NICKOLAS
My heart clenches as I hold Amelia’s lifeless body close to my chest, her once warm skin now growing cold against mine. I shake her gently, calling out her name in desperation, but she remains unresponsive. I don’t waste another second and sprint towards the castle. My chest tightens at the thought of her never opening her eyes again, her beautiful blue eyes that draw me in without me even realizing.
Upon bursting into the castle, I waste no time commanding the guards to fetch Beatrice and bring her to Amelia’s room without delay. With trembling hands, I lay Amelia’s body gently on the bed, feeling a surge of helplessness wash over me as I watch her pale form against the sheets.
Beatrice arrives swiftly, her eyes widening in shock the moment they land on me. I’ve sustained some injuries while fighting-an arrow lodged in my shoulder that’s not healing because it was coated with oak tree venom. But I’ll be fine.
“Your majesty,” Beatrice exclaims, rushing toward me, but I stop her, pointing toward Amelia on the bed.
“I’m fine. Save her,” I instruct firmly.
Beatrice walks toward the bed, tears filling her eyes as she sees Amelia. She immediately gets to work, drawing water from the bathroom and casting healing spells.
I turn away, facing my back to them, feeling the tension in my muscles every time I hear Amelia whimpering in pain. My heart aches with every sound. I resist the urge to command Beatrice to work faster, to bring back the light to Amelia’s eyes.
I stand for a few more minutes before feeling Beatrice’s hand on my shoulders.
“How is she?” I ask, turning to face her, my voice barely above a whisper. My heart pounds in my chest. Beatrice swallows hard and I see sorrow etched in her eyes. It sends a shiver down my spine.
“Tell me, Beatrice,” I demand, my voice trembling with fear and desperation. I need to know the truth, even if it’s the hardest thing to hear. The thought of losing Amelia is unbearable, but I still want to hear it before I believe it.
“Amelia has a lot of silver in her system,” Beatrice begins, her voice heavy with emotion. “The only way to save her life would be to clean her blood of it, but unfortunately, we can’t.”
“Why?” I manage to choke out, my brows furrowing in confusion and frustration.
“We would need to drain her of almost all the blood in her system while pumping new blood into her,” Beatrice explains.
“Then do it,”
“We can’t,” Beatrice says, her voice barely audible now. “Amelia is a werewolf, and we don’t have a blood match for her.”
“Even me, that’s her mate,” I mutter, ignoring the weight of those words as they hit me. Beatrice’s eyes widen in surprise as she stares at me, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. It’s a reaction I expected.
“Your majesty…” Beatrice hesitates, still shocked by my willingness to offer Amelia my blood. Despite my initial reservations, I’ve come to realize that I can’t let her die, especially now that so much has changed between us. The intense hatred I once felt toward her has softened, replaced by a complex mix of emotions that I can’t quite define. I care more than I ever thought possible for someone I once despised. Perhaps I don’t even hate her anymore.
“What do I need to do?”
“Nothing, just take a seat beside Amelia while I get everything ready,” Beatrice says. She quickly leaves the room to gather the necessary supplies for the blood transfusion.
I slowly walk over to Amelia, following Beatrice’s instructions. Sitting beside her, I take her cold hand in mine, feeling the chill of her skin against my palm. I rub it gently, hoping to bring some warmth to her lifeless fingers, willing her to hold on, to fight for her life.
Staring at her pale face, my heart clenches with sadness. Despite the relief of seeing her wounds sealed, I can’t shake the image of the pain she must have endured from those silver bullets. I can only imagine the agony she felt, and it fills me with a sense of helplessness and regret. What if I had been just a second too late? Ember’s accomplice could have stolen her from me forever.
The only reason I was even outside searching for her was because I knew she wouldn’t pass up the chance to shift. It was the mate bond that drove me to act, pushing me to go look for her despite my reservations. And now, as I sit by her side, I can’t deny the gratitude I feel for that bond. It may have forced my hand, but it also led me to save her life. I’m glad I did, as a small part of me, without the influence of the mate bond, feel a sense of happiness in being able to save her.
Beatrice returns a few seconds later, her hands laden with supplies and a determined look on her face. With practiced precision, she begins her work, utilizing magic to cleanse my blood of the oak tree venom before transferring it to Amelia. As she works, I feel a strange mix of relief and anxiety coursing through me. Will my blood be enough to save her?
Beatrice tends to my wounds in between her tasks, applying herbs to speed up my healing process. I wince at the sting of the herbs, but I know they’re necessary to counteract the venom’s effects.
I watch the color slowly return to Amelia’s face; a sense of relief washes over me. I couldn’t bear to see her in her earlier state again, and in that moment, I make a silent vow to do whatever it takes to bring back the vibrancy to her cheeks. As I continue to stare at her beautiful face, a knock at the door breaks the silence, and I catch the familiar scent of Eric and his mate. With a word, I invite them in.
“Amelia!” Lily cries, rushing to her side on the bed. I release Amelia’s hand as Lily grabs it, tears streaming down her face as she gazes at her.
“What happened?” Eric’s voice is filled with disbelief as he addresses me.
“Ember tried to kidnap Amelia,”
“You’re joking,” Eric exclaims, his brows furrowing in disbelief.
“I wish I were. Despite narrowly escaping her father’s men and avoiding execution this morning, she still managed to attract trouble,” I explain, shaking my head in disbelief.
“That woman never ceases to amaze, and the lycans aiding her are equally foolish,”
“We agree there,” I reply with a grimace. “But now we must focus on finding Ember. Eric, I need you to mobilize our best trackers and locate her.”
“I’ll get on it immediately, Your Majesty,” Eric replies, his expression serious as he prepares to carry out my orders.
“Good,” I say, noticing Eric’s smile. My brows knit together in confusion. He cares about Amelia, so her situation should sadden him.
“Why are you smiling?” I inquire, my tone laced with suspicion.
“Nothing,” Eric responds, his smile widening.
“Eric,” I growl lowly, hating how secretive he’s been.
“I’m just happy to see you care about Amelia,” he explains, his smile unwavering.
“I don’t care about her,” I retort sharply, attempting to mask the truth.
“You do,” Eric insists, his expression softening with understanding.
“I’m only saving her life and capturing Ember to ensure she doesn’t interfere with my plans for revenge,” I argue, my tone defensive.
“I know,” Eric acknowledges, his smile persisting.
“Get out,” I bark at him, feeling uncomfortable with the direction of our conversation.
“No problem, your majesty. But before I leave, I want to remind you that it’s okay to care about her, Nickolas. She is your mate, and just because she is Nathaniel’s daughter doesn’t mean she isn’t worthy of your love,”
With that, Eric takes his mate and leaves, leaving me to contemplate his words in the quiet of Amelia’s room.
After he leaves I allow his words to sink in and wrestle with the truth they hold. The idea of caring for Amelia, of truly acknowledging it, is daunting. It will change a lot of things, things I might not even be ready for.
I push aside these thoughts, shutting them out as I close my eyes. Sleep eludes me amidst the ongoing blood transfusion, but I find solace in envisioning Amelia’s face-the most beautiful sight to me. The image of her baby blue eyes fills my mind, offering a flicker of hope that I will see them again.