Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 41: I Dare ()

Darkness... that was all Neveah could see, as though her entire world had been consumed by it.

It grazed against her skin, cold and unwelcoming and Neveah shuddered visibly at the feeling.

Neveah felt as though a heavy weight rested over her limbs and pressed down on her chest, making it impossible to move as though she was chained down in a dark abyss.

Was this what death felt like? Was this the realm beyond? The afterlife? Was this where she would spend eternity? Her soul forever consumed by darkness?

Neveah did not know, if truly this was how cold and unnerving death felt, then how could it be fair to someone like her who had believed this was where she would finally find peace?

If this was what the after life was, then why was her soul not vanquished and erased from existence instead?

Cast into oblivion where there never again would be a trace of this ill fated existence of the name, Neveah Omega Lothaire.

Or perhaps this was just her own cruel fate once again, she was accorded nothing but darkness and despair even after her death.

If it was so, then Neveah was not even surprise.

Neveah had long come to terms with her unlucky fate, it was just the way it was.

If there were those born with a lucky fate, there were definitely those born without luck and Neveah was just another one of those.

Neveah felt at the very least, here in this chilling cold darkness, pain and fears did not exist... this much was enough.

However a loud scream reached Neveah’s hearing even through the darkness and Neveah’s heart sank as she recognized that voice.

’Luna Colleen!’ Neveah thought in alarm,

"Veah! Oh God! Veah!" Luna Colleen’s heart wrenching scream of pain reached Neveah again, tearing at her heart.

’She found my body...’ Neveah realized, her heart aching to hear Luna Colleen’s screams and the pain in her voice.

"Leen... please calm yourself, you’ll hurt the pups!" Alpha Dane’s voice reasoned but the devastation in his tone was apparent.

Alpha Dane’s deep, shuddering breath was also audible to Neveah and her heart clenched in pain.

Neveah had believed there would be no one to mourn her loss, there would be no one to shed tears over her... she had left no impact on the life of anyone.

Everyone she had known would sooner have her dead and would be elated at her demise.

Perhaps the only one who would have lamented Neveah’s loss was her father... but not because he cared for her.

Only because he would be loosing his trophy daughter, his bargaining chip which he planned to sell off to the highest bidder when the time was right.

Yet why did these strangers whom she barely knew mourn her loss so? Why did they even care?

"Who did this?! Who?!" Another voice demanded in rage.

’Lucas...’ Neveah thought, immediately recognizing to whom the voice belonged.

In the short span of a month, these were the people she had grown familiar with, people who showed her for the first time what it meant to be loved and respected.

They knew nothing about her, nothing about her true origins, her beliefs or her loyalties, yet they had accepted her as one of their own, treating her with sincerity and gratitude.

As though it was a privilege to have known her when Neveah knew it was infact the other way around.

Neveah knew she was nothing special, if there was anyone who was privileged, then it was her...to have met such sincere people in her lifetime,

To have experienced a little warmth in her short, cold life and from complete strangers at that... Neveah was the one who was grateful.

The world was not as hateful as she had once believed it to be...it was only that she had been born unlucky and was not destined for an easy life.

’Leen! You’re bleeding!’ Alpha Dane exclaimed in panic.

Neveah’s heart sank even deeper, Luna Colleen’s pregnancy was still fragile, bleeding at this stage only meant something was wrong.

The Moon Whisper was a very malicious poison and even when neutralized, it left it’s victim in an extremely fragile state that would take a long time to recover.

It had not even been up to a month since Luna Colleen had become free of the effects of the Moon Whisper and her poisoning had gone on for a long time.

Naturally, it would take her much longer to recover and she could not risk endangering her pups at this time.

’That’s enough... this is my fate, do not risk your happiness over me. Protect your pups, Leen.’ Neveah thought in despair.

At this stage, intense emotions like grief and despair would only harm Luna Colleen, she could not afford to loose herself in such dark emotions.

Yet Luna Colleen’s sobs were all Neveah could hear, her grief was inconsolable and Neveah’s heart ached to hear her pain.

