Chapter 66

"Mmpff..."

A loud groan erupted from her throat as Emmaline pressed her palm over her shoulder to stop the bleeding. The Herculean and extremely painful task brought tears to her eyes as Xander pierced his strange yet deadly weapon deep into her skin. The blisters were prominent and a slight touch jarred her whole being.

A knock on the door earned her attention but Emmaline was in so pain to invite the guest inside. She wasn't in a state to move so she let the person wait until the knocking turned severe and soon the door burst open revealing a pissed Zion.

"Brave move, Warrior Princess."

He mused while shooting daggers at her.

"G-Go away." Emmaline croaked out and continued dabbling the cloth on her wound to stop the blood. Scoffing, Zion stepped inside her room before turning around and locking the door.

"As if this would heal you."

Emmaline looked at him with droopy eyes only to see him unzipping his leather jacket. A crease formed on her forehead as she eyed a glass bottle wrapped in a white cloth that he fished out from the inner pocket of his jacket.

"S-So, there i-is really so-som-something that can n-nullify the effect of s-silver?" She uttered with difficulty but what was surprising was the smile on her face.

Zion perched on the mattress beside her and continued unwrapping the cloth, "Of course it is. Why do you think I bluff?" he grumbled making her smile.

Undoing the cap, Zion forwarded the bottle to her but what he didn’t expect was her refusal.

"J-Just wait till he arrives."

His jaw tightened after hearing her answer, "And what if he doesn't? You will die Moon." He sneered but his blood boiled more when she flashed him a smirk.

"You know I can't." Emmaline said and shot him a wink but soon broke into hysterical coughs. Zion hurriedly grabbed her as she fell on the bed on her face. His brows puckered in worry watching the red liquid leaving her mouth.

"Still that scar can become permanent if not treated on time. The more you'll delay, the worse your condition would become. You're already weak Moon, stop being stubborn." Zion hissed and brought the potion near her lips but Emmaline jerked her head to the sideways.

"I didn't put my life at stake to get the remedy by your hands. You fucking know that don't you?" She growled before rolling to the other end of the bed.

Zion clenched his jaw. His hold on the glass bottle tightened as he glared at the stubborn woman in front of him.

The way she was eagerly waiting for her mate to heal her was making him nuts.

"You sound too confident Moon. This can be a dangerous sign. You might end up dead as he doesn't give a damn about you." He lashed at her.

Emmaline narrowed her eyes but a smile graced her lips when his rich cologne hit her olfactory bulbs.

She winked at Zion who also stiffened when they both sensed Damien's presence.

"Time to act." She mouthed to him. Zion glared at her in return while she chuckled silently.

*****

"You taught a good lesson to that bitch. She wouldn't dare to open her mouth in front of me again." Isabella chirped to Xander who acknowledged her words with a curt nod. What she was trying to do since the day Emmaline stepped foot in the house, Xander did it for her. Her blood and pain brought her immense pleasure and she was having a hard time digesting her happiness.

"That was necessary. Your son married her but that doesn't mean I will let her, Edward's daughter disgrace our pack. The guests will be arriving in a minute. It's good to keep that troublemaker aside for a while, I don't to give Alpha Ryder any reason to look down on us."

"Of course, my King. Alpha Ryder kept all the rivalry behind and offered his friendship. A Lycan wants to be our ally. I can’t even imagine how fruitful the consequences will be, our names will be written in gold, King. We can't let this opportunity slide no matter what. Am I right Damien?" Isabella was busy rambling when her eyes landed on her son who was sitting idly on the throne with his chin resting on his hand. So, she deliberately called his name to grab his attention.

Hearing Isabella’s voice, Damien jerked back to reality and looked at his parents who were eyeing him intensely.

"What?"

Isabella looked at him in disbelief, "What what? Didn't you hear a word I said? Don't tell me you're lost in her memories-"

"Stop it." Xander berated her with a stern tone and then looked at Damien, "My actions are justifiable and I don't need anyone's approval or commentary over it. That was needed to be done."

"Well, that's where you're wrong father."

The couple stilled and snapped their heads to Damien who was now glaring at them.

"You require the Alpha's approval for breathing too. So, next time make sure not to do something that would cheese me off."

Saying that he stood up on his legs and marched outside the hall without even giving them time to react.

His mind was a mess. Emmaline's crying face and her bloodied shoulder kept flashing in front of his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, his legs carried him to her bedroom before halting near the door.

Damien inhaled a sharp breath and grabbed the knob but for some reason, he failed to open it. He couldn’t muster up the strength to meet her let alone face her.

Werewolf or human, what his father did was too cruel for an eighteen-year-old girl. Damien was angry at Emmaline but he had never thought that things would take such an ugly turn. He never intended to hurt her physically, just wanted to cause her some emotional damage.

Squeezing his eyes, Damien ruffled his hair and pulled them in frustration.

Why his heart was playing tricks on him? Why can't he just decide what he wants? He wants to hurt her but again hates to see her hurt.

Enraged, peeved, and confounded, Damien decided to leave for good. He should just keep his distance from her for some time. Maybe by then his head would get cleared by her thoughts and he would be able to decide how to proceed in his relationship.

Determined, he forwarded his legs to leave but a painful groan halted him. His eyes widened because it was her voice.

