Chapter 72

~Grace~

“Get out of here!” I hissed to Christopher, waving him away quickly before turning into the hallway.

Alex had his hand over his forehead and his brows were scrunched together. He looked in pain.

Oh, Alex….

My heart went out to him. The curse really seemed to be affecting him, now. Last I saw him, he was moving around quite well, but now…

I watched him squint at the ground and take a wobbly step forward. He had to hold onto the wall for support.

“Alex-” I called out to him before thinking. He looked up at me and seemed surprised to see me here.

I slowly looked over my shoulder to see if Christopher was here as well, but he must have run off somewhere. Good. I just wished I knew where so I could keep Alex away.

“Grace…? What are you…” Alex mumbled, and he stumbled forward.

I quickly rushed to him and held him up.

My god! He was burning up, I could feel it even though his clothes. Up close, I could see how awful he really looked.

His skin was damp with sweat, and I could see massive eye bags decorating his eyes.

My heart hurt even more.

I should have been there for him.

I knew I was doing my absolute best to take care of the situation, and it’s not like I was running around having fun while Alex and his clan suffered, but…

I still felt guilty that I wasn’t there to take care of him. I knew he would take care of me if I were in his position.

I took a deep breath.

And I was about to leave him, again.

But it was so he would get better! And all of the Lycans would get better. This would all be over soon, and that would be my version of taking care of him.

I’m sure if he understood what I was doing, he would agree.

“Grace, where have you been?” Alex muttered, and I struggled to keep him upright. His eyelids fluttered, as if he were trying his hardest to keep his eyes open.

“I’ve been… helping. I’ve been helping your clan.”

“Oh,” he said, but I could tell he didn’t really take in any information. His head nodded forward.

God, I felt awful seeing him in such a state.

“But Alex, what are you doing down here? You should be in bed, you can hardly stand!”

He took a long, slow breath. “I have to check on my clan… I need to be there for them.”

I placed both of my hands on Alex’s burning cheeks, looking him in the eyes.

“I will take care of them, Alex. The best thing you can do right now for your clan is to get some rest. Being out here will only make your health worse, and then you won’t be able to take care of your clan at all.”

Alex was quiet for a long time. I wasn’t sure if he comprehended anything I said, and if I should just start walking him back to his room.

Finally, he took another deep breath.

“You’re right. I just want to sleep. I’m so tired, Grace,” he whispered, and I felt him lean into me.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. I ran my fingers through his hair. God, even his head was sweaty.

“I know, honey, I know. Let’s get you to bed. Don’t you worry, just let me take care of the clan. Everything will be alright. I promise,” I said softly, stroking his hair.

I meant it. At least, I hoped with every fiber of my being that it was true. I wanted nothing more than to fix all of this, and I was convinced that I could.

I really hoped Christopher could find a way to stop this before anyone died….

No, I couldn’t think about that. Not now. I needed to focus on getting them the help they needed. If I started thinking about deaths, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself together well enough to help them.

Oh, no… I don’t think even Alex knew how much time they all had left…

My heart squeezed, and it became hard to breathe.

Okay, I need to pull myself together and get Alex into bed. He hasn’t seen Christopher yet, and I doubt he’d be able to do anything if he did, but if I leave him out here in the hallway, I’m afraid he’ll wither away even faster.

“Come on, let’s go back upstairs,” I told Alex gently, and turned him around. Luckily, he had just come out of the elevator, so we didn’t need to go that far.

I pressed the button for “up” and stepped into the elevator once the doors opened.

I looked at Alex. His eyes were just barely open, and he stared at the floor. Even in his sickened state, he still looked so beautiful.

I knew for certain this was the man I wanted to marry.

Oh, that reminded me… I gently touched the mark on my neck.

It’s a good thing Alex was in such a state, because if he was conscious enough to see the mark Christopher gave me, he’d go ballistic.

I still wasn’t looking forward to that conversation with him once the clan got back to normal, but I really, really hoped he’d understand why I did it.

He’d have to forgive me.

It was the only way.

The elevator dinged and I helped Alex step out. It was a slow and difficult walk back to his room. Alex was much heavier than I could hold.

If I were as strong as him, I’d just pick him up and take him there, but all I could do was barely keep him on his own feet.

Finally, we reached his room. I led him to his bed, which he immediately fell onto.

It’s as if he went to sleep the second he touched the covers.

I smiled softly to myself. He looked so gentle and sweet when he slept. At least now, his face wasn’t scrunched in pain. Maybe this was the best thing for him while I sorted things out.

And when he woke up, he’d feel all better.

To the best of my ability, I shifted Alex onto the bed and tucked him under the covers. I filled up a glass of water and set it by the bedside in case he woke up before I got back.

Lastly, I turned out all of the lights and shut the blinds.

I really didn’t want to leave him. I hated to leave his side when he needed me most, but I knew I had to.

Leaning over, I kissed him on the forehead.

“Sleep well, darling,” I whispered, and left the room.

“Ah!” I cried in shock, when I came face-to-face with Christopher on the other side of the door.

“What-! You can’t-” I stuttered, keeping my voice quiet, and frantically looked around. I shut Alex’s door behind me quickly.

“Christopher, are you crazy?! He’s right there!” I hissed, pushing him down the hall.

He only smiled. “I figured my mate would protect me. Alex won’t hurt you.”

I gave Christopher an unamused glare. “Shut up. Let’s just get out of here so you can do the ritual.”