Silence hung in the air dominated by the deep breaths of Karam.

His wide eyes didn't move off the little replica of his while his feet moved backward in shock.

His face shook slowly as he glanced up at me in blankness. He couldn't make out why I brought his son down here to him.

"What's wrong, brother?" Alma asked, her voice sounding humorous. I blinked while he gave me a shocked and insecure look.

"We know you can dance better than that," Noira teased with a smirk.

My eyebrows straightened when his eyes filled up instantly and he looked around to observe the faces of the Severans. Noira, Alma, Reveka, Emily, Maya — all nodded their heads at him and smiled.

Karam looked back at me with so many questions in his eyes. I blinked slowly to answer them all.

He let out a shaky whimper and fell on his knees. I bent down to put the baby down who was now staring at the big hairy man in curiosity.

"Keev," he whimpered out while forwarding his arms towards his son.

My lips parted at the name while for the first time in my life, I saw Karam looking innocent and vulnerable. No, not vulnerable. Maybe, yes. He was overwhelmed, I could observe very well.

He pulled the baby towards him before those shaky baby steps could make himself fall any minute on the unpolished clean ground full of dry leaves and sharp rocks.

The shape of his triceps bulged out from the sleeves of the cream shirt as those big muscular arms wrapped around the tiny body.

The girls awed and sighed at the scene while my heart was squeezing and swelling like a balloon ready to burst at any moment.

Kisses were peppered all over his son's face and little chubby hands, Karam smiled through the glossy eyes at his son.

"You're here, " whispered my mate while chuckling at touching the soft silky hair just like his. "Soft as a feather, my little Lycan."

I blinked while staring at the scene as moments of him adoring and whispering sweet things to his son passed slowly. The child was too little to understand his father's continuous pecks and caresses. Irritated, he curled his red puffy lips and pushed his little fists against Karam's face.

Emily and Alma let out giggles while I gulped slowly.

"Uncle, stop it. Your hair has irritated him too." Emily said while chuckling softly. She walked close to them and bent down. Karam pulled away slowly and stared at his son's face warmly.  He let Emily carry the little one in his arms as the baby was hating to even get closer to the beard. Those little fists were pushing the face every time Karam would try to come close to tease.

He chuckled and smiled to himself, watching his son being carried away by Emily. The girls turned around and followed her ahead while Karam stood up straight to now look at me.

Our eyes met and the intense gaze of a mix of adoration and wonder made me freaking conscious. I looked away and started following the girls.

I could hear him stepping ahead to come closer to me even before I could join the whole clan going ahead. The immediate calling of his name from two girls, one of them being Stella asked for help to clear the pathways.

I didn't look at him. I couldn't. I felt too shy. Without wasting even a second, he ran ahead of me towards the girls at the front.

"What is it?" I asked one of the Severans walking at the last of the group. They were all of Noira's age, elder than me.

"The trees, " said the one whom I had asked the question. "The fallen ones."

I walked through the crowd to reach the front. Janine and Stella were on either side, watching Karam pushing away the two fallen trees from the way. They weren't that thick but the way Karam didn't even grunt or gritted his teeth made me feel like they weighted as nothing as feathers.

"Uncle Karam, you didn't see the tree while coming for us to the temple?" Stella asked in confusion.

Karam put the trees aside and clapped his hands to dust off the dry mud.

"Maybe, he didn't go back since the moment he left her at the temple," Janine whispered while Karam pretended like he didn't hear that.

Our eyes met for the briefest of seconds and my lips parted. He looked away and signed for everyone to continue walking. The girls started walking ahead. I kept closer to Emily who had been carrying the baby.

Karam stayed at the back and sometimes, ahead, leading and taking care of the group.

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Before we could even walk downwards and pass the cottage, the Aunts were ready with their bundles of clothes ready on their shoulders.

But the moment they saw the babyface in Emily's arms, their faces paled like ghosts.

Karam, already knowing the situation went down the first and took their bundles from them, collectively hanging them on his one shoulder.

"You know what happens if you take him to the village, " said Aunt Pola worriedly while looking at him.

"Go ahead and wait for us, " yelled Noira while Emily and I stayed along with her. The rest of the girls walked down, passing the cottage and going further ahead towards the dry stony path.

We neared the cottage while Aunt Rose gasped at the sight of the baby. Her eyes narrowed and reminded me of Anton.

"What is happening? You are not taking him down! Are you, Karam?" She asked angrily while glaring at Emily's shoulder.

My eyebrows narrowed too as Karam blinked and started saying things to them that I couldn't hear.

