Chapter 3 Is He Dead

Aeris' POV

After I was done with my scathing speech, Caius slammed the door behind him with a loud bang and left. He did it very forcefully, like he was expressing his resentment toward me.

I, on the other hand, shuffled inside to shower expressionlessly. It had long become a norm between us that our conversations would end on a sour note.

Before returning to the bedroom, I pushed open the door to the nursery. Once, this had been the room I had decorated with the most care. I specifically chose a warm-toned wallpaper and a deep blue lamp with stars strewn across it.

I switched it on, and a galaxy of moving stars dotted the ceiling dreamily. There was no table in the room. Caius had been worried our pup might run around and bump into sharp corners. So, we had placed all the toys directly on the carpet.

I picked one up absentmindedly and found myself holding a music box. On it stood a ballerina dressed in a pink costume, poised on tiptoe with her head held high like a proud swan. It had been my gift for her.

I gently wound it, and music flowed softly from it. At long last, I could no longer hold back my tears.

We had once longed desperately for her arrival. But when the moment of choice came, Caius hadn't saved me or our pup.

Perhaps, I would go to hell when I died. After all, I was guilty too. I should have protected her, but I didn't. So, Moon Goddess punished me by stripping her away from me. But my pup was the most beautiful angel. She must have gone to heaven.

After I died, would I be able to see her again?

The crib was small. I curled myself up inside it. It was as if I could still feel her heartbeat and the way she had once nestled inside me.

Tears soaked my hair as I closed my eyes, sliding endlessly down. I sobbed and whispered soft apologies to my unborn pup.

"I'm sorry, baby. It's all my fault. I didn't protect you. Soon, very soon, I'll come to be with you. Just wait for me, alright?"

Once I got the ten million dollars from Caius, I would transfer it into Dad's hospital account. After that, I could let go of everything and finally go to where my pup was and embrace her.

I cried for a long time until the pillow was completely drenched. Before long, exhaustion finally dragged me into a restless sleep.

…

The next morning at 8:00 am, I arrived at the altar an hour early.

The last time I had stood here was when Cauis and I had become mates. Back then, I had so much hope and joy for our union. Never once did I imagine my fated mate would be an Alpha.

I traced my wrist slowly across the wolf paw print on it. This was our mate mark. It was in a golden brown shade that contrasted against my skin. Caius had known I couldn't stand any pain, so he had prepared painkillers for me. After he had marked me, he had held me close and gently coaxed me.

It was hard to believe we would reach this point. Caius seemed to hate me… No, he despised me.

Suddenly, my phone rang. As I had been immersed in my own thoughts, I jumped at the sound.

Blake was calling me.

My heart raced immediately. Calls from the hospital were almost always bad news.

"Hello, Blake?"

The next words I heard nearly knocked all breath out of me.

"Aeris, get to the hospital now! Your dad's condition suddenly deteriorated. He's in emergency resuscitation," Blake said urgently.

"I'm coming right away!"

I slammed my foot onto the accelerator and didn't ease up as I sped toward the hospital as fast as I could. On the whole way there, I prayed silently. My hands trembled against the steering wheel.

"I'm on the brink of losing everything—my mate, my pup, my mate bond, and even my own life. Dear Moon Goddess, please don't take Dad from me too!" I prayed feverishly in my heart.

"Aeris!" Blake called out the moment he saw me.

He ran over, clutching a stack of forms. Then, he handed them to me.

"Just now, your dad's heart nearly stopped. We performed emergency CPR. He's in surgery now. This is the bill for the operation. Also, his wolf is unstable, and it might vanish at any moment. The best chance is to use a blood array. But your body is already so weak. Can you handle it?"

I glanced down at the bill. I did a double-take at the figure—200,000 dollars.

When Dad had first fallen ill, he had needed resuscitation almost every day. My room was stacked with bills like this.

His condition was dire. At this point, we could only sustain his vitals and hope for a miracle, even if that miracle came at a crushing cost. I had been forced to work three jobs each month just to cover his basic care. And now, I had only 2,000 dollars left in my bank account.

Still, I couldn't give up.

I closed my eyes briefly. Then, I extended my arm and showed Blake my vein.

"Do it."

A nurse came over with a needle and swiftly drew five tubes of blood. I nearly collapsed from the sudden blood loss. My vision darkened, and I was unable to see anything in front of me. Blake caught me just in time, or I would have slumped to the floor in a heap.

I could barely catch my breath after giving my blood. Even so, I pulled out my phone, fumbling to call Caius.

I willed for him to pick up faster. I couldn't lose Dad too!

As soon as the call connected, Caius' cold, accusatory voice came through the receiver, "Where are you? I've been waiting at the altar for half an hour. Don't tell me you're not coming."

My lips parted. The blood loss had muddled my mind. I struggled just to register what he was saying over the phone.

"Something urgent came up…"

I couldn't even finish before he cut me off impatiently, "I'd been wondering why you changed your mind and suddenly agreed to the bond severance. So, you were just playing games with me, huh?"

I drew a ragged breath to muster up some strength to defend myself. "No, I'm serious about it. I'm sorry about what I did previously. I couldn't let go of our bond back then. But I've thought it through. I truly want the bond severance. It's just that my dad is in emergency surgery right now…"

"Is he dead?"

I froze and felt coldness sweep through my entire body.

I could hardly believe what I had heard. What did Caius just say?

"What?" I blurted in a daze.

He repeated it, deliberately slowing down this time to enunciate each word clearly so that I wouldn't miss a single syllable.

My eyes widened. In that instant, I almost believed he wanted Dad dead. His malice was undisguised, and it cut into me painfully like I'd been stabbed with a blade.

But why?

Caius used to respect Dad in the past.

My grip on the phone tightened. My eyes, though, were locked on the string of zeroes on the bill. At this point, I had no choice but to let go of whatever ego I had and beg as humbly as I could.

"Caius, my dad is in surgery. The bill is 200,000 dollars. Could you pay me the ten million dollars first? Once I'm done here, I'll go straight to the altar and sever our mate bond. I promise."

His voice suddenly grew louder. I swear I could hear it like it was right beside my ear. I heard his cold laugh, like he was mocking me for being naive.

"Aeris, I want you to understand that the one who wants your dad dead the most is me. I can hardly wait. Ten million dollars? Sure. I'll give it to you, but…" He deliberately dragged out the last word.

"Only after our mate bond is severed."

With that, the call ended.

For a moment, I felt like I was experiencing hell on earth.