Chapter 45
Outside, the wedding hounds bay in unison, their howls timed to the pounding of his heart.
A shrill voice pierces the night: “The lord’s mate has arrived!”
He’s already moving.
“Wait–there’s another?
Alex’s grin splits his face.
He all but sprints past Sadina’s gilded carriage.
The second litter–carriage–plain, unadorned -has just settled on its iron runners.
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His hand shakes as he reaches for the curtain.
“Lia…” He breathes.
“Y–You…” He chokes
“Lia, you came….”
The words rumbled from his chest, a mix of triumph and something raw–something his beast had never felt for Sadina.
But the instant he pulled the carriage curtain away, his grin shattered.
“Your Highness Alex!!”
His knees buckle, sending him crashing to the ground.
He drags himself forward, fingers twitching
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to tear back the curtain.
Werewolves in finery surge forward.
Sadina bursts free.
“Alex! Don’t you dare die!”
“Without you, I’m nothing!”
He manages to lift a trembling hand, brushing her hair.
But his gaze slides past her, fixated on the motionless carriage.
Healers swarm like blackflies.
Silver amulets clatter as they press them to his chest.
“His life–thread is severed!”
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The highness’s pulse is fainter than a pup’s first breath. If the moon sets before we-”
“He won’t see dawn. The curse… it’s feasting on his very essence.”
Luna lunges for the healers.
“Save him! Do whatever it takes–use blood magic, summon the Ancestral Pack, rip out your own hearts if you must!” One collapses onto his elbows, the runes on his forehead flickering like dying embers,
“Your Majesty… the prince squandered his life–force. He ignored the moon’s cycles, forced shifts without rest.” His voice breaks on a whimper.
“Three days of such defiance… his organs are turning to ash.”
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Alex’s chest rattles with each breath.
“Lia!”
“Bring me Lia! Her womb–its magic can heal me. The Old Ones said a fertile wolf’s heat can revive a dying Alpha!”
“But that’s just a legend!” A young healer stammers.
“No one’s seen a ‘good luck womb‘ –”
“Lia… save me…”
His beast thrashes within, howling in primal fear.
In this final moment, memories of past lives surge unbidden.
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You’re carrying my heirs, woman–act like it.”
Lia stands amid the shattered platters.
Moonlight filters through the window, casting her shadow on the wolfsbane–strewn floor.
“Your constitution is frail,” she murmurs, kneeling to gather the crumbs.
Her belly swells beneath her tunic, the scent of twin pups strong in the air.
“The healers said the herbal stews must be taken daily to bind your cursed blood.”
She pauses, hand resting on her swollen abdomen.
“When the pups come… I may be bedridden for moons. I wanted to stock enough cured
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meats to last-”
“Silence” he snarls.
She flinches, and something in his chest twists.
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