Transmigrated: The Lycan King's Pet-Chapter 401 At What Cost?

The wind swirled across the battlefield carrying the fresh smell of flowers and grass.

I crawled to my feet, my shoulders slumped as tears rushed down my cheeks.

"What does that even mean! I say we go find a way to bring her back! If I don’t get my mate back, I’ll bathe this world in blood until the goddess brings her back!" Beowulf growled in my head, pushing to the very last edge of my mind.

I wiped away my tears. Beowulf was right, I would not accept this outcome... I must find the meaning behind her words.

My pack members, who were resurrected again, began to cry out in gratitude. They faced the direction of the sacred tree, bowing to it.

Laughter with tears of joy echoed through the air, caressing my ears, however, it was like a bitter song to my soul. The one they all thanked for being alive was taken away from me.

Does that mean we had to shoulder the pain of the world? What about my family? What about our happiness? Did our lives mean nothing to the universe?

Those questions echoed in my head again and again, the ache in my heart growing so large that it became numb.

I stared at the tree for a few minutes, before walking slowly towards it.

"Alpha Damon, we won the battle!" One of my pack warriors shouted in excitement.

My gaze remained fixed on the tree, victory? At what cost?

It wasn’t the victory I wanted, if anything it made me feel more incompetent. If I were able to protect them, she wouldn’t have chosen to give her life.

’Oh, Ember, what have you done to me?’ I thought inwardly, as I felt the last string of my sanity close to snapping away.

My pack began to make way for me, I didn’t know how long it took me to reach the hill. Perhaps I was hoping... hoping if I walked slower, I wouldn’t be convinced the tree was really here and that my Ember was gone.

Gone.

The word echoed in my head with a stabbing ache in my heart. I touched my chest, feeling the heartbeat of my heart... her heart.

I wondered, if it could ever bridge the distance between us.

When I lifted my head, I was already standing before the tree.

I gasped as a cry tore from my throat. The pain in my heart was too much to bear... seeing the tree that she had given her life for, it made it so much unbearable.

They called the sacred tree, the tree of life... Yet all it did was take people who mattered the most to me.

"Why?! Why?! WHY?!" My voice grew louder with each passing word.

My body trembled, and I moved closer to the stem of the tree, resting my head against it, while my arms wrapped around it even though they couldn’t go all the way around it.

Tears streamed down my cheeks slowly. I closed my eyes, imagining I was hugging Ember, imagining her soft warm skin against mine. I imagined her scent drifting into my nose.

"Ember... where are you?" I murmured.

Her striking blue eyes stared back at me with a gentle smile. "Right in your heart." She replied with a little chuckle.

As I reached to pull her back into my embrace, my hands went through the air, and my eyes snapped open.

The hardness of the bark of the tree welcomed me, a clear sign that it was all an illusion.

My heart bled as if it had been pricked by thousands of needles, then squeezed by a burning iron hand. I broke into sobs again, muttering her name, as if it were the only thing keeping me sane.

.......

(Third Person POV)

Theo groaned as the pain of Alaric’s bond breaking from inside him began to ease.

He stared at the battlefield, his brows creased into a frown of confusion. Golden embers scattered in the air, falling over the land like a drizzle.

All the wounds he had in his body had healed, although as a Lycan, his speed of healing was very high, however, it shouldn’t have happened this fast.

He had gone to the southern entrance of the territory to defend it, leaving Alaric with his father.

His frown deepened when the pack warriors who died in battle opened their eyes and breathed again. Before he could figure out what was happening.

A huge tree grew on the hill. His face ashened... the tree? Wasn’t it the same tree that took his mother’s life? Why was it back again?

Although Theo was aware of the importance of the sacred, he just couldn’t connect the dots of it appearing again.

Despite the bond between Alaric and him as pack members was reconnected again, his heart felt hollow, like something was missing.

He transformed back to his wolf form and hurried back to the main entrance. His steps faltered when he saw Seraphina and Alaric hugging. Seraphina was sobbing in his arms.

He passed in his tracks. The air felt different now and richer. He could feel the magic in the air, it was the purest he had ever inhaled.

Everyone was there... except his father and Ember.

He transformed back to his human form, walking closer to Alaric.

"Seraphina, are you done now? Can I have my turn?" His voice echoed behind them with a little tinge of playfulness.

Seraphina quickly pulled away from Alaric, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

Alaric’s gaze turned sour a little, it wasn’t every day that he got to hug his mate.

However, his expression softened as Theo pulled him into a hug.

"I thought I lost you," Theo said with mixed feelings.

Alaric patted his back. "Me too, I thought I died."

Theo pulled away from Alaric, his brows creasing again. "I don’t see my father and Ember. Don’t tell me they are already back in the castle playing their lovey-dovey lovers again." Theo almost rolled his eyes as he imagined them.

Alaric hit Theo on the head. "Did you forget Ember is missing, I don’t know if Damon has found her yet. Maybe he is still looking for her."

"Oh, that’s true, my poor brain," Theo muttered, worry flashing through his eyes.

Seraphina’s hands tightened beside her, tears rolling down her cheeks again. "Stop!" she lashed out.

Her behavior surprised both Alaric and Theo. Alaric stepped forward, his expression turning serious. "What is wrong?"

Seraphina sniffled. She looked away not knowing how to tell them that Ember was gone.

The tension between them grew unbearable, as silence settled in the air.

"Can you tell us what is going on?" Theo finally asked, unable to bear it anymore. Something at the back of his mind told him it was bad news.

"Seraphina." Alaric’s voice was grave.

Seraphina turned to them. "The reason you came back to life is because Ember died saving everyone. She had become the sacred tree." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Alaric and Theo froze in their spot, unable to believe their ears.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry for your loss." Seraphina muttered under her breath.

Theo’s heart shattered, he staggered back. Although they fought a lot, she was one of the closest people in his heart.

’Damon.’

Without thinking twice, Theo transformed into his wolf, racing towards the hill. Alaric followed shortly behind him.