CHAPTER 30: DOOMED

Darek didn’t come at night. I expected him to, because of the fact that he shifted me to his room, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight, and the sheets next to me stayed cold.

The weakness hadn’t come back yet so it was fine. His presence still lingered in the room, his mild smell clinging to the pillows and I doubted if he’d visited when I was asleep and left before I woke up.

A servant brought me a tray laden with food, along with polished gold cutlery, in the morning and placed it on the nightstand, leaving without another word. I was used to it now, it was the same when I stayed in the other room except I was surrounded by even more servants then.

I was about to move the tray onto my lap as my eyes caught something stashed under the golden plate. It was a small piece of paper neatly tucked underneath it.

I halted.

What could it possibly be?

I reached forward and removed it, unfolding it gingerly to see the text scribbled carelessly over it, as if the person writing it did so in a hurry.

Just got informed of your current predicament. I may be able to help. Meet me.

-K

K?

Kinley?

He seemed to be the most likely suspect. After all, he was

the Head Scientist. So he must have found some way to undo the curse before I lost all my sanity and power to Darek.

I clutched the note tightly in my palms and then slid it into my pocket.

The entire day, I pondered over ways that I could get to Kinley without Darek getting suspicious. Darek may act like he cared now, but I’m pretty sure he was only thinking of himself. And if Kinley knew of a way to get me back my power...Then I don’t think Darek would be very happy about it.

He was missing in action the entire day but that terrified me even more. Something told me he was planning or trying out his new powers, maybe controlling them even more than I could, maybe finding a way to make sure it doesn’t return back to me during the mating ceremony.

Dread filled my stomach.

I couldn’t let him do that. I had to meet Kinley and reverse the damage.

My body was becoming weak again as time flew by with no sign of Darek. It didn’t feel like I was dying yet, but it probably would if I waited any longer.

I should definitely find Kinley now. I could try to slip out like I did last time, drag my failing body to the White Hall, and find some answers to the goddamn curse.

I readied myself.

But that was when the warning signs hit.

I thought it was the same as yesterday, my body losing its strength without my bond with Darek, the same ache in my chest that made me lean on his chest just to breathe properly. But the ache grew so loud until it burned higher.

It spread so fast and moved lower in my body, boiling my blood on its way. I sat up with a strangled gasp, clutching the sheets.

No.

I shoved the covers off me and sprang up from the bed, desperate for the cool air to soothe my burn, but it only made it worse. My wolf was pacing and howling in hunger.

My chest tightened as I realised what it was hungry for.

The door opened right then, revealing his tall form in his Alpha garments, face scrunched in seriousness, silver hair gleaming under the lights. His jaw was already locked tight as he came in, and it looked like it could cut glass. His skin was smooth except for the shadow lining his lower jaw. He looked tired, like he was hard at work all this time, but still managed to take my breath away.

His face was a work of art.

He was a work of art.

"Maeve," he narrowed his eyes. "Have you been..."

He didn’t finish whatever he was about to say. He stopped the moment he saw my face, realisation dawning on him.

His voice when he said my name was low but strong, seductive perhaps, and it wrapped around me from all sides until all I wanted was to hear it again. Hear him say my name again. He always did that. Said my name in ways no one else could ever. Not even Valden.

His hazel eyes were still locked on me with confusion, and he took a cautious step into the room, testing the waters as if he wasn’t sure I wouldn’t claw his face off like I had promised him before.

The fire under my skin roared.

I wanted him, I needed him.

If I didn’t touch him just once, at least an inch of him, my body would just tear itself apart from the inside out.

"What’s wrong, Maeve?" he whispered, tensely. It was my name again and I wanted to drown in his voice, wanted to hear it again and again and again. His shirt was open at the collar and I could see the sliver of skin peaking from underneath. He looked devastatingly good.

I flinched.

What was I thinking? I was going crazy.

"Stay away," I said loudly, backing away from him until my knees hit the side of the bed and I fell back into his mattress as I realised how I had been walking towards him as if in a trance. It was like I was losing control of my mind, and my feelings for him.

"Don’t come closer, Darek," I rasped again.

And then my body betrayed me. My wolf pulled me forward like it didn’t care what I really wanted, like it just wanted to follow instincts instead of choosing right from wrong, and I followed behind it. I didn’t want to control myself anymore.

I had been doing it for so long. I just wanted to give up. For just this moment.

I moved fast and grabbed fistfuls of his silk shirt in my hands, the buttons straining to pop. And I yanked him down.

Everything exploded the second our bodies touched.