Chapter 85 Pain - Aleksandr’s POV
I shifted back to human form in a rush, bones and muscle realigning with practiced efficiency. The moment I could move, I dropped to my knees beside Amelia, pulling her trembling body against my chest. Her tears soaked my skin as she pressed her face into the curve of my neck, each sob like a knife between my ribs. I had never seen her like this, not when facing down her abusers, not when confronting her kidnappers. This was something deeper, more primal. The loss of something she'd only just discovered.
"Breathe," I murmured against her hair, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other traced soothing patterns along her spine. "I've got you, Amelia. We'll figure this out."
But even as I spoke these reassurances aloud, I was reaching through our mate bond, trying to connect with Kaela directly. Skoll pushed forward in our shared consciousness, desperately attempting to reach her.
'Kaela,' Skoll called, his mental voice uncharacteristically gentle. 'Little queen, calm yourself. This hurts Amelia.'
I felt Kaela's response through Amelia's body, a violent shudder that wracked her slender frame as her wolf howled in frustration.
'CAN'T GET THROUGH,' came Kaela's fractured reply, her mental voice raw with anguish. 'WALL WON'T BREAK!'
Skoll's distress echoed through me, his protective instincts surging as he confronted a threat he couldn't fight with teeth and claws. 'We will help,' he promised. 'Mate won't abandon mate.'
Amelia's fingers dug into my shoulders, her nails leaving crescent marks in my skin. I welcomed the pain, a physical anchor in this storm of emotion. Her body felt too fragile against mine, still recovering from days of captivity and wolfsbane poisoning.
Wolfsbane. The realisation hit me with the force of a physical blow. Could the drugs still be affecting her? But she'd shifted once before, even with wolfsbane in her system.
I needed help, knowledge beyond what I possessed. Without hesitation, I reached out through the pack bonds that connected me to my most trusted advisors.
'Nora,' I called, focusing my thoughts toward her ancient presence. 'Something's wrong with Amelia. With Kaela. She can't shift again.'
The response was immediate, Nora's mental voice sharp with concern. 'Shit. Where are you?'
'The eastern forest. Amelia's in distress. We're coming back. Meet us in my office.'
'I'll be there,' she promised, her mental presence withdrawing as quickly as it had appeared.
I eased away from Amelia just enough to see her face. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, her remarkable eyes red-rimmed and glassy. "We're going to see Nora," I told her, brushing a thumb across her damp cheek. "She'll know what to do."
Amelia nodded weakly, her body still trembling with aftershocks of her wolf's distress. I stood, lifting her with me, and moved to retrieve our clothing from the hollow tree. Dressing myself quickly, I then helped Amelia with gentle hands, noticing how she seemed to have retreated inward, her movements automatic and listless.
"Can you walk?" I asked, though I was already prepared to carry her if needed.
She nodded again, wiping roughly at her tears. "Yes," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I'm sorry."
"Don't," I said firmly, tilting her chin up so her eyes met mine. "Don't apologise. Not for this. Not ever."
The walk back to the castle felt interminable. I kept my arm around Amelia's waist, supporting much of her weight as we retraced our steps through the garden and into the castle proper. Guards averted their eyes as we passed, recognising the tension in my posture, the protective curve of my body around my mate's.
When we reached my office, Nora was already there, pacing before the fireplace. Her ancient eyes assessed Amelia quickly, cataloging every detail of her appearance with the precision of centuries of experience.
"Sit," she instructed, gesturing to the couch rather than the more formal chairs by my desk.
I guided Amelia down, settling beside her with our thighs touching, maintaining constant contact. Nora took a seat across from us, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, a casual posture that belied the concern etched into the lines of her face.
"Tell me exactly what happened," she said, looking directly at me.
I explained quickly, our walk in the forest, my shift, and Amelia's failed attempt. "She shifted before," I concluded, frustration colouring my tone. "When she escaped from Blackthorn. Why not now?"
Nora's gaze shifted to Amelia. "What did it feel like from your end?" she asked gently.
Amelia drew a shaky breath, her fingers twisting together in her lap until I captured them in my own. "It was like... hitting a wall," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Before, when I shifted the first time, it felt like something cracked open inside my mind. Like a barrier that had always been there suddenly crumbled. Kaela and I weren't separate anymore, we were one."
She paused, another tear tracking down her cheek. "But now the wall is back. Kaela keeps throwing herself against it, but she can't break through. I can hear her, feel her, but we can't... merge. Not like before."
'Still trying,' Skoll confirmed, his mental voice troubled. 'Kaela fighting hard. Too hard. Hurting herself.'
Nora's expression grew thoughtful, the slight narrowing of her eyes indicating she was working through possibilities. "The first shift came during a crisis," she mused. "When your mate bond was in danger. When Aleksandr's life was threatened. Perhaps..."
She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. "Your curses might be more intertwined than I initially believed," she said finally. "Aleksandr's centennial curse and whatever has been blocking Kaela... they could be connected."
Hope flared briefly in Amelia's eyes. "So there's a way to fix this?"
"I need to look deeper into both curses," Nora said, her voice carefully neutral. "There are texts I haven't consulted yet, theories I've dismissed that might need reconsideration."
She reached across the space between us, taking Amelia's free hand in her weathered one. "In the meantime, focus on recovering your strength. You had a massive dose of wolfsbane in your system for days. Your body is still healing."
Amelia nodded slowly, though the defeat in her posture told me she'd hoped for more immediate answers.
Nora rose, squeezing Amelia's hand once more before releasing it. She moved toward the door but paused before leaving, her eyes meeting mine over Amelia's head.
'Take care of her,' she sent privately through our link. 'This is hitting her harder than she's showing. Both of them.'
I nodded imperceptibly, and Nora slipped out, closing the door softly behind her.
The moment we were alone, Amelia's careful composure crumbled completely. She turned into my chest, her entire body shaking with fresh sobs. I gathered her close, shifting us so she was cradled in my lap, her face tucked beneath my chin.
"What if I can't shift again?" she whispered against my skin. "What if I'm broken?"
"You are not broken," I said fiercely, tightening my arms around her. "You are my mate. My Queen. With or without shifting."
But as I held her, feeling the desperate grief radiating through our bond, I knew my reassurances weren't enough. She had tasted freedom in her wolf form, experienced the perfect unity with Kaela that had been denied her for so long. Having that snatched away again was a cruelty I couldn't bear to see her endure.
I would move mountains to give her back that freedom. I would tear apart anyone who stood in our way. The Alpha King would ensure his Queen had everything she deserved, even if it meant challenging the very curses that had shaped both our lives.