The Price of Love

Chapter 66

Blaine De Lombardi's POV

Humans elevate stupidity to a new level. I have two asshats walking ahead of me, pulling on my shackles, and two more walking behind me. I still behave as though the wolf's bane is heavily ingrained in me, but during the walk to the lake, I was able to clear my head. Hopefully, they didn't realize that applying additional Wolf's Bane is necessary to knock out an alpha.

A hunter at the front remarked, "I can't wait to see this wolf freak drown."

His partner said, "Too bad we couldn't drown the girl too."

I try my hardest not to snarl, but I manage to remain calm.

The moment we hit the lake's beach, I felt a sharp ache in my chest. I immediately recognize Lucia's injury. It hits me squarely in the chest and doesn't develop gradually as a minor injury might. Something has happened that could be fatal. Even with the remnants of the wolf's bane in my blood, the very notion of her suffering awakens my wolf. For that moment, I gave my wolf control of my body, leaving it behind.

"Guys, his eyes-"

Before he could say anything else, I stopped him. My teeth elongate, stabbing him in the neck while my wrists remain chained. As the hunter resisted, blood filled my mouth, but I took a piece of his flesh out of his neck, permanently silencing him. The man next to him grabbed his knife, but I used all the effort in my body to smack his head against mine, knocking him to the ground. I was immediately filled with wrath because the other two had already started to flee. Given that they must have been aware of Clara's intention to murder Lucia, they deserve execution. With all my might, I tear through the handcuffs and use my werewolf speed to get to the hunters. I wish I could prolong their deaths, but it's more vital to reach out to Lucia in time, so I snapped each of their necks.

I transform into a wolf because the ache in my chest is getting worse. In just a few minutes, I could follow Lucia's fragrance, but as I got closer, fear consumed me. Not only does my nose fill with her distinctive vanilla perfume, but it also smells like blood.

"No."

I encounter my greatest dread as I sprint faster, desperate to find her. I quickly transform back into a person and call her name.

"Lucia!"

I discovered her body drenched in blood seeping from her back and chest, and a sob broke forth.

"No, no, no," I yelled.

In the next instant, the tiny glimmer of hope, the little light that keeps me sane, disappears from me. It hurts like nothing else. It is not the same as being pumped full of a wolf's bane, tormented, or attacked by a nightshade. I have the impression that the goddess tore part of my soul out of my body.

"Lucia!" I cried out. I couldn't stop the tears that were currently streaming down my face. I rock back and forth, cradling her body against my chest.

"I apologize, I apologize. Please return to me."

Then I saw Cyril in front of me, followed by his family. He is staring at his little sister's lifeless body with wide, open eyes of terror.

"No," he mumbled, a single word that conveys so much suffering.

"Lucia!" Her mother screamed. She collapsed to her knees in front of me, letting the tears cascade down her face as she cupped her daughter's. She blurted out something, but I couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Steve, help her!" Take action!" With a voice full of despair, Claire yelled at her partner, pleading with him to take action to preserve their child. He looked at his daughter in my arms, expressionless. Then he collapsed to the floor, sobbing. The next moment, he was beside me, his hands trembling as he wiped dirt from Lucia's face.

"Lucia my dear," he uttered.

The blood seeping from Lucia's back wound starts to cover my entire body. Even though I knew she was already gone, I squeezed her even harder in the hopes that a miracle would keep her alive. I feel a void in my soul where her love used to reside. In theory, the emptiness seems liberating, like a world of opportunities awaiting discovery, but now that I've experienced the fullness of love, the emptiness feels oppressive and shows no signs of ending.

A slap hits me in the face. Normally, I would have growled, but right now, my body and soul are so exhausted that I find it difficult to respond at all.

Mirabel looked down at me, her eyes full of rage.

"You're to blame for everything," she murmured.

"You place her in this predicament! You marked her when she should have been in Italy right now, away from all of this bloodshed. She died as a result of you marking her."

I remained silent. What should I say, exactly? That I gave it my all? Did something supernatural cause our marking to occur?

"How could you harm her in this way?" Lucia was a good person who helped others and had dreams, but she passed away." She cried the words out, but they came to an end.

I should have been upset with her, but I didn't think she was the only one who mourn her loss the way I did. Together, they came into the world, but now one of them is going out on their own. When it came to Lucia, we both erred, but she gave us both another chance, and now she's gone.

Her body trembles as she sobs.

She tears and cries, "I just got her back, and now she's gone."

"I know."

Even though the tears never ceased, I could feel my mate's body getting chilly.

Claire looked at me bewildered when I handed her body over to her, but before she could say anything, I marched over to Clara. My teeth and claws tingle at the sight of the elderly woman's body. Her neck was a tangle of blood, and her eyes were still open in panic.

As the anguish and rage took control, I started to slash. With a vigor that is unfathomable to mankind, I assault her corpse with my claws, ripping off shreds of her wrinkled flesh. Even though my wolf and I are aware that she is dead, there is still a sense of joy in disfiguring her body. Aside from killing a decent woman, what was the benefit of all this for her?

I don't know how long I will continue, but in the end, her eyes are the only thing remaining on her face. Although there are still patches of skin on her body, her face has completely collapsed, resembling the depiction of facial muscles in an anatomy textbook. I wonder how I got here, staring at her dead, my chest heaving.

Just now, we were at the beach.

My heart aches. I'm inclined to reach into my chest and take it out to alleviate the excruciating pain. I grab Lucia and crawl over to Claire. As I place my cheek against hers, I just breathe. I hug her against me, tears streaming down my face, hoping for a miracle.

She had an endless list of things she wanted to accomplish. She wanted a family; she was going to start her medical practice; and she had recently patched things up with Mirabel. I should have been the one to do it. It was Clara should have killed me, not Lucia.

"No."

She is not going to leave me in this world.

I will not live in a world where Lucia does not exist. Without saying a word, I took her body in my arms and went away. I heard her family calling out to me, but I kept going.

My partner needs to survive.

Knowing what had to be done, I dashed towards the temple. I would do it a thousand times over for her.