Chapter 93: Chapter 93

It felt like a dozen furnace was lit in Dakar's chest when he awoke after almost a week of being unconscious. He couldn't lift his arms, neither could he shift in his bed. But mercifully, he could move his head sideways with little difficulty. A gasp from his bedside got him almost jerking up.

“My Prince,” he heard a surprised whisper.

“Oh goodness,” the maiden rasped again and ran off without another word.

Minutes later, she returned with the Beta who looked like he had seen the greatest miracle of all time.

“Prince Dakar," he rasped and sauntered to his side.

“Did I get hit by a car?” he joked in a very hoarse voice.

“That would have been preferred,” Federico replied and placed a hand over Dakar's arm. He was shirtless, and had series of tubes connected to his arms, his chest and his nose. His chest where the dagger went through was bandaged clean.

“What happened?” Dakar inquired. His mind was foggy, and it felt stressful to think deep.

“Hmm, a terrible event. The kingdom has been thrown into chaos the past few days. But thank God you're alive. You survived...again.”

Nothing Federico said made sense to him.

“Get him water,” the Beta ordered the maiden who immediately walked to a table nearby and returned with a class of water. With the Beta's help, Dakar was able to lift his head a little and down a few gulps of water. Federico said no further words to him, but waited patiently for the Alpha who he had already called for.

King Kastor hurried into the room ten minutes later, his face a sign of relief and wonder. He paused when he stepped into the room and saw Dakar's eyes opened and looking upwards.

“Alpha,” Federico acknowledged him and rose to his feet. Dakar slowly moved his eyes to stare at his father, then he gave a sideways smile.

“You must... hate me so much...by now,” he croaked and coughed slightly. The Alpha walked inside and sat down by his son.

“Why do you say so?” he asked as they each peered into the identical eyes of the other, emotions swirling in them both.

“I've caused you only fear, pain and worry,” Dakar rasped. King Kastor clasped his son's hand in his.

“You have no idea what your existence means to me. You are my son, and I love you any way that you are.”

“I wish my father was half as sweet to me as your father is to you, Prince Dakar,” Beta Federico confessed, making them laugh mildly.

“What happened, Father?” Dakar questioned, and the Alpha's loving eyes instantly slid to anger and terror within his irises.

“Your human concubine whom you so trusted stabbed you with a silver dagger. She narrowly missed your heart, but there was little chance of survival. It's a miracle you're alive, Dakar!” the Alpha bit out. He was angry still, so much rage for overlooking all the cautions. Federico exhaled and looked at the prince. He still suspected his brother. He believed somehow that the human girl was innocent. But he couldn't prove it. His hands were tied.

“Silver dag...” Dakar's voice trailed off as his pupils dilated.

“No. No. It wasn't so. She never... Remdangit!” he gritted out and tried to sit up but pain from his chest shot through him. The Alpha and his Beta rushed forward immediately and helped me sit up, and lean against the headboard.

“Father, that's not what happened. She wasn't the one who stabbed me. I did,” he rasped and paused to catch his breath. He hated being so weak. But weak was what he had become now for decades.

“What are you saying?” King Kastor asked with a deep frown.

“I was going...to hurt her. I was going to kill her.”

“You are making no sense, Prince Dakar,” Federico spoke up.

Dakar took a small breath in.

“It's a long story. But she would never...hurt me. What did you do to her...while I was out?”

The two older men did not reply and Dakar's heart began to beat unhealthily fast.

“Father? Where's she? Where's Avril?”

He glanced at Federico who looked away immediately.

“No. Please, no. Don't... don't hurt her. Avril is my life. Please,” he pleaded, because that was all he could do.

“She's been sentenced to death by burning. She would be burnt by the stakes at sunrise,” the Alpha replied.

Time...there was still time to save her.

“Where is she? Don't you touch her.” He sounded too audacious for someone who just woke up from a date with death.

The two men remained silent.

“Just tell me...tell me where she is,” he ordered again in his hoarse voice.

“There's nothing to be done. She'll be executed,” Federico replied.

“No. She never...she never hurt me. Don't touch Avril. Don't you touch her.”

“What does this girl mean to you, Prince Dakar? You just woke up and with no iota of strength, yet you're throwing a fit for a human girl.”

Federico's eyes darted to the door and he squinted, as if he could hear a disturbance there. However, the father and son were locked eye to eye in a battle of rage and fear.

“Please, father. I'm begging you, spare Avril. She's my life. She's always been,” Dakar pleaded, his voice a bit low this time.

“I will, if you tell me one heavy reason why I should. And why you chose that human to be your concubine in the first place. You better convince me, because I'm hell-bent on burning her in a few hours for trying to take my son away from me.”

A heavy silence lingered in the air. Federico blinked repeatedly at the door.

“I chose her that day because I've always known her. She was with me on the island. I didn't know how she ended in Remus, but I couldn't let someone else have her when she was the f*ucking love of my life.”

The Alpha's eyes widened in shock as he stood stupefied in one position. Federico couldn't believe his ears as his eyes darted back to the prince.

“What?” he muttered. Then he heard another loud beating of the heart, and a thud on the floor. His eyes widened. It could be someone eavesdropping. And with the secret the prince just dropped?

Federico was at the door the next instant, and he pulled it open only to see a shocked woman on the floor. Her eyes were glassy, her hands that were supporting her against the floor were visibly shaking and her heartbeat was depreciating.

“Avril,” he heard the prince call as he locked eyes with the lady. The Alpha looked back and stared at her, a bit of unknown emotion swirling in his shocked eyes.

Avril opened her mouth to say something... anything. But nothing came out. An involuntary tear slipped down her cheek and she exhaled through her mouth—once, twice, three times and then she was crying.

Dakar felt a greater pain in his chest, one even the hottest silver sword couldn't inflict.

“I'm sorry,” he said in a cracked voice. Avril got up immediately, gave Dakar a look that cracked his spine, then turned and left without a word. He sighed and lowered his head in shame.

“Why? Why did you hide it? From her especially,” Federico questioned. Dakar looked at his hands and gritted his teeth. He began to pull out the tubes and needles.

“Get these the hell out of me!” he grunted.

“Stop that! Stop it!” King Kastor barked but Dakar continued to pull them out, spilling his blood and fluid.

Fortunately, his healers arrived that moment and were stunned to see him doing that. But they swung to action immediately, and injected him with a tranquilizer. It took almost a minute for him to shut down completely.

Panting with rage and worry, the Alpha looked to Federico.

“Go make the announcement. The death sentence is nullified.”