h4Chapter 127: It’s Not A Story Or Dream!/h4

    *****

    They reached the pit where Hiro was kept. Stales and Alex stopped at the entrance, refusing to go in right away. Instead, they kept nudging each other, each one trying to push the other forward to apany Ang inside. She watched them with surprise and asked why they were acting that way.

    "Alpha Hiro is crazy," Stales muttered as he leaned against the wall, clearly unwilling to step in. "He will read our minds and twist them until we do whatever he wants. Every full moon, his power grows stronger, and it’s harder for him to control it."

    Ang stood speechless. His words sounded dark and frightening, but no matter how dangerous it seemed, her heart ached to see her mate. If she could, she wanted nothing more than to stay by his side. She turned to them and said firmly, "If you don’t want to go in, then I’ll go alone."

    "We’ll follow you," Alex quickly said, pushing Stales forward. "You can’t go in there alone while we’re here. And honestly, Stales, your fear is starting to affect me too."

    "Now you’re ming me?" Stales grumbled, rolling his eyes, but he still took the lead. Together, they went down the stairs until Hiro appeared, already aware of their presence.

    The moment his eyesnded on Ang, he reached for her hands and pulled her into his arms. "How are you?" he asked softly, holding her close.

    "I’m fine. How are you feeling?" Ang’s voice carried the weight of her worry. She knew the torment he battled with and wished she could take it from him, bear it in his ce.

    "For now, I’m good," Hiro said with a small smile. His relief at seeing her was clear, but his gaze showed restraint. "You shouldn’t be down here. Today is your birthday. You should have stayed in the dorms and celebrated with your friends."

    "I can’t celebrate while you’re locked away in pain," she whispered, her voice trembling.

    "This is normal for us," he assured her. "We’ve endured it before, and we’ll keep enduring it until we find a way to end it."

    Ang sighed, her heart heavy. She knew she was the key to freeing them, yet she could do nothing until her first transformation. The helplessness tore at her.

    Hiro frowned, noticing the shadow in her eyes. "You’re worried. What is it? Tell me." He didn’t read her mind, keeping the promise he had made to her.

    "It’s about a crescent moon birthmark," Ang confessed as she slowly pulled away from his embrace. cing her hand over her chest, she whispered, "It’s here. During thest full moon, it glowed red."

    Hiro’s eyes widened in shock. "That’s strange. Has it ever happened before?"

    "No. It was the first time," Ang exined softly. "That same day, I also discovered that I was a werewolf. And today, I saw the same mark on a stranger. For a moment I thought he could be a family member."

    "I’ve never heard of something like that," Hiro admitted after a pause. "But you should ask Kaito. He is very close to his father and knows a lot about signs, symbols, and old stories. He might understand what it means. By the way, who is this stranger?"

    "I don’t know him," Ang muttered, rolling her eyes as she looked away. "Principal Valois introduced him as the sponsor of my schrship program. But to be honest, he gave me a creepy feeling."

    "Principal Valois?" Hiro chuckled quietly, as though something had just connected in his mind. "That exins a lot. I’ve always wondered why she was so interested in you. Do you know she stopped me many times whenever I tried to find out more about you? It almost felt like she was protecting you. Did you make some kind of deal with her?"

    Ang blinked in shock. "She stopped you?" she asked, stunned. She had no idea the principal had been doing that. Only the goddess could know what that woman truly wanted.

    "Yes," Hiro said with a firm nod. "She blocked me more than once, even threatened me openly. You didn’t know?"

    Ang shook her head slowly. If he hadn’t told her now, she would never have known. But the thought disturbed her. Why was Valois shielding her yet still allowing Marcus toe close? What exactly was that woman trying to achieve?

    "Something is not right at all," Ang whispered, running a shaky hand through her hair. "The man came looking for me. He said his name is Marcus."

    "I have heard of people with that name, but I can’t say if any of them is the same Marcus you’re talking about," Hiro muttered. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head. He pressed both hands against his temples and gritted his teeth as though fighting to keep control.

    Ang’s heart skipped. She rushed to his side and held his arm, fear filling her eyes. "Are you alright? Did I push you too far with all these questions?" Her voice trembled as guilt swept over her. "I’m sorry... maybe this isn’t the right time to talk about it."

    Silence filled the room. Alex and Stales walked closer, their faces dark with worry. The boy working on the chains did not move, though he nced at them briefly.

    Ang slowly released Hiro’s arm when Stales helped him sit, hoping it would ease the strain. She turned to Alex and asked softly, "Who is that?"

    "de," Alex replied. "He’s from the south pack. A good guy. Haven’t you met him yet?"

    "No. I only met Kael," Ang answered, her eyes already drawn back to Hiro. He no longer had his face buried in his hands. His breathing had steadied, and she hurried back to him. "How are you feeling now?" she asked.

    Hiro lifted his gaze to her. "Better," he said, his voice low with wonder. "When you touched me, the pain vanished. Just like that. You really are the cure. It’s not a story or a dream... it’s real." His eyes shone with something between disbelief and hope.

    Ang’s chest tightened. She didn’t know what to say. She never thought she had that kind of power. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked gently. "If it helps you, I don’t mind. I can take the pain away."

    "No," Hiro said with a faint smile, shaking his head. "You shouldn’t stay locked down here with me. Go rest. Your first shift is close, and you’ll need your strength. We can talk about Marcus and everything else tomorrow, alright?"

    Ang nodded slowly. "I’ll check on Renn and Kaito before I rest."

    As she turned to leave, a voice echoed in her mind—his voice, deep and steady. Good luck.

    Ang froze for a moment, then looked back at him. He was smiling at her, his eyes warm. She couldn’t help but smile back before walking away with her friends.