62. Long live the Queen.

"My love? Are you alright?" Balthazar kneeled in front of his mate, grabbing her shaking hands in his. The man always looked serious and as if nothing could break his walls, but at this point, Balthazar looked slightly scared. He was a well-respected and known man, especially among werewolves, but that didn't mean that humans didn't know of his existence. Balthazar had bought a lot of businesses, especially in his early years- making him one of the most influential and powerful men out there. A man without weaknesses, except one- Mary. His soulmate sat on the large sofa, her eyes clouded, and body trembling as if she had seen a ghost.

"Mary, darling, talk to me! Please, tell me what's wrong!" His voice grew frantic. The man had never been as worried about anything, as he was about Mary. She was the reason he found the motivation to live, now he was not ready to let her go under any circumstances.

"I'm alright," she finally said, letting out a forced breath. Her eyes still didn't meet Balthazar's, focused somewhere away from reality. Like she had noticed something, not in her present surroundings, and couldn't focus on reality anymore. Mary had a gift- a gift to see and feel things which were hard to explain to any other person. Sometimes she had nightmares; sometimes, Mary acted like she had seen a vision when her sixth sense indicated that something happened. No matter if it was a good thing or a bad one. Mary felt it; her reaction was always the same.

"No, you are not. Should I call the pack healer to check on you? Just tell me what I should do to help you, don't push me away, not this time." In front of Mary, Balthazar was a broken man. As one of the last Lycanthropes out there, he knew how badly the mate pull could influence one. Even though many werewolves felt almost the same pull- the one Lord felt towards his mate was much stronger and durable. Without her, he was nothing.

"I promise, I'm alright, just thinking." Mary tried to brush his worry aside. She had no intention of worrying him or giving him more problems to this about; there was enough already.

"Do whatever you want to, but don't you ever dare look in my eyes and lie!" Balthazar growled, grabbing onto Mary's hands more forcefully. No, he would never bring any harm upon his mate; however, he would warn her to be truthful.

"I felt something. I think. I'm not sure, Balthazar, maybe I just need some rest. The last couple of days have been pretty eventful, it's a bit overwhelming, that's all." She snatched her hand out of his hold and raised it to his cheek, caressing his skin lovingly. The man stood, letting out a deep sigh. Lord was not one to freak out before all information is clear, yet he noticed how the things Mary felt tended to be bad. Sometimes, she felt the good, yet the bad ones had a more energetic aura, so it was easier for her to catch on to them. Mary didn't feel the news about founding the heir to the throne, but she felt his pain and rage as they neared the territory. Balthazar had a good reason to become worried whenever his mate felt distant and cold.

"What did you feel? Mary, please, try to focus and get something more. We need information, especially if it's somehow connected to the heir. No matter what, we cannot lose him- if he doesn't take over the throne, we might as well wave goodbye to our Kingdom." Balthazar grabbed onto his hair, tugging it in frustration. Only a few knew how much importance the King held. He would rule not only over the shifters but also over any seemingly mystical creature out there. His power wouldn't end on ordering the ones which used to be part of tales- Eros would stand over the humans as well. The most power he would hold over the humans would come from fortune. Humans respected and listened only to ones who had money, as a King, Eros would have enough to live a lavish life for a hundred lifetimes.

"I don't know, the feeling is weird." Mary shrugged her shoulders, avoiding eye contact with her mate.

"Weird, as?" He raised one eyebrow in question, letting go of his hair.

"The feeling comes and goes like waves. It seems that nothing has happened yet, and the one who is very important for that to happen keeps hesitating. This is the first time- it has to happen, Balthazar, but someone is trying to fight their destiny. Whatever it is, the event is so important I'm feeling goosebumps growing on my skin, the temperature waves change from hot to cold. I feel like burning and freezing at the same time." Mary's voice trembled; her eyes widened in fear. She took a deep breath and stopped breathing for a moment.

"Mary!" Balthazar shouted, grabbing onto her shoulders and shaking her body violently. The color drained from his face, eyes widening, the fear, shock, terror, and distress was written all over his face. Balthazar held his breath, the same as Mary did, dreading the moment she finally spoke. So far, this was the worst seizure Mary had had, making Balthazar's heart race at such speed that he nearly passed out.

"My love, please talk to me, get out of there! Mary, come back to me!" He knew that he had to lead her out of the trance whenever she got too deep. It was his responsibility to look after his mate and protect her from whatever might hurt her, even if he had to guard Mary from herself and her unusual abilities. Her eyes slowly turned full white, her body shook, and not a single breath left her lips. Balthazar didn’t lose any time, he kneeled in front of her, grabbed her body tightly, and bolted out the door. The man snarled and growled at anyone in his way, holding his mate's body close to his chest. If looks could kill, Balthazar would have killed at least ten men and a couple of women who had crossed his path so far. The Lord feared his worst nightmares were turning into reality- losing Mary has never been an idea he could live with; it was one thing he honestly dreaded more than the death itself.

