Chapter 77 - This is impossible

HADRIAN

The strength leaves the limbs of my dying mate. Her eyes close and the last hand she has clutching her chest falls down her side. The glass charm she was holding till the last second drops to the ground. It scatters in a thousand pieces.

Just like me.

I roar when I hear her heartbeat weaken. It tuds in a losing battle. The howl coming from my chest vibrates through the room. My eyes burn with unshed tears and they fight their way to obscure my vision.

Her body is cold and soaked in her blood.

Three bodies enter the room. The faces of Miles, Galena and Cecile are stricken with tears and fear. Miles has guilt-ridden all over him. He has to live with the mistake he made.

Nothing compares to the emotions screaming in my body. Pain, guilt and heartbreak bring me to my knees. I’m useless as I hold my reason to breathe.

I don’t know what I’ll do when her heart stops beating. The fury in my veins tells me that it won't be a pretty sight. The darkness of my cursed blood wakes and encourages me to let it take over. It wants to burn and destroy the palace.

Galena sinks to her knees before me. The floor is flooded with blood and it soaks in her clothes. Her eyes turn black and she places her hand on the wounds of my mate. The deep lines in her face are aghast and her brows furrowed in concentration.

I watch her blood-stained hands, but nothing happens. I can see the effort she gives when her hands start to tremble and her own face turns pale white.

I already know what she’s going to say. Even if every cell in my body begs for it to be different.

Her eyes turn back to normal and they are red from sorrow. “I can’t heal her.”

Emma is lifeless in my arms. I bring her unconscious body closer to me. I hold on to my dying mate as I listen to the final march of her heart.

Cecile collapses and her knees hit the floor. The realization dawns on her too. Miles sinks down next to her and places an arm over her shoulders. Tears expel from his eyes and he wipes them away with his palm.

My mate captured the hearts of us all.

A stream of blue smoke rises in the air. The cloud is thick, but see-through. It creeps around and gathers in a single stream. It twirls closer and I wave it away.

The smoke breaks up with the wave of my hand but gathers again in a thin stream. It moves and dances through the air.

*What the fuck?*

I look around the room where it’s coming from. The smoke rises from the floor. It comes from the remnants of her glass charm. I pull my mate away from the smoke, but it follows us.

It crawls over her leg like a snake chasing its target. I wave it away again, but it comes back quicker this time. I growl when I can’t get rid of it.

The smoke finds a way around us and Emma breathes it in with her weak breath. The thick stream disappears in her lungs, through her mouth and nose.

Her chest rises with a single strong breath. Every trace of smoke follows as if it has a mind of its own. I listen to her breathing, fearing that the smoke might be the moment she stops breathing completely. I wait for her next breath but the her heartbeat picks up.

“Your Highness, look!” Galena calls and points a trembling hand to the wounds of my mate.

Blood has stopped flowing and the wounds are knitting together before my eyes. The gashes close at a steady pace.

“What’s happening?” I growl. Her breath gets stronger and it’s visible in the rise and fall of her chest.

“I’ve never seen something like it.” The healer has a pensive look on her face and her eyes are glued to the mending of the tissue. “It seems that she’s healing.”

I watch the wounds close completely in a matter of minutes. My gaze is trapped in the sight before me. Not even the strongest werewolves I know heal that fast from injuries this large.

My heart stitches together with every stronger heartbeat and every stronger breath.

She’s going to make it.

—————————

Eyes linger on me as I walk down the halls with my unconscious mate in my arms. *How can they not?* We’re both covered in blood. It soaks in my shirt and sticks to my chest. It coats my hands and arms and drips a trail down the marble floor.

Whispers will spread like wildfire and tomorrow everyone in Sanguinem will know that Emma has been severely injured.

I walk her to the infirmary and place her on the small bed. The infirmary has only three beds and is rarely used. There are hardly any injuries as severe that happen around the palace.

The ends of her hair are bloody and stick to her skin. Her skin is still white and her eyes are still closed.

I growl at everyone who tries to get near me. The healer has to remind me that they have to clean away the blood and cover the ripped and bloodied clothes.

I reluctantly move away two feet. They clean her and beneath the blood is only healed skin. There are not even any scars left.

“Why is she not waking up?” My knuckles crack with the strain in my fists. I force myself to stay in place.

“She lost a lot of blood, sir. It might still take a while to heal all the damage inside her body.”

I force myself to let them do their jobs and put trust in her beating heart. I listen to it as I move to the small bathroom off the side. I scrub the stains of blood from my hands and arms. The clear water turns bright red before it eventually deludes. My clothes are stained red and the sight is fucking agony.

“This is impossible.” The shrill voice of Gaia scratches at my eardrums.

Pure fury boils the blood in my veins. It vibrates through every muscle. It invites the darkness.

Gaia has her claws out and anger rolls off her in waves. She makes a move towards my unconscious mate but my hand grips around her throat. I squeeze her airways as I pull her back until her back slams against the wall.

She claws at my hand and her claws create bloody scratches. Her eyes are shaking with fear when I unleash the darkness within me.

I embrace it. I show her everything as I bare my teeth. I lift her higher by her throat until her feet dangle in the air. They kick and hit me in the shins, but I don’t feel any pain.

She struggles to breathe. “Hadrian.”

“You tried to kill my mate.” My voice crackles and booms as the darkness layers my voice.

“I’m your mate.” She croaks out the words. Her body trembles and still she won’t accept the truth.

I don’t care about the rules I’m about to break. I don’t care about getting permission from my father. I don’t want to see her face ever again.

“I, Crown Prince Hadrian of Sanguinem, reject you, Gaia of the Crescent Moon pack as my mate.”

Gaia stays silent. Tears are streaming down her face. She must feel the rejection and isn’t prepared for it.

I growl. “You either accept the rejection or stop breathing. Either way, I get what I want.”

There are gasps around me. They watch how the ruthless prince of rumors shows his true colors.

Her skin blooms deep purple under the force of my hand. The natural color in her face is slowly turning red with the lack of oxygen.

“I—“ She struggles to talk and I relent an inch for her to speak.

“I, Gaia of the Crescent Moon pack, accept your rejection.”

The words tear the string of fate connected in my chest. It bleeds as it tears and I gladly accept the pain. It’s just a bother compared to nearly losing Emma.

“Don’t ever show your face in Sanguinem again.”

I let her go and she falls to the ground. Her body collapses like a house of cards. Her wails are ear-splitting as Miles hauls her away.