Chapter 63 Sick

*Chase*

"Get me some aspirin, anything," I ordered my Beta. "My head is killing me! And call the pack doctor. I want to know what's wrong with me."

"Right away, Alpha," my Beta said. He bowed and left the room.

After hearing the loud howl of the so-called queen and envisioning my decapitation, my head has been throbbing and I have been puking my guts out. My Beta complained he and most of our men were also experiencing headaches, but their reaction to the howl was mild compared to what I was experiencing.

I tried calling my father, but he wasn't answering his phone. I wanted to know if he had heard the howl and if he was experiencing the same symptoms as I was.

He left me in charge in finding Lucas and Athena at Martha's Vineyard. We had found the pickup truck, abandoned in a warehouse, beside a newly purchased SUV. My men ran the plates through our contact in the DMV and they said the pickup was registered to Ethan Crowne while the the SUV was registered to a Diana Sullivan. Michael's last name was Sullivan. He must have mated or had a daughter I didn't know of.

We looked at all other properties around the area, asking if they had seen a group of people. No one knew anything. I told my men to leave Martha's Vineyard and to keep watch around New York State borders. Athena I knew would come back. Especially now that I had her children under lock and key.

Obviously, we were dealing with a group who had resources. When Lucas left all those years ago, we audited our companies and found nothing was missing. Even Lucas's personal account under the Lockwood name remained untouched, although it only had several thousand dollars. We tracked Athena's finances hoping we could flush Lucas out, but Athena had never sent money to anyone outside the state. Her business transactions were legit. After a while, my father and I gave up thinking Lucas and Michael were probably working as janitors somewhere to provide for my niece.

My stomach was churning again. I walked to the bathroom of my office, stuck my head in the toilet and puked my guts out. There was nothing left in my stomach except for bile. I took a towel from the bathroom cabinet and wiped the perspiration from my forehead. I washed my hands and splashed some cold water on my face. Oh, my aching head. Where the hell is that medicine?!

My phone started ringing in my pocket and I groaned. I didn't have the stomach to deal with all this shit right now. I threw the towel on the bathroom countertop, fished out my phone from my pocket and took a look at who was calling. Finally, my father was calling me.

"Father! I have been trying to call you for the past hour. Did you-..." I was cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

"Alpha Chase Lockwood, I'm Alpha Jared Johnson. I'm calling on behalf of your father. He passed out about an hour ago. Then when he came to, he started vomiting. We brought him to the hospital. The doctors say they've gotten the vomiting under control and gave him a sedative. He's supposed to fly back to New York tomorrow, but that depends if he gets discharged."

"My father is in the hospital? Should I fly there to be with him?" I ask.

"I don't think that you should. There seems to be a sickness going around among the wolves. After the howl, many have been complaining about headaches while some have more serious symptoms like your father. My father has also been admitted to the hospital. The doctors say he is suffering from high blood pressure, but I doubt if that's the case," Alpha Jared said.

"And you, did you hear the howl? Have you had any problems after that?" I wanted to know if his symptoms were as bad as mine.

"Yes, I heard the howl of the queen. I suffered a mild headache after, but nothing as serious as the others," he answered. "I hope to meet you in person tomorrow at the Christmas Ball. You will be attending, yes?" He asked.

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Alpha Jared for taking such good care of my father. Please do keep me updated regarding his condition." I needed to end the phone call. I was feeling nauseous again.

"Will do, Alpha Chase. Have a good evening!" He hangs up and I kneel down again and stick my head in the toilet bowl. I probably need to go to the hospital like my father.

When I finished with the bathroom, I enter the office to find my Beta and the pack doctor waiting for me. Doctor Evans stood up and bowed.

"Sorry, Alpha. I had to attend to a lot of the pack members. Must be a bad reaction to the Blood Moon." The doctor proceeds to take my blood pressure and a blood sample. He checks my pupils and takes my temperature.

"Doc, many of the members are suffering the same?" I ask him.

"Yes, Alpha. Mostly your men and their respective mates. Thankfully, no children," he said with a smile.

"And their symptoms? I have a throbbing headache and I have been vomiting constantly for the past hour. Have they been exhibiting the same?" I ask.

"Yes, some. Most have just complained of a headache after hearing the howl."

"Did you hear it too, Doc?"

"Yes I did, Alpha. I suffered a mild headache from the sound, but that was it. I'm fit as a fiddle," he said, labeling my blood sample. He took out his prescription pad and started scribbling.

"What do you think it meant, Doc?" He finished signing the prescription and tore the piece of paper from his pad before he answered. He was slightly older than Lucas who financed his education. When the change of leadership happened, the doctor kept his nose out of the politics of the whole thing. He just wanted to help the sick.

"Alpha Chase, you do know the history of our pack, right? The origin of the Lotus Pack?" He asked me while he handed me my prescription plus a couple of pills he took from his medical bag. I shook my head. Fine, I didn't study when I was a boy. I was busy going to the mall.

He leaned back on his chair and studied me. I knew he was thinking of how to say what he had to say to me.

"I wrote a short story on the black wolf several years back. It was suppose to be a bedtime story like the one my grandmother used to tell me, but I decided against having it published. The bedtime story scared the hell out of me when I was a pup. I didn't want the next generation of wolves to feel scared, yet judging from your lack of knowledge as well as those in our pack, I think I should have it published." He shakes his head and laughs. "So, where do I begin?" He scratches his head and looks up to the ceiling. My Beta had opened the door to let the others in so they could listen too.