"Call the doctors!" Balthazar roared through the halls, increasing his speed instead of pausing to catch the attention from any medical workers. Nurses rushed around; some tried to keep up with Balthazar, begging him to stop. Even though all they wanted to do was help Mary, at this point, the man was on the edge and he would see any interaction as a threat.

"Sir, slow down, we can't help the Lady, if we can’t check her, please!" a nurse yelled from behind, making Balthazar stop.

"I need that fucking doctor here. If I won't see him here in five seconds, the bastard is as good as dead!" Balthazar glared at the nurse, turning his fear into rage.

"No need for another death here, Lord Balthazar. I am here. What has happened to our Lady?" a cautious voice came from his right side. The doctor eyed Mary, trying to see if there were any indications as to what had happened to the woman.

"Seizure. She saw something, held her breath, and hasn’t breathed since. Her lips are turning blue, she's pale, help her!" Balthazar rushed to the closest room, laying his mate's stiff body on the bed. The doctor and nurses flooded the room- each grabbing different instruments and changing their clothes into sterile ones.


"Did she tell what she saw, my Lord?" the doctor asked him, making sure at least one of them could figure out exactly what had happened to the woman and why she had ended up in such a state.

"Other than this feeling coming in waves, and the temperature of her body changing from hot to cold and so on? No. Mary mentioned that she had no idea what was happening, but she did assume that someone important had tried to fight their fate," Balthazar grabbed onto Mary's hand, silently begging her to get back to her senses.

"Her body has gone into overdrive, we should try to get her breathing and she should be okay. So far, her wolf is fighting for the human form- as long as it is strong enough to continue, she’ll be fine," the doctor said, flashing a light into her eyes. White-eyes looked back, not a single sign of her being alive in them. She was frozen stiff, making Balthazar more worried with each passing second. Lord dreaded the thought that this might be the last time he could see and hold his beloved Mary.

"Come on, get out of there, you're killing me, Mary!" Balthazar screamed at her. The whole situation was taking way too long, pushing him into madness.

"My Lord, it won't," the doctor tried to talk, but he was cut off by a sharp intake of breath.
Both men looked down; Mary's eyes were wide open, same as her mouth. The woman coughed and lifted her body so she could sit up. Everyone in the room became oddly quiet, observing the woman, who seemed to have been dead just minutes ago. She looked like nothing had happened, a little confused though.

"My Love." Balthazar tried to grab her and pull her into his chest. Mary stood and walked past him, as if he wasn't there. She stopped by the door and turned around to face her mate and the medical staff. The woman dropped onto her knees and looked up, a single tear escaping her eye, streaming down her cheek.


"Long live the Queen," Mary's voice was barely audible, yet everyone in the room heard the words she had spoken. Balthazar dropped on his knees as well, as did the doctor and nurses, all looking up at the ceiling and baring their necks. Each werewolf in the Kingdom was on their knees, welcoming their Queen, accepting her as their leader's mate.

"Mary, did he? Is this what I think it is?" Balthazar asked, not moving a muscle.

"Almost. It's the pending mark; both tried to fight their fates; therefore, I was stuck between hot and cold. Our King was the heat- eager to take what is his, breaking himself to act as she intended. Our Queen is the cold element- she keeps doubting his intentions, herself, and her choices. But it's too late to doubt, now every shifter in the Kingdom knows that their King has claimed his mate and they have only one step to go for her to sit on that throne." Mary smiled, the joy in the woman grew each second. Despite the pain she still felt, she knew that there was hope for Royals to raise again.

"Long live the Queen," everyone repeated, smiles growing on their faces. No matter what happens today, no matter what tomorrow brings, they finally had their official Queen, and so far, nobody seemed to be sceptical towards the fact.

"My love, can you feel anything other than joy?" Balthazar stood up, approached Mary, and helped her to her feet. Mary closed her eyes, hummed gently, and sighed.

"The people are thrilled. I can feel envy, but I'm not sure how close or far it is. Most of us seem to have accepted the Queen, waiting to meet and get to know her. I'd guess maybe one or two shifters are envious," Mary smiled, silently appreciating the love people already felt for Eve.

"No matter who or where, we will protect the Queen. Now, let's get you back in bed; I have to make sure that you're well-rested," he kissed her forehead and led Mary back to their room.
They were both silent as they made their way to the bedroom, bright smiles on their lips. She had scared Balthazar a lot, yet the outcome was one of the best news he had received in weeks. They found their King and soon after the Queen.