Kane's POV
I am just about to settle in with Vickus’s Gammas so I can try to guide them towards some kind of resolution to the Vickus issues when there’s a knock on the conference door. I am tempted to ignore it, but my new inner voice tells me that I really need to talk to the person on the other side. “Just a moment,” I say to the annoyed-looking Gammas and get up to answer the door.
Kaylee, one of Willow’s guards, stands on the other side, looking terrified. “King,” she says through stuttering breaths. “It’s the queen.”
I haven’t felt anything from Willow that concerns me. A little anger, a little jealousy, some pangs of fear and concern, all normal emotions for a pregnant she-wolf. “What about her?” I ask, closing the door behind me.
“She, ah, she’s on her way to see Maria.”
“So?” I still don’t know why the guard is
Kane’s POV “It’s not the potion,” Agatha says. “Nothing in it can cause…this kind of mental and physical decline.” “Fuck,” I run my hand through my hair and glance at Willow. She’s quiet, her head thrown back, looking at something we can’t see. “What is wrong with her?” “I don’t know, great king. Perhaps it’s the pup doing it to her.” “Why would he kill his own mother?” Agatha just shrugs. “Who knows why The Ultima does anything, my king? Maybe she’s not supposed to survive the pregnancy. Perhaps, the gods only granted you this short time together, so she can birth this saviour of the werewolf race, and then her time here comes to an end.” I have to stop myself from knocking Agatha’s head off her shoulders. She’s saying things I’ve been thinking about but don’t want to hear. I don’t want to believe it. I can’t. We are meant to be together forever. “If that’s the gods’ plan, it’s a bad one. Ripping the child’s mother an
“What happened? What did I do?” Kane asks while he helps me off the altar.“Not you, great king,” Agatha offers. “The gods. They saw your anguish, and tied your life force to hers.”I’m still a little too dazed to say anything. I’m not convinced the gods had anything to do with it. Kane’s magic has a tendency to get away from him, and he does things without even trying. “Is there a way he can undo it?” I ask.“Not if you want to live through this pregnancy, priestess.”“Stop calling me that. I’m not your priestess.” I turn to Kane. “You have to undo it. If I die, you die, and then our child will be all alone.”“No,” he says, and crosses his arms over his chest. “I can feel it now. How much the pup takes from your magic and life force. Goddess, he's strong. I don’t even know how you made it this far.”&ldqu
“Do we still need this?” Kane asks, holding up the container of vials.“I don’t know,” I say and sit at the kitchen counter. I don’t know how Kane does it, because he looks at least as bad as I feel, but like every morning, he got up early and made breakfast. “I don’t think it makes any difference anymore.”He nods and returns the container to the cabinet. “We’ll see how it goes. If you get sicker, we’ll start using it again.” He runs a shaky hand through his thick hair and pushes his half-eaten food away. “I have to go into the city next week. I think you should come with me.”“Why?”“So I can keep an eye on you.”I’m too tired and sick to argue with him. “Okay. Did the Gammas come to a decision yesterday?”“Yes. They’re executing Vickus tonight.”“Do we have to attend?”
Kane’s POV After waking Willow for breakfast and making sure she eats, I go to my private office down the hall to the apartment. I want to be close in case she needs me, but it’s the last Saturday of the month, and it’s the day I usually see tribe members to hear what grievances they have, and I don’t want to receive them in my home. It’s a quiet day. The kingdom is in a lull after the battle and Vickus’s execution. For now, everyone’s somewhat content, and happy to return to something resembling normality. I’ve been busy getting everything in place, setting the kingdom up to return it to a state where I don’t need to do everything. All that’s left to do is reforming the council of elders, and then my father’s hearing which I’ve had to postpone because I don’t have the energy for it. “Come in, Jackson,” I say when I hear the Alpha’s approach outside my door. These last two weeks he’s been invaluable. With Glenn still being out of commission, I don’t know how I’d have gotten anything
Kane's POV: The week passes in a haze of pain and fatigue. I force Patrick to stay with me the whole time so he can learn how to do things. I try to check in with Willow every day, but mostly she’s unreachable, lost in a world of fog where I can’t connect with her. It’s killing me little by little, and I’m fast reaching the point where I just want her to give birth so we can take hands and dive off the cliff together. I haven’t told Patrick that we’re dying. I somehow managed to convince him that I’m just overworked and stressed, but Drake isn’t that easy to fool. Towards the end of the week, he drags the whole story from me without even trying. He looks at me, the surprise evident on his face, his cold, grey eyes suddenly filled with concern I didn’t expect to see. “I know someone,” he says at last. “A rogue, like me. A witch. She was kicked out of her pack when they found out she’s a hybrid. Maybe she can help.” I quickly shoot him down, because I can’t keep going down this path.
Kane's POV I make it to the stairs leading up to my apartment before I sag to the floor, out of breath and unable to keep going. I sit on the bottom step with my arms on my knees, resting my head on my forearms and staring at the floor. It’s too much effort to get up and keep going. For the first time in many years, I’ve had to hire a helicopter pilot to fly me back home, and the walk from the helipad to my wing of the castle took me the better part of two hours instead of the usual ten minutes. “Kane?” Glenn kneels at my feet. “You okay, man?” “No,” I say, not even bothering to look up. “Pretty sure I’m dying.” “Alfred and Narcissa are here. They’re waiting up in your apartment.” “I know. They came back with me.” “Oh. It’s a rare day when a human can outrun Kane Madden.” “Hm. How are you doing?” When he speaks, I can imagine the way his mouth pulls down at the corner and the troubled look in his eyes. “Better, I suppose.” “Don’t lie to me. It doesn’t get better, you just lea
I wake up feeling much better. The cool breeze blowing in from the open window cools my sweaty body and feels surprisingly good, considering that I’m freezing. Confused, I look around the room, the only light coming from Kane’s side of the bed. There’s blood on the sheets, and I can smell the fading scent of at least six people. Frowning, I get up, testing legs that just two days ago wouldn’t carry my weight at all. They feel solid and surprisingly strong. The door opens, and Kane’s scent fills the room. My heartbeat shoots up with joy when I see him. It feels like I haven’t seen him in weeks. He still looks sickly and pale, but not as bad as…when? I think I saw him earlier, but he looked bad. Like he was knocking on death’s door. Maybe I imagined it. Or dreamed it. These last few weeks I haven’t been able to distinguish between dreams and reality anymore. “Hey,” he says and gives me a sheepish grin. “I heard you get up.” “Were you here earlier?” I ask. “In bed with me?” “Yes. So w
Kane has to help me in and out of the tub, which makes me feel helpless. Maybe if I could remember the last three weeks, could remember the pregnancy and my changing body, I wouldn't feel quit so inadequate. It all feels so surreal, almost like it’s happening to someone else.Nothing fits, so I find a pair of Kane’s boxers and one of his sweaters. I like the way his smell envelopes me, as if the soft shirt is hugging me with his scent. It’s comforting in a weird way, and I don’t want to take it off.He looks up and smiles at me when I walk into the living room. “Here,” he pats his knee.I don’t wait or argue with him. I waddle across the room and melt into his lap, sighing contently when he put his arms around me. I crave his closeness and protection, and for some unknown reason, I start rubbing against him, covering myself in his scent. I blush and stop. “Sorry,” I mumble.He wipes messy, wet hair from my face and pulls me in for a kiss. “It’s okay. It’s normal. You are, well, for la