Until Surkah was born, Ryla had been next in line to become the next Revered Father as he was the eldest sibling. He often told me how it was not a role he ever wished to have because of its restrictions on his life. Ryla was a Master Hunter and loved being out in the wild. A Revered Father had to live a life within Royal City to oversee the people. I was happy for Ryla. He had just been given his freedom.
My other brothers followed Ryla’s cue. They gave our mother a mate kiss, our sister a mate kiss, and our father a hug. I looked at my mother when she called my name. She had finished feeding my sister and was holding her out to me.
“Can you check her again?” she asked. “Just to make sure she is really okay?”
She fretted about her young like all mothers did even though there was nothing to worry about. I moved to her side and took my tiny sister in my arms. I smiled down at her as she griped about being moved about when all she wanted to do was rest. I made sure I was touching her skin when I closed my eyes and focused my lissa. Almost instantly, something I had never seen before almost jolted me where I stood. All I could see was a bright white glow and nothing else. When I touched the light with my lissa, understanding and shock filled me.
I retracted my lissa and opened my eyes.
“I don’t believe it.”
Father got in my space, placing his large hand gently on my sister’s head.
“What is it, son? Is she well?”
“Very well.” I looked up and blinked. “Thanas blesses her. She is a healer.”
Father was dumbfounded, as was everyone else.
“But … But … there hasn’t been a female healer since the old world.”
“Having a female healer has been long overdue,” Mother whimpered. “My little princess is so special.”
“That is why we thought she was a male,” I said, understanding the confusion. “Our healers have only ever felt the lissa of another male healer, so we thought she was a male based on that.”
I looked down at Surkah and felt a great connection to her.
“Thanas blesses me with two young who have the gift of a lissa.” Father’s chest puffed with pride. “I am unworthy.”
I smiled and bumped my shoulder with his before I handed Surkah back to my mother, who was crying like there was no tomorrow. That was how the next ten days were spent. Mother remained in her bed chamber with Surkah for most of it. Father’s instincts could not allow others outside of our family in their presence yet. Not even the servants were allowed in their wing. Both Mother and Surkah were still too fragile and could be easily hurt. I spent a lot of time with Mother. She wanted constant updates on my sister’s health, which was perfect and never-changing. Looking at my sister as she lay flat on her back on the tenth morning after her birth, I was mesmerised by her.
She didn’t do very much, but I found her fascinating.
Whenever I looked at her, I imagined what a daughter of my own would look like. I wondered if she would have a lissa too. I was constantly thinking of Kovu, my intended, and the more I was around my newly born sister, the stronger I felt the urge to claim Kovu as my mate and start our own family. Surkah regained my attention when she moved. She made a soft noise somewhere between a growl and a coo, and I just about died right then and there.
I got to my feet, drawing my parents’ attention as they lounged up on the top of their bed, holding one another.
“What’s wrong?”
I looked at Mother. “Surkah is perfect … I want my own daughter.”
The smile that spread across my mother’s face was stunning.
“I told you.” She looked at Father. “I told you that he was considering mating Kovu earlier because of Surkah.”
“So you did, moonlight.”
“Please excuse me.” I moved my sister from her spot on the bed to my mother’s arms. I placed my fist over my chest and bowed my head to my parents. “I must go and find my intended and mate her before she changes her mind about me.”
I turned and hurried out of the chamber with my parents’ laughter behind me. I tapped into my comm’s feed and searched for Kovu’s work schedule for the day. I saw which sector she was in and made my way toward it. She was close by, so I didn’t need to take a vehicle to reach her. I ran there instead. When the forest’s edge came into view ten minutes later, my heart pounded with anticipation.
Where are you, my female?
By the forest’s edge in Sector One, she replied. I am on berry-picking duty today, shilo.
I want to mate you and seal our bond more than I need to breathe, I told her. I want a family with you.
I almost heard her musical laughter.
I told you I would mate you before my fortieth natal day. You have been the one to wait for my uva to contract.
I know, I told her. But I cannot wait any longer. I love you. I want us to be mates right now.
I love you, too. I am waiting for you, shilo. I am ready for you. I always have been, my heart.
I was going to mate my intended.
My essence was going to flow in her veins. I almost couldn’t focus because I was so excited. I came to a stop when I saw her. I saw other females and guards on patrol, but I blocked them out and focused on my intended, who was walking towards me like the vision she was. Her cream work clothes wrapped around her light blue skin. Her long, straight, dark as night hair flowed in the wind, and her silver eyes gleamed from afar. My female.
I had only taken three steps her way when I heard the first scream.
One second, everything was calm and tranquil, and the next, it was a war zone. A pack of borak, stealthily vicious beasts, shed their camouflage and attacked the working females. The members of the Guard who were on patrol sprang into action. I realised in my haste to get to Kovu that I stupidly left the palace unarmed. I had no weapon to defend myself, but that meant neither did my intended. As I began running towards her, she too ran towards me. I saw fear on her stunning face.
“Ezah!”
Her scream echoed in my ears as I sprinted towards her. As I rushed her way, I knew I was too late before Kovu did. The borak that singled her out was unmatched in its speed. I watched in horror as it sprang up behind her and swiped out with one of its claws, ripping Kovu’s back open. She went to the ground instantly, and the beast was on her as quick as a blink. Its mouth clamped down on her neck, and the screaming I heard was not hers, but mine.
I tackled the beast, the force of my attack caused the creature to lose its hold on Kovu. I slammed my fist into its face, ignoring the swipe of its claws against my flesh. I was a healer, so I healed naturally without having to focus my lissa.
The borak’s body was armour plated except for a soft section on its underbelly. I struggled with the beast and stunned it with a punch to the nose and flipped it onto its back in the midst of its confusion. A member of the Guard jumped over my head and rammed his sword straight down and pierced the beast’s weak spot. It screeched and roared in pain, but it was now defenceless. I rolled away from the creature, leaving the male to kill the beast.
My focus was Kovu … she was lying a few paces away, and her cream clothing was stained red with her blood. Instantly, I had her gathered up in my arms and focused my lissa. I heard myself cry out when I saw how much damage had been done to my precious female. Her heart was pounding away, faster than ever, but her wounds were so great that she was losing pints of blood by the second. I couldn’t heal the wounds quick enough because of the poison from the borak’s talons, so by the time I had them all sealed, there wasn’t enough blood left in her body to circulate.