Return her

Return her
DECLAN

Listening intently to the faint sounds of wailings coming from Vince's pack has me a bit tense. I'm itchy to know what's going on there. I already sent someone to find out.

Turns out being his neighbor has its perks. You get to know what he's up to, and I really need to know that. His letter to Beck has me on my toes. So I wanna be aware of his every move. That's the only way I can protect Beck from him.

The door opened and the messenger stepped inside.

“Greetings, Prince Declan.”

“Right. So what's going on?” My twitching fingers were a sign of my mild anxiety.

“He sentenced his elders to death. By dismemberment. And then he's burning their bodies after.”

I held my breath unconsciously. It's not the most ruthless thing I've ever heard. But something about it still had me unnevered.

“Did he say why?”

“He said they committed treason or something. No one knows the full story.”

I nodded, looking in the direction from which those wails were coming. My thoughts were running wild.

What's he doing?

Did he stop giving a fuck about his reputation? Did he stop caring about what his people thought of him? Because why else would he kill his elders in such a demeaning and ruthless manner?

If that's the case, then that also means he doesn't plan on being Alpha for long. Or he's taking a villain arc and doesn't plan on evacuating his throne.

But if he does evacuate the throne, who's gonna be in charge? It makes no sense.

It's so damn hard trying to figure out that man. Never met anyone as unpredictable as he is.

I heard the door open and turned. The messenger had already left, and Beck was just stepping inside.

“The elders wanna see you.”

Those frustrated geezers!

Maybe I should do to them what Vince just did to his elders. They're getting on my bloody nerves.

I went to meet them and two minutes into the meeting, I was already on the verge of giving the most unhinged outburst of my life.

“You want me to do what?!”

“To kill the girl.” One of them dared to repeat. “She's Vince's kryptonite. If she dies, it'll break him. It'll make him weak enough for us to attack and conquer him.”

“You want me to kill Elena Peters?” I was still in disbelief about what I just heard.

“Yes, Prince Declan. She's the key to winning the war. You kill her, Vince breaks down and you take over his Pack. Problems solved.”

“No, it's actually the other way around. Because if I kill her, we will all go down in flames.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means she's the key to winning the war and also the key to unlocking a beastly, unhinged Vince. And we might be strong and all, but we don't wanna awaken that side of him. So I suggest we stay sensible.”

“But that side of him has already been unlocked and we don't have much time!” The argument just escalated. “Didn't you hear what he did to his elders? That will be us soon.”

“Do you know why he killed them?” I asked curiously.

“Because he found out about his real roots. So he punished them for lying to him.”

I adjusted my seat, as my curiosity piqued even more. “Remind me again exactly why we can't ever be cool with Vince even though he's one of us?”

“His father swore allegiance to the pure bloods and betrayed us.” They repeated those familiar words. Yeah, I knew that part.

“But the pure bloods don't like Vince.” I pointed out.

“No. If the people find out his real roots, they're gonna want to kill him. Or banish him. The elders he killed didn't trust him either. They don't trust any of the Walker men. Their assignment was just to make sure the Walker family and us don't ever reconcile. Because they fear what's gonna happen to them if that ever happens.”

“But you're saying there's no chance of us and him ever being on good terms either?”

“None.” One of them stated. “His father made his choice so he gotta stick to it.”

I was silent for a few minutes, pondering over what I just heard. I hate asking the same questions over and over. I just need to be sure that I really understand this messy situation.

So they're saying either way, Vince loses. Because he can't come back to us but he can't be a real pure blood either.

That's gonna make him wanna come for Elena now more than ever.

The man's pathetically lonely.

“Kill the girl, Prince Declan.” They were back to their absurd talks.

Killing her would be a nice way to keep her away from Vince forever. But I don't wanna play like that. I don't wanna kill her. I love seeing her alive and breathing.

“I can't kill her.” I confessed sternly.

“Either you kill her or we'll tell the people you're beginning to develop feelings for the pure blood princess. Imagine how bad that's gonna look on you.”

Their empty threat sent a vile rage through my bones. They sound like the ultimate, ancient manipulators. I wonder if this was what Vince's elders sounded like, which prompted him to kill them.

“We'll be back here in two days. If she's not dead, there will be consequences, Prince Declan.” They finalized and left.

I was boiling in my seat, unsure of the most low-headed way to express my rage.

Beck barged into the hall, looking all hysterical. “She's not feeling too good.”

“Who?”

“The princess!”

I rushed out with him, heading to Elena's room. He pushed the door open and we got inside.

“Go get the doctor,” I ordered, going next to her to see what the problem was. She looked pale and she was unconscious. Her breathing was slower but labored. Did she catch the flu?

“Here I am.” The voice said. The doctor was already here. Good thing Beck already sent for him before coming to get me.

He began examining her while I pulled Beck to the side.

“What did you do to her?”

“What? Nothing. I swear to God, I didn't touch that bitch.”

I squeezed his arm and he groaned.

“You better not be lying to me.”

“I'm not lying.”

He was, in fact, not lying, so I let him go. Minutes later, the doctor was done and ready to speak.

“What's happening to her?”

“I think she's experiencing withdrawal symptoms.”

“Withdrawal symptoms? What's that?”

“Mate bond. After her recent forceful rejection experience, her body needs to connect with her new mate bond or she might uh, get worse.”

“By getting worse, you mean die?”

“I mean, more feverish. Weaker. And eventually, die. Yes.”

“But her mate's already dead.” Beck pointed out. “She doesn't have any more mates.”

“Really?” The doctor looked shocked. “She still has a mate mark on her. It was stitched up but it's there and it's pulsing hard. It's yearning for some reconnection. So if she has no more mates alive, then that mark shouldn't be alive either.”

Beck gave me a confused stare. But I reciprocated with a more dumbfounded stare.

Realization just hit me like a tornado.

There's no bloody way Vince is her second chance mate, is there? Because that changes everything. That's gonna make me feel fucking worse.

“Are you saying the only way to save her is to make her reunite with her mate?” I asked, hating this new reality.

“Yes.” The doctor gave a straight answer that sent a punch to my heart.

So I gotta return her to Vince or she dies, huh? That doesn't sound fair at all.