"Gabriel, she can’t be saved," Casaio stated. "The most we can hope for is that she rallies, just long enough to see Carlos one last time. He is already broken, Gabriel, grieving a loss that hasn’t fully arrived."
Gabriel didn’t look up, instead slumping into a heavy, leather-bound chair in the silent hospital lobby. His words were a whisper, "Why does this happen to the kindest among us? Why his grandmother?"
Casaio settled next to him, placing a comforting, heavy hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. "It is her time, brother. She is very old, and her body is simply failing. It is a mercy, in a way." He paused, his expression softening with pragmatic sympathy. "Carlos is resting well, thankfully. But the moment he wakes, we must prepare him. We need to take her back home. They deserve a quiet, peaceful farewell. She is suffering too much here."
Gabriel gave a low hum, a sound of heavy understanding. It was time to manage the leaving, not the saving.
"I will take Carlos back to our kingdom if—" Gabriel choked on the word, "If she doesn’t survive. There is nothing left for him here. No family has come. I haven’t seen a soul offer comfort to either of them."
Casaio leaned in and began, "I heard a different tale at their house. The butler told me Carlos has refused all entry. Apparently, Carlos is the most powerful sorcerer in this whole region. People expect him to step up, to lead the way his family has done for generations. But Carlos is actively rejecting his destiny. He’s trying to run from his fate."
"Yeah, that I know," Gabriel asserted, shaking his head dismissively. "But still, if people truly wished him well, they would be here. They would be camped outside this hospital, offering what little comfort they could. They want a leader, not a friend. Carlos doesn’t belong in a place where his power defines his worth." He repeated the thought, more to himself than Casaio, a conviction settling over him.
"This is still his home, Gabriel. His bloodline is rooted here. I don’t think he will simply agree to abandon it," Casaio stated, his tone cautious, eyeing the inherent difficulty of convincing the powerful sorcerer to leave everything behind.
Gabriel remained silent. He didn’t confide in Casaio about the things Amelie had told him that Carlos shared with her once. He felt keeping that specific knowledge quiet would be better, for now.
A heavy sigh escaped Casaio, shifting the focus from Carlos to their own, equally complex predicament. "I was wondering... how are you and Amelie going to confront your pasts now?" His expression turned grim. "Apparently, only Carlos’s grandmother knew the way, the truth of it all. Once she dies, that knowledge dies with her. And then, there’s the danger of Ophelia. We have no idea what she might attempt once her greatest restraint is removed. As far as I know, she even stopped Ophelia’s attempt to harm any of you."
"You’re right," Gabriel admitted. "That’s not a reason to worry for us anymore. Whatever Carlos’ grandmother did for us so far is more than enough. At least, she protected us from Ophelia’s lingering threat over us with these protective rings. I do hope for a magic to take place and Carlos’ grandmother survives, though I know it won’t happen."
~~~~~
Katelyn cut the call after talking with her mother. She didn’t share with her what was going on in Sage’s pack as she found it was private matter of the pack.
Turning to go inside the house, she saw William.


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rejected and Pregnant Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince