Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Axel
She collapses in my arms like the fucking world gave out under her feet.
One second, she is standing. In the next breat ve out under her feet.
“Elvira!”
she is folded over.
I drop with her, catching her head before it hits the stone. Her skin is cold like ice. Her pulse is fluttering, but it’s there. It might be too fast, but she is here. Alive. Still with me. I press my hand to her cheek, then to her chest.
Still breathing, but I see the problem now,
“Fuck. She doesn’t have a protection spell for
the bells!”
Of course she doesn’t. She is human. No, she is a wolf, but not Fae–born, not blessed by this Court’s twisted magic. Azriel hasn’t touched her, and the bells–those fucking bells–are woven with layered enchantments. Mental shields. Binding rites. Dream magic to keep outsiders out.
I should have remembered.
Why am I so stupid sometimes?!
“Move!” I shout at the gawking crowd. “Get out of the fucking way!”
They do. Not because they care. Because I’m snarling. Because they remember who I used to be before I came here. I’m a large wolf, and I’m this close to shifting.
I lift Elvira and I’m in shock, She is weightless in that way that makes my heart swell with the urge to protect her.
Precious little mate.
I carry her through the Dream Court castle, stomping past stunned Fae and whispering nobles like they are statues. They stare. ! don’t look back.
“She needs a healer!” I shout again. “Now!”
No one moves.
Cowards.
“Where is the damn healer?”
It’s Eden’s calm voice that answers.
“Through the moonhall. Down the stairs.”
I don’t thank her. I just run with Elvira in my arms until I find the healer in a room that smells like sage and alcohol.
The fae woman immediately places down her flask. Wipes her mouth before raising a brow at us, “Friend of yours?”
“My mate.”
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“Oh?” She looks at Elvira, cocks her head. “Is this the blind one I heard about?”
I growl. “Don’t call her that.”
“Ah, protective, but don’t you worry. She is on the list. Eden told me to check her eyes? But now she is unconscious too? Let me guess…the bells?”
“Yeah… You can fix her, right?”
She clicks her tongue. “Put her down.”
I place Elvira on the cot, heart thudding like a war drum. I don’t want to let go of my baby. Her hand slips from mine, and it feels wrong.
“Relax, Axel,” the healer says. “I’m going to help her.”
“Right…”
I step back and the healer waves a hand and threads of gold light bloom around Elvira’s chest.
“Spell rupture,” she mutters. “Court bells struck her too deep. Fae blood would have taken it fine. She is a werewolf and not-”
“She is mine and you won’t disrespect her,” I say in a quiet, final voice. What’s with fae and having to always prove themselves better?
The healer nods. No more commentary.
Minutes pass.
I can’t sit. I pace. Clench my fists. I want to punch a wall or rip someone’s head off or scream. Instead, I stand beside my watching her ribs rise and fall in that slow, terrifying rhythm.
“Is she going to wake up?”
blind mate,
The healer doesn’t answer at first. She dips her fingers into a bowl of glowing water and presses them to Elvira’s temples.
Finally, she speaks.
“She will wake up. The spell backlash was nasty, but not fatal. It rattled the link between her senses and her spirit. Like her mind tried to step outside her body for a second.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means she will get better. Just need time and Azriel’s blessing.”
I nod. “Can I stay with her here?”
The healer snorts. “Of course. She will riot if you’re not here when she wakes up. I don’t think she would appreciate meeting Azriel alone either. Our king can be…”
“Intense?”
The healer grins despite herself. “Yes…” Her eyes travel to Elvira, then she stands. “I’m going to fetch the king for you. Are you okay on your own?”
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Chapter 113
“Yeah, thanks a bunch.”
“No problem.”
I look at Elvira again. Her face looks peaceful, but I know better. This isn’t a real rest, but inner pain.
I take her hand again and her fingers twitch. “Axel…?”
I lean close. “I’m here.”
Elvira smiles then closes her eyes again.
I should probably let her sleep, but I can’t bring myself to leave. I won’t. Because for the first time in years, I’m afraid of losing something that feels like it’s already mine.
I sit there a long time.
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The healer lights candles. Makes tea. Sprinkles something silver into a bowl and hums under her breath. It doesn’t matter. None of it touches me.
My thoughts loop. Over and over. The way she flinched from Eden. The way she collapsed. The way her skin felt too cold against my
arms.
I hate this place. This court. Its people. Its rules. Its glittering lies.
They watched her fall.
They did nothing.
If Eden hadn’t spoken, would they have let her die?
I hear the door creak behind me. A step. Light.
“Can I come in?” Eden. Her voice is less calm now. Less everything.
I don’t answer.
She comes anyway.
“I didn’t mean for the bells to hit her like that. I didn’t even think-”
“You didn’t think?” I snap. I don’t even look at her. “That makes two of us.”
A beat of silence.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
I squeeze Elvira’s hand tighter.
“Sorry doesn’t help her.”
“She is strong.” Eden’s voice is softer now. “She will wake.”
“She shouldn’t have had to collapse to prove it.”
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Chapter 113
I feel her hesitate behind me. Then she turns and leaves.
Good.
Because the only voice I want to hear is the one whispering my name like a question she’s afraid to ask.
And when it comes again, this time clearer, more awake, I finally let myself breathe.
“Axel?”
I bend toward her, hand still wrapped around hers. “Yeah. Right here.”
She doesn’t open her eyes. But her lips twitch into something too soft to name.
I rest my forehead against her shoulder.
And I stay there.
AD
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