Chapter: 8
*******
At that moment, all they desired was to speak to him, to help him calm down, but it seemed to be too difficult. Dirk was completely lost to them. It was obvious that he was struggling between his feelings and his instincts, torn between giving in to their commands and submitting to them.
With growing concern, they watched as he started trembling. His body shook with both lust and fear, and the Triplets' worry deepened. They couldn't fully comprehend this bond, but they needed to discuss it and find a way to balance their situation. After all, they had been paired by the Goddess, who knows best.
"Are you alright?" Tricc asked, moving closer and kneeling in front of the trembling Lion. He reached out a hand but stopped when he saw the Lion flinch away from him. Frowning, Tricc stood back up and took two steps back. "Have it your way," he growled under his breath.
"Stop with the pheromones, brothers," Seth reasoned, and the others nodded. "As an Alpha Pride, he could go into pheromone-induced shock if we let him inhale any more than he already has... Look at him!" he exclaimed, pointing towards the Pride who was still curled up on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
It didn't take long for the air to clear, and Dirk began to breathe normally again. Tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision, but his strength slowly returned. The Lycgers watched as he recovered, making sure to keep a distance of five feet.
They would have let him go home, giving him all the time he needed to think clearly about their pairing. They would do the same. However, before they could have a better conversation and a clearer understanding, Dirk didn't allow that to happen.
Once he was breathing normally and able to stand on his own, he wasted no time. Without a moment's hesitation, Dirk began to speak. Kurt knew what he was about to say, which was why he reached out first...
"Dirk?" Kurt started, but Dirk cut him off, speaking over him.
"I, Dirk Fairpride, reject you, Kurt, Seth, and Tricc Riverbay as my Fated Pairs!" Dirk shouted with a hard glare. He ignored how the Lycgers visibly recoiled at his harsh tone. "From this moment on, I sever all connections that bind us as mates. You cannot bond me nor control me, and I will not submit myself to you."
A dark cloud rose and enveloped the moon, shrouding them in darkness. The stars disappeared along with the moon, and the wind ceased, causing the leaves on the branches to still.
Silence followed.
Not a single sound dared to reach their ears. It was as if time had stopped. The only thing that could be heard was their heavy breathing, their heartbeats thumping loudly enough to deafen the rest of the world. After a while, the silence was shattered by a low snarl.
Then it began.
It took hold of Tricc first. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground, his hands reaching towards the moon mark on his side. He yelled and began clawing at his ribs as the moon marking faded. Worried now, Seth and Kurt quickly rushed to their brother's side, but they too soon fell to the ground next to Tricc, crying out in heartbreaking agony. It felt as if their hearts were being torn from their chests while still alive. The cries of their anguish were excruciating.
A sudden chill ran down Dirk's spine as he stared wide-eyed at the Lycgers, who were crying loudly, trying to alleviate their pain. But they were powerless against it. They cried even louder, clutching their sides and begging for it to end. Tears streamed down their faces, and their bodies shook as every muscle seemed to be torn apart. But the torment wasn't over.
Dirk's knees buckled from the overwhelming horror. He felt sickened witnessing their distress, backing away in horror as his legs gave way under him. He could only watch the scene unfolding before him.
He had heard that rejection was painful, but he had never imagined it would be of this magnitude. At that moment, he wished he could take back the words he had spoken.
Blood.
Their sides began to bleed, the moon markings nearly gone, leaving behind what could hardly be called a crescent. And worse, it bled. They cried out for help, pleading for mercy from the Goddess above. Dirk watched their blood drip down their sides, soaking the earth, but...
There were no pheromones.
Their blood should have filled the air with the same pheromones they had used to ensnare him before, but somehow Dirk couldn't smell their pheromones. Only the metallic scent of blood lingered around him. Their scent had vanished completely, replaced by something else entirely. Something that sent shivers down his spine and made him feel sick.
His stomach turned at the thought. Feeling dizzy, he stumbled backward, falling onto his bottom. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he managed to rise to his feet again. Finding his steps, he began to run away from the scene.
