Chapter 32 When The Vyris Dies
Adrian’s POV
I was already moving.
I crossed the room in two strides, snatched the phone before it stopped bouncing, and crushed it to my ear.
“Speak,” I snarled, voice barely human. “I’m listening.”
The voice on the other end was calm. Cold, furious, shaking with rage, yet still dipped in the respect every lesser king is expected to give the Central Throne.
It was King Ariston. My mate’s father.
“Your Majesty,” he rasped, every syllable a blade.
“Tell me why my daughter’s Vyris is withered.”
I went completely still.
Vyris.
The midnight-blooming flower every royal bloodline in all the four regions plants at the birth of their offspring. A single drop of newborn blood in sacred soil, a single black seed dipped into it.
The flower grows with the child, drinks moonlight, lives as long as the royal does.
Cut the Vyris and the royal still breathes.
But whenever the Vyris blackens and dies, it means only one thing… The royal whose blood runs in its soil is gone. Forever.
I had sworn never to allow that ritual for my own heirs. Superstition, I called it the day I dug mine out of the ground and destroyed it.
Now it was screaming in my face that my mate was dead.
Why are they saying she’s dead when she’s obviously breathing?!
A woman’s broken sob leaked through the phone… Probably his Queen, Arabella’s mother. The sound punched straight through my ribs.
Ariston’s voice turned lethal. “Her Vyris is dead! I demand to know what happened to my daughter and where she is right now!”
I sucked in a breath that tasted like rust and blood. I don’t have time for this when Abby is barely hanging in a thin thread. She will truly be the corpse they are all talking about if I don’t do something fast.
An idea…brilliant, desperate, and vicious flashed behind my eyes.
“Your daughter…” I started, slow, deliberate. “What’s her name again?”
Silence.
Then an explosion.
“I’M ASKING ABOUT MY DAUGHTER WHO I’M CERTAIN IS DEAD, AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HER NAME?!”
The roar rattled the speaker so hard it crackled.
I smiled, cold and feral. Derek surged forward, fangs filling my mouth.
“Need I remind you to watch your tone?” My voice dropped into something ancient and murderous.
“Father-in-law or not, I am your king.”
A whimper echoed through his end as I felt him cower under my command.
“And now I’ll ask again,” I said, soft as death. “What is your daughter’s name?”
He bit the words out like they were glass. “Her name is Arabella Eleanor—”
I didn’t wait for the rest.
I flung the phone at Thomas so hard he caught it against his chest with a grunt.
Eleanor. Eleanor. Eleanor.
That’s it!
I was at the bed in a heartbeat, grabbing her ice-cold hand, rubbing it frantically between mine. Her lips had gone blue like she was auditioning for the role of the frozen queen. Her skin looked translucent.
Life was leaking out of her faster than I could breathe.
“Eleanor?” I whispered, pressing my forehead to her knuckles. “Baby, come back. Eleanor, please—”
Nothing.
“Arabella… Eleanor!” I shook her, desperate, voice cracking wide open. “Eleanor, wake up! I’m begging you…wake the fuck up!”
Her head lolled like a broken doll as I shook her. Still lifeless.
I collapsed into the bed, dragging her limp body half into my lap, cradling her against my chest. My vision blurred. My heart felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on.
I failed her.
Again.
I couldn’t even say her real name right and now she was slipping away and I was too fucking weak to stop it.
How come she didn’t react to neither Arabella nor Eleanor? Is it supposed to take time before it kicks in? Do I wait? What am I supposed to do?
I buried my face in her hair and screamed…raw, like a broken soul until my throat bled.
Thomas’s voice came from far away. “Your Majesty…”
I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t move. My world had shattered and the pieces were lodged in my throat.
“The northern king…” Thomas swallowed hard. “He threatened rebellion…an attack. He said that he’s marching with his full army tomorrow. If he doesn’t see his daughter alive and exactly as he sent her, he will burn the throne to the ground.”
I laughed. A cracked, hollow sound. “He dares declare war on me?”
Thomas’s eyes flicked up, sharp with suspicion.
“It gets worse,” he said. “I was on my way to call him…because the moment you told me to get a phone, I knew exactly who you wanted to reach. But I didn’t even get the chance.”
He swallowed.
“The second I picked up the phone, his call came through. He already knew, Your Majesty. Before I said a single word. And he told me they’re already moving. They’ll reach our gates by tomorrow afternoon.”
I placed Abby gently back and covered her with the duvet before staggering up. I swayed slightly, blood dripping from my split knuckles onto the floor.
“Then we give them a warm welcome,” I said, voice suddenly calm. Terrifyingly calm.
Thomas blinked. “What?”
I wiped my face with the back of my hand, smearing blood and tears. “I wanted them here for lunch anyway. The quicker, the better. Go. Tell the kitchen maids, the servants….everything must be perfect. Crystal, silver, the whole damn spectacle. My in-laws are coming to visit.”
Thomas stared like I’d lost my mind. “You’re acting crazier than King Ariston, your majesty. They are bringing war and you’re talking about lunch?”
I chuckled, low and dark. “My in-laws are coming to see their daughter. I’ll welcome them with open arms.” I leaned down, brushed my lips across her frozen ones, and whispered, “There will be no war. Because Arabella is not dead. I’m going to call her name and she will answer me.”
I appeared so certain, like I know what I was doing. But deep down, I was crying for help.
Thomas exhaled like he was praying. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He turned to leave, then paused. “Alpha… there’s something off about king Ariston and his threats.”
“Spit it out.”
He scratched his head, uneasy. “Every report I ever got from the North when you had me dig into them was strange. The princess was treated worse than a slave in her own home. Barred from the throne room, the grand halls. Never allowed at the royal table. Fed scraps like a dog. They sent her here believing you’d finish what they started. A daughter born female was worthless to king Ariston. So why is he suddenly ready to burn the world down for her? It feels…wrong. Like he wanted her dead so he’d have an excuse to revolt against the throne.”
Everything clicked into place with a certainty that made my wolf uneasy.
My Beta’s theory lined up a little too well. Why would he declare war for a daughter he never valued? Especially when every report confirms the cruelty she endured under his roof.
But I shoved the thought down. Later. I’d deal with that thought later.
“Look deeper,” I ordered. “I want eyes on every single one of them the second they cross our border.”
Thomas nodded and reached for the door.
“Oh, and Thomas?” My voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “This stays buried like I instructed yesterday. Lady Margaret and Levi should not know about my mate’s condition. Understand?”
He froze. Guilt flashed across his face. “Your Majesty…”
A heavy knock thundered against the door before I could react to his sudden expression.
“Your Majesty…” a voice called, too close, too familiar. “It’s me…”
My blood turned to ice.
I knew that voice.
Whoever was on the other side of that door was the last person I wanted anywhere near my unconscious mate.