Chapter 81: She belongs to me now.
Raphael’s POV
Ava was slipping away. Each day, she gets worse. And each day, my madness drew closer. If I crash out, a lot of people are going to suffer. Plus Grey is almost crazy. I keep holding him back everyday.
As I stood beside her, I began wiping her down. Up until now, for a week now, I have not seen or heard from Gwendolyn and her stubborn husband isn't saying anything.
“ Your majesty, are you in?” It was a familiar voice I recognized. It was female among the Holies.
“ Hmmm.” she walks in, her head bowed. It’s quite funny, they actually thought I didn't know she was a girl.
“ Your majesty, I am here to clean up the queen.” Queen. Ava would have been my queen. My heart ached at the things that had not happened. I refuse to lose hope.
“ Go ahead.” I commanded, Although I have already done almost half of the job.
My eyes fall on the black veins running up Ava’s arms like an infection, like death itself was carving its mark into her flesh.
I sat beside her lifeless body, my fingers curled into tight fists as I watched her chest rise and fall in shallow, uneven breaths. I get lost in my world. If I had been more attentive, just a little more attentive, none of this would have happened to her.
This was not just a sickness. It was a curse. One I could not break. I hated the fact that I had the power but the knowledge, I couldn't use it. Curse the fates playing games with me.
I had tried everything, every incantation, every ancient ritual, every ounce of power I could summon. I had done that regardless of the restrictions placed on me Yet, the darkness inside her only grew.
Ava’s lips parted slightly, a soft breath escaping, too faint, too fragile. Then, suddenly, her body tensed. Her back arched unnaturally, and a strangled gasp left her throat.
“Ava!” I grabbed her wrist, but it was ice-cold. My heart lurched in my chest.
“ You, what's happening to her?” I screamed at the princess.
“ I don't know your majesty. I am only an apprentice. I will go get my senior,” she cried out. Her fear, obvious. I just nod at her.
She ran out. I held onto Ava's hands and began transferring more mana into her cold body. Her body twitched a bit and for a moment I thought she would wake up. When she doesn't, my heart breaks all over again.
Few seconds later, as I continued staring at her, her eyes snapped open, wide with terror. But she wasn’t looking at me. No.
She was staring at something beyond this world. Something that I couldn't see.
Her mouth opened as if to scream, but no sound came. Only a gurgling choke, her body convulsing violently. Her veins bulge out, turning blacker, thicker, spreading across her skin like roots of something monstrous. Goddess! What's this?
“Ava…” I called softly. “ Please, don't die on me, little one. I am scared of what would happen if you do.” I am scared of the monster I will become… Grey has already lost himself. I wanted to tell her those things.
All of a sudden, she went still. Too still. She can't be dead right? Please, my love. Don't die on me.
A dark force sweeps through the room, a suffocating presence that even I, king of Lycans, a being of immense power, felt pressing down on my soul. The candle lights dimmed. A whisper, low and guttural, filled the air.
"She belongs to me now."
No.
I roared, power rushing through me as I gripped her shoulders. "Ava, belongs to no one but herself!"
Her eyelids fluttered, her lips trembled, and for one agonizing second, her body went limp. Completely limp. No twitching. And once again, I thought my worst fear had happened.
And then, as if yanked back by an unseen force, she sucked in a violent breath, her body jerking like a puppet cut from its strings. Her fingers clawed at my arms, her nails digging into my skin.
I crushed her against me, pressing my forehead to hers. She was still here. Still breathing.
For now.
But the black veins… they weren’t receding. They were increasing, everyday. And they have become even thicker now. Oh my little mate, what have I done to her?
If I had not been so selfish, Ava would have done well for herself in her world. But because of my selfishness and my inability to let her go, I had brought her to my world, forgetting how bad my world is.
\~~~Somewhere in the kingdom~~~ Mixed Povs~~~~
"The king has grown weak," a voice sneered, dripping with disdain. "He is a shadow of what he once was."
A group of ministers sat in the dimly lit council chamber, their faces hidden in the flashing glow of candlelight. Each wore the robes of the court, yet their words carried nothing but treachery.
"That woman, Ava, is poisoning him," another hissed. "She is a distraction, a liability."
"She is making him vulnerable. We must act before it is too late," an elder minister rasped, his aged hands curling into fists.
A silence settled over them before the boldest among them spoke.
"It is decided, then." A cruel smirk twisted his lips. "The queen must die."
A knife clinked against the table, glinting in the candlelight.
And so, the order was given.
Meanwhile, Caleb moved through the corridors like a shadow, his expression grim. The ministers and the council of elders didn't know he was there. He sneaked out from the hall, his mind occupied with his findings.
Something wasn’t right.
The Netherlands Kingdom had been too quiet lately, their envoys too courteous, their offers too generous. He knew deception when he saw it.
And now, whispers of betrayal were beginning to snake through the court.
If Raphael didn't act soon, Ava wouldn't just be in danger from her curse. They might actually kill her before then and when they eventually do, we will all be doomed from the great beast.
Funny how the innocent wolf losing her life didn't know she had enemies striking at her from within their very walls.
Caleb clenched his jaw.
He needed more answers. And he needed them Fast. If this gets to Raphael's ears without proper evidence, all those involved and including the ones not involved will die.
I am not ready to die yet, so before it was too late. I need answers.
The assassination attempt began that night. The council elders and ministers didn't wait for long.
Night fell, draping the castle in total silence.
Ava lay in the massive bed, her skin pale, her breathing shallow. Raphael never left her side, his grip on her hand still firm.
But in the shadows, death approached.
The assassin moved without a sound, moving through the darkness like a wraith. A blade, blackened with poison, shined in his gloved hand. He was a professional, quick, efficient, and unseen.
Ava wouldn’t even feel his blade. That was how good he was.
One swift stab to the heart. A single breath. And she would be gone. That was the plan and he followed through ignoring the angel of death holding her tightly to him as though she was the most precious jewel ever.
The assassin reached the bedside, lifting the dagger high. But before the blade could descend, A gust of wind howled through the chamber.
A slight blur of silver and then a sickening crack.
And the assassin’s body was flung across the room, slamming into the stone wall with bone-shattering force. Blood splattered. A gargled cry choked out, then silence.
Raphael stood over the corpse, his breathing heavy, his claws dripping with fresh blood. His eyes black, a sign of his impending madness.
Raphael could smell the council elders and ministers on the assassin. His eyes became even more dark. “The ministers thought they could take my queen from me?” He snarled to no one in particular.
They would learn. They would suffer. And they would beg for mercy. A mercy he would never grant.
With that, he stalked into the night not without pouring protective mana around the room, and just like that, jumped the window.
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