Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Killian’s POV
“I paid you because you’re useful. And this is the result I get?”
The chief healer remained unmoved under the weight of my wrath. How dare he utter such an outrageous impossibility?
“Forgive the insolence of this lowly being, Your Majesty. Truly, from the depths of my heart, I speak only because I care deeply for your consort and heir, he said firmly.
Both his hands were clenched at his sides as he took a deep breath.
“Since the day I was commanded by you to handle the Queen’s case, I’ve been conducting research. I apologize for keeping this from you. I feared I might be wrong.”
Then he added, with a tone of regret, “It would have been far better if my assumption was incorrect. I initially believed that her static coma was due only to the regeneration of cellular damage caused by the dark spell. At first, I was grateful my suspicion hadn’t materialized, but today’s examination erased all doubts.”
An inevitable sorrow painted his middle–aged face.
“The child and the mother are both in critical danger.”
A sharp ringing filled my ears, and my body went numb the moment the chief healer spoke those final words. My mind spun back to the day of the attack, to Robert’s cryptic words. Oh, how I longed to drag him from hell and torture him, killing him again and again.
“You just examined her for less than five minutes. How can that overturn your previous, valid conclusion?” I pressed, gritting my teeth.
“Unlike humans, mana never lies, Your Majesty.”
I collapsed into my throne, defeated. The vision of our perfect, happy home shattered completely. The two people I loved most stood on the edge of death, about to fall into the abyss if I couldn’t save them in time. Bitterness boiled in my chest. I had been too slow when the spell hit Ruby.”
If only.
I always used that phrase, though it had always been futile. Everything that happened had been carved by fate, no matter how much I despised that force.
Then I swallowed the painful lump in my throat. “On a scale of one to ten, how severe is the danger?”
“Nine.”
Nausea churned in my stomach as I heard it. I turned to look out the window for a moment, trying to collect the last fragments of self–control that had already begun to fracture. Once again, the image of Ruby’s beautiful face contorted in pain etched itself into my mind.
“It was a mistake for me to even consider punishing you, Chief Healer. You’ve worked hard thus far. And your concern for my woman is appreciated,” I said hollowly.
My fingers clenched tightly.
“Now, explain your research and medical findings. All of it. I know you’re hiding something I don’t want to hear, something so dreadful that you were willing to risk your life to say it to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I do have something,” he replied.
With the unwavering resolve of a seasoned healer, he straightened his back like steel and began to recount every detail of his report.
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Chapter 169
The chief healer spoke of the lethal attack that had been cast upon Ruby. It resembled a curse. He had delved into the most forbidden corners of the mage’s library in search of answers. It had been nearly impossible to find anything specific until he came to suspect it was a modified spell, with no known counterspell.
Though it could not be called a true victory, the healers had achieved a small miracle: they had managed to keep both Ruby and the baby alive.
I wasn’t foolish enough to miss the implication in that statement. Essentially, I could lose them both at any moment. But the gods, as always, seemed to have their own will in orchestrating every event under the heavens.
I hated every syllable that reached my ears. Only my inner wolf could suppress the rage now boiling in my blood.
“I never wanted to say this. I wish I could change it.”
Then do it! I screamed inwardly.
“But I’m just a man, gifted with a special talent. I do not have the power to bend fate,” he said, lowering his head.
“So, there’s no other way?”
He shook his head. “No, Your Majesty.”
Unable to endure it any longer, I asked him to leave the room. Once alone, tears broke free and streamed down my cheeks. Sobs of anguish and fury tore through me, unraveling every part of my being.
How was I supposed to choose between my mate and my own flesh and blood?
It was impossible!
I had waited so long for a child who would carry my bloodline. I couldn’t bear to let that chance simply vanish. However, on the other hand, Ruby was my breath. Losing her would do more than shatter my sanity, it would be a devastation beyond what anyone, even myself, could fathom.
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