"Achilles what have you done?" Diana screamed as she rushed over to Bella's immobile body on the floor. Achilles took two small steps backwards as he tried to steady his breath and calm the panic that was rising in him.

　　Bella was indeed unconscious and bleeding. He could feel his pulse hammering in his ears, blocking out all other sounds.

　　"I need someone to help me carry her into my chambers" Diana cried and immediately, Alex rushed over and scooped Bella into his arms.

　　Achilles numbly followed them all the way to Diana's chambers where she was taken into her magical room. His eyes did not leave Bella's pale face as she lay her on the bed and Diana began to examine her.

　　He was still in shock.

　　He still could not believe that he had raised his hand against the woman carrying his child. A cold wave embalmed him as the hairs rose on the back of his neck and his mouth ran dry. His heart hammering and booming was furious and incessant. It seemed to have swollen into a mallet and swung against his rib cage like a drum full of dirt that could burst at any moment.

　　"What's… what's going on?" He found himself asking and Diana turned to face him.

　　"She's unconscious Achilles and she has lost the baby" Diana announced and the moment the words hit his ear drums, his stomach twisted and his hands flew to his chest. He took on step backwards and turned his face away as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

　　He had no idea whether what he felt in his heart at that moment was fear or guilt.

　　"What have I done?" He mumbled to himself with his eyes wide open in shock.

　　"But… I think there is a way to bring them back" Diana continued and immediately, Achilles turned to look at her with hope filled in his eyes. He sprinted over to her with tears falling down his cheeks uncontrollably.

　　"Anything! Anything! I will do anything to bring them back. Please Diana" He cried in agony and his sister felt pity for him.

　　Even Alex who was angry at the situation felt pity for him because he knew Achilles didn't hit Bella intentionally. He only did it out of anger.

　　"The baby's soul hasn't crossed over to the land of the dead yet. If I can channel your soul to the other end, you can find him and bring him back, but there is a catch"

　　"And what's that?" Achilles asked impatiently.

　　"You have to fight a war over there, Achilles. The dead keeper, Takinika, will not just let you take back the baby's sound without a fight. You will have to defeat her in a duel before she lets you leave and if you lose, then you stay there. That means we loose all three of you!" She explained with all seriousness and Achilles gulped dryly.

　　"Let me go!" Alex suggested and they both turned to look at him like he had lost his mind. "I can't let him go, it's too risky. I'd rather you all lose me that your Alpha"

　　"Don't be ridiculous Alex, this is my mess and I have to clean it myself!" He affirmed as he turned to Diana. "Send me!"

　　"You have to lie by her side" Diana instructed and immediately, Achilles lowered himself to the rug where Bella was lying on and lay by her side.

　　Diana hastily took up a clay pot from the table which was filled with white powder and sprinkled in the form of a circle around Bella and Achilles and as she did so, she murmured incoherent incantations with her eyes closed.

　　When she was done, she picked up a little dagger from the same table and got on her knees before Bella and Achilles. She then made similar cuts on her palms and held them together as she uttered her incantations again.

　　Achilles' eyes went shut and he soon found himself lying in a green field. He looked around and was totally mesmerized by the sight of the beautiful flowers of different types that were blooming in it and the trees all looked so evergreen and fresh.

　　He also noticed that they were white mists flying in the air, thousands of them and they all seemed to be flying in the same direction and that's when he realized they were souls that were flying to the boundary where they would cross to the land of the dead.

　　He sprinted up to his feet and began looking at the souls, trying to figure out which one belonged to his unborn child.

　　"Achilles!" He heard a loud high pitched voice call from behind and immediately, he turned to look who it was. He saw a tall slim woman, dressed in an all black outfit with a blazing sword in her hand.

　　She looked and smelled like death and Achilles immediately understood that she was Takinika, the dead keeper.

　　"I am here for the soul of my unborn child" He spoke out fearlessly as the woman walked closer to him.

　　"Whoever sent you here must have told you you have to pass through me to get to your child, didn't they?"

　　"Yes, I was told. So why don't we get done with this?"

　　"It was foolish of you to have left your people to come here, now they are about to lose their precious Alpha '' The woman

　　mocked and Achilles just shook his head as he lifted his fists up, ready to fight.

　　"I don't think that's the case Takinika, I'm going to defeat you."

　　"Alright then. Here is the deal, if you succeed in holding this blazing knife against my neck, you win and I hand over your baby's soul, but if I do so, I win and take all three of you with me, " Takinika explained and Achilles nodded gracefully.

　　"Challenge accepted"

　　The idea of him dying like that terrified him, but he knew he had no choice but to do it. He needed to fight for the life of his unborn child. He needed to make it up to Bella as well.

　　****************************************

　　The duel lasted not less than one hour bit Achilles proved to be a strong Alpha by defeating the dead keeper, Takinika. She held her own blazing sword against her neck and she lifted both hands as she surrendered to him.

　　The moment he let go of her, he saw a little mist, floating towards him and his heart began hammering in chest. He immediately realized that was his little baby. With a wide smile plastered on his face, still breathing hard from the vigorous fight he had just had, he gently stretched his hand forward to touch the mist and immediately he did, everything went black.

　　"Achilles!" Both Diana and Alex called in unison the moment his eyes opened.

　　"Is Bella awake?" Achilles asked impatiently and Diana nodded with a smile.

　　"It took you a while to wake up though"

　　"Where is she?" He asked as he sat upright and began scanning the room.

　　"Over there" Diana said, pointing over to the bed where Bella was lying on, wide awake. Achilles spent on to his feet and rushed over to her but the moment she saw him, she turned her face away and that broke his heart completely.

　　"Bella" He called in the most gentle voice but Bella still not turn to look at him. He stretched his hand forward to touch her arm but she shifted away, signalling for him not to touch her.

　　She was angry and he understood the reason for her anger.

　　"Bella, I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean to do that. I'm sincerely sorry" He apologized from the depth of his heart and that made Bella turn to look at him.

　　"A while ago, I felt guilty for trying to get rid of it, but then you actually hit me so hard that I lost it. I guess we are even now. If you'd excuse me, I would like to go and rest in my bedroom"

　　"I'll take you" said Alex as he walked over to her and scooped her up in his arms. Achilles watched in sorrow as his elder brother carried Bella out of the room.

　　The tears shimmering in his eyes broke free and he was so ashamed of himself. If his father was alive, he would punish him severely for laying his hands on the woman carrying his child.

　　That particular act of his was going haunt him all the days of his life and he knew it!

　　"What did I do Diana?"

　　"You did exactly what you were never supposed to do, Achilles and now, you have to make this right. Mum and dad must be very dissapointed in you wherever they are" Diana asseted bitterly as she began walking out of the room.

　　"Diana " Achilles called and she stopped on her tracks and turned to face him.

　　"Yes, Achilles"

　　"Are you disappointed in me?" He asked sadly and Diana shrugged her shoulders.

　　"She wanted to abort the child, I understand the reason for your rage, but you shouldn't have hit her. So yeah, I'm disappointed. You could do better" Then she walked out of the room.

　　Achilles covered his face with his palms and heaved out a heavy sigh of exasperation.

　　Things had gone from bad to worse and it was all his fault.