Both Margot and Kristof found that they had regrets but it no longer mattered. They had both willingly chose this route and once they chose something they never backed down or quit.
Black fetid blood dripped from Kristof's wounds and the corners of his mouth. His veins were swollen and black and the whites of his eyes were as well. He coughed and spat out more black putrid blood and smiled devilishly at Margot.
"It seems like you and I will die at each other's hands. Who knew our love would have such depth."
Margot sneered at him. Her body riddled with wounds that could not heal. Just as he could heal he could cause a body to never heal. Her body was doing just that. She felt the pill she had taken trying to heal here but her body was doing the exact opposite of what the pill was directing it to do.
Actually it was only because of the pill that she was still alive. Kristof had added energy of decay to each wound he had inflicted. It was something new he had created and had not gotten around to telling her about. He had already laughed at the irony.
"Kristof let's stop all of this…. What will become of… Dark Howl if we both die?'
It was becoming difficult for Margot to speak and her breathing was becoming labored. Kristof's expression softened. He had never stopped loving her and had only ever pretended to be with other women because she always had other men.
He knew she was aware of the farce but he continued out of pride. His love for her flared within him at that moment and it roared through his body like it had the first he sensed her in heat. But it was different now. It had happened too many times now, and gone unanswered, for him to have an extreme reaction.
He only decided to stop because he could not bear to see her die. The thought of it caused something deep within him to twist. He backed away from her and stopped his self healing. He sat heavily on a wide bench and looked at her blankly.
"You win my love. You will have control of Dark Howl for ten, no fifteen more minutes and then our incompetent children will fight over it for a day max before that Silver Moon cub comes and snatches from them."
He had a violent round of coughing, thick black blood flew from his mouth and splattered him and his surroundings.
"It is of no consequence to you but I never stopped loving you."
A smile froze on his face as his body stilled and his black swollen eyes seemed to bulge even more. Margot looked away. She knew what was going to happen and she did not want to see it. She decided to try to extend her life. Her daughters would hate her for the death of their father but they would not allow her to die.
But she knew it wad futile. Kristof taught then everything that he knew but they had not surpassed him yet. She would have to make sure they returned to his family and remained apart of the main branch.
All of this went through her mind as she limped out of his lab and Kristof's lifeless body continued to swell with her poison. She felt the explosion and paused a split second and pursed her lips.
That was all of the Iris would get from her. Her love for him had petrified long ago. Not because of him but because of her and her fear. He was too ambitious and she always felt he would die and leave her so she denied him a place in her heart.
It was truly ironic that the death she had so vehemently feared would come by her own hands.
She barely made it to her eldest daughter's room. Keen senses had brought the young shewolf to the door. Margot saw her daughter's eyes go wide even as she caught her mother.
"Father did this? Where is he?"
'She truly is a brilliant girl.'
"We had a fight dear. He decided to let me win."
Margot watched the tears well up in her daughter's eyes even as she nodded and moved her mother to an examination table. She closed her eyes and Margot felt a thrumming in her soul and she knew her daughter was speaking to her other children and probably looking for her father.
After that Margot Yellow-Iris fell into a deep black abyss created by her daughter and all went quiet.
Margot awoke in her own bedchambers with her four daughters dispersed throughout the room.
"Mystic Howl has not fallen?"
Two of her daughters came to her while the two merely looked to her but made no move to approach her. One that hadn't moved spoke.
"It has not fallen, but it is no longer a Dark Howl Pack."
"Dark Howl no longer exists mother."
The second daughter that hadn't moved and as Margot tried to turn to look at her she realized that she could not move.
"we could not save you mother. Your body died days ago but father made it so your brain would live. We woke you to see if you want us to kill you or look at daddy's notes and figure out how to place you in another body."
"I still fell you do not deserve it mother. He allowed you a way out while you made sure he would die."
"Sister!"
"Why sister me? She can not see but she knows who is who."
Everything went quiet and still.
"I do know which is which and I also know that you all would not have stayed if you all had nor agreed to help me."
She thought for a long moment.
"Your brothers. Fighting amongst themselves to see who will be the new Alpha of Dark Howl."
Margot scoffed.
"Neither of them is Marco Silversmith." Two of her daughters scoffed in agreement.
"Let me die. But all of you go back to Iris Pack. You are all strong healers and your father would only allow you access to his work, even after death."
She felt them all nod.
"Leave your brothers to themselves but you can tell them that I said chase after their own dreams not the dead dreams of their parents."
"Are you sure mother. I know that we can save you. I have already looked through my portion of father's notes and it will most likely not take us very long. I can tell that he wanted you to live."
"But you don't."
There was no answer.
"No. Let me die with Dark Howl and my soulmate."