Raven The hours and days ticked past, dwindling my hope. The sense of loss was like ice spreading through my stomach but I refused to let go. I refused to give up on Vlad despite the voices in my head telling me he was never going to see the light of day. Vlad was still in a comatose state, and a life support system was attached to his body. The doctor said his chances of coming back to consciousness were very slim. And even if he did recover, there would be no chance that he wouldn’t be permanently damaged by whatever had hit him. It felt so unfair that this has happened to Vlad because he didn't deserve it. I sat opposite him, staring at the ventilator that controlled his breathing and the feeding tubes connected to him. They found out that his heart had enlarged from all the swelling and damage the stake had done to it and so, they needed to perform another operation to reduce the swelling. They didn’t find anything serious, just a small break but his prognosis for recover
Raven Staying in the hospital sent a crushing despair to my heart and I feared the worst, especially because Vlad wobbled between life and death.My expectations hung on a thin thread and seeing Vlad not responding was heart-wrenching and hopeless. But the good news that Dimitri was dead somewhat quenched some of the ache of loss in my heart. That monster deserved to be sent directly into the deepest parts of hell, with his balls cut off and stuck up his nose, a thousand times over for doing this to Vlad.King Vladislav sat on a plastic stool, whispering into his phone. Dora, Vlad's nanny was overwhelmed by the news and collapsed immediately after she heard it. When she woke up, the king requested to speak to her.While he was on the phone, I managed to sip the lukewarm coffee one of the nurses got from the hospital cafeteria, providing a much-needed caffeine boost.The king sighed loudly, his face in a morbid gloom."So, how does it feel now that Dimitri is dead?" I asked in a lo
Raven Three long days and nights had passed, and there was still no sign of improvement for Vlad. It was getting increasingly difficult to remain hopeful for a positive outcome after each day that passed by with no sign of life. It made me want to scream my heart out. The king wasn't positive even though he appeared strong on the outside, but I worried for him. I knew the depths of his pain and the desire for revenge that burned within him. He watched his son lay motionless. I couldn't bear to see Vlad suffer like this. It felt suffocating, and sometimes I would flee to the solitude of the bathroom to let my tears flow freely. I feared the effects it might bring, not just to the king but to so many lives. Dimitri's betrayal and attack had caused a lot of trauma to the king and his reaction was surely going to be devastating. On the fourth morning, after consulting with specialists, The doctors and King Vladislav agreed to try an alternative approach since the usual methods we
LucianI'd seen too much, witnessed too many painful scenes. I returned home, terrible regrets and guilt assailing me. Vlad's condition was my fault. I let out a choked, desperate laugh. The king was so mad at me that he couldn't stand my presence. He hated me so much. Blood pounded in my temples as I felt humiliated and deflated remembering the disgraceful way he sent me away from the hospital. Not that I blamed him anyway. I deserved to be ridiculed. Everything was all my fault. If I hadn't fallen for Dimitri's stupid antics, I would have exposed him instead and saved my brother.Now Vlad's blood was forever spilled on my hands. It made me want to cry like a baby.How could I have been so stupid? How was I so careless as not to recognize how evil Dimitri really was? When I returned home, that wicked bitch, Elvira, was nowhere to be found. She could run, but she was definitely not going to hide forever. She was the mastermind of all this calamity and the reason why my mother d
Raven On day three of my stay in the specialist hospital, I had to return to school to write an important test that couldn't be written online. It was the last screening part to get admitted to college."You need to go," King Vladislav pleaded with me. "You're young and have a full life ahead of you. Vlad wouldn't want you to waste your time here and spend a year doing nothing just because you missed your college entrance exam." He paused to let his words sink and sadly, he was right. It was a good thing that I had been accepted into the best college program on campus on a full scholarship. My dad was wealthy enough to train me but that didn't mean I should waste his money on tuition. I sighed and the King begged me to stop making excuses. "you've got to graduate, Raven. I'm here with Vlad and you can always come back whenever you wish.""I don't trust you enough," I muttered. I don't know what you'll end up doing the second I step my foot out the door. You have been looking for h
RavenI couldn't sleep all night, and all I kept thinking about was Vlad. It was so bad that when I finally managed to drift off to sleep, it was filled with nightmares of them burying Vlad and all our classmates placing flowers at his gravesite. I felt even worse when I woke up, rolling over to face the wall and pulling my knees tight against my chest. The darkness of the night wasn’t comforting enough for the pain in my heart. The silence didn’t help either. What if Vlad never makes it? What if he doesn't come back to life? And then the memories from my dreams replayed over and over again in vivid detail. Taylor never left my side and even shared my bed with me. She sat up, staring at me with sympathy in her green eyesMy head rested on her shoulder as she whispered soothing things into my ear while rubbing my arms and whispering ‘It's okay’ every few minutes.At one point, she had to go out and make me some hot chocolate because I had started shivering so badly. Early the nex
Raven On the night of day six, I couldn't sleep. My mind was restless like a rolling stone and I kneeled by Vlad's bedside, begging him with everything in me.King Vladislav had begun preparing for Vlad's funeral. According to him, Vlad deserved a befitting burial. How could anyone be comfortable burying their child?My tongue felt swollen. I was helpless and needed a miracle for Vlad. He was the only thing that brought joy and light to my life.The king was broken. All he did was mope and answer questions with monosyllables. Reality had begun to hit him but matter how much I begged him to extend the date, he didn't budge."Raven, there's nothing we can do. This is pure torture," his voice choked. "Let him rest.""Vlad, my love," I gripped his hand. "Did you hear your father? Is this what you want, to be buried? Talk to me. Wake up before they turn off the life support. Come back to me. Don't leave me, please. Just come back!"The answer I got was the beep of the machine and Vlad's s
Raven The Doctor and King Vladislav walked in slowly, with the king standing beside me.I sobbed uncontrollably to the point that I began seeing spots and my vision became blurred, and I could hardly see the people in front of me anymore. The king's eyes were clouded with sadness and regret. I could feel the pressure building in my throat, making my breathing feel constricted. "Raven, please don't cry. You have done enough. Let's just say goodbye to Vlad.""Goodbye?" I spat, and he took a step back. "How will I do that? How do you expect me to say goodbye to my mate? My partner for life!""Raven, Vlad is my son," King Vladislav said with a resigned tone. "I feel so hopeless right now. But we have to face reality. Hybrids are different from humans and werewolves. The earlier we accept the reality that Vlad can never regain consciousness, the better for everyone. False hopes and delusions will get us nowhere."The king's voice cracked. "Please understand, Raven." I stumbled forward,