Chapter 850: No Place In The World (Ch.851)
A few hours later and Neveah was still lost in her thoughts. But she wasn’t anywhere closer to clarity than she had been the night before.
All she had were more questions. The ruby beast from last night still plagued her thoughts. The look in its eyes...those emotions, they were nothing like a beast at all.
She could even dare say, it was human. But what did she know about such a great and fearso beast? Could she really trust her instincts on this?
Neveah guessed she would only have the answers when she saw the beast again. This ti, she wouldn’t hold back. This ti she would demand clear answers and she would get them by any ans possible.
A sudden ache tore through Neveah’s temple. Dull and cold. She winced visibly, her hand shooting up to cradle her head but it did nothing to relieve the ache.
Neveah exhaled, a slow, trembling breath.
She had tossed out the tonic, and yet the pain had co. But this wasn’t like the dizzying, piercing pain from the tonic...it was different.
It was a number, deeper ache that sunk into her bones. It wasn’t the pain that made one cry out, it was the pain that stole her ability to speak or form a cry.
It was a pain deeper than she could explain. Beyond anything she could comprehend. She found herself craving the reprieve of a sharp, piercing ache...at least, that was familiar. At least that pain would claim her consciousness.
But this...it began as a splitting headache and grew into an ache from the essence of her very being. Like her soul was intent on clawing its way out, giving back the life it had sohow won.
Neveah turned over on her bed, burying her head into the pillow. She gritted her teeth, perspiration dampening her sheets. Her fists were tightly clenched,
But she couldn’t cry out. She wouldn’t. All she could do was ride the pain out and hope relief would co as swiftly as the pain had.
It didn’t. It must have been a half hour later, but to Neveah, it felt like an eternity wallowing in the pits of damnation, where the soul and spirit were flayed.
A rattling sound from the door drew Neveah’s attention. She drew in a sharp breath, turning over slowly.
This was the worst possible ti...
The door knob rattled again. She could tell who was on the other end without asking. There was a ghastly presence he carried... and that stench of death.
’Alessio...’ She thought in disdain.
He had let her be all morning, as she asked. But she had known he wouldn’t stay away for too long.
Neveah settled into the bed, shutting her eyes. She forced her mind to focus on sothing else but the pain coursing through her, channeling her attention to slowing her breathing instead.
The door creaked open. She didn’t move. It wasn’t so much of an act with how terribly her muscles ached.
She heard his footsteps approaching and they only stopped when he was by her bed.
Neveah was certain she looked pale and sickly, with perspiration lining her forehead and soaking up her sheets.
At any other ti, Alessio might have found her appearance suspicious. But the effects of the herbal tonic were extrely similar to this. Even hours after consumption, she would lay restless and unconscious. Sotis for an entire day.
As long as she kept her breathing in check, he wouldn’t figure out that she was conscious and had not taken the tonic at all.
If he ever did, Neveah wasn’t sure what he would do. But she couldn’t take any chances until the moon ceremony.
Alessio must have been reassured by the sight because another pair of footsteps ca into the room.
It must have been Karan. Those footsteps were familiar to Neveah.
"How long will she be unconscious this ti?" Alessio asked, confirming Neveah’s guess that it was indeed Karan with him in the room.
"Hard to say." Karan replied blankly, "It lasted an entire day the last ti and I tripled the dosage on your orders so, a few days?... forever?...we will find out eventually."
Neveah’s heart stuttered within her and she was quick to compose herself. She couldn’t allow any signs that would give her away. Alessio’s senses were extrely sensitive, she had co to realize this... and she had equally realized just how cautious she would have to be if she ever needed to evade them.
And the fact that the answers ca so naturally to her, made her question just what kind of woman she had been.
"I didn’t ask you to harm her, Karan." Alessio hissed. "I told you to put her to sleep until the moon ceremony. Where we will be bonded and wed before the entire pack."
"You intend to mark her?!" Karan exclaid, "Do you even realize what that ans?! I didn’t spend an entire month catering to your whims for you to ss up everything simply because she won’t bed you."
Alessio’s warning growl bounced off the walls.
Karan sucked in a sharp breath. "Listen Alessio, you asked
to make certain she can never recover her mories and I made it clear there was just one way to achieve that... putting her wolf to sleep indefinitely."
"I formulated the tonic just for that purpose and it’s kept her wolf from reaching her all this ti. But marking her will force a bond that is beyond just her human side. It risks rousing her wolf."
"It’s not forcing a bond." Alessio snarled. "She is mine! She’s always been mine!"
Karan scoffed beneath his breath. "I wish that were true, but when we found her, the mate bond you share was barely existent and far too weathered to be recovered. The fate you share with her is done for, Alessio."
"And while that must be difficult for you to accept, I won’t pretend that this isn’t what it is. I personally don’t care about wolf beliefs, but if I know anything about it, you are defying every basic principle of your kind."
Silence dawned for a long mont. Neveah’s fists clenched tighter and she forced herself to remain calm.
"Yes. I am aware marking her risks awakening her wolf. But clearly your tonic is no longer effective... she has begun having doubts." Alessio accused. "You promised
the tonic would take care of everything!"
Karan sighed. "You didn’t tell
that mother of yours raised the girl on a diet of toxic herbs and poisons! Do you know the extent of her immunity?! She adapts to the potency of each tonic after each dosage. I’ve had to amp it up each ti till it’s currently strong enough to kill even a wolf of your status, just for it to show this level of efficiency!"
"You already know what happened last ti..." Karan trailed off.
’What happened last ti?’ Neveah wondered.
"Any more than this and she will truly be dead! I didn’t agree to kill anyone... the child was enough!"
Neveah’s blood ran cold. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. The child...was dead? The child he repeatedly spoke about? The child he claid he would give anything to protect...was already dead?
Alessio growled dangerously low. "Did I not make it clear enough that this was never to be ntioned again?"
Karan humd. "Right. I apologise. But this is getting out of hand. Our agreent was only related to healing Eira, in exchange for my freedom. I didn’t agree to be a part of anything more than that."
There was a swift shuffle and a crash. Then the tallic sll of blood... soone had been hurt.
"Our agreent is whatever I say it is, Karan." Alessio hissed, "You do what I say, or I won’t even offer the rcy of a swift death at my hands... I’ll toss you to your enemies in the Southern Covens, and see what they make of you."
"And while we’re at it, you assured
Eira needed just the presence of two for the spell to be successful. I’ve made everything you asked for available to you, so why is she still frozen?!"
Karan grunted lowly. "I will need so more ti. The spell is more complicated than I originally thought."
"You have until the moon ceremony. With Eira in my hands, it won’t matter if Veah’s mories return or not... she will give whatever I ask of her, even her own life."
Karan’s footsteps retreated, but paused. "I will do as you ask, Alessio. But know this...you dig yourself a pit too deep, it ends up being your burial site."
And then he was gone. A short ti later, Alessio left too.
The doors went shut before the first streak of tears slipped out of Neveah’s eyes.
The child was dead... which ans, he once existed. And she failed to protect him...
She failed...
She didn’t have her child. She didn’t have her mories. She didn’t know who she was, where her place was in this world... she had nothing.
Her heart constricted tightly within her chest, the pain she had been suppressing returned in a stronger wave.
But it was nothing compared to the hollowness in her heart.
She turned over on her bed, biting into her arm, her shoulders trembling as muffled sobs wracked through her.
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