h4Chapter 126: Knowing His Pain./h4

    Ang had no idea where they were heading. They had already passed all the school buildings and still had not reached their destination. Stales kept saying they were still inside the Academy. She found it hard to believe, but it was true, the walls of the school still stretched around them.

    "Who do you want to meet first?" Alex asked, his eyes on her. He was talking about the Alphas.

    "Taros, of course. I want to see how he is doing," Ang answered softly. She wanted to know if he was fine and if there was anything she could do to ease his pain.

    Stales smirked. "Did you just choose your favorite?"

    She shook her head quickly with a little smile. "No, I don’t have a favorite among them. Can you stop thinking that way? I will see each of them. I can’t even bear the thought of the pain they are suffering here. I just hope it is not as bad as you said. Maybe you only exaggerated."

    Alex chuckled as he nced at her. "You are still doubting." His voice carried warmth but also concern. She was scared and worried at the same time. He had never experienced the bond of mates, but from what little he had seen and heard, it was far stronger than anyone could imagine.

    They finally reached the pit. The heavy door creaked open and the sound of voices echoed from below as they began to descend the steps. Darkness closed in on them even though twomps burned faintly in the corners. A sharp coldness wrapped around Ang the moment she entered. It was colder than anywhere else she had been.

    She followed close behind Alex. Then, before she even saw him, her heart caught. The familiar scent of her mate wrapped around her like a nket. Taros. He was there, standing and speaking with Kael, looking calm as though nothing was wrong.

    But the moment she stepped further in, he turned, almost as if he had sensed her presence. His eyes found her at once.

    "Hey, Ang," Taros said with a smile so warm it could melt the coldest heart. He moved toward her with open arms, and she rushed into his embrace. They held each other tightly, not wanting to let go. For a few minutes, nothing else mattered. When they finally pulled back, their eyes lingered on one another.

    "How are you doing?" he asked gently.

    "I’m fine. And you?" she whispered, unable to look away from him.

    He nodded as if to reassure her, and she felt her chest ease. She was relieved to see him in better shape than she feared. But then something sharp hit her senses—the heavy smell of blood.

    Ang froze. She knew she wasn’t injured, so she searched around quickly for the source. The smell clung to where she stood, so she turned her gaze back to Taros.

    That was when she saw it. A deep cut ran across his arm, fresh and bleeding. Her heart skipped. Fear gripped her as she stumbled back a step, wondering how it had happened. She looked around the room, but no one was close enough to have done it. Alex and Stales were still talking to Kael, unaware.

    Her eyes returned to Taros, her chest tightening as she realized the pain he must be enduring even while standing strong before her.

    "How did this happen? I will get a first aid kit," Ang said quickly, already moving to go, but Taros caught her hand and held her back. He smiled at her even though she could see the pain in his eyes.

    "Let me get help, please," she begged, but he shook his head.

    "Do not worry. It is the curse. The cut will go away soon," Taros said, and when he noticed the disbelief written on her face, he looked toward the boys. They all nodded in agreement, backing his words.

    "It will heal, only to open again," Kael exined as his eyes lingered on Taros’ wound. "This is nothingpared to what will happen in the next two hours."

    "Yes, it is what the Alphas go through," Stales reminded her gently. "The story I told you."

    Ang’s chest tightened. She still could not believe what she was seeing. The cut was deep, the kind that would leave anyone else broken, yet he was standing there as if it was nothing. She could almost feel his pain as though it was her own. Guilt rushed through her, sharp and heavy, making her wonder if she was somehow the reason for their suffering.

    "What can I do to stop this?" she asked in a low, trembling voice.

    "It will only stop when I im you," Taros answered, pulling her closer to him. He lifted his injured arm slightly, knowing she would not dare touch it, then wrapped the other around her. "You do not have to worry about me. Tonight is your first transformation. You should not be stressing about anything at all."

    Ang’s eyes burned as she looked up at him. "How simple it is for you to say that," she whispered. His pain felt like hers, and yet he tried to make it sound as if it was nothing.

    "You look too worried. Come on, don’t stress yourself," Taros said softly, brushing away her concern with a smile. "Today is your day. Forget this." His words were about the wound, but his gaze never left her, as if her presence alone was enough to carry him through the pain.

    Ang nodded slowly. "I have another problem. Have you ever seen a crescent moon mark on anyone?"

    Taros frowned, his brows knitting in confusion. "A crescent moon mark? Any werewolf can have that. Is it not just a tattoo?"

    "No, Taros." Ang pulled her shirt slightly down and revealed the mark on her chest. His eyes widened as he stared, and then he shook his head. It was clear he was seeing it for the first time. She covered herself again with a sigh. "I just want to know if anyone else has it, or if anyone has ever seen it."

    "Maybe you should ask the rest of my brothers. I don’t think I have seen anything like it," Taros replied.

    "I will go to them after I’m done here," Ang said with a small nod.

    Taros gave her a teasing wink. "Nice boobs, by the way."

    A cold shiver ran through her body. Even in his condition, he still found a way to notice her like that. She had no idea what to say, so she kept quiet and let the silence linger between them.

    After a moment, Taros spoke again, his tone softer. "So it is not a tattoo?"

    "No. It’s a birthmark. And today, I saw it on someone I never wanted to see it on."

    His expression sharpened. "Did you talk to him?"

    Ang shook her head quickly. "No. I was scared."

    "Then why don’t you tell me his name and what he looks like?" Taros said firmly. His voice carried no hesitation. It was clear he would go after the person without a second thought if she asked him to.

    Ang touched his arm gently. "We will talk about it tomorrow. Now is not the right time for either of us." She leaned in and pressed a brief kiss against his lips before pulling away. Her heart was heavy with the things she wanted to tell him, but she knew tonight was not the moment.