Chapter 52
“Nathaniel‘
“I won’t let you die,” I said, even though my voice barely made it above a whisper.
though the truth of those words felt paper–thin in the face of the way she looked–too pale, too still, her breaths
broken by soft whimpers of pain.
Her lips parted slightly like she wanted to speak again, to ask me for a second time if she was dying, but sleep pulled at her faster than her mind could resist. Her lashes fluttered shut, her body curling weakly into itself. The fever had her in its grip again, dragging her under like a tide, and I could do nothing but sit there and watch.
Powerless
Fucking powerless.
I should’ve marked her first. I should’ve told Ethan years ago. I should’ve fought harder. I should’ve something.
Anything
Instead, I sat there beside her bed, watching her body tremble beneath the thin infirmary sheets, and all I could do was breathe and pray that every shallow rise and fall of her chest wouldn’t be her last.
I didn’t move for a long time.
Didn’t speak
Didn’t blink.
I just stared.
Her cheeks were too flushed, her skin too damp with sweat. Her lips had lost their color, and her scent–gods, her scent- was dimmer than I’d ever sensed it. Like she was fading. Like she was already halfway gone.
I knew the signs. I’d read them in ancient texts, listened to the horror stories passed around when I was still too young to believe they were real.
Forceful marks were worse than betrayal.
They were murder.
Her wolf was rejecting the bond, attacking it like a virus. Because that’s what it was. A mark made without consent, without the acceptance of her soul, was seen by the wolf as an intruder. Her spirit was fighting it with everything she had, and that meant her body–her human side–was caught in the middle of a battle it couldn’t survive.
Unless I did something.
Unless I gave her something stronger to fight with.
And that that was where everything got complicated.
I didn’t leave her side until one of the nurses came to check on her vitals. It wasn’t until I saw the chart–the numbers dropping, the panic in the woman’s eyes–that I moved.
That I left
And I ran.
Straight to Bastain. I didn’t know when it happened, but I realized that he had a keen interest in her survival. I didn’t want to question the how, just grateful that our combat instructor–the fiercest of them all–wanted my mate alive.
The room was cold, the long council table flanked by instructors I barely trusted. But I didn’t care. I dragged Bastain from the room, grateful that I still had my head afterwards. I knew they were discussing Maximus’s punishment. But if Jiselle died alongside the bastard, his death would mean nothing. Because she’d be gone too.
I confirmed that Maximus’s mark was forced. I told him she was dying
Bastain didn’t even blink. But his fingers curled into fists
“She won’t survive the next forty–eight hours if the rejection continues,” he said, his voice low. “You know that.”
“I know,” I ground out.
“There’s only one way, another instructor said
Suid–Mice farms the instructor for advanced wolf history. I didn’t even know
Successfully unlocked!
she’d left the room and was listening.
She was one of the only female instructors here. the results with our female population at ATA than the males. It didn’t surprise me that she wanted to help. Her eyes were heavy, lined with the weight of knowledge I didn’t want to hear.
“What way? I demanded.
1/3
Chapter 52
They looked at each other Bastain gave a subtle nod.
Carrow stood and moved toward one of the glass cabinets that lined the back wall. She unlocked it, pulling free a thick, leather–bound volume older than anyone in the room. She dropped it on the table with a dull thud and flipped it open, turning pages with careful fingers until she found what she was looking for
She didn’t speak as she turned it toward me.
I read the headline first
“Reclamation and the Final Bond”
My stomach dropped.
“You’re saying… I have to claim her?” I asked, my voice strained. “But that will kill her!”
“Not if she’s willing. We know that a second mark kills shewolves who were forcefully marked because they don’t have the consciousness to approve the second mark. You have to find a way to ensure she approves, Morningstar Bastain said. “It‘ s the only way.”
“But… I blinked, throat tightening. “She’s passed the stage of reasoning now. Why didn’t you tell me this as soon as the fight ended? I coudi’ve spoken to her hours ago!”
“You’re her mate,” Carrow said gently. “If she wants it, she’ll live.”
That was the catch.
The problem.
The only way to fight off a forceful mark was to overwrite it with a true one. One the wolf would recognize as hers. One the body wouldn’t fight. But the mate had to accept it–fully, willingly. Or the clash of power between the marks could destroy her.
“She’s barely conscious, I said again through clenched teeth. “She’s not in her right mind.”
“Then wait until she is, Bastain said. “But not too long.”
“How long do we have?”
Carrow’s expression darkened.
“If the fever doesn’t break by tonight, her wolf could go dormant. And once that happens…”
She didn’t need to finish.
I knew what happened when a wolf died before the body did. It was worse than death. Worse than madness. It was an empty existence. A hollow shell.
I stood so fast the chair screeched across the floor behind me.
“Thank you,” I muttered, already moving.
“Nathaniel,” Bastain called, stopping me at the door. I looked over my shoulder.
His eyes weren’t cold this time. They weren’t calculating.
They were full of something that looked a lot like sympathy.
“I know you’re angry. I know what this has cost you. But if you love her–really love her–don’t do this out of rage. Or revenge. Or pride.”
“I’m not,” I said quietly. “I’m doing it because she’s mine.”
And then I left
I returned to the infirmary with something heavy in my chest. A mix of hope and dread. A storm that wouldn’t settle. I didn’t know what I was walking back into, I didn’t know what state she’d be . If she’d be able to speak. If she’d even know I was
there.
But I had to try
I had to be there
Even if it killed me to watch her like this.
When I stepped inside, the room was dim. Night had fallen. Only one small light glowed beside her bed.
She was sweating again, her skin pale and glistening, her breaths shallow and fast.
I crossed the room in three strides and sank into the chair beside her. I didn’t say anything. Not at first. I just looked at her. Memorized the curve of her face, the tremble in her lips, the crease in her brow that hadn’t relaxed since this all started And then I reached for her hand
It was hot.
Chapter 52 Too hot.
But I held it anyway.
And I leaned forward, resting my forehead gently against the edge of her mattress, my voice barely a breath.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
She didn’t move.
“I should’ve told Ethan the second I knew I shouldn’t have stayed away when I realized how much you cared about Laker. I should’ve done a hundred things differently. But moon goddess, Jiselle. I’ve loved you since I was twelve.”
Still nothing.
My throat burned.
“I never wanted this for you. I didn’t want you to suffer. I didn’t want you to carry this pain.”
I looked up, and for a second, I thought her lashes fluttered. But maybe it was my own desperate hope.
I leaned closer anyway.
“There’s a way,” I whispered. “A cure. But it’s up to you. You have to want it. You have to want me. Because if you don’t
I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t even let the thought exist.
“I know I’m not perfect. I know I’ve messed up. But I will never hurt you like that. I will never make you feel powerless. Never again. Just…”
I brushed her hair back from her damp forehead, my fingers trembling.
“Choose me. Please…”
My voice cracked