"Wolves, werewolves, have been around since the beginning of time, during the time of Gods and Godesses of old. Of course, you all have heard of Apollo and Artemis, Diana, Leto, Fenrir, Lupa, Remus and Romulus even Odin's wolves Geri and Freki. Those are the more popular personalities in wolf legend, myth and folklore and have been around for centuries. However, The Black Wolf with the Lotus Flower, the very foundation on which our pack was formed has been forgotten. It pains me to see this."

All eyes and ears were on the doctor. I didn't feel quite nauseous anymore, but my head was still aching. I needed to know what was going on even if it was painful for me focus.

"So, there was a time when many wolves had gone astray. Let's face it, wolves have many advantages against humans. We are stronger, faster, smarter and if blessed, even magical. Unfortunately, wolves had started using those abilities to deceive, kill, pillage and rape. When the Moon Goddess created wolf, she intended our abilities to be put to good use. Work side by side with the humans, not over them and definitely not beneath them."

"Taking a part of herself, the Moon Goddess chose a female pup, a half-breed, both human and wolf, and placed a part of herself in her. She then called the wolf gods and godesses of old and asked for a descendant from all them. They provided the Moon Goddess with a black wolf. The gods and goddesses each blessed the black wolf with an ability they each possessed making the black wolf a goddess herself. The Moon Goddess blessed the female pup with the black wolf and adorned her body with the symbol of the lotus flower as an omen, to warn wolves of the coming of the judge, jury, and executioner. Well, when the female pup became of age, she killed all the bad wolves and those who were left alive, were either completely righteous or had promised to atone for their sins. When she mated, she established the Lotus Pack, as a reminder to all wolves to be fair."

"So you believe the black wolf is back, Doc?" My Beta asked. He looked like he was feeling better. The doctor opened his mouth to say something, but he hesitated.

"Alpha, is it alright if I'm allowed to speak freely?" The doctor asked.

"Sure, Doc. Better it comes from you," I answered.

"It is not a secret that former Alpha Lucas had a relationship with a human nurse. I personally knew the nurse and I had watched her pregnancy progress after Lucas and she decided to go their separate ways. I had found out the human nurse gave birth to a female pup before she met her untimely death. It was during that time when Lucas disappeared and I speculate he had taken custody of their daughter. If I am not mistaken with my calculations, tonight, during the Blood Moon, a symbol of chaos and change, the female pup becomes of age. I believe, Lucas's daughter has been blessed by the Moon Goddess and her wolf is the black wolf of legend, reborn. If this is true, I urge you, Alpha Chase, to prepare for her arrival. The Black Wolf with the Lotus Flower is not forgiving. The sickness is proof of her mercilessness."

If the Doc only knew, she is on the top of my shit list. I nodded my head at the doctor's recommendation and excused myself.

I had to stick my face in the toilet again. I'll take those damn pills when I'm done.

________________


*Edward Crowne *

I was on the couch of my hotel room here at the Four Seasons when it happened.

I don't know what was happening to me. I heard a howl and I suddenly felt sick after it. What was going on?

I guess this is what the humans call 'migraine'. I had a throbbing headache and I was vomiting. I did some research on my phone and it said to stay in a cool, dark place. I dimmed all the lights around me, set the thermostat of the room to cool and laid down on my bed. I was feeling a bit better.

The howl announced the arrival of the queen. This puzzled me. The wolves don't have a monarchy. What we had was a Council with the High Lord Wolf as our President, Leader, or Prime Minister. I didn't understand what the loud howl meant. But when the face of Daisy's human mate flashed in my mind, I instantly knew my sins were coming back to haunt me.

Damn it, where the hell is Ethan? And why couldn't I get in contact with Eric Lockwood? I decided to call home and see how Harriet and the rest of the family were doing and if they had heard from Ethan.

"Dad! Did you hear that howl? It said the queen has been reborn! Do you know what it means?" Kate, my youngest, answered her mother's phone. She heard the howl also but she seemed to be in good spirits. I guess she wasn't affected by the howl.

"Yes, I did. I guess the mage in hiding was just playing a prank on us. Where's your mother?" I asked her.

"She's baking some gingerbread cookies. Wait. I'll put you on speakerphone. There you go. Mom! Dad wants to talk to you." Actually, I didn't, but I wanted to see if she was sick like me.

"Edward, darling, you wish to speak to me?" She seemed to be fine.

"Yes, I was wondering if you were sick," I replied.

"I had a slight headache earlier, but I'm fine now. And you?" She asked.

"I'm okay. Just like you, slight headache," I lied. "One of my men, started vomiting after though. Any cases like that there?"

"A number, yes. The pack doctors are attending to them and say maybe it's a bad reaction to the eclipse." That's right. The Blood Moon! "Anyway, the doctors gave them sedatives. Better they sleep the night." I should do that too.

"Any word on Ethan?" I ask.

"No, Edward. I will inform you once he calls," she answers. "I'll talk to you later, darling. I need to finish baking."

"Alright. Good night!" I hang up. I dialled our butler's number thinking maybe Patrick had information. He didn't pick up. I decided to call Boyd. He didn't pick up either. I tossed my phone on the nightstand beside me.

I guess it's time to get some sleep. I need to be better for the Chrismas Ball tomorrow night.