Luna Colleen’s sobs pierced straight into Neveah’s heart and Neveah wished she could have a chance, even just a brief moment to comfort the grieving Luna.

Neveah wondered just how pure hearted one could be to be so truly attached to someone she had known for barely a month.

How could she find Neveah so trustworthy and dependable when Neveah had done nothing more than neutralizing the poison which was something just about any Omega healer could do.

"Veah is gone Dane! Who could have done something so evil? Who could have been so heartless?" Luna Colleen sobbed out in devastation.

"This is Alessio’s doing!" Lucas exclaimed all of a sudden.

His tone sounded so certain as though he did not have the slightest doubt in his mind that Alessio was the culprit and Neveah worried for his ignorance.

Alessio had already cleared the crime scene, there would be no evidence left behind to back Lucas’s claims, it would be his word against Alessio’s.

What fate befell a wolf shifter who dared stand against Eclipse royalty? Especially now that Alessio had been officially named the heir?

Neveah did not even want to think about it, her death was enough...no one else needed to be sacrificed.

’Gods! No Lucas, just let this go... Alessio is not someone you want to mess with. My father will always take his side... you will be endangering yourself.’ Neveah thought in pain.

But of course, her thoughts were hers alone and there was no possible way for Lucas Varleston to hear her or heed her words.

"How do you even know that?" Alpha Dane asked.

"I see how he treats Veah! I see how he looks at her! He was the only one absent from the banquet at the same time Neveah was! It has to be him!" Lucas insisted.

Lucas was an observant man, Neveah only realized it at this moment that Lucas had noticed the strained relationship she shared with Alessio even when they played the part of loving siblings.

Even knowing that, he had never once confronted Neveah to know the truth or force her to speak of her past.

Instead he had spent everyday of the past month working tirelessly to put a smile on Neveah’s lips, even dragging his father along for his hilarious plots.

"You can’t know for sure, there is no proof. Throwing around accusations based on your word alone will get you killed Lucas! This is the Eclipse Prince!" Alpha Dane reminded.

"Alessio did this! It cannot have been anyone else! He will answer for this!" Lucas snarled in a furious tone.

"Lucas Varleston! Get a hold of yourself!" Alpha Dane reasoned.

Neveah wished Lucas would just listen to Alpha Dane’s words and protect his life but Lucas Varleston was an adamant man.

"He killed Veah! He will die!" Lucas roared furiously.

"How do you plan to kill the Eclipse Prince exactly? You cannot even know for sure!" Alpha Dane insisted.

"I will know for sure when I ask him." Lucas replied.

’Ask him?’ Neveah thought.

Would Alessio be willing to answer? Was he so calm and easy going that he would be confronted with a question of murder and answer truthfully?

Would he be able to admit to it? The answer was obvious... Alessio would never admit and posing such a question to him was asking to be killed.

Lucas did not understand, that there was more to Neveah’s death than just a spat between siblings.

This was Alessio’s act to secure his throne and Neveah knew if anyone prodded into it, then she would not be the only victim.

"What do you plan to do?" Alpha Dane asked warily.

"An ancient blood challenge...a battle to the death." Lucas decided.

’No...’ Neveah thought in despair.

"Lucas, you are no match for the Eclipse Prince...if you declare the ancient challenge, your life is forfeit." Alpha Dane said in a grim tone.

"I am willing to give my life to defend Neveah’s honor...if my fate is death, then so be it." Lucas Varleston decided.

Neveah realized in this moment that family had nothing to do with blood ties... your true family was those who were willing to stand by you in your time of need.

To defend and protect you for no selfish interests but simply because they cared.

This was Neveah’s true family and to have never gotten the opportunity to treat them with the same sincerity they had accorded her... Neveah truly regretted it.

’I have lived with my eyes blinded to the truth, now that I see it clearly...it is already too late for me.’ Neveah thought as her consciousness slipped away into oblivion.

However just at that moment, Neveah heard a quiet whisper brush over her ears.

"Neveah Omega Lothaire...born of light blood, take my hand...if you dare." The voice whispered in a soft, barely audible tone.

Neveah was already dead, what more was there to consider?

"I Dare." Neveah thought.