As the double-shifters lay there, weak and helpless, their vision fading, the last blurry image they saw was that of their mate fleeing from their dying presence. Their mate, who had rejected them without hesitation. Not only did he not care, but he hated them enough to run away when they were dying.
The pain they experienced that night surpassed anything they had ever endured in their entire lives. They felt their Lycgers slipping away from within them. Blood... There was so much blood, but it carried no pheromones. It held nothing.
Their vision started to blur as they watched him run, and slowly, everything faded into nothingness.
*************
Three weeks had passed since the triplets had been admitted to the Pack's hospital. As they woke up, they found Doctor Creiff sitting with their Birth Omega and their father, wearing expressions of pity that made it clear something was seriously wrong.
"Dad?" Kurt called out, and Conri reached out to hold his son's hand. The boys looked utterly exhausted and appeared to be in terrible shape.
"What happened? What's going on?" Seth asked, looking between their father and their Birth Omega.
Conri swallowed the lump in his throat and let out a sad sigh. He looked up and glanced towards Caleb, who sat on the edge of Tricc's bed, watching their children intently.
"We'll tell you everything, but first we need to know something. Is Dirk... dead?" Dr. Creiff asked.
"No!" All three triplets exclaimed simultaneously. "The fool rejected us and ran away!" they added.
"No," Caleb muttered, standing up and beginning to pace the room. "This can't be true." He stopped in front of Conri, his face sad. Conri reached out a comforting hand and rubbed Caleb's arm as they turned to Creiff, waiting for an explanation of their sons' current condition.
"You have lost your pheromones. This hasn't been heard of in thousands of years, and once you lose the ability to give off pheromones, it may never return. And not only that, your Lycgers are struggling. They are dormant and will likely remain so. I cannot say for sure how long this will last, but without them, you won't be able to heal or use any of your abilities. You are..."
"Like humans," the triplets finished for him.
"Yes, exactly like humans," Creiff confirmed.
"So we're useless then?" Seth asked through gritted teeth.
"No, of course not," Creiff started, but the triplets interrupted him before he could finish.
"It doesn't matter. We can't heal, or use our abilities, our Lycgers are dormant, which means we're without our other halves, and strength, even the Omegas could defeat us in a fight. He's right, Creiff, we're useless!" Kurt declared.
"But you're still the double-shifters, the only Lycgers. You're still who you are, and that won't change," Creiff tried to reassure them, but his words held little comfort at this point.
"That's all we are now. The mighty Lycgers in name only. We're nothing without our other halves, and even worse, without pheromones!" Tricc cried out.
"I hate him for doing this to us!" Kurt snarled.
"Hey, hey, hate is a strong word, my love. Please, he's scared. And I'm sure he has his price to pay for this rejection. He's a Pride who got mated to Lycgers. It can't be easy for him either, I'm sure of it," Caleb consoled his sons.
"Is there really nothing you can do?" Conri asked quietly.
"If there was a way, I would have found it before they woke up..." the doctor said. "But I'll keep searching. If I find anything, I'll inform you. Just know that you may face many other challenges going forward, but I'm confident you'll find a way to make the best of the life you have now," Creiff finished.
"And Dirk?" Kurt asked.
"No one has seen nor heard from him in three weeks, but if it's any consolation, he's alive. I can assure you of that," Caleb told them before turning to Creiff.
"How do you know?" Seth demanded quietly.
Caleb turned to him with raised brows he asked, "What?"
"Dirk, how do you know he is alive?" he repeated.
"If he was dead, you three would not have woken up. Should any one of you die, all links die along with him." He informed and shook his head when he saw the frown of frustration etched into their foreheads. "Do not worry, as long as you all are alive, you can know that he is too." He added and returned his attention to the doctor once again. "Let's keep this a secret between us. No one else must hear about it, Creiff. I want my sons to be respected. After all, they're still the Alphas and the double-shifters."
Creiff agreed to keep their secret, and from that day on, their lives descended into chaos.
And now, he calls.