Arriving at the palace, the king personally carried Aurora. Evans offered to carry her, but the king refused. He wasn’t concerned about what people might say or think if he was seen carrying the girl whose father had been murdered. However, that was the least of his worries.
The only thing that mattered to him was finding a way to heal Aurora. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Even though Aurora was weak, she managed to smile and share a deep gaze with the king.
She loved the king more than anything in the world, and she couldn’t deny it. Even if death were to come for her now, she would slowly come to accept it, comforted by the knowledge that the king still loved her. She couldn’t forget the expression she had seen on his face when she fell to the ground – the tenderness and warmth that had been absent since his father’s death.
“My king,” she called softly as the king turned towards the hallway leading to Morena’s chamber. Upon hearing her voice, Alpha Malik’s gaze pierced into her eyes, and a hint of tears sparked in his eyebrows. Aurora could see his face contorting with emotion.
“Please, don’t close your eyes, Aurora, please…” Alpha Malik’s voice cracked with tears, a sight that had never been witnessed except on the day his mother passed away. Evans, who had been running after him, could only imagine the depth of the king’s feelings for Aurora, as he heard the anguish in his tearful voice.
Just then, the door to Morena’s clinic room swung open, Morena sat up abruptly upon seeing the king. Her heart skipped a beat, and it raced when she noticed the lifeless Aurora in the king’s hands.
“What happened?” she blurted out, her mind overwhelmed, forgetting momentarily that she was a physician and letting her emotions and pain take over her decision-making.
“What are you waiting for?” the king’s voice jolted her out of her emotions, signaling her to take action.
Hastily, she guided the king to the spot where Aurora would be placed. The king gently laid her down, and she quickly removed the arrow lodged in Aurora’s chest. As Aurora let out a pained groan, she slipped into unconsciousness.
At that moment, Malik’s fists clenched in anger. He couldn’t help but imagine the punishment he wanted to inflict upon the assassin and Jericho. He felt an overwhelming desire to storm into his brother’s chamber and end his life then and there.
But he knew he had to exercise patience. Before taking action, he needed to uncover every minister involved in the coup orchestrated by his brother. However, he couldn’t let the day pass without making the man who shot the arrow suffer.
Being a physician helped Morena remain strong even as she witnessed Aurora losing consciousness. She swiftly began mixing herbs and applied them to the wound after clearing away the blood clots that had formed around the area where the arrow had struck. The sight of the blood’s unusual color sent a shiver down Morena’s spine, filling her with fear about what it could signify. Yet, she pushed those thoughts aside for now, choosing to focus on tending to the wound first before delving into the cause of the abnormal blood color.
Once she finished treating the wound and administered a medicinal concoction to Aurora, she glanced over and noticed that Alpha Malik’s gaze had never left Aurora’s body, even for a second. Without him needing to ask, Morena understood that he wanted to know the condition of the maid he loved, despite his reluctance to acknowledge his feelings.
“I have been able to stop the bleeding, but she has lost a significant amount of blood, which has caused her weakness and fatigue, resulting in her loss of consciousness. However, there is something else I suspect…” Morena paused, realizing that Malik might try to portray himself as a man without weaknesses, but she knew him well. She knew how much he despised seeing those he loved in pain. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that the arrow used may have been poisoned, as it would bring back painful memories of how poison was used to kill her mother–she couldn’t bring herself to say it out, rather she wanted to keep muted.
“What were you going to say?” Malik asked, catching on that there was something she needed to tell him before she could stop herself.
My king…” Morena stammered, fully aware that she couldn’t lie in his presence. Many believed the king possessed supernatural powers due to his ability to discern truth from lies.
“My king, I suspect that the arrow was poisoned. I noticed traces of poison in her blood, but I cannot be certain until I conduct further tests,” Morena revealed, and Malik’s eyes widened. His mouth remained shut for a moment as he recalled how his mother had been killed by poison.
“Can you heal her even if there is poison?” Malik inquired, his voice filled with concern.
“Yes, but I must determine the type of poison used in order to find the appropriate antidote,” Morena replied.
“Find it and let me know if there is anything you need. You have my permission to prioritize Aurora’s treatment above all else. Don’t treat anyone until Aurora is fully healed,” Alpha Malik said in a firm and authoritative tone. He cast a final glance at Aurora before turning away, intending to leave the room. However, Morena’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“My lord… I have completed the final test on Concubine Xena, and I have the results…” Morena began to say.
“Keep it, Morena. I have to be somewhere else,” Alpha Malik interrupted, his voice laced with a sense of danger. Morena could sense that something was amiss. It had been a long time since Alpha Malik sounded this way. Before she could gather her thoughts or respond, the king walked out of the room. As he reached the doorway, he encountered Jaguar and Evans, who were bowing their heads in respect.
“Where is he?” Malik asked Jaguar, his voice filled with urgency.
“He is inside the dungeon,” Jaguar replied.
Lead the way,” Alpha Malik said, his voice filled with a mixture of determination and sorrow. Deep inside, his heart ached, knowing that his brother had finally unleashed the beast within him, the very beast that Malik had been trying to tame for so long.