Chapter 24

I felt every bone in my body crumble in itself.

I didn’t do it.

Kairos beat me.

I shifted slightly in the bed I was in. I recognized the room immediately as the infirmary. There was a low beeping noise coming from my right. I looked down and saw an IV sticking out of my hand. I frowned. I tried to sit up further, but my brain was pulsing in my skull. I slunk back down and looked at Valentin.

“What happened?” I whispered.

“You were doing well,” Valentin said back soft. “Then he got under up. Swiped your foot and had you on your back.”

I nodded. I remembered that. Then everything got kind of fuzzy. Valentin sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“He threw you to the ground a few times then you headbutted him. Hard,” A soft smile crossed his lips. “Not what I meant when I said ‘use your head’ by the way.”

I smiled back but my head started to pound more. I closed my eyes. “So I didn’t win,”

“No,” the joking tone had completely left Valentin’s voice. “You threw yourself at Kairos so hard that you knocked yourself out. He was stunned, but only for a moment or so. Once everyone realized you were passed out, Maximus called it.”

I wanted to curl up in a ball and die.

Not only had I lost to Kairos but I’d made myself look like an idiot by throwing my skull against his. Part of me was proud I’d stunned him. The other part of me was cursing myself for the pulsing in my head. I closed my eyes, hoping to drown it out.

I heard a gentle buzzing, then Valentin shuffling around. “Hello?” he said. There was a loud, shrill voice in the phone then he sighed. “Yes, she’s here.”

I didn’t need to ask to know who he was talking to. I silently held out my hand. Valentin dropped the phone in it. I brought it up to my ear.

“Hello, mother,” my voice sounded crackly.

“Hello?!” Victoria screeched. “You almost die and all you have to say is ‘hello’?!”

“I didn’t die, did I?” I mumbled. “Plus, your screaming is making my head feel like Jell-O.”

“You are unbelievable!”” she went on, shrilly. “What in the Gods green earth were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that I was tired of being shoved around like nothing,” I popped one eye open. Valentin’s face was neutral but I knew he was thinking the same things. “I had to prove myself,” I went on. “He had this Hunt thing going on after me and—”

“Valentin didn’t tell me his Hunt was after you,” she snapped. “The annual hunt is usually after the weakest wolf.”

I snorted. “Well,”

Victoria sighed deeply. “Zora, I cannot believe you thought it was a good idea to face the son of a High Alpha without awakening your inner wolf,” she said. “Furthermore, I am sorry you felt like you had to.”

I blinked twice. “Um, thank you?”

“We should’ve sent you in as the Princess,” she went on. “This was all a mistake.”

“Wait, wait,” I cut her off. I sat up straighter, wincing as I went. Valentin’s hands were immediately cupped around me. I swatted him away. His eyes went wide as he sat back down. “I’m happy I came in the way I did,” I continued. “If I came in as the Princess, everyone would’ve treated me like gold. I needed to come in as a wolfless nobody so I knew the gravity of what I was stepping into. I would’ve never trained this hard – caught up that quickly, really – if Kairos wasn’t out for my head.” I shook my head once.

“I don’t regret any of it.”

“I do!” Victoria sounded panicked. “You’ve been hurt over and over—”

“I’m not afraid of being hurt,” my voice was steady. “I’m afraid of giving up. When I give up, that’s when it’s over. Being hurt never phases me. I’ve been hurt enough I know how to deal with it.”

I hoped Victoria picked up on the dig at her. By her silence, I figured she did. She sighed again. I let my eyes flutter shut.

“So the Mateball is in a few days,” she said, gently.

My eyes flew open. “I’m sorry,” I hissed. “Now that you know I’m not dead, you’re trying to marry me off again?!”

“Zora—”

“What the fuck is your obsession with marrying me off to one of these psychopaths!”

I noticed Valentin flinched to my right. I ignored it entirely. I considered him just as insane as the others; trying to ignore something that felt so natural and right.

“If you’d let me explain,” Victoria pleaded. “I was going to tell you the truth.”

“Then tell me,” I snapped.

“When you were born,” my mother started. “A prophet came to me. She told me that you were destined to be with the sons of the High Alphas. Maximus Wolfham, Kairos Moonraiser, Thorne Blythwitch and Valentin Lunerly.” She said Valentin’s name quickly and sharply. It was if she didn’t want to admit he was one of the people I was supposed to be fated to.

“Right,” I said. “I deduced that when you dropