The Moonlit Curse

Ch 19: Sweet Summer Prince

Rain splattered against the windows, while the wind of the storm had them rattling in their frames. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the sky and casting stark shadows across the hall. A roll of thunder followed a moment later but was drowned out by the scream of the queen behind the door.

The prince braced his hands on his knees and took slow, even breaths through his mouth. Neither the smell of the rain nor the heavy door to the birthing room could withhold the overwhelming stench of sweat, blood, and despair. The king's warm, heavy hand rested on the prince's shoulder, but the trembling in his touch took away any comfort meant to offer.

"Is this normal?" he asked his father, hoping beyond all reason that his instincts were wrong. When he didn't answer, the prince turned his head to look at him.

In all twelve years of his life, the prince rarely had anything to fear. When he was convinced there were monsters under his bed or in the wardrobe, the queen held him close while the king's deep voice chased the imaginary intruders away. At the full moon, he watched his father turn into an enormous, powerful beast, and then watched the alpha preen his luna with the tenderness of a kitten.

The few times the prince experienced fear, he looked to his father for strength. Only this time, the fear was getting the better of him. The king's face was drained of all color, his pupils constricted into pinpricks, and his mouth pressed into a thin line.

That was more terrifying than any monster hiding under the bed.

"My king," a soft voice came from the other end of the hall. The prince didn't need to look around to know that voice. He could have picked out that voice among the busiest of markets.

Dressed in pure white robes, adorned in gold, and flanked by his retinue of young priestesses, the oracle walked slowly towards them. Two of the priestesses held his hands, guiding him as his eyes were clouded white voids. Blind to the physical world around him, but the prince knew that the oracle saw more than anyone else.

"Your holiness," the king stood up a little straighter. "Can this wait? The queen is still-"

"Go to her," the oracle interrupted, his voice never changing.

"M-men are forbidden from the birthing room."

The oracle lifted his hand from the girl's and let it rest on the king's shoulder. "Go to her," he said again.

The king's eyes widened in horror. Then he broke away and raced for the doors, the prince at his heels. No one shouted for them to leave, an early sign that something was wrong. While the king rushed for his wife's side, the prince froze mere feet past the threshold.

His mother lay among blood-soaked sheets. She was as pale as the king for an entirely different reason. "Beloved," she whimpered. "You're not supposed to be here."

"What's wrong?" the king all but demanded, taking her hands and pressing his forehead to hers. "This is not like the last time. It's been too long."

The queen glanced at the door to see the oracle behind the prince. Turning back to her mate, she spoke between choked sobs. "Promise me... promise me you will find love again."

"Don't say that, my love. You're strong. You can do this."

"Love our children," she continued. "Never stop loving them. They are my gift to you."

Her whole body shuddered then, and she curled forward in the effort and the pain of labor.

The prince couldn't move. There was so much blood. His mother was in so much pain. He needed to help her. How could he help her?!