CHAPTER 4

Noah~

Something slammed into my side hard enough to drag me out of whatever unconscious state I had fallen into, and the pain that followed wasn’t normal. 

It spread through my body like something was eating at me from the inside. I sucked in a breath as my eyes snapped open, only for another kick to land against my leg, forcing a small jerk out of me that I quickly tried to stop. 

“Get up.”

I didn’t move immediately, not because I couldn’t, but because my body didn’t respond the way it usually did. My healing had always been fast, almost unnatural, and even after worse injuries, I had never stayed down for long. This time was different. The pain wasn’t fading. It wasn’t even staying the same. It was getting worse.

I forced myself up slowly, my back pressing against the cold wall as I tried to steady my breathing. My hand moved to my side without thinking, fingers brushing against the wound, and the moment I felt it, I froze slightly.

It hadn’t healed.

My fingers came away damp and had a yellowish substance on them and I stared at them for a second before the realization settled in. Silver and fucking wolfsbane. Of course she would go that far. A quiet breath left my lips as I lowered my hand. Tyrene hadn’t just stabbed me in anger. She had made sure it would last.

“Move.”

One of the guards grabbed my arm before I could steady myself, pulling me forward roughly, and my body followed without resistance. It always did. Even when every step sent a sharp wave of pain through my side, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t react. I just walked, letting them drag me along like I had no choice, because I didn’t.

By the time we reached the gates of Ashvale, the air felt heavier than usual. Maybe it was because I knew this was the last time I would see it, or maybe it was because something in me had already started to shut down. I didn’t know.

Then I saw her.

Tyrene stood near the entrance, her posture straight, her expression calm in a way that didn’t match anything I remembered. For a moment, I slowed slightly, my gaze settling on her without meaning to. She was already looking at me, her eyes steady, cold, and completely unchanged from before.

There were no tears this time.

Nothing that even looked like regret. Something in my chest tightened painfully, and I looked away before it could sink any deeper. My vision blurred slightly, but I blinked it away, forcing myself to focus on the ground instead. It didn’t matter anymore. Whatever we had, whatever I thought we had was already gone. 

“Keep moving.” A guard pushed and I winced in pain. 

The journey to Redfang wasn’t long, but it felt longer than it should have, because of the injury. By the time we arrived, I was already exhausted. 

The gates opened, and I was dragged inside without ceremony, straight through the courtyard and into the palace like I was nothing more than some package being delivered. The doors to the hall opened, and I was shoved forward, my knees hitting the ground harder than necessary as I was forced down.

“Stay there.”

I wasn't going to move anyway and then I felt that pull. 

No, there was absolutely no fucking way, the goddess would be that cruel. To bring me to the same place where that “man” was. The same sensation at that mating ceremony came over me instantly and stronger than before but this time it wasn’t warm and I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. 

My breath caught as the pain hit suddenly, spreading through my chest like something had been forced open. My fingers curled against the ground as I struggled to stay upright, the sensation overwhelming in a way I hadn’t expected.

It burned.

My head lifted slightly despite myself, and there he was.

Adrian fucking Laurent. He stood at the entrance, tall, broad, and completely composed, like nothing in the world could touch him unless he allowed it. His dark brown hair framed his face neatly, and his deep blue eyes moved across the room slowly before settling on me and stopping.

For a brief moment, something flickered in his expression. Recognition. He remembered. I knew he did. There was no way he didn’t but just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. His face returned to that same controlled calm, like nothing had happened at all, like I meant nothing.

“Take him,” he said, his voice even as if he was unaffected by the pain. “Clean him. Dress him properly.”

The room stayed silent as he continued without looking at me again.

“And place him in my chambers.”

Hands grabbed me again, pulling me up as my body swayed slightly before I was dragged out of the hall. Everything that followed blurred together. Water, hands, voices, movement. I didn’t focus on any of it. I didn’t have the energy to.

By the time they were done, I was left alone in a room I didn’t recognize. It was larger than anywhere I had been before and for a moment, I just stood there, unsure of what I was supposed to do.

Then the exhaustion hit and I barely made it to the bed before sitting down, my body finally giving in as everything faded out without resistance. Sleep came quickly, heavy and deep, pulling me under before I could think about anything else.

When I woke up, something felt off and my body was heavy as if something was on me. It also felt as if someone else was in the room with me and staring right at me. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim light before settling on him.

Adrian.

He was right there, above me and close enough that I could feel the warmth of him, his gaze fixed on my face.

My body tensed immediately, discomfort settling in before anything else. I shifted slightly, trying to put some space between us, even though there wasn’t much room to move.

“Why am I here?” I asked, my voice quieter than usual but steady enough. “You rejected me and–”

“You're a male omega? I've never seen anything like it.” He said fascination all over his face. 

Didn't he find me disgusting? Revolting? An abomination that should be killed? Why was he staring at me with that look on his face? If I begged for my life, would he hold back on killing me? 

“P–please let me go”