"No! No! What will this teach the pack? The females will kill your pup! Would that be fine with you?" Aunt Rose yelled angrily while shaking her head.

She walked towards us, grabbing her skirt and pointing at us. "Take him back! The Luna would kill him! This pup will create a war between brothers! It will break the family! Take this bastard away!"

"Excuse me?" I blurted out calmly while looking at her.

Her eyebrows straightened while she started in my eyes. "Oh. You have brought this pup to get it killed from Amelia. Haven't you?"

My eyes widened and furrowed in confusion immediately.

She glanced back at Karam who was now looking at me blankly.

I gasped while flaring my nostrils in hurt. "What the hell! Why would you say that?" I asked, sending her the glares.

"This is why Lucine invited her. Didn't she?" Aunt Rose sneered while looking at me.

"Lucine didn't force me to bring him here. I brought the pup myself." I said while she laughed mockingly.

"Brainwashed, " she said while giving me the dead eye.

My eyes narrowed and jaws clenched. "Every pup has the right to be with his or her father," I said as it was the obvious thing. "I brought him with me for the good. Not to get him killed. I will talk to Amelia."

"She is Luna. She won't listen to you. She will listen to the beast raging inside her at the sight of the bastard—"

"Stop!" I yelled angrily. "Quit saying that word, old woman. He is Karam's child. He is your grandson."

Aunt Rose made a face as if she was cringing in disgust and it shook me to the core.

I looked at Karam who was staring at me in extreme blankness. As if he couldn't conclude the reason for me bringing his child to him.

Shaking in anger, I took the baby from Emily's arms and starting walking ahead. The slant path was scaring when ahead the one side of the way were the cliffs.

But Aunt Rose's continuous harsh words kept me motivated and I ignored the shit out of her by walking ahead towards the girls, carrying the pup close in my arms.

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We had reached the same hilltop where Karam and I had spent the night before the full moon. The evening had turned darker and I realized that we had reached earlier than I had guessed we would.

The path was easy in going downwards. But my legs had gone out of control because of the continuous trekking in last two days. Each step downward, my knee would bend on its own without me being able to control my further steps. As if my legs had taken the charge of their own.

We took breaks while Emily and Noira took the turns of carrying the pup whenever they found me getting breathless and scared at any slant path. The bathmophobia was on peak.

Now resting here was the best thing for me. Girls had divided themselves into building a wood fireplace for food and water. While half of the others were spreading grass and blankets for me and the pup as the night would be getting colder. 

Karam had gone away for the second time to bring water for us. He had already brought the hunted rabbits and fruits in the first round. Meanwhile, I was sitting on a  stone with the younger girls circled around us and playing with the pup.

Both the Aunts were sitting far away, guiding the girls to build the fire stove. Occasionally, they would glance at me and the pup and gossip something with blank expressions on their faces.

"Never knew his name until today, " mumbled Maya from my left while glancing at the pup.

"Why? How would you call him then?" I asked curiously.

Alma chuckled from beside me and said, "Sister Lucine calls him the little monk. And we call him the same. Though, she wouldn't let us blood relatives be with him."

My eyes narrowed.

"Only Maya and others would be given duties to feed and play with him." She added while I got confused. She observed my curiosity and explained, "So, even a hair on their heads doesn't hold his scent. Even a little act of his that they might narrate to your mate would have made it tough for him to stay away from his pup."

I blinked as slowly the words started sinking in my mind. "I wonder how long Karam would have kept Keev there if I hadn't brought him along with us."

Alma had heard the words and was now smiling at me. "It never depended on his choice. The choice was always of his mate. You must wonder how long Keev would have stayed there in the temple if brother's Karam mate was not you, but someone else."

The smell of cooked meat was coming as whenever the air would turn our away.

"Take your morsels!" The Aunts started yelling, making all the girls stand up and walk towards them.

I nodded at Alma and Maya and to leave the pup with me. Sitting him on my lap, I waited as they both brought a big leaf full of sliced apples and cherries for me.

I was about to put a little piece of Apple in Keev's mouth, bending down to nudge him to do it. He opened his mouth and stared at me with those baby amber eyes. Those lashes were so long and thick. Chewing with his front teeth with open mouth, he made me chuckle with his lost expressions.

"He will eat your curry, I guess," I mumbled when I observed the not-so-impressed expressions.

Alma raised her eyebrows at me and nodded. She was about to go away when we heard, "I will feed him."

My head moved back to look up at the large figure towering us.

Alma nodded with a smile and went away. While Karam came closer to us the spread blanket with a leaf full of meat pieces in his hand. Our eyes met and I could see the curiosity in his.

