Chapter 135 - You’re the wretched prince

EMMA

Pain surrounds me and the weight of it pushes down on my back. The pain is everywhere, every inch of my skin is burning in flames. It forces me to my knees as it dominates and depletes me. It sears over my scalp, my back, my arms and my hands.

I can't help but cry out at the cobblestones beneath me. They are relentless under my palms and knees. The hard unforgiving rock creates a different kind of agony. This pain is real while the rest is coming from Hadrian. It travels through our bond and forces me to bend as if I am the one trapped in silver.

Tears fall from my chin and create dark patches on the stones. The physical torment is agonizing but doesn’t compare to the wreckage of defeat tearing at my heart. I grind my teeth and force myself to look up.

Through the blur of tears, I find Nero succumbing to the ground. He’s trapped in a cover of silver wire and it creates a shimmer in the fading light. Metal hooks span the net tight to the ground and force him down. This was my biggest fear and reality is so much worse.

Nero tries to push himself up and I can feel the searing pain on my back intensify. Another net flies through the air and spans over him.

Carter and Alex are securing the nets on metal hooks that I haven’t noticed before. This trap has been thought out and designed to capture a wolf. The surge of betrayal is dark as it overrules everything else. She’s supposed to be my friend. Alex keeps her eyes focused on the task and her actions are sure.

“I guess your name isn’t Jack,” Dex says as he lights a cigarette. The metal wheel spins until the flame ignites. His nonchalance seems misplaced and unnatural now.

Dex pockets his lighter and exhales the smoke. “You know, I had my suspicions.”

I try to push myself up but his trap is weighing down as it becomes heavier and heavier. I want to fight back, but I’m forced to listen.

“But I told myself that I was going crazy…” Dex continues.

There is a cold silence on the square. Except for the roaring pain coming from Nero when the nets are tightened and the steps Dex takes towards him. The echo of his dress shoes is slow and calculated.

Dex sinks to his hunches before Nero, not even three feet away. “Jack isn’t one of them, right.”

I want to plead to him that Hadrian is different. He isn’t the monster that Dex makes him out to be. Hadrian isn’t a threat.

Nero growls and the silver is starting to leave blisters through his fur. He pushes forward and bites, but the net is in the way. Dex can’t hide the flinch and it makes him lose his balance. He might act cold and in control, but behind it is fear for the creature in his trap.

The pleading words get stuck in my throat. The wire presses against Nero's nose and the whimper coming from him pierces through my heart.

Dex brushes his reaction off and rises from the ground. The nonchalance is gone and is replaced by a grimace. “Things started to add up. Her crush, your recovery….”

Dex turns to me and his eyes are harsh with venom. “The girl you were fucking while you claimed to be married.”

There’s disgust and a certain amount of disappointment as his gaze keeps me trapped. Disgust in Hadrian and above all, me. “And still, it could’ve been all in my head.”

He turns his focus back to Nero. “You wouldn’t be the first guy to warm his bed with a different body. Maybe your wounds weren’t as bad as we first thought...” His fist tightens at his side and he throws away the half-burnt cigarette.

I push myself through the pain and stand up. I stumble towards Nero and fall to my knees before him. I try to remove the nets but the wire is unmovable. They’re enforced with steel and won’t budge at my hard pulls.

“Dex, please—” I beg, but Dex ignores my plea.

Dex sucks his teeth and doesn’t cast me a glance. “And her crush, well it could have been just my own jealousy.” He scoffs as if he’s disappointed in himself too.

“I could see your anger when I hugged Emma that day in the factory. So when I noticed that one of the metal pillars was crushed with the clear indents of fingers, it all started to dawn on me.”

“You’re the wretched prince,” Dex says with spite.

I pull harder on the wire and it cuts the blood flow in my fingers off. “Please, let him go.”

“Are you crazy?” Dex asks me as he pulls on my arm and away from Nero. “He’s a monster.”

Nero growls with murderous intent. His eyes are consumed with darkness.

Tears stream down my face and I shake my head. “No, he’s not.” I pour every ounce of sincerity into the look I throw at Dex.

“Have you even looked around?” Dex presses with confusion. The force of his hand increases and he swings me to look at the rest of the square.

I do as he says and find fear all around me. Kelsey is tending to a little girl with scraps on her knees and tears running down her face. Most of the people of the town have already run away. Only a few linger in the far back of the square. Horror, fear, shock, it’s all there.

Kelsey has been the most accepting of Hadrian, but now there’s fear in her eyes too when they connect with mine. Things changed the moment he shifted into Nero.

I’m the one pleading for a creature that has ruined their lives. Werewolves have killed their loved ones and I know that I have no one backing me. No one will believe me when I say that Hadrian is good and loving.

“Dex, I’m begging you.” I don’t know what else to say. There’s no way of convincing them.

His eyes turn hard with betrayal. They analyze my face and land on my shoulder. “What did he do to you?”

His other hand rips the sleeve of my dress. I grab the fabric before it falls, but my mark is exposed. The indents of teeth are unmistakable.

His eyes widen with horror and for the first time, I see genuine fear. “You’re infected.”

He releases me and looks from me to Nero. He rubs a hand over his jaw. Seeing his uncertainty is rare, but it’s there now.

Two hands grab my upper arms. I notice Carter standing behind me with remorse in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Emma.”

I try to shrug him off, but his fingers dig harder into my arms. “Let go of me.”

Dex approaches me and he cups the sides of my face. “Don’t worry, Em. We’ll find a way to fix this.”

A wet cloth covers my mouth and panic surges through my veins. Oxygen becomes scarce and is tainted with chloroform. The sharp chemical fills my lungs. My eyes get heavy and blur my vision.

“Everything will be fine,” Dex whispers and his muddy contour pulls away.

My knees buckle when my muscles lose their strength and darkness consumes me.