Chapter 20
Iris
Standing by the doorway with my attention trained on the unconscious prince, I felt my strength failing me. No one had said anything to me yet, but I knew that there was going to be a series of backlash against me once they finished attending to Prince Gradel.
Heavy footsteps traipsed towards the Prince's room, my knees weakening in fear. I quickly hid behind the hallway adjacent to his room where I could hear their conversation without taking the heat directly.
"How is my son doing?" He barked and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I wasn't sure I would survive it if the Alpha yelled at me in such a manner, after all, he already wanted me to disappear and now I was the reason for his son's injury.
"He's not doing so well, Alpha," The healer confessed with little confidence in his voice, I could sense his fear from where I stood. "The wolfsbane is doing so much harm in his system and the only thing preventing him from going to the great beyond is his nature. He has strong genes and they are actively fighting the wolfsbane from getting to his heart, but I don't know how long he will be able to fight it without extra support."
I palmed my mouth and slid onto the ground with guilt thumping against my chest.
Regret reared its ugly head and I didn't bother to fight it. If I hadn't escaped, he wouldn't have risked his life to save me.
"What kind of support are you talking about?" Alpha Cronus fumed. "Why is he still unconscious? Haven't you administered any herb to him?"
Silence ensued, then the sound of a glass object smashed on a surface followed and I jerked in fear.
"We have administered some herbs and potion to him, Your Highness, but if I'm being honest, his recovery will be very slow if we are to only depend on the herbs. Like I said, he needs..."
"Shut up!" His roar reverberated throughout the pack house and I could swear that the grounds shook under the intensity of his voice. "You will do whatever you can to get that poison out of my son. Do you hear me?" He thundered.
I shut my eyes, earnestly wishing that I won't be remembered.
"Yes, Your Highness." He replied with a shaky voice.
He snorted and then I heard a question that made me want to vanish from the surface of the earth. "Where's the girl that has brought this trouble upon us?" He probed.
It didn't take long for them to find me as my body was transfixed to the floor. Two guards pulled me up gently and led me into the room since no one wanted to be in Prince Gradel's bad book.
In our pack, it was disrespectful to manhandle another man's mate, not to speak of the Alpha's son's mate.
"I am here, Your Highness," I bowed my head, fiddling with my fingers that were covered with sweat.
His breathing was so heavy that I could hear it, and then he approached me with those intimidating steps that were capable of making any of his subjects lose their footing.
"Have you seen what your impulsive actions have done to my son?" He grunted and immediately I fell to my knees.
He scoffed, but I wasn't deterred. Upon remembering how the prince, my mate, saved me, I decided to always take responsibility for my actions whether right or wrong.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. Truthfully, I didn't expect him to save me, but he did and I'll always be grateful-"
He burst into an angry laughter and then pinched my chin, raising my face to meet his eyes. "I told my son that you weren't good for him and you proved me right. You fell into the open arms of our enemies and put this pack in danger." My eyes watered at his accusations but I held the tears back. "The only reason I won't punish you is because you are my son's mate, and until he wakes up, you will be here for him even though I don't like you. Whatever is asked of you has to be done, or else, you'll be gone without a trace and your mate won't be able to do anything about it."
"Yes, Alpha. I will do as you want." I forced out a reply, feeling a little satisfied at how bold I sounded.
He released my chin and turned to the healer, Silas. "You said something about extra support,"
"True, Alpha, but this might be a difficult one because it involves their willingness-" He was cut off by Alpha Cronus' hand that was raised in the air.
He walked slowly toward him and then glanced at Prince Gradel. "Look, Silas, I don't care about what you do to make Gradel get better, but do it even if it includes killing anyone."
"The lady will have to sleep with the prince. We are werewolves and intimacy is very important when it comes to our health. I know they haven't begun the mating rites, but it doesn't rule out the fact that they are mates and having sex with him can help him heal faster." He blurted out in a hurry.
My ears tingled and my chest tightened as I imagined mating with him in his unconscious state. It would have been fun if he was awake, but knowing that I defiled him like that, he might decide to kill me himself when he woke up.
"No," I spat without thinking, "I can't sleep with him." I shook my head.
Alpha Cronus snickered, his eyes cold and dangerous. "You don't have a choice here, Iris. You caused this mess so it's either you get intimate with him so that he can get better or you lose your life." He said with a tone of finality.
"But what will he say when he finds out about this? Surely, he will realize that I slept with him and he might get mad-"
"And kill you?" He completed the sentence with an evil smirk. "That won't be so bad, after all, low-lives like you aren't supposed to be found near royalty."
He headed towards the door and gave some orders to the guards then left. Silas covered the bowls containing the potion and then stopped in front of me.
"You don't need to have a full-blown session with him. Your mouth should be enough to do the job," He patted my shoulder and the door was shut behind him.
A sigh of exhaustion tore out of my lips and I let my tears flow without restriction. And then again, I wondered why I was so unlucky.