MALIA’S POV
After making both Ryder and Victoria as weak as I could with extra help from Tommy(thank the Goddess the paralysis spell was temporary), I had to render them even more helpless by taking away Ryder’s wolf with the same spell that Victoria had used. I didn’t even have to do any spells to take away her magic, she protested weakly when I lay my hand on her chest as though she already knew what was going to happen. I felt her power leave her body and go into mine with such force that I nearly lost consciousness.
When it was over, I hurried to Zade’s side as fast as my weak body could carry me.
Tommy was already by his side performing CPR to keep him awake.
“This isn’t going to work,” he said with fear in his eyes. “He needs his wolf right now or else, he is going to die. You can return his wolf to him, right?”
I shook my head. I didn’t know how but I was going to try everything in my power. He wasn’t going to die on my watch.
I bent my head close to his face and swiped angrily at the tears that were streaming down my face. “Zade, can you hear me?” I asked.
As expected, I got no response.
I sighed. “If you can hear me, just hang in there okay? I promise you are going to be fine.”
I raised my head and took in his bloodied form. Ryder had really dealt with his ribs. I took his hands in mine and after taking a deep breath, closed my eyes.
As soon as I was relaxed, I could see his beautiful soul leaving his body and I willed it to stay put. I just had to find his wolf. Then all of a sudden, it was as though a light turned on in my head. I knew what I had to do. The mate bond was the key. This time I allowed my wolf to lead. She was the one who could call out to it in her truest form. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was a blinding light.
I was in my room when I woke up and an anxious-looking Penelope sighed in relief. “Thank the Goddess. I thought you were never going to wake up again,” she said with tears streaming down her face. I could tell she had been crying for a while because her eyes were really swollen and red.
I cleared my throat gently before I spoke. “How long have I been unconscious?” I asked her.
She wiped the tears from her face with both hands before answering. “You were brought in yesterday evening by the Beta of the Silver Crescent Pack. It’s almost dinner time already which means that you’ve been out for nearly twenty-four hours.”
I suddenly sat bot upright as I remembered that I had been trying to save Zade.
I immediately regretted the action as my head began hurting really badly and the room began to spin.
Penelope guided my back and head down to the bed. “If it’s the Alpha of the Silver Cresent Pack you are worried about, then I have to let you know that he is perfectly fine.
I sighed in relief. I had no idea what I would have done if he hadn’t made it.
“The others, Lucien and Margaret, my husband, his brothers, even little Damien and the triplets have been here. They just left to go have dinner,” Penelope said.
I snorted. “If your children had been here with me then I would have woken up a long time ago with all the noise they would have been making.”
She giggled. “I don’t know how they were able to understand the situation, but they were surprisingly on their best behaviour,” she replied.
“What about Zade? Was he here too?” I asked softly.
She shook her head. “I don’t think any of us has seen him. It was just the Beta, who I must add, is as hot as hell.”
I tried not to feel hurt by the fact that my mate hadn’t been by my bedside.
“Maybe he is very weak and has to be in bed just like you,” my wolf reasoned.
“Maybe,” I thought.
I focused my attention back on my friend and thought that it was just like her to notice a handsome man even in the most difficult or sad situation.
“Does Damien know that you find another man as hot as hell?” I queried with a curious expression on my face.
She frowned. “I liked you better when your mouth was shut.”
I laughed and winced as my head protested against the action.
“Please Penelope, try not to be funny. My head isn’t a fan of humour at the moment.”
“I’m so sorry,” she replied with her eyebrows furrowed in concern.
“And stop looking at me like that, I’m not dying,” I added.
She gave me a small smile at first then it slowly grew into a grin.
My stomach growled and she giggled. “It’s funny how your stomach has been growling since the Beta brought you in yesterday. Lucien was certain that it was proof you were going to be okay.”
“Do not mind the people that held me captive. They had forgotten to feed me. Speaking of which, where are Ryder and Victoria?” I asked.
She frowned. “Locked up in the dungeon, exactly where they are supposed to spend the rest of their lives.
“I am going to kill them when I’m strong enough to leave this bed,” I said.
She blinked in surprise. “You are not going to go into the dungeon to do that, are you?” she quizzed.
I gave her a small smile. “No, I’m not. But they are going to be tried and killed for committing treason,” I replied.
Penelope sighed. “I knew he was up to no good when I started noticing him sneaking out of the palace.
I pinned her with an intense stare and her cheeks began to colour.
“Please stop doing that,” she said, placing her palms on her cheeks.
I smiled. “Then tell me why you have been looking out the window in the dead of the night when you are supposed to be asleep,” I replied.
She was silent for a moment and then released one long sigh.
“Come on, is the reason that terrible?” I asked.
She got up from her seat. “Let me go and get us our meal first. I’ll tell you everything when I get back, she said and walked out of the room.
I wondered what it was that was too difficult for her to tell me. I remembered asking her that day before I followed Ryder into the forest. Whatever it was, I was dying to know.
She returned with a maid and they both had a tray of food in their hands.
The maid left immediately after she set the tray down on the bed.
Penelope gently brought me up into a sitting position and shifted the tray of food close to me.
She sat down in a cross-legged position opposite me on the bed and started to eat.
I scoffed. “Aren’t you supposed to ensure that the person who is indisposed starts to eat first before you do?” I queried.
