My aim was pretty solid, especially at such a close distance, so it was no surprise that Nyra’s father pressed a hand to his chest and took two shaky steps back before he fell over Nyra’s body where she was lying on the floor.
Only then did I allow myself to feel not just the searing pain erupting from the wound and radiating through every nerve of my abdomen, but also the venomous tendrils of whatever had been on the dagger spreading a strange chill through my veins.
A deep sense of weakness and lethargy washed over me as I realized that the poison was Wolfsbane, mixed with something else, and lethal enough to kill a werewolf.A cloud of dizziness swirled in my mind and the dagger in my left hand fell to the ground because I could no longer maintain my grip on it.
My right hand trembled as I struggled to maintain my grip on the gun.
“Mateo, are you okay?Moon Goddess, the knife was poisoned!Okay, okay, Mateo, stay still.I’m going to see if I can pull out the dagger without making you bleed everywhere.”I could feel his trembling hands moving over the stabbed area with unknown poison.
I wanted to tell him not to touch my wound because we didn’t know what kind of poison was on the dagger.He didn’t deserve to die, but I did.Everything that had happened so far was my fault, anyway.
Because of my ego, I’d made that stupid plan to expose Aurora to everyone at school.If I hadn’t made that stupid plan, Angelique’s parents wouldn’t have thought that Aurora had a motive to kill their daughter.They wouldn’t have tried to abduct her and thus, pushed her into the deadly arms of Nyra and her father.This, me dying, was retribution for my stupid actions.
At least, if I died now, Caden could get a Beta that didn’t have a betrayal-stained background.He and Alpha Owen could finally stop fighting so hard to ensure that I retained the birthright that I’d almost lost the day my father threatened the pack for a woman.
My thoughts paused when a soft, shaking hand moved from my shoulder to cup my chin.
“Aiden, help me ...”Aurora coughed for a few seconds before she completed her statement.“Help me move closer.I can heal him ...a little.”
When I opened my eyes, which I didn’t know that I’d closed, I found Aurora sitting beside me on the floor, her hand over my wound as Aiden held her upright.
She started saying a spell and a warm sensation seeped into my wounds, going after the chill which had been spreading through my veins rapidly and stalling its rapid invasion.
With how comfortable it felt, I couldn’t help closing my eyes, only for Aiden’s yell to wake me up again.“Aurora!Are you okay?Moon Goddess!Why are you so cold?!”
When I opened my eyes, the warmth had stopped flowing through my veins, but I was strong enough to try to sit up as Aiden laid Aurora down beside me.
She looked so pale and gaunt like a strong wind could blow her over.
I was struggling to sit up to touch her when I heard a strange voice say, “Don’t move.”
I looked to the door, already spreading my hands on the floor in search of my gun or knife, which I’d dropped at some point.
At the door was a woman and a taller Fae man with glowing skin behind her.Something about them was familiar, but the authority and self-confidence in their demeanor and the extraordinary air about them made me, in my current state, defensive.
“Don’t move or I’ll shoot.”Aiden’s voice was firm, and I glanced at him to see him pointing his gun and my gun their way.
I looked back at the couple to find that they’d raised their hands in the air.
“You two.We’re not here to hurt you.Put away the gun.Let us help you.”The woman urged.
The man looked impatient.“We’re Aurora’s parents.Put away the goddamn gun.My daughter is dying in your arms.”
Without waiting for Aiden to put away the gun, he strode toward us, followed by the woman and another man whom I hadn’t even noticed before.
I heard Aiden put away his guns and turned to glance his way, staring at the woman who was hugging Aurora’s upper body and pressing her head to her chest.
I didn’t know what she was doing, but whatever it was, it was working because Aurora slowly started to regain her color.
With a sigh of relief, I closed my eyes to reserve my energy and hold on to the warmth that Aurora had pumped into my veins with her spell.It was the only way I could fight against the chill that was intensifying as it spread through my body.
“The middle-aged man is gone.His heart was struck by the silver bullet, but the girl is fine, just unconscious.”I heard the man who introduced himself as one of Aurora’s parents say.
“Amelia, this one is poisoned and he won’t be able to hold on for long ...”The silent man, whom I hadn’t noticed at first, said.
“Aisling, take her.She is no longer in danger.Let me deal with her mate before my magic reserves run out.”
As I slipped away into the looming darkness, my last thoughts were about how I would have preferred her to refer to me as Aurora’s mate in a nicer tone, rather than talking about me as if I were Aurora’s disease.
