Author’s POV:
Many Years Ago:
The foundation for the academy began that sa week.
The architects and workers were brought in. Magical towers were already ford under Gabriel’s command.
He knew this would be the last ti he ever visited the north.
Soon the monsters would wake up again, and this ti they would be in their pri.
The towers rose into the sky, rooted deep into the ground.
He built so areas as safe zones to make sure the crusaders had places to rest when they ca here to fight the monsters.
Everything was going well. They had brought in the first crusaders.
So were children of alphas, so were betas, so were royal gammas, and so were ogas. They trained on the grounds.
There was no well-constructed academy building yet, but it would be ford soon.
At the sa ti, new rules were set by the alphas of the mainland.
It was agreed that the entertainnt would continue.
All the alphas, regardless of whether their children were going to the north or not, would attend the entertainnt hall whenever new tapes were released.
Whenever a crusader went to the north, they would be recorded.
When they returned, the tapes would be edited in a dramatic way to create an evening for the alphas and the parents of the crusaders, whether they were ogas or not.
This was how it worked.
Lurkers were chosen as well, but there was a problem when choosing them.
The alphas insisted on making the lurkers numb to everything so they would not beco rebellious.
Everyone was aware of the orphans holding grudges or discovering what had happened to the early orphans and how they had been treated.
They feared the lurkers would attack the crusaders, taking their anger out on them.
It was decided that the lurkers would have no thoughts and no feelings.
The headmaster agreed to it. There was only so much he could change.
There were rules he also had to follow.
When everything was decided, the lurkers were given shots of a different dicine that made them silent.
They had no thoughts of their own and followed the rules of the headmaster.
It was also used to control them.
Since they had no families and no loved ones, it would have been harder to keep them quiet. Now they stayed quiet.
Marilyn’s pregnancy continued. Her body grew weaker, but she carried herself with calm and strength.
She placed her hand on her belly often. Her eyes softened most of the ti, but at night she cried, and her husband stayed beside her.
"There will be more monsters. So many others will suffer," she cried to Gabriel in his arms.
He held her hand, keeping her close.
"I will not allow our children to face this alone. Do not worry. When it is ti for one of our children to be sent to the north, he will be prepared. I will be prepared," he promised her.
She rested softly on his chest.
Months passed, and Marilyn went into labor.
Gabriel stood in the hall outside the room, watching the nurses go in and out.
He could hear her scream and cry.
"Headmaster, she is asking for you," one of the nurses told him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He rushed inside to check on his mate. Marilyn lay on the bed breathing hard.
Sweat covered her skin. Her hands gripped the sheets tightly.
Fear rose inside Gabriel when he rembered his mother.
She had died giving birth after taking the antidote. The mory stayed with him.
He convinced himself that this would not happen to Marilyn.
He believed his mother had been weak and had lost too much blood, and that was why she died.
He held Marilyn’s hand, reminding her he was there.
"It is alright if I die. At least I will die knowing you did sothing right before you change completely," Marilyn whispered.
As soon as she said that, his throat tightened.
"Do not say that," he replied, pressing his forehead against hers.
The healers gathered around the foot of the bed, trying their best to give her comfort.
The first child arrived. It was a boy. Then the second ca.
His cries were different. The healers exchanged looks. They wrapped both babies and placed them near Marilyn.
"Look at them," she whispered, smiling.
For a mont, the hard ti had passed. Gabriel started to think she was fine.
She was not complaining about pain. She had fed the babies too.
But good monts never stayed long for them.
"Promise sothing," Marilyn requested. "You will not kill them. None of them. Not even if he becos like the others. He is your son."
She let out a weak cry.
"I will not kill him. I will take care of both of them," Gabriel promised.
He smiled for her and helped her rest her head on his chest.
He held his wife close.
"I am proud of you, and I love you," she whispered.
He smiled, but he could tell sothing was wrong.
He was so happy to have her in his arms that he fell asleep for a brief mont.
When he woke up, he found his warriors, the healers, and the ogas standing around him in tears.
That was when he realized his wife had stopped breathing a long ti ago.
"No! No!" he shouted, turning her over and placing her on the bed.
Her body was cold. He cried and tried to wake her up, but she did not move.
That day was spent in complete despair.
He cried for hours and chose to stay alone, but he eventually had to return to his children like he had promised his wife.
At the sa ti, the alphas arrived to et him.
They congratulated him and expressed their sorrow for the loss of his wife.
He wanted to attack them because he knew they were the ones who had stolen her from him.
Then, as if it ant nothing, Lord William remarked,
"Do not forget, one day, one of your sons will also enter the North. He will be a crusader. He will face the monsters, just like you made the rules for our children."
As soon as Lord William said that, Gabriel’s body stiffened as he looked at his two sons, Ian and Zian.
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