Chapter 131 131
Venessa’s POV
Doctor Dwayne finally arrived, and despite everything weighing on my chest, I found myself eager to begin the procedure.
Denzel did not share that eagerness. His reluctance clung to him, heavy and unspoken, and I felt his sadness like a bruise beneath my skin. I understood it too well. If fate had been kinder if we had been allowed what we wanted none of this would have been necessary.
I would have loved to know what motherhood felt like with him. To carry our children, birth them, and raise them together as a family. But life had denied me that future, and I had no choice but to adapt to what remained.
I had lied to Tonya, told her I was unable to carry children. She had agreed to help without hesitation. I supposed that when I was gone, she would finally understand the truth behind my request.
Denzel escorted me to the hospital, where we met Doctor Dwayne at the reception. The moment he saw us, the man stood and bowed respectfully.
He did not acknowledge us as Alpha and Luna.
He greeted us as royalty.
I offered him a small smile. This man this doctor was giving me the chance I needed to save both Rayon and Denzel’s life. For that, I trusted him. For that, I was grateful.
“Are you absolutely certain you want to proceed, Your Highness?” he asked gently.
I nodded without hesitation.
“I have examined you several times,” he continued, concern evident in his tone. “There is nothing medically wrong with you.”
I knew I could not sell him the same lie I had sold Tonya. So instead, I smiled calmly.
“Yes. There isn’t anything wrong. Or perhaps there was, and I imagined it. But I want Tonya to carry my children. The process itself frightens me.”
It was a lie.
His eyes softened immediately, and I knew he believed me. Guilt twisted sharply in my chest, but I had no other way to convince him.
I might have been his Luna and the heir to the Lycan throne but he was a master of his profession. He would only act in ways that protected my health and his integrity. He had every right to refuse.
I wanted it over quickly. There was still Elder Orville to deal with, and the thought that Fabian might not be the only one he had whispered to gnawed at me relentlessly. Fabian had possessed the courage to confess what if Orville had planted his poison in other ears?
I had already instructed my father to have Orville arrested upon his return. My father’s anger toward the man was barely contained. I did not envy Orville’s fate.
The hormone injections began shortly after. My eggs were monitored closely to ensure they were maturing properly. Doctor Dwayne explained that the procedure would take ten days daily injections, daily examinations until it was complete.
Watching them push a long needle through my abdomen and into my belly was difficult. I clenched my jaw and endured it. Thankfully, it was over quickly.
Denzel and I left the hospital afterward, and Doctor Dwayne was given quarters within the palace.
Once back in our room, we went to shower. The moment we stepped inside, Denzel pulled me against him, crushing me to his chest, his face buried in the curve of my neck.
His pain was impossible to ignore, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
“I think we should talk about my departure, Denz,” I said softly, my voice trembling.
He sucked in a sharp breath against my skin. I heard it felt it and my heart shattered.
He didn’t lift his head. He only held me tighter.
“Why didn’t I love you better the first time?” he whispered brokenly. “Why didn’t I protect you? Why didn’t I accept you and give you everything you deserved?”
His voice cracked completely.
I knew he tortured himself with those questions every day.
“Atabey didn’t equip us well enough to win that battle,” I murmured, threading my fingers through his hair. “We fought fairly. Eshera didn’t. None of this was your fault, my love.”
That was when he broke.
The reality of the clinical procedure the permanence of it had finally settled in. Suddenly, it wasn’t theoretical anymore. In a few short months, I would be gone. And judging by how little time we had left, we might not even get the chance to truly be together again.
“I don’t think I can continue without you, Venessa,” he pleaded. “Please.”
I guided him gently to the bed.
“I don’t want to let you go,” he said hoarsely. “I won’t be able to. It’s too much.”
The weight he carried was unbearable. His heart was splintering under the strain, and despite his strength, I wasn’t sure how he would survive it.
“If we win,” he said through tears, “everything will return to order. The world will heal. But I won’t. I’ll be broken. Fragmented. Ruined.”
“Our children will be with you,” I whispered, my own tears falling freely now. “So don’t break, my love. Please. Be strong for both of us. I need you to keep going when I’m gone.”
He wiped his tears slowly and nodded, though the pain in his eyes never faded.
“I will never heal from this,” he said quietly. “I will never be ready. I will never accept it. It will always destroy me. And when I’m alone, I will cry lonely, painful tears until the day I die.”
There was no exaggeration in his voice only truth. Final and unyielding.
I couldn’t respond. My tears poured unchecked down my face. I had cried so much that there was no effort left in it anymore.
We held each other, trembling beneath the weight of a future we would never share wondering how we would spend the little time we had left, what awaited us, and how devastating the end would be.
We didn’t make love.
Our hearts were too broken to find pleasure in anything.
We simply held each other until exhaustion pulled me under, and sleep claimed me at last.
I woke instantly in the white space.
Atabey stood before me, wearing my image, smiling gently.
“You’re doing well, my child,” she said.
Her words brought me no comfort. I was shattered.
She stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I am trying other paths, Venessa,” she admitted softly. “But I cannot make promises. I’m sorry.”
That was when I cried.
“Denzel and I don’t deserve this,” I said bitterly. “Why does our love our happiness have to be part of the price?”
Anger surged through me, raw and burning.
“This is your mess, Atabey,” I accused, tears streaming freely. “Not mine. You challenged Eshera without being prepared to win. You failed your champions. You lost. So why must we pay for it? Why must we suffer for your mistakes?”
I broke completely.
Atabey pulled me into her arms and held me as I wept.