She rolled her eyes and set her silverware down on her plate. “Do you also want me to feed you?
I shrugged. “I certainly wouldn’t mind you doing that,” I answered.
She scowled at me and started to move closer. I found the way she was frowning at me very amusing and without thinking, I burst out laughing and promptly winced.
Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “I didn’t say anything funny now, did I?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I think it is a talent. You are just effortlessly funny,” I replied.
Her lips quivered with the effort not to smile and I made a funny face so that she couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
I told her not to worry about feeding me anymore and she went back to her previous position, muttering something about how she wasn’t even going to do it in the first place.
I waited until we were nearly done with our meal before I reminded her of what she was going to say to me.
She set her fork down and regarded me with a solemn expression. “Please promise me that you are not going to judge me,” she began.
“Of course, I won’t. Have I ever judged you?” I asked softly.
She was quiet for a moment and then she shook her head.
I took her hands in mine. “Now, let it out your chest. I am all ears.”
She sighed deeply and I saw the determination in her eyes before she opened her mouth to speak.
“After I gave birth to the triplets, I started feeling more and more alone. Damien was always busy and you had enough on your plate already so I didn’t want to bother you with how I was feeling.”
“There was this day I went to the river in the forest alone after I had dropped the kids with their grandmother. That was where I first met him. He is one of the guards of this palace and he usually patrols the palace along with some other guards at night. They take turns throughout the night. ”
“He sat with me there by the river and for the first time in a long while, I could speak about my feelings with someone who just wanted to listen and didn’t judge me for how I felt.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before she continued to speak.
“At first, we were meeting there by the river every other day but later he reasoned that people would soon begin to suspect us. So he told me that I could see him every day at a certain time at night. All I had to do was look out the window by that time.”
“I know it may sound silly to you but I felt the thrill of doing something that would be considered dangerous. My marriage would be at risk if Damien or any other person caught us. The members of the pack would scorn me for not acting accordingly as the Beta’s wife. I know they are going to whisper about how I am a mere Omega who doesn’t deserve to be mated to a Beta anyway.”
She sighed again and was looking everywhere but at me.
I tilted her chin so she could look at me.
“I’m only going to ask you one question. “Did you sleep with him during any of your meetings?”
She hung her head in shame and I knew that she did. “Oh, Penelope,” I sighed and managed to take the trays out of the way so I could pull her closer for a hug.
“I feel so guilty and I don’t know what will happen if I tell my husband about it,” she sobbed.
I gently patted her on the back. “Just follow your heart, Pen. I know you will be fine,” I murmured.
I released her from my hug and saw that she had a smirk on her face.
I arched an eyebrow at her. “Follow your heart? Is that really the best advice you could come up with?” she asked.
I saw the mischief dancing in her eyes and I wondered how she always managed to find something funny in every sad situation.
I shook my head at her. “You will never change. I think you should apply this charm of yours when you tell your husband about your romantic rendezvous.”
Her countenance became dull again and she sighed. “Telling him is the right thing to do right?” she asked softly.
“Truthfully, if you feel telling him about it is going to give you inner peace, then, by all means, go ahead. But if you feel fine without letting him know, then there is no need. But all in all, just make sure that you end it with that guard and have a heart-to-heart conversation with your husband about how you need him to spend more time with you,” I replied.
She grinned and threw her arms around me. “You are the best friend ever.”
“Now, wait a minute,” I said and she released me from her hug.
“What?” she asked with furrowed eyebrows.
“I need to get my phone so that you can repeat what you just said and I can have it recorded for future purposes,” I replied.
She giggled and playfully smacked my arm. “It is so good to have you back.”
Lucien and Damien came in shortly afterwards to check in on me.
“Thank the Goddess you are awake. Who else was I supposed to be beating on the training field?” Lucien teased.
“Well, don’t try it now. I’m going to beat you without breaking a sweat,” I replied and he chuckled.
Damien allowed Penelope to spend the night with me and he and his father left after biding me good night.
My best friend and I were already getting ready for the night when we heard a knock on the door and Aurora walked in looking so devastated.
“I am so sorry for what my brother did to you and your mate,” she apologized without even bothering to sit.
To my mild horror, she began to weep.
Penelope placed both hands on her arms and gently guided her to sit on the bed.
“None of what happened is your fault so wipe those tears away. With the way you are crying right now, one would think that I am dead,” I said to her and then drew her closer for a hug.
I was so sorry that I was going to have to kill her brother but I didn’t have a choice. I had to do it.
After getting her to stop crying, she bade me goodnight and left. I asked Penelope to follow her to make sure that she was properly tucked in. She was just eighteen after all. Barely an adult. She didn’t have to feel guilty for anything her brother had done. It was her brother’s guilt to bear alone.
I slept off before Penelope returned to the room and didn’t wake up until the next morning.
I felt very alive and hyper-aware. My headache was gone and I felt very strong. I rolled out of my bed and moved my body to a beat only I could hear.
It was with delight that I poured a little amount of water on Penelope’s face and watched with amusement as she jerked awake and sat bolt upright in bed.
“You little witch,” she shrieked and I laughed hard.
My amusement angered her even more and she leapt out of bed to attack me.
I had a sense of deja vu as we ran round and around the room until she got tired and plopped down on the ground.
“You lazy wolf,” I teased and I swear I could see the smoke come out of her ears as she fumed.