CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 100: THE STRATEGY OF SCARS

Kael appeared in the middle of their burning pack house, alone. Smoke filled his lungs as he spun around, looking for his mates. "Elara! Ronan! Darian!" Only silence answered him.

The Moon Goddess had separated them, just like she promised. But where were the others? And where was Celeste’s army? A growl echoed from the kitchen.

Kael created ice daggers in both hands, moving carefully through the destroyed tunnel.

Family pictures lay broken on the floor. Claw marks gouged the walls. "Looking for someone?" a familiar voice purred. Celeste stepped out from behind the ruined stairs, but she looked different.

Her blonde hair now had silver streaks, and her eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the trial beings. "Where are my mates?" Kael ordered, ice forming around his feet for better grip. "Safe," Celeste smiled coldly.

"For now. Each in their own special spot, facing their worst memories. Just like you’re about to." She snapped her fingers, and the destroyed pack house began to change.

The walls moved and reformed until Kael found himself standing in a place he’d hoped never to see again. The delivery room where his mother died giving birth to him and his brothers. "No," he breathed. "Oh yes," Celeste laughed.

"Let’s watch the show, shall we?" The room filled with ghostly forms. Doctors running around. His father pacing nervously. And there, on the bed, his mother screaming in pain.

"It’s happening again," Celeste whispered in his ear. "And just like before, you can’t save her." Young Luna Evelyn looked straight at Kael, her face pale and sweating.

"My son," she gasped. "Why are you just standing there? Help me!" "This isn’t real," Kael said, but his voice shook. "You’re already dead." "Because of you!" his mother cried out.

"You and your family killed me! I died bringing you into this world!" The pain in her voice was exactly like Kael remembered from the stories.

He’d grown up knowing his birth caused his mother’s death. It was a weight he’d carried every single day. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "I’m so sorry, Mom." "Sorry doesn’t bring me back," she sobbed.

"Sorry doesn’t give me the chance to hold my babies. You took that from me." Celeste ringed him like a predator. "This is your pattern, isn’t it? Everyone you love dies. Your mother. And soon, your dear Elara."

"Elara is strong," Kael said, trying to focus. "Is she?" Celeste pulled out a silver blade that glowed with dark magic.

"This knife is currently pressed against her throat. One wrong move from you, and she bleeds out. Along with that baby she’s carrying." Kael’s ice powers burst outward. "You touch her and I’ll freeze you solid!" "Will you?" Celeste taunted.

"Because every time you use your skills, someone gets hurt. Your ice is too cold, too deadly. Just like your heart." The ghostly scene continued playing. His mother’s screams got louder. The doctors looked more worried.

"She’s losing too much blood!" one of them yelled. "Save the babies!" his father ordered from the corner. "And let the mother die?" the doctor asked.

"If that’s what it takes," his father answered coldly. Kael had heard this story a hundred times. How his father decided to save the triplets instead of trying to save their mother.

How Alpha Marcus showed no reaction when Luna Evelyn took her last breath. "Your father was smart," Celeste said. "He knew she was weak. Just like Elara." "Elara isn’t weak," Kael growled.

"Then why is she about to die?" Celeste showed him a vision in her silver blade. Elara was stuck in what looked like their old school, surrounded by shadowy figures.

She was fighting, but there were too many. Blood dripped from various wounds. "She’s failing," Celeste pointed out. "Just like your mother failed. Because you weren’t there to protect either of them."

"I was a baby when my mother died!" Kael shouted. "And you’re useless now that Elara is dying," Celeste responded. "Some Alpha you’ll be. Can’t even save your own mate."

The ghostly mother on the bed suddenly sat up, staring straight at Kael. "Why didn’t you save me, son? Why did you choose to live when I had to die?" The question hit like a physical blow.

Kael had wondered the same thing countless times. Why did he get to live when his mother didn’t? Why was his life worth more than hers? "I don’t know," he revealed, dropping to his knees. "Because you’re selfish," his mother said sadly. "Just like your father.

You take what you want and let others pay the price." "That’s not true," Kael whispered, but doubt crept into his voice. "Isn’t it?" Celeste knelt beside him.

