Broken Bonds

Lobo's POV

I abruptly woke up, feeling my heart racing in my chest. The tough cobblestones in the market square felt icy and harsh on my exposed skin. After I slowly got up, I noticed the gaze fixed on me. Many of my fellow pack members were gathered, their faces displaying a mix of surprise, bewilderment, and sympathy.

Fear consumed me in a sudden rush. I glanced down and saw with shock that I was totally nude. My thoughts hurried, attempting to understand how I had arrived at this point. My final memory was being engulfed by darkness while held by Zeeb.

Disregarding the murmurs and accusatory gestures, I hurriedly ran from the market square, solely focused on reaching my chambers and seeking solitude. The long journey of shame felt never-ending, every footstep a harsh memory of my weakness. At last, I arrived at my room, the door slamming as I entered clumsily.

Meera was there, reclining on the bed with an indifferent look. I must have clearly seen panic and confusion, but she didn't even glance up.

Meera, what's going on? "What brought me to this place?" I was speaking frantically, breathing in ragged gasps.

Her attention remained on the ceiling as she continued to ignore me. The lack of concern in her gaze and her disregard for my feelings of fear and confusion only made me angrier.

"Respond to me!" I yelled as I gripped her shoulders and shook her. "What have you done?"

Meera's gaze finally locked with mine, yet it was distant and impassive. Silently, she shoved me aside. My anger had gotten to its peak. I pushed myself on her, hoping for a response, seeking recognition of the insanity overwhelming me.

We struggled, the room filled with the sounds of our fight. "You’re mad, Lobo!" she spat, her nails raking across my skin. "You almost killed your own brother last night! Do you even remember that? The pack had to pull you off him."

Her words hit me like a physical blow. Zeeb. I had hurt Zeeb. Shame and horror washed over me, but Meera’s scorn didn’t stop.

"You’re a mistake," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "You’ve ruined everything. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m going back to my parents, and I’m taking our unborn child with me. I’ll make sure it never sees the light of day."

My heart clenched at her words, the finality of them. The cold realization that I was losing everything, that my actions had driven everyone away, was almost too much to bear. I fell to my knees, my head in my hands, the weight of my sins crashing down around me.

Meera stood over me, her disdain obvious. "You deserve this, Lobo. Every bit of it."

I was left alone in my chambers, the silence suffocating but I just remained there. I began to black out again. This time, I had no idea how long.

The haze of rage and despair began to lift, and suddenly I found myself back in my chambers, Meera’s cruel words still echoing in my ears. I was on my knees, my body aching and my mind filled with confusion and fear. I looked around, seeing the disarray I had caused, but my memory was a blank slate. I couldn’t remember what had happened between the moment I reached out to Zeeb and now.

Panic surged through me as I tried to piece together the fragments of my memory. I had blacked out when I got close to Zeeb, that much I knew. The darkness had swallowed me whole, and now I was here, back in my chambers, with no memories of what happened.

I quickly looked around the room and saw Meera. She was glaring down at me, her face showing a mix of rage and revulsion. "What went down?" I insisted with a tremble in my voice. "How did I end up in this place?"

Meera squinted her eyes. "Do you recall?" she asked, her voice filled with disdain. “You started acting out again, Zeeb tried to calm you down, but you battled Zeeb so intensely that he was almost killed. The guards had to pull you away from him.

Her words struck me with the force of a blow to the stomach. Zeeb. I had launched an assault on Zeeb. The recognition was a harsh, brutal awakening to the truth. I had lost my grip, exactly as Sabrina had cautioned. The poison and madness had completely consumed me.

In an instant, the memories flooded back: the scroll, the task. The spell Sabrina cast on me, the mission to assassinate my brother. I felt my heart racing in my chest as I recalled the heavy responsibility that was given to me. What made me forget? How did I let myself be engulfed by the shadows?

"Zeeb..." The sound of ocean waves crashing. I murmured, my voice cracking. I need to locate Zeeb. I must ensure that he is in good condition.

Meera angrily stated, "You're not getting close to him." Lobo, you pose a threat to everyone within your reach"You are a beast."

I couldn't disagree with her words, even though they hurt me. I had turned into everything I hated. However, the idea of Zeeb, my sibling, being injured somewhere because of my actions, was unbearable.

I found it difficult to stand up, feeling my body's weakness and instability. "I must see him," I exclaimed, my voice tinged with desperation. I have to say sorry. I must correct this.

“You can’t,” Meera said coldly. “You’ve done enough damage. I’m leaving tomorrow, and You’ll never see me again.”

Her words were a knife to my heart, but I couldn’t focus on that now. I had to find Zeeb. I had to make sure he was safe. My mind raced, the urgency driving me forward despite the fear and confusion that threatened to overwhelm me.

I stumbled out of my chambers, my thoughts a chaotic mess. The pack members watched me with wary eyes, their expressions filled with a mix of fear and pity. They knew what I had done. They knew the monster I had become.

But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was finding Zeeb and making sure he was safe. I had to find a way to break this curse, to stop the madness that was consuming me. For Zeeb, for the pack, and for whatever shred of humanity I had left.