"Just this time. Apart from being her husband, I am also an Alpha. It's my duty to look after my enemies too if they're living under my roof."

Convincing himself with vague words, Damien finally grabbed the knob and twisted it open.

"I don't have a whole day all right? Just fucking drink it or else I will throw it."

Damien was surprised to see Zion inside. His gaze then dropped to the bottle in his hand.

The pissed look on Zion’s face clearly said that he hated helping her but what left him shocked was Emmaline rejecting the medicine.

She was lying on the bed in a haphazard position. His gaze raked over her bloodied shoulder and the huge red patches on the white sheet. She looked extremely weak, her face was white as a paper and her lips were chapped and blue. Her blue eyes were deprived of any warmth and looked distant and gloomy.

Guilt consumed him immediately.

Her stubbornness festered Zion and unable to deal with it anymore, he raised his hand to smash the bottle on the floor.

"ZION!!!"

They both jarred and snapped their heads to the door only to find Damien.

"Alpha, she-"

"Shut it." He growled and stepped inside the room, "Give it to me and leave."

He spoke in an imperative tone and shot him a glare. Zion waited no second as he quickly kept the bottle on the nightstand and scurried away.

Emmaline peeked at Damien through the thick curtain of her silver hair as it was all over her face. Damien on the other hand stared at her body which was curved in an 'S' shape. She was clutching her shoulder with her right hand while her head was resting over her left arm as she stared at him blankly. All he could see in her eyes was pain and helplessness at the moment. She didn't put on her brave façade this time and divulged her emotions to him.

Exhaling a sigh, he approached her before stopping near the foot of the bed. The room was doused with the smell of the herbs, a special antidote that was prepared by the witches of the pack to invalidate the effect of a silver attack.

But the question was why? Doesn’t Zion hate her?

"Why aren't you taking that?" Damien interrogated Emmaline while keeping his jealousy aside. Emmaline said nothing and averted her gaze. He didn't miss the disgust that flickered in her eyes.

"When he brought you the medicine then why aren't you taking it? Now don't tell me you were waiting for me to tend to your wounds." He derided her and let out a scoff but what she said next left him stunned to the core.

"And what if I say that's what I wanted," Emmaline answered while looking straight into his eyes.

Her words jumbled up the feelings of the Alpha as he stared at her speechless.

For a fleeting second, the old feelings overpower him but before they could stir his heart, Damien brushed them away.

Marching forward, he grabbed her left shoulder and pulled her harshly from the bed to make her sit on her knees. Emmaline whimpered loud as her wounds got stretched in the process.

She glared at him while he cupped her chin.

"What are you playing at huh? Is this one of your new seductive tricks, slut?" Damien growled as the red specs covered her steely hues like menacing clouds of rage.

‘Slut?’

That word stabbed her heart brutally. Emmaline grounded her molars as tears circled in her eyes but she held them back and maintained her glare.

"If you know me so well then why are you here in the first place? Shouldn't you be far away from a slut like me, Mama's boy?" She mocked him.

Damien's temper flared like a volcano. He left her chin only to grasp her throat in a vice grip and pulled her closer to his lips.

"It's my house and anything that resides in my territory is officially mine. And that goes for you too. Remember you live in my house and I don't need your fucking permission to enter this room. Everything belongs to me, and that fucking includes you, Emma."

He snarled before capturing her lips in a hungry kiss.

Emmaline shut her eyes as he feasted on her mouth. Her pain intensified but Damien paid no heed. He was busy devouring her lips that he couldn’t notice her body trembling.

A frown etched on his brows ‘cause her behavior felt odd to him. Emmaline was neither responding nor struggling. Pulling off, he looked at her but his eyes widened when he saw her eyes rolling back.

"H-Hey Em, shit" Panicking, Damien lightly patted her cheek. His heart skipped a beat when his skin came in contact with hers which was icy cold.

"No. No... No"

Blabbering in fear, Damien circled his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He then quickly grabbed the bottle and tried making her drink it but failed as Emmaline was completely blacked out.

Resting his hand on her back, he pulled her lower lip with his thumb and tried pushing the medicine in her mouth when her head lolled to the side and the liquid spilled all over her jaw.

"The hell"

Scowling, Damien kept the bottle back on the nightstand and started clearing her chin which was coated with the green liquid with his fingers.

His eyes held concern for her. Sweat trickled down his temple while his heart raced in fear.

He was scared, scared for her.

Damien was busy cleaning her face when his thumb accidentally slipped between her lips and touched her tongue. Emmaline jerked in her sleep as the medicine burnt her taste buds.

"What the-"

Damien gasped in shock but then an idea popped up in his mind.

His eyes shifted to the bottle. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed it and looked at the unconscious Emmaline. The muscles in his jaw ticked when her betrayal flashed in front of his eyes but it disappeared the moment his eyes dropped to the red stains on his shirt.

She was bleeding profusely and was too weak to think or act. So, to heal her, he had to feed the medicine by his mouth or she’ll die.

"It's the only option."

Damien breathed and without delaying further drank the medicine. His jaw clenched when the bitter taste burned his mouth.

Cursing mentally, he squeezed his eyes trying to fight back the urge to vomit, and gripped Emmaline's chin. He then hurriedly parted her lips with his thumb and pasted his mouth over her before shoving the medicine down her throat.