7. Fractured Denial

Zenith's Pov:

I stood motionless in the hospital room, staring down at the pale, unconscious form lying in the bed before me.

Silas, my so-called mate, looked ghostly white under the harsh lights of the hospital, dark bruises from the restrains marred his wrists and ankles. An IV drip connected to his hand, that steadily pumped fluids into his veins. He looked broken, lifeless.

Exactly what a traitor deserved.

Yet I couldn’t look away.

Gregory, the Alpha who had been in charge of the questioning, ranted off beside me, talking in his usual flat emotionless voice of his, with his hands clasped behind his back.

“I didn’t expect him to break that quickly, Your Majesty. He didn’t even make it past the initial level, he is more fragile than I thought. And for the conclusion of the session, he gave us nothing useful. Just some nonsense about walking home from some clinic.”

He didn’t sound sorry, he didn’t even sound afraid. Just stating facts, like reporting on a failed experiment. It wasn't the first time after all.

My jaw clenched so hard I almost tasted blood. “Get out of my sight, Gregory.”

He paused for a second, then bowed stiffly. “As you wish, your majesty.” His footsteps echoed as he made his way out the door, clicking it silently behind him, leaving me alone with the faint beep of machines and the ragged sound of Silas’s shallow breathing.

It was just me and him again.

I stared at him, at the way his dark lashes rested against sunken cheeks, at the faint tremor in his body even while unconscious. Something twisted deep in my chest.

It was guilt. It felt heavy and suffocating, it clawed its way up to my chest in a way I absolutely loathed.

Maybe I went too far.

The thought filled my head before I could stop it. Even worse, Elara’s words echoed in my head like poison…

“Karma is a patient hunter… You spit on a sacred bond, and the gods will make you choke on it.”

I wanted to scoff out loud at the ridiculousness of those words. My lips curled in disgust at the thoughts I had let myself go through earlier. It wasn't me, this wasn’t me.

It was my wolf, it had to be. I blamed the stupid bond in between us, that feral, instinct-driven beast pacing restlessly inside me, howling at the sight of our mate damaged and suffering. The bond was forcing this unwanted pull, this sickening regret that I hated, the way it easily consumed me.

I was the Lycan King. I did not feel guilt over punishing a traitor who deserved everything that has been done to him, my mate or not. Especially not a useless male Omega who had the audacity to be tied to me by fate’s cruel joke.

The door opened again, and the doctor stepped in. I immediately recognized her by her scent that she was a beta. “Your Majesty,” she greeted with a respectful bow.

I regarded her coldly, arms crossed over my chest, giving her a look that meant not to waste time.

She flipped through her clipboard as she began listing the current condition of my mate.

“The patient has suffered deep bruises to the wrists and ankles. There are also signs of whip marks on the back. I believe he also experienced Cardiac arrhythmia, probably from too much schock.

There's also extreme dehydration and electrolyte imbalance in his system. I also noticed a sign of long-term chemical suppression that weakened his system considerably, which has made his body completely under strain.” She finally finished reading and looked up at me.

“I would advise to refrain from whatever activity that lead to this. Another session like this could cause permanent neurological damage, cardiac failure, or-”

“Is he going to live or not?” I cut her off sharply

The doctor stalled, blinking at the bluntness of my question. She glanced down at her notes again before answering carefully. “Yes, Your Majesty. He will live. With rest and proper care of course, he should regain consciousness within the next day or two. But I'll advice to have his mate around him, or family member, the familial or mate bond will strengthen his core and make him recover faste-”

“If that is all you have to say,” I interrupted again, already turning toward the door, “then I will be leaving.”

The sad scent of Silas’s mixed with the faint, lingering trace of his Omega sweetness was starting to press on me too heavily. My wolf growled in protest, but I ignored it.

“There’s one more thing, Your Majesty.”

The doctor's words stopped me mid-step. I turned slowly, fixing her with a cold, piercing glare. “What is it?”

She hesitated for only a moment before reaching into the pocket of her coat. Without a word, she pulled out a folded medical report and held it out to me.

I snatched it from her hand, my fingers nearly tearing the paper in my haste. I unfolded the paper hurriedly and scanned the dense medical jargon rapidly. It was full of reports, I scanned through everything hurriedly, until my eyes landed on one report in particular that made my breath hitch. My brow furrowed deeply as the words refused to make sense. This couldn’t be right.

“Is this…?” I asked, glancing up sharply at her, my voice low and dangerous.

“Yes, it is, Your Majesty,” she replied steadily.“This omega has a womb. Fully functional, from what the scans show. He is capable of conceiving and carrying a child.”

The words landed like a physical blow. I stood frozen, too stunned to comprehend properly, the news I had just received.

This was it. A male Omega… with a womb. It wasn't rare, but quite uncommon. My thoughts churned violently in my head as I weighed my options.

If I sought an heir with any other Alpha female or Omega, getting pregnant would rely on sheer luck. Fated mates, however rare and cursed this one felt, finally started to make sense, even though it's just a little.

This broken, trembling Omega lying in the bed could give me what no one else easily could, a legitimate Lycan heir, tied directly to the throne.

Maybe he wasn't so useless after all.

I thought as I folded the paper slowly into my pocket. My wolf stirred with dark satisfaction at the idea of claiming him fully, of filling him with my seed and watching his belly swell with my child. But my mind didn't change about the bond. I still loathed it, my wolf disagreed with me on that part.

But I would keep him.

Not as a mate, never as an equal. He would bear me an heir, and once that duty was fulfilled, I would decide whether to discard him, lock him away, or use him further. The bond be damned, this was power at stake.

My bloodline will not end with me on the throne.

The doctor watched me carefully, waiting. I didn’t give her any reaction beyond a curt nod.

“If there is nothing else,” I said, already turning toward the door, “I want him to be transferred to the palace immediately.” I said and finally walked out.

I made sure I didn’t look back at Silas’s unconscious form as I left. Because the faint pull of that cursed golden cord in my chest tugged harder, but I ignored it.

He was no longer just a traitor or a mistake.

He was now mine to use.