Chapter 174
CAMILLA’S P.O.V
I healed as many as I could until I felt drained and dizzy. With each person I tunneled power into, I could feel something leave me, I could feel a part of my essence being stripped away but I couldn’t stop. I knew that I was meant to heal them, it was my fault they were in this position anyway. Whoever this witch was, it was me they had a problem with and not the innocent pack members. The least I could do was to ensure that no one died because of me.
I wasn’t sure how I managed to ride back to the palace and not slip off my horse. I could barely hold on and I had to lie flat against it. By the time I arrived, I noticed Kevin pacing around the stables. He saw me and rushed over almost as if he had been searching for me.
“Your majesty,” he whispered. “Where did you go? I have been looking for you for an hour now. Are you alright?”
He helped me off my horse and I nearly slumped to the ground. If not for him grabbing onto me to hold me up, I would’ve fallen. He was clearly concerned, I knew that much as he looked me over for any obvious signs of injury.
“What do you want me to do, your majesty?” he asked. “Do I take you to the prince?”
“No,” I ground out immediately. If Ryker saw me like this, he was going to be pissed. I had at least until later this morning to keep my secret. “Can you help me to my room please? I don’t want anyone finding out about what happened here tonight.”
He pursed his lips but nodded and led me into the palace. He made sure to take the lesser traveled halls which meant a longer walk but I didn’t mind. It was a battle to keep my eyes open but I somehow managed to do it. Once we got to the room, I almost moaned in relief. My bones hurt and there was something in the center of my chest- a burning feeling that I could not get rid of. Kevin didn’t want to walk into the room but it was obvious that I couldn’t go in on my own. He led me to the bed and gently helped me into a sitting position but I couldn’t even hold that for long before I flopped backwards.
“Thank you,” I whispered and he nodded. He didn’t leave immediately though, he stood there in the center of the room watching me carefully.
“Are you sure that you are alright? It would not take long to get the prince here.”
“I am fine, leave Ryker to whatever he is doing,” I mumbled trying to hide my hurt at the fact that he didn’t even try to return to the room.
Kevin obviously didn’t agree with me but he nodded and turned on his heels then walked off. I heard the door click shut and I let go of the facade I was holding onto and groaned. Exhaustion burned through me and for the first time in my life, I felt like I couldn’t move. My head was spinning, my limbs felt like lead and my mouth tasted metallic with a tinge of ash. I closed my eyes hoping to just take a deep breath but I didn’t end up re-opening them.
When I finally managed to open my eyes, I found myself in front of that same eerie mirror as before. It was a bit larger this time with intricate designs in the metal stand. I tried to make them out knowing they told a story butt my head hurt too much and my focus was on the reflection.
I was bleeding but instead of leaking red blood, something white and clear was oozing out. It wasn’t just coming out of one hole, there were many all over my body. I watched as some of those holes closed up but a few never did. It was a clear warning, I was risking too much, doing too much and I let out an exasperated sigh. I didn’t want this, I just wanted my pack to be happy. I turned away from the mirror, lay flat on my back and closed my eyes. I couldn’t stop what I had already done. The past was in the past. I only hoped that Ryker would be able to. find who was responsible before I completely destroyed myself.
I felt the brightness of the sun against my skin and soft murmuring by my ears. There was warmth all over my body, as if I were lying in the middle of a lake. I managed to peel my eyes open only to find Ryker and Lyla standing there. Lyla looked relieved but Ryker on the other hand was nothing short of pissed. His lips were turned down in a frown and he had his hands crossed over his chest. I knew what this was about but I decided to feign ignorance.
“Hello,” I began with a yawn and a long stretch. “Is something wrong? Why are you hovering around my bed?”
“You were healing again,” Lyla’s voice was soft. “I tried to speed it up using a potion so you would wake up. How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No,” not physically at least. The only hurt I could feel was om the inside and it was never going to be fixed, not until I died. “Thank you, Lyla, but I am fine now, you don’t have to come to me whenever I am asleep. I’ll definitely wake up on my own.”
“You will, but it might take days and unfortunately days are-”
“Get out,” Ryker said calmly and we both turned to him. I hadn’t expected him to be so direct but he wasn’t even looking at Lyla, he was looking at me. When no one moved for a minute, he spoke again. “Thank you for your help, Lyla but I need you to leave so that I can converse with my mate about making irresponsible and stu pid decisions.”
Lyla shot me a small smile of encouragement before walking out of the room. She had barely shut the door behind her when Ryker exploded. To say that he was pissed would have been an understatement, the tips of his ears had turned red and he was yelling- he almost never yelled at me. No matter what I did, he spoke quietly and calmly but this time was different.
“Are you insane?” he exclaimed. “What were you thinking by healing them all? Didn’t you listen when Lyla told you the first time that you were taking parts of yourself? Do you care so little about your own life that you feel the need to put it in danger all the time.”
“That isn’t what I’m doing,” I mumbled but he simply shot me a disbelieving look and crossed his arms over his chest. “I couldn’t just let them die. It was my fault that she attacked them in the first place. Besides, you said you were close to finding out who she is, what is a few more people when we will soon have her?”
He ran his hands through his hair. “I never said we were close, Camilla, and even if we find out who she is, we don’t know where she is or how to defeat her. You are putting yourself in unnecessary danger. I should have known that Kevin would do a s hit job.”
My brows furrowed. “What does this have to do with Kevin?” he didn’t respond but I knew he had heard me so I repeated my question again. “Don’t lie to me, Ryker.”
“I asked him to watch you after receiving the letter but clearly I should have known better. Would it help if I actually locked you in the f ucking room? Would you sit still if I did that? For f ucks sake, Camilla.”
“I was just helping.”
“It’s not about that!” he all but screamed. “You went out there alone and used your powers. I have seen how weak and exhausted that makes you. Did you ever stop to consider that maybe she was banking on that? What would have happened if you used your powers and you couldn’t make it back home? What would have happened if she took you?”
I stayed silent because I hadn’t thought about that. I was so concerned with helping them that I never once stopped to consider the threat to my own life. I couldn’t help but feel st upid for the first time today. I couldn’t even meet Ryker’s eye anymore.
He let out a deep breath before taking a seat next to me. “I just need you to be honest with me, Camilla. We cannot do this if you are not honest with me. I cannot spend every waking hour of my day worrying about your and if you are off doing something that could endanger you.”
“You’re right and I am sorry, I just felt bad because they were hurt because of me. They were hurt because I wouldn’t give myself up,” I mumbled. “Maybe I should just surrender. We could possibly try to ambush her with a surrender, don’t you agree? It might work.”
“No, we are not bargaining your life,” his voice held no room for discussion. “We don’t know the extent of her powers. She isn’t the kind of person that you just make a jump on. We have to carefully plan this. We can worry about that later, for now, you need to rest.”
He didn’t say anything else after that, just sat with me in the room for the rest of the day. I knew he was still pissed but he was saving the brunt of his anger for later. He made sure I was fed and rested and wouldn’t even let me take a step out of the room. It was annoying to say the last but I figured it could have been worse and was just grateful that it wasn’t.
Sometime around evening, I was getting annoyed with being in the same place for the entire day but I was trying my best not to argue. Ryker placed a soft kiss on my forehead and muttered something about going to get some water. I couldn’t help but wonder how long that gave me to leave the room and get some fresh air. He had just gotten to the door when it flew open revealing Christine.
“Is everything okay?” he asked and she nodded.
“Caius and Lyla- I never thought I would ever say that- they need to see you. They say it is urgent.”