"He barely has six teeth in total. He can't chew those pieces." I mumbled while he gave me a small smile.

"I asked them to overcook it. Pieces will be dissolved in his mouth. Don't worry, " he said in his deep voice.

My stomach churned at the description while he asked for Keev to come to him.

The little one crawled towards him happily and with one hand, Karam sat him up in his big lap. "Here, " he started putting the smallest piece soaked in excessive curry in his mouth.

My eyes narrowed immediately. I stopped chewing and shook my head. "That's too much for him. Spices are too much. He is just a baby."

"A Lycan baby, " said Karam while giving me an amused look.

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My throat shook and all the chewed fruit slices in my stomach were jumping when Karam started licking his fingers.

The curry was there on his beard, mustache and on Keev's mouth.

I have curled up the leaf that I was using and was drinking the water from the bamboo bottle.

"Do it like this," Karam said while showing his pup the way to lick fingers. When Keev couldn't do it properly, he grabbed his little finger and helped him with putting in his mouth and sucking it.

"Really?" I said, completely pissed off by his antics. "You are teaching him to lick his fingers?"

"Am I?" He asked while looking at me blankly and licking his own finger.

My mouth parted in slight irritation and he got further amused.

Emily chuckled while coming closer to us with a metal glass. "Here, Uncle Karam."

He helped Keev in drinking it, quite adorably. Drinking it himself, he washed both of their hands.

"Thank you, Emily," I said as she took the crushed leaves and the bottle from Karam before walking away.

Karam wiped Keev's mouth with the hem of his shirt, making my heart swell a little. He watched his son for longer.

Beneath that bushy beard, I knew he was smiling.

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"Let me out! Let me out!"

The stars were gone and so was the Moon. The night had gone too dark while the wind was blowing me away from reality.

Loud screams reached my ears, echoing wildly. The double voices of a woman were still chasing me on those high stairs, making me reach the stop. The clouds were moving away to show me those far mysterious eight towers again.

A burst of scary feminine laughter came from behind me. I turned around slowly in fright only to gasp.

The figure standing in the darkness snickered evilly and let out the loudest wail.

A scream escaped my mouth.

Opening my eyes and panting hard, I sat up while looking around hurriedly. Tears fell from my eyes and were instantly freezing on the cheek by the chilled wind.

It was a nightmare. No. A memory.

I closed my eyes and wiped my face while breathing hard. Rubbing my eyes, I palmed my heart and stared far at the dark mountains visible under the Moonlight.

The wind blew on my face, making me instantly remember Keev.

Turning sideways, I covered him with a blanket as he was snuggled inside Karam's chest. Watching them sleeping peacefully, brought me a sweet calm.

I stared at them until the restlessness in my legs grew to a level that I couldn't sit anymore.

I brought out my legs and pressed the blanket closer around Keev for much warmth.

Getting up from there, I looked around to see the girls sleeping around while covering themselves with their cloaks and shawls.

Sighing softly, I turned around and walked around the large stone that was in the middle of this hilltop. Walking ahead, I discovered another large stone a little far from the cliff.

Standing there, I closed my eyes and breathe in the freezing wind. Goosebumps rose all over my body. Chills came as the cloak was not enough for me to cover myself from the breeze.

Last night had been so eventful and terrifying, I just wanted to be grateful to this one for being calmer and pitiful to me. I was overwhelmed that I wasn't alone anymore.

Not even five minutes had passed when a pair of muscular arms wrapped around my form all of a sudden. The warm embrace was so familiar and relieving, I melted.

"What stops my mate from sleeping peacefully?" The heavy and deep voice came while the beard rubbed against my bare neck.

My crossed arms across the chest loosened. "You won't believe me."

The wind was louder than us. Maybe, not so louder than my heartbeats which had gone fasted when Karam sniffed my hair and left a hot breath against my neck.

"If not me, then who would?" He said while sighing and removing his arms from my body to raise up my hood to cover the head and neck.

Turning me around to face him, he stared at me. While I lowered my eyes, thinking of telling him everything I experienced there.

"When we'll reach home, " I said while he tilted his head and raised my face by putting a finger under my chin.

"I heard my mate's calls for me." He said, making me look up at him with wide eyes. Shivers ran down my spine. His gaze changed as he narrows his eyes and grabbed my cheeks. "Must tell me all the wrongs she might have suffered."

I gulped while he put his one arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "My mate isn't the same as I had left her at the steps of that temple."

"What am I like now?" I whispered softly.

He shook his head and caressed my cheek with his thumb. While observing my face, he looked so confused and curious. "You are quieter, my mate. I don't like it."

I blinked and ended up smiling at him.

