THE FATE OF THE CURSED HYBRIDS

Climbing a mountain was no easy feat but dragging a frightened deer with me made the exercise more daunting. The sun beat down on me and my stomach rumbled but I gritted my teeth and continued to climb up the mountain of miracles. The ‘priestesses’ leading me up the mountain paused at intervals to give me withering glares that seemed to reproach me, reminding me that I could not be lazy if I wanted a child. Until I had a child, there would be no reprieve for me.  

“Goddess, please,” I muttered to myself, “please, just one child – one baby – please –“

After five years of being mated to an Alpha without birthing an heir or even getting pregnant once, people no longer spoke behind my back; they called me barren to my face. The only way I could save myself and my marriage was to get pregnant as soon as possible.

My legs ached as I climbed, my hands were injured from pulling on the rope attached to the deer. The sun roasted my skin and my vision turned white every ten minutes but I continued up the mountain. I had tried everything I could in the last five years and it was starting to feel as if I was running out of options.

After the gruelling feat of climbing, we reached the top of the mountain and as I had been instructed beforehand, I took out a knife and slaughtered the deer, muttering the strange words the priestesses had taught me. The top of the mountain was stained with blood from others that had performed sacrifices before me.

As I slaughtered the deer and muttered the strange words, my wolf paced in discomfort while tears gathered in my eyes. Guilt ate at me. What I was doing was sacrilegious to the goddess but desperation pushed me to this point.

When I was done with the ritual, I had to drink the blood of the lifeless deer in front of me. I went on my knees with tears in my eyes and put my lips on the dead animal, my stomach revolting and my heart squeezing. The tears fell.

“Why are you crying?” One of the priestesses scolded. “This is the time for you to rejoice.” I nodded, rising as I wiped my lips of the animal’s blood.

“Yes, look at the rainbow over there.” The other priestess pointed to the sky. I looked up but only met the harsh glare of the blazing sun. “Rejoice for the supreme god has granted your request.’

“Yes,” I muttered but the tears did not stop falling.

“You may leave now. We will remain here to pray for you for the next fourteen days,” the priestesses said and I nodded. “What are you waiting for? Leave immediately!” I staggered at the harsh shout and proceeded to stumble down the mountain.

It did not feel like I had received a miracle. Although the priestesses told me even the smallest of doubt in my heart would hinder my miracle, I could not help but think I had wasted my time and money.

‘Your miracle is on the way, Channy,” I muttered to myself, holding my stomach. “You’ll have a baby in nine months, just believe.”

Going down the mountain should have been easier but it was not. My stomach turned and my legs ached. I paused once to throw up and even after getting to the foot of the mountain, I had to make a long trek to where I parked.

The sun was setting when I entered my car. Upon checking my phone, I met zero missed calls. Although I had been gone all day, my mate did not bother checking up on me. He knew where I went, had rolled his eyes when I told him I was visiting the mountain of miracles but said nothing to me.

He spoke to me less and less with each passing day and sometimes I caught him staring at me in disgust. It hurt my heart but what could I do? It only fueled my desperation. Everything around me was falling apart because I could not conceive. If only I could get pregnant, things would be better. My mate would look at me with love once again, my pack mates would respect me again and my mother-in-law would not turn up her nose every time she saw me.

“Goddess, please –“ I felt unworthy of calling the goddess’ name after what I just did but I was at the end of my tether. I had tried everything; Volunteered at nurseries, done all the tests the doctors recommended, donated to the temple, everything I could think of had been done but all to no avail. My stomach was still flat and getting flatter as I lost weight.

It was a long drive back home and when I got back, it was almost midnight. The lights were turned off and I heard my mate snoring inside. I could not even doze off on nights when he returned home late from work.

I brushed my teeth as thoroughly as I could and washed my body of all the grime and sweat clinging to me. Then I dressed in the lingerie I bought a few months ago but never got to try out.

“Jackson,” I whispered my mate’s name, biting my lips as he flinched but continued to snore. I didn’t want to disturb his sleep but the priestess told me it would be tonight. I had to conceive tonight. “Jackson – baby –“ I tapped his shoulder. “I am back.”

After five minutes of shaking my mate, he finally opened his eyes. The look of loathing I saw in his eyes before he blinked made me flinch.

“I thought you would live in the mountains with them for a while,” he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. “What do you want?”