice breaking.

Nile nodded, his lips twitching in a faint smile. A silent understanding passed between them, each holding a glimpse of a past no one else was aware of.

Zariah’s thoughts strayed back to that day, three months back...

~~~~~~~~~

The wind howled as the cliff crumbled beneath their feet. Zariah’s scream echoed in the air as she saw Askel and Morden plummet below.

But Nile hadn’t let go. His staff was jammed into a crevice on the side of the cliff, his other hand gripping the edge with a strength born of desperation.

The same strength with which he had caught hold of Askel’s hand.

"You’re not dying today!" Nile roared, his muscles straining as he hoisted Askel back up.

"How...did you...?" Askel asked in disbelief, looking up to Nile.

Nile smirked knowingly but he shook his head slightly.

"I realized it is not my first time... falling off a cliff. I vowed to do better this time around..." Nile murmured.

Askel frowned in confusion but Nile chuckled and led the gruelling climb back up.

Morden, farther down, hit a ledge, and crashed down further below.

~~~~~~~~~

Zariah’s sobs quieted as she looked around the room. Darren, Askel, Nile, Kristen, people she thought she might lose were here.

Eloneth, Kaileen and Dionne were also unhurt. Allen, though absent, stuck in a coma for these months, was alive and there was hope for his recovery.

And now, there was a new addition...

The day she had dreaded, the day she had lost everything in her past life, was now a day of redemption, of blessings. She placed a trembling hand over her abdomen, feeling the faintest glimmer of hope.

"I won’t waste this chance," Zariah vowed softly. "Not this time."

Nile stepped forward, his gaze steady.

"It was hard won, none of us will let you." Nile said in a solemn tone.

’Was it when you disappeared to the Sea Kingdom? Was it then you discovered it... the past I was hiding?’ Zariah asked Nile through their mindlink.

Nile nodded slowly, confirming Zariah’s suspicions.

’We survived, we made it. This is our second chance.’ Nile thought back to Zariah.