89

Eighty Nine
*Rafe*
I was still unnerved by the fact that my thoughts were not safe but I tried not to let it show. Sersia wasn’t fooled because her smile widened at my confusion, her expression almost pitying. “I have my reasons for being here, reasons that are none of your concern. Now, do you want me to save your precious lady or not?”
“Yes.” I answered frustratingly.
“And you do know that… with every favor, comes a price?” That infuriating smile was back on her face. She knew that she had us where she wanted us and she was enjoying it. What could she possibly ask from me?
I swallowed hard, pushing down my pride and the countless questions burning on my tongue. There would be time for answers later, after Freya was safe.
“Yes,” I said hoarsely, my voice barely above a whisper. “Please, save her. I’ll do anything.”
The witch’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she turned back to Freya, her gnarled hands hovering over my lady’s body.
“Anything,” she repeated softly, the word hanging in the air like a promise and a threat. “Be careful what you offer, alpha. You might just get it.”
I watched with bated breath as Sersia began to examine Freya, her wrinkled hands moving with surprising gentleness over Freya’s still form. She touched Freya’s forehead, her fingers lingering on the pale skin, before moving down to rest lightly on her chest.
The witch’s eyes closed in concentration, her lips moving soundlessly as she repeated the motion again and again. Seconds ticked by, stretching into minutes, and I felt my frustration growing with each passing moment.
Just as I was about to demand answers, Sersia’s eyes snapped open, her gaze fixing on me with unsettling intensity. She stared at me silently, her expression unreadable, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
“Well?” I asked impatiently, my voice rough with barely contained emotion. “What’s wrong with her?”
Beside me, Connor shifted uneasily, his own anxiety palpable in the tense silence of the room.
Sersia’s lips curved into a humorless smile, her words falling like lead weights in the stillness.
“She has been poisoned,” the witch said simply, her tone devoid of inflection. “A substance unseen, but no less deadly for its invisibility.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, my heart stuttering in my chest. Poisoned? How was that possible? I had been with Freya every moment, had watched over her like a hawk. How could I have let this happen?
“Poisoned?” I repeated numbly, my mind reeling with the implications. “But how? Why?”
Sersia shrugged, her gaze never leaving mine. “The why is unimportant. What matters is the effect it’s having on her now.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of shock and fear that threatened to overwhelm me. “I don’t understand. What effect?”
The witch sighed, as if explaining to a particularly slow child. “Your lady has witch blood in her veins, alpha. Surely you knew this?”
I nodded hesitantly, remembering the strange powers Freya had mentioned, the ones she couldn’t fully control or understand. I had always assumed they were just a quirk, something that made her unique and special. But now…
“The substance she ingested is reacting with her magic,” Sersia continued, her voice taking on a note of urgency. “It’s fighting against it, freezing her heart and stealing her breath. If we don’t act quickly, she will die.”
I felt like I had been punched in the gut, the air leaving my lungs in a rush. Freya, my beautiful, fierce Freya, with magic in her blood and a target on her back. How had I not seen it before? The witch’s words echoed through my mind, each one landing like a blow to my chest. I couldn’t lose Freya, not now when we were finally together again. But as I looked at her pale, lifeless form, it was hard to imagine any outcome other than death.
I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself against the wave of despair that threatened to engulf me. I had to be strong now, for her sake. I had to find a way to save her, no matter the cost.
“Tell me what I need to do,” I said firmly, opening my eyes to meet Sersia’s gaze head-on. “I’ll do anything to save her. Anything at all.”
The shadow witch smiled then, a slow, secretive curve of her lips that sent a shiver of unease down my spine. “Anything,” she repeated softly, her voice a sibilant whisper in the stillness of the room. “Be careful what you promise, alpha. Some prices are higher than you know.”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry as I stared at the witch. What price would I have to pay to save Freya’s life? What would she demand of me in return?
Sersia’s eyes glittered with an otherworldly light as she looked at me, her gaze piercing through to my very soul. “The only way to save her is for you to draw the poison from her blood,” she said, her voice low and intense. “You must take it into yourself, absorb it into your own body, and pray that your strength is enough to overcome it.”
I felt a jolt of shock go through me at her words, and beside me, Connor let out a sharp gasp of horror. “No,” he said, shaking his head vehemently. “Rafe, you can’t. A witch’s blood is toxic to our kind, you know that. It could kill you.”
I hesitated, my mind racing as I tried to process what Sersia was telling me. I knew the risks, knew the danger I would be putting myself in. But what choice did I have? I couldn’t let Freya die, not when there was even a chance that I could save her.
“Is there no other way?” I asked desperately, searching Sersia’s face for any hint of an alternative. “No other magic or potion that could heal her?”
The witch shook her head, her expression grave. “This is the only way,” she said, her voice brooking no argument. “And we must act quickly, before the poison spreads too far. Every moment we delay brings her closer to death.”
I closed my eyes, my heart heavy with the weight of the decision before me. I thought of Freya, of her laughter and her courage, of the way she made me feel alive in a way I had never known before. I couldn’t lose her, not now, not like this.
“I’ll do it,” I said, my voice low but firm. “I’ll take the poison from her, whatever the cost.”
Connor made a sound of protest, but I silenced him with a look. This was my choice, my burden to bear. I would not let Freya suffer for my own weakness.
Sersia nodded, a glimmer of something like respect in her eyes. “Very well,” she said, rising to her feet. “Prepare yourself, alpha. This will not be easy, for either of you.”
My mind raced with thoughts and doubts. Could I really go through with this? What if something went wrong? What if I wasn’t strong enough to save Freya? But then I looked at her, so pale and fragile in my arms, and all my doubts faded away. She was my mate, my soulmate, and I would do whatever it took to save her.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. I knew the path ahead would be difficult, but I was ready to face it head-on. For Freya, I would do anything. Even if it meant sacrificing myself in the process.
“Are you ready?” Sersia’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to face her.
“Yes,” I said firmly, clenching my jaw in determination.
Sersia nodded, a glimmer of something like respect in her eyes. “Very well,” she said, rising to her feet. “Prepare yourself, alpha. This will not be easy, for either of you.”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. I knew the path ahead would be difficult, but I was ready to face it head-on. For Freya, I would do anything. Even if it meant sacrificing myself in the process.
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