He kept staring. "The time without you felt like an eternity. Felt like the days when you hadn't arrived in my life, " he whispered slowly. "The Lycan inside me was mad and slowly getting scared. I know you have seen something I never have."

I lowered my eyes.

"I look at my mate. I see you fearless. You bring my son into the world where he is not welcomed. You give me the greatest gift, my mate." He said softly while I looked up in his eyes.

He looked serious and sincere.

"I saw myself in him. I have found the purpose of my existence in the form of him. I just had to bring him with me. With us, " I whispered while palming his chest. "Now, I know why I grew up without a father. So, I could save Keev from suffering the same."

His eyes didn't move off my face.

"Lucine had promised that she would send back Keev only to his parent. I always thought it would be me, " he said while staring at me. "I have been told what you have promised Lucine before bringing him here."

My lips parted in shyness. "I had no other way."

"If she allowed, you meant those words." He asked while I opened my mouth.

"I am too young to be a mother, Karam," I said awkwardly.  "I said that to make her believe me."

His eyes narrowed in amusement.

"Too young to admit the obvious truths, my mate." He said while tightening his hold around me. "I wonder how much time will it take for you to admit your motherhood for Keev. Just like you accepted our marriage before leaving for the temple."

I stared at his chest in the suddenness of his words.

"We are a family, " he whispered while raising my chin. Our eyes met. "We have to yell that on Amelia's face or she would never let Keev reach his home. He would never get the celebrations this pack does whenever an Alpha pup takes birth. No customs. No blessings. If you do not accept Keev as our responsibility, she will find him to be our weakness rather than strength. Our son won't get the blessings because she won't allow it. The Aunts will support her. A Luna's blessings are needed for new admissions in her pack, my mate."

"I am leaving that trouble for tomorrow, " I whispered softly. "I don't want to get tense now because of thinking about it. I just want to breathe because last night, I nearly had forgotten how to do it."

"Breathe, " he said while giving me an amusing look and pulling me in his chest. I rested my against his front and closed, enjoying the warm embrace. "Take in and release."

Silence settled for a moment. Only the wind was whispering to the night.

"How was your full moon night?" I asked when my eyes opened and moved over the grass being visible under the full moonlight.

"Most difficult night of my life."

I pulled back my head to look at him in concern. "What happened?" I whispered immediately.

He blinked. "Your absence."

I pressed my lips right while he shook his head and looked away as if remembering a difficult moment. "Felt like a ghost. I roamed around looking for you to fool myself. The beast came out in the longing. It was good that you were away or I would have. . ."

I stiffened and pulled myself back slowly from his arms. He blocked my movements immediately by tightening his hold around my waist.

"I am not letting you visit that temple again, " he whispered in my ear, making me shiver in uncertainty.

"I myself don't want to go there again," I said, trying to calm him down because his breaths were turning shallow.

He turned silent and stared at me. "Come, you are cold." He said while turning slightly towards the right.

"Did you really hear my calls?"

He stopped and glanced back at me. He nodded slowly while I was chilled to the core. "If we stay here alone anymore, I might shift and do the undone."

I gulped and nodded as he took us back towards the ground.

"I have so much to tell you that I don't remember from where I should begin, " I whispered while snuggling into the blanket.

Keev was facing me in his sleep.

Snuggling to me, he released a little drool which I wiped by the corner of the blanket.

"What if he pisses on us?" I whispered while covering him.

Karam laid behind Keev and wrapped his arms around us, reaching for my waist. "I'll know before he could do it, " he mumbled sleepily.

I kept thinking of all the things that Keev would be needing as a baby. Most importantly, our attention.

"Do not worry about him, my mate. I'm here to look after both of you."

Before I could even close my eyes, my legs were captured by his tall ones. "Now, you are all locked with me. No bad dreams, new mother." He said, making me sigh softly.

I closed my eyes. A kiss came upon my forehead and then, I heard him moving back to Keev. Laying back, he released a sigh while I tried to give in to the sleep, hoping for a new happy day.

"Sleep, my mate. We have a long day ahead. Our home is calling us."

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"What do you think?"

Please vote and comment.

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Completing this chapter means a lot to me because this had been a difficult goal from these past two weeks. I tried to update a day before yesterday but the network was so bad, the app didn't open. My pack was out and hotspot didn't work. I felt hell embarrassed. I still am. So, now I did and I hope, this chapter's a good start for us to get back in Misty's mind.

Can't want to write more chapters as the thrilling part is about to come. Remember? Pete is preparing to cross the border. So, yeah. I Will update as soon I finish writing the next chapter.

Thank you for being the best readers in the world. ❤