CHAPTER 68: DON’T LEAVE ME

Without hesitation, I pulled down her chin and positioned my wrist to her mouth. Little taps of my blood dribbled, and a soft quenching sound followed, signifying the heat.

I was suddenly worried about burning her lips, but I had to just wait a little longer.

Just a little more. It’ll be over soon.

Eloise acted up, whimpered, and held her throat in pain. Goddess!

I held her in my arms, her body thrashing to break free.

"It’s okay."

It breaks my heart to see her like this, suffering so much, but that only means my blood was healing her, but it was too hot for her and mostly burned through her organs.

"It hurts," she muttered in pain. "Make it stop, please." She broke down more, scratching my chest, my chin, and cheek, but I took it all. This was better than her doing this to her body to find the discomfort.

’"I’m here, don’t worry," I murmured. "I’m here."

Her wails got painful to the point I thought I might lose her; she wasn’t getting any better, but worse.

I stroked her cheek, a pleading look in my eyes.

"Please..." I begged, placing my forehead on hers. "Don’t leave me."

Her breath shortened, getting lower and lower, until I heard nothing, she was still like the dead.

A hollow feeling sank over me. "Eloise?"

Nothing.

Maybe an hour went by and along a piece of me, my mind slowly reverting to that emptiness, that darkness I could only see before I met her.

Eloise hand tightened against mine, pulling me back from the depths my mind drowned.

A breath of relief found me when she began breathing, slow, but it was good enough to know she was okay.

I pressed a kiss on her forehead.

~•~

Eloise was still unconscious, and it had been a week already. But there were improvements; she slept more peacefully now, and her expression was painless.

I adjusted the covers on her properly when a knock came in.

"Brother, it’s me, Diana."

I rose to my feet and covered the drapes before walking to the door and leaving the room.

"How is she?"

"By the goddess mercy, good."

"It worked?" she sounded shocked.

I smiled, which had been a while since I last did. "Yes."

Although she was recovering now, it still didn’t change the fact that I had made a gamble. I don’t ever want to be put in a position where I have to do so again, but if given a second time, I would make that decision.

Eloise’s life was too precious to me.

"Thank the goddess!" Diana said with a bright smile on her lips.

I eyed her while leaning against the column and folding my arms. "Why the sudden liking for my wife?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t play dumb with me, Diana."

She shrugged. "Is it wrong to like my sister-in-law?"

"That’s coming from someone who called her my human toy the first day."

"Well..." she trailed. "Eloise is different from other humans. She might be the only one."

I tipped my head in amusement.

"I guess that is what you saw when you laid eyes on her."

"Maybe," I murmured.

She placed her hands on her waist. "Or were you truly bewitched?"

"If I’m bewitched, then I never want the spell lifted. I’ll spend the rest of my life hexed."

Diana huffed in disbelief. "You’re so hopeless. Eloise has you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?"

"Is that wrong?" I asked, confused.

She sighed like I was too much to handle. "Completely hopeless." She placed her on the platform, and I noticed a bandage on her arm.

I snatched it quickly to take a look. This spot was where I held her that day; it should have healed by now.

"Why is there a bandage?"

Diana shoved my hand away. "We might be all brotherly and sisterly, but that doesn’t give you the right to do that!"

"That didn’t answer my question."

Diana pulled her sleeves down. "It’s none of your business!"

"You didn’t heal, did you?"

"I said it’s—"

"You’re a Lycan, Diana, an Alpha."

"Shut up!" She yelled.

I watched her with a quiet expression as the tears streamed down her face. She turned away to hide herself, sobbing, her shoulders shaking.

I stretched my hand to place it on her shoulder, but she spoke.

"At the age of five, the day of my first shift, Mother made all the preparations. A caravan was escorted out of the castle to the distant forest. It was the happiest day of my life. I could still remember it like it was yesterday."

I listened in silence as each word was more pain rushing through her.

"The full moon came, but my Moonblood never triggered; I couldn’t shift." She shook her head. "Mother didn’t know why; she changed after that day. I was ordered to stay in my wing, ordered not to ever show my face under the facade that I was not out in society."

I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"She shouldn’t have done that."

Diana stepped away from my touch and faced me. "I’m a Balthar! A member of the greatest Lycan family for a thousand years...but I can’t assess my full potential!"

It all made sense now. The reason why Mother confined her. The reason her body didn’t resemble that of a twenty-five-year-old. She couldn’t grow properly because her Moonblood never triggered.

~•~

Diana’s pain weighed on my mind. She suffered silently for years in confinement, scared and confused. I wasn’t an ideal brother to her, and I never claimed to be, but I shall see to it that I find a solution to this unexplainable issue.

The light streamed in from the window. I moved to close the drapes because it shone on Eloise directly, but I found myself stopping.

I was mesmerized by Eloise’s beauty, the way her dark indigo hair fanned out on my pillow, the icy silver-blue ends lighter. Her hair was outgrown and in need of a cut, but I loved it like this.

Her porcelain skin shone like glass, her cheeks were no longer pale, and the pink color was prominent.

This may be just me admiring my beautiful wife, but it seemed to me like she looked...healthier?

She flashed her eyes open and sat up so suddenly, her olive green eyes seem like they were glowing.

"Eloise?"

"I’m hungry," she mumbled.

I laughed softly. She has been bedridden for a week, and the first thing she thought of was food? I was a bit jealous.

"I’ll have Osha get you something to—"

I paused when she pinned her eyes on me, lust swirling in them that got me speechless.

Eloise pounced on me with the grace of a panther and bit down on my neck.