"You refused Elara at first because you thought she wasn’t good enough. Now you’re pretending to love her, but look where that got her. Pregnant and in danger."

In the vision, Elara stumbled and fell. The shadow things moved closer. "She’s going to die because of you," Celeste said softly. "Just like your mother did." Kael felt his ice powers weakening.

The guilt was overwhelming. Maybe Celeste was right. Maybe everyone he loved was doomed to suffer. But then something clicked in his strategic mind. Celeste was trying too hard to break him.

Why? "You’re scared," he said suddenly. "What?" Celeste’s confident expression flickered. "You’re terrified," Kael continued, standing up. "That’s why you’re showing me all this pain.

Because you know that pain makes me stronger, not weaker." "You’re delusional," Celeste scoffed. "Am I?" Kael looked at his spirit mother, really looked at her.

"Mom, you didn’t die for nothing. You died giving life to three sons who protect people. Your sacrifice had meaning." "No," his mother said, but her voice was less certain. "Yes," Kael said strongly.

"And Elara isn’t dying because I’m weak. She’s fighting because I taught her to be strong. Because we ALL made her stronger."

He turned to Celeste. "That’s what you don’t understand. Pain doesn’t destroy us. It builds us. Every scar makes us harder to break." "Pretty words," Celeste growled. "But she’s still dying."

"Then I better hurry," Kael smiled coldly. His ice powers surged back to life, but this time they felt different. Instead of trying to freeze away his pain, he let it fuel his magic. The ice became stronger, sharper, more controlled. "Impossible," Celeste breathed.

"My mother’s death taught me that life is precious," Kael said, creating a massive ice spear. "That every moment matters. That sacrifice has value when it protects others." He threw the spear at Celeste, who barely dodged.

"Your guilt should be crippling you!" she screamed. "My guilt reminds me why I fight," Kael responded. "I couldn’t save my mother, but I can save my mate.

I couldn’t control my birth, but I can control my choices now." The ghostly scene started to fade. His mother smiled at him one last time, and this smile was warm and proud.

"Now you understand, my son," she said softly. "Strength comes from accepting pain, not avoiding it." "I love you, Mom," Kael said. "I love you too," she responded. "Now go save your family."

The delivery room dissolved totally, leaving Kael facing a furious Celeste in the burned pack house. "This isn’t over," she hissed. "You’re right," Kael agreed. "It’s just beginning."

He reached out with his mind, using the mate bond to contact his brothers and Elara. The link was weak because of the separation, but it was there. Pain makes us stronger, he sent to them. Stop fighting your feelings. Embrace them. Learn from them.

He felt their surprise, then understanding. One by one, their ties grew brighter as they stopped denying their past hurts. "What are you doing?" Celeste demanded.

"Winning," Kael said simply. But before he could attack, Celeste pulled out a small rock that glowed with silver light. "You think you’re clever?" she laughed.

"This holds a piece of your unborn daughter’s soul. Break it, and she dies before she’s even fully formed." Kael’s blood turned to ice.

"How is that possible?" "Magic works in mysterious ways," Celeste taunted. "The same power that made her can destroy her. All I have to do is squeeze."

Her hand tightened around the rock, and Kael felt a sharp pain in his chest. Somewhere, Elara was screaming. "Choose," Celeste ordered. "Your mate’s life, or your daughter’s soul. You can’t save both." The crystal began to crack under her grip.

"Ten seconds to decide," she whispered. "Just like your father had to choose between saving your mother or saving you." Kael’s mind raced. There had to be another choice.

There was always another plan. But as the crystal cracked further, he understood this might be the one choice he couldn’t win.

"Five seconds," Celeste counted down. Kael closed his eyes and made his choice. "Four. Three. Two..." "I choose both," Kael said, lunging forward.

But instead of striking Celeste, he grabbed the crystal and crushed it against his own chest. The burst of silver light sent them both flying. When the dust settled, Kael lay unmoving on the floor, the crystal’s remains embedded in his heart.

"You fool!" Celeste screamed. "You’ve killed yourself AND the baby!" But Kael smiled weakly. "Check again."

Because his clever mind had figured out the one thing Celeste missed. The crystal didn’t hold his daughter’s soul. It held a piece of his own.