Chapter 246: Chapter 246

I was burning inside. My whole body was shaking with anger I could not control. My wolf clawed against my chest, restless, howling.

"Belinda. Fridolf." I spat their names like poison. "I’ll tear them apart myself."

Kael touched my shoulder. "Damon, calm down. We’ll handle this together."

"No!" I barked, my voice echoing off the stone walls. "This isn’t something to handle slowly. We need to find them now, before they vanish."

Rowan’s jaw was tight, his eyes dark. "You’re right. They’ve played us long enough. Guards!"

At his command, two guards rushed into the chamber, bowing low.

I heard Rowan’s voice, hard and sharp. "Search every corner of this palace. Every chamber, every hall. If they’re hiding, drag them out. If they’ve fled, then..."

I didn’t wait for him to finish. I cut in, my voice low and full of fire. "Then take their portraits, make copies, send them to every neighboring pack. No one shelters them. No one hides them. I want their faces on every wall, every gate, every post."

Kael’s head snapped toward me. He nodded, quick and sure. "Send soldiers immediately. The faster, the better."

The guards bowed deeper than before. "Yes, Alphas." They turned and ran, boots pounding down the corridor like thunder.

I felt the anger like heat under my skin. It burned and pushed me forward. I turned back to Rowan and Kael. My chest heaved. My hands were tight fists.

"I can’t... I can’t think straight until I see Lisa," I said, voice breaking a little. "I need to see her now."

Rowan looked at the door down the hall. It was still closed. His face was tight. "Damon... she hasn’t opened it once."

I didn’t care about anything.

"She doesn’t have to open it. Break the door!" I snapped.

Kael moved toward me, trying to calm me, his brow drawn. "Damon...You still need to rest."

"Break the damn door!" I roared, and the sound shook the small room.

Two guards went forward without a word. They hit the wood. Hard. The frame shuddered with each blow. The first push made the door groan. The second cracked the wood. Dust fell.

"Again!" I shouted, not letting the panic take me. I forced it into something sharp and clear.

The guards threw their weight. The third slam splintered the lock. The hinges screamed. The door bowed and then broke away in a shower of splinters. The corridor filled with the smell of broken wood and old oil.

For one blinking second, everything froze. Then I stepped forward.

"Lisa..." My breath caught in my throat.

She was lying on the floor, pale, motionless, her lips cracked, her skin cold. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

"Lisa!" I rushed forward, dropping to my knees so fast my bones jarred. My arms slid under her fragile body, pulling her close. She felt weightless, too light, as if every ounce of life had been drained from her. "No, no, no..." My voice cracked, trembling with fear, as I cradled her against my chest.

Rowan came in behind me, his face drained of color. His lips barely moved. "Is she...?"

"She’s alive," I said quickly, desperate to hold on to that truth. I pressed my ear against her chest, listening hard. "Her heart is beating. But faint... too faint."

Kael swore under his breath, his voice rough and sharp. "We need the doctor. Now."

I didn’t wait for guards or help. There was no time. My arms tightened around her as I stood, her head resting limply against my shoulder. I held her close like she was the last piece of me still whole. Then I ran. Read full story at 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍

The corridors blurred past me. My legs burned, every muscle screaming, but I didn’t stop. My lungs dragged in air like fire, but I forced them to keep going. I heard Rowan and Kael behind me, their footsteps heavy and urgent, their breaths loud in the hall.

We burst into the palace clinic. The air was thick with the sharp tang of dried herbs, crushed roots, and the faint bitter scent of ointments. Old wood creaked under my boots.

The doctor looked up immediately. His gaze swept over Lisa, and in an instant, he was moving toward us, fast, efficient, calm in a way that made my heart throb harder.

"Lay her down, Your majesty," he said. "Quickly. Every second matters."

I lowered her onto the cot, my hands refusing to let go even as I obeyed.

"What happened?" he asked, alarm in his voice.

"She fainted," I said quickly, my voice shaking. "She won’t wake up. Help her....."

She looked like porcelain, too pale, too thin. My chest tightened painfully.

The doctor pressed his fingers to her wrist, then her neck, frowning deeply. "Her pulse is weak. She is malnourished. Severely dehydrated."

Rowan stepped closer. "What can you do for her?"

He called to his apprentice. "Fetch warm water. Boil it with chamomile leaves. And bring the broth I prepared earlier."

The boy hurried out, and the healer began mixing herbs from a wooden box. "We must get fluids into her body. Slowly. Forcing too much at once could harm her further. I will start with drops of water soaked with crushed mint and honey. That should help her strength return."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "And the baby?"

The doctor froze. He looked at me, then at Rowan and Kael, his eyes heavy with something I didn’t want to hear.

"Tell me," I demanded, my voice raw. "Is the baby safe?"

The silence stretched until it tore at my soul.

Finally, he sighed. "She... she lost the child."

The words crashed into me like thunder. I felt my knees weaken.

"What?" Rowan’s voice was hoarse.

"She lost it," the healer repeated softly. "During the tortures. The body cannot endure starvation, beatings, and fear without breaking. The pregnancy ended. There is nothing left. His Highness, Fridold, called me to take care of her when she was bleeding."

Kael stumbled back, shaking his head. "No. No, that’s... That can’t...."

I pressed my hands to my face, my whole body trembling. My wolf howled inside me, a sound so sharp it tore through my chest.

"No," I whispered. "Not her. Not our baby..."

I grabbed the healer’s tunic, pulling him close. "Are you sure? Are you sure?"

His eyes did not waver. "I checked. There is no heartbeat. The child is gone."

My grip loosened, and I staggered back, staring at Lisa’s pale face. My heart broke into pieces.

Kael’s fists slammed against the wall. "Belinda. Fridolf. They’ll pay for this with blood. I swear it."

"You have no right to blame those traitors!" I roared, my voice cracking with rage. My fists clenched before I even realized it, and I swung, striking Rowan hard across the chest. He stumbled back, eyes wide with shock. I didn’t stop. I jabbed at Kael’s chest next, forcing him to stagger as well. "You failed to protect her! You two...her own mates....you are the ones responsible for this!"

My breaths came sharp and ragged. "She was ours to protect, ours to keep safe, and you let her suffer! Don’t speak of enemies when the real failure lies with you!"

Rowan’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Kael’s fists curled at his sides, his eyes burning with guilt, not defense.

"Blame yourselves," I spat, my voice low but laced with venom. "Blame your incompetence, your lack of judgment, your blind trust in others. You have no right to stand here and pretend to care for her when it was your carelessness that brought her to this state."

I shoved them both back with one final glance of disgust. "Leave. Both of you. You’ve lost the right to look after her."