I'd Be Blamed

THEODORE

“I'm going to die,” Evander groaned as he rolled onto his side on the rough cave floor.

I rolled my eyes, though fear gripped my chest. “Stop being dramatic. They're going to come for us anytime now.”

He groaned again, his back arching as another wave of the artificial rut tore through him. His Alpha scent filled the cave, thick enough to make me scrunch my nose.

“Save yourself, my prince,” he rasped. “We don't know if those bastards might come back.”

I scoffed, if only he knew.

We'd killed every last one of them before the final bastard managed to inject him with that rut-inducing venom.

“Who'd believe me if I told them the great General of Avindel was a chicken?”

His eyes snapped open.

He glared at me, his handsome face twisted with pain. “You should have been injected.”

I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “How dare you speak against the future king?”

He looked away. “The banter isn't working, Theo.” His voice was quieter this time. “It's getting worse.”

My smile faded, and I sighed and checked my comms again.

Nothing. No signal.

I should have listened to my gut and stayed away from this stupid delegation. But I'd wanted to prove my father wrong. I wanted him to see that I was just as capable as the general he trusted with his life.

Instead, I'd gotten myself trapped in a cave with Evander.

A cave the rat bastards had sealed shut after kidnapping us.

Apparently, being a prince meant absolutely nothing to them.

I looked over at Evander.

His breathing was shallow. Sweat had soaked through his shirt despite the freezing air, and every few seconds his body tensed as another wave of the venom tore through him.

At least he was still breathing.

“Why do we even need to trade with rats?” I muttered. “They're rats.”

Evander snorted. Then immediately winced.

“Typical of you,” he said through clenched teeth. “You don't understand why we need them.”

“Enlighten me.”

“They're our best intelligence network. They can slip into places no one else can. That's why your father tolerates them.”

He paused to catch his breath. “This was supposed to be a formal greeting. But no, you just had to open your stupid mouth and anger their leader.”

I frowned.

“And then you threatened their king.”

“He was being rude.”

“You blasted their translator because he refused to tell the king what you wanted.”

“I had no idea a human trying to speak rat was disrespectful.”

Evander stared at me. “If you paid attention to your studies instead of going after every available Omega, you'd know that.”

I sneered. “Well, who looks fucking stupid now?”

“You fucking brat.”

He tried to sit up, but another wave hit him before he could. His face twisted, and he curled in on himself.

“I'm going to die a dishonorable death,” he muttered.

I rolled my eyes again, but this time there was no humor behind it.

I tapped my comms again, hoping for even a blink of signal. I might hate him, but I didn't want him dead. That would just add more reasons to my father's ever-growing list of why I was unfit to be the next king.

“I can't get a signal,” I muttered as my thumbs brushed over the communicator strapped around my wrist for the hundredth time. I turned back to Evander and cursed. His eyes were squeezed shut, his breathing rapid as he curled in on himself.

“Damn it.”

A tiny blue light flashed across the communicator. I froze. Then another blink.

Signal.

I yanked up my wrist and tapped it. Static burst through the speaker.

“Can... hear...?”

“Yes!” I nearly shouted. “Yes, I can hear you!”

The interference crackled for another second before a composed female voice came through.

“Molly here, how can I help you?”

Relief crashed over me.

“This is Crown Prince Theodore Eamon of Avindel. Authorization code AE-1174. Connect me to the military command immediately.”

“Understood, Your Highness. Verifying your identity.”

A soft chime sounded.

“Identity confirmed, connecting you now.”

The line clicked.

“Your Highness?” a familiar voice exclaimed. “We've been trying to reach you ever since your signal disappeared.”

“We're trapped,” I said, not wasting a second. “The rats collapsed the cave entrance behind us. They've sealed us inside.”

“What is your condition?”

“I'm unharmed.”

“And General Evander?”

I had to look at him again. Sweat had soaked through his shirt despite the cave's freezing air.

“He was injected with a rut-inducing venom.”

The line was silent for a few seconds.

“Get the doctor now!”

A moment later, a voice came through, older and calm.

“This is Dr. Emily Suee. Your Highness, I need you to describe the venom.”

“It looked like liquid gold. It shimmers.”

The doctor inhaled sharply. “How long ago was General Evander injected?”

I glanced at my wrist display. “Almost three hours.”

Another sharp intake of breath. “Three hours?”

“Yes.”

“And he's still alive?”

I looked back at Evander. He was pale but conscious. “Yes.”

“Is he still speaking?”

The doctor was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. “Keep him talking. Whatever happens, don't let him lose consciousness.”

My stomach tightened. “Why?”

“Once the venom can no longer find a means of release, it begins attacking the brain.”

“How long do we have?”

“Approximately one hour.”

I clenched my jaw. If he died, I'd be blamed for his death. “Tell me how to stop it.”

“The venom must be expelled.”

“How?”

“Through release.”

I stared at the comms. “You mean sexually?”

“Yes, Your Highness. That is the only way it will leave the body. Without it, it will continue spreading until it reaches the brain.”

Before I could answer, another officer broke in.

“Your Highness, we've been trying to reach your location since the signal disappeared. The rats have activated a planetary shield.”

“What?”

“We're trying to disable the shield, but...” His voice faltered. “We don't know if we'll succeed before the General's condition becomes irreversible.”

I looked across the cave. Evander's breathing had become even more strained.

“There's no Omega here. It's only the two of us.”

Silence answered me.

Finally, the doctor spoke, her voice weighed down with helplessness.

“I'm afraid we don't know what to do, Your Highness.”