Chapter 99: The mark of Death
AYLA
My head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, and my mouth tasted like copper and dust.
"Ayla?"
I turned my head slowly, the motion sending a spike of pain through my skull, and found Cassian leaning over me. His blue eyes were bright with relief, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You are awake." His voice was barely above a whisper, as if he was afraid of speaking too loud.
I tried to speak, but my throat was dry as bone. I swallowed, wincing.
"What..." The word came out as a croak.
"Shh." Cassian’s hand found mine, his fingers wrapping around them. "Do not try to talk. You are safe. You are here."
I looked past him, my eyes sweeping the room.
Ares stood close by, his eyes were rimmed with red. He looked like he had not slept in days. He looked bad.
And there, huddled at the foot of my bed, was my mother, her eyes also red-rimmed, and she was clutching my hand so tightly I could feel the pulse of her grip through my skin.
She was crying.
I had never seen my mother cry. It almost seemed like they were all assembled here for me.
They are, I heard in my head.
I jolted, my eyes going wide.
Morgana? I thought, my mind racing.
No. I am Nyx. Your wolf.
Nyx? Of course. Morgana had mentioned her... their wolf.
How? I was confused, my thoughts sluggish. I do not have a wolf. I am a wolfless Omega.
Ayla, you unlocked your powers. You are no longer wolfless. Have you not been listening to Morgana?
I gasped.
"Ayla?" Cassian leaned closer, his brow furrowing. "Are you okay? Do you need me to call the healer?"
I shook my head, the motion making the room swim. I groaned, pressing a hand to my temple.
"I am fine," I managed. "Just... my head."
"You were poisoned." Ares stepped closer, and the smell of alcohol hit me like a wall. "You have been unconscious for days."
"How am I alive?" I croaked.
Ares and Cassian exchanged a look. Something passed between them, something I could not read.
"You need to rest," Cassian said.
I noticed he had ignored my question.
"What happened?" I insisted, trying to push myself up. My arms trembled beneath me, barely holding my weight. "I need to know."
"Ayla, daughter." My mother’s voice cut in. She rose from the foot of the bed and turned to the princes, casting them a stern look. "She needs rest. Please."
Cassian hesitated, looking at me.
"Of course," he said finally. He squeezed my hand once before releasing it. "We will be close by if you need us."
He turned and walked toward the door. Ares followed, but he paused at the threshold, looking back at me with something akin to grief in his eyes.
I watched them leave.
Something was wrong. Something they were not telling me.
What do you think that was about? I asked Nyx.
I have no idea, she answered. You need to rest. You will heal faster now that I am finally here but you still need to rest.
My mother dropped herself unto the edge of my bed, reaching out to touch my face.
"I was so worried, Ayla," she whispered. "I was so worried."
"I am sorry, Mom."
"No." She shook her head, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. "No, do not apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for."
I stared at her. My mother, who had never once shown me a moment of genuine tenderness, who had dragged me to the mating chamber like livestock, who had slapped me and called me ungrateful and told me to be grateful for my fate. Now she sat here, weeping over me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
Who knew that I had to be near death to see that she actually cared for me, I thought.
The door burst open, and Astrid flew into the room and the moment she saw me sitting up, her face crumpled.
"Ayla!" She gasped. "You are awake. You are awake!"
She rushed to the bed, dropping to her knees beside it, and burst into tears.
"Astrid." I managed a smile. "I am fine."
"I thought you were going to die." She sobbed. "I thought... I thought I had lost you."
"Shh." I reached for her hand, my fingers closing around hers. "I am here. I am not going anywhere."
My mother watched the exchange with an unreadable expression then she rose.
"I will leave you two to talk," she said. "You need to rest, Ayla. I will have some broth brought up and then have the healer check on you."
"Thank you, Mom."
She paused at the door, looking back at me. For a moment, her face softened, and I caught a glimpse of something I had never seen in her before.
"I am glad you are alive," she said quietly. Then she slipped out, closing the door behind her.
I let out a breath, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. I turned to Astrid, who was still kneeling beside the bed, her cheeks streaked with tears.
"Astrid, come here."
She rose, moving to sit on the edge of the bed beside me.
"What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
"What do you mean?"
"Something is going on." I met her eyes. "My mother and the princes are being vague. They are hiding something from me. What is it?"
Astrid’s eyes shifted. She looked away, her fingers twisting in her lap.
"Astrid." My voice sharpened. "Tell me, or I will get out of this bed and find out myself."
I hoped my threat worked, because I was not sure I could even rise if I willed myself to. My body felt like it had been drained of every ounce of strength.
Astrid was silent for a long moment.
"It is Prince Damon," she finally said, her voice cracking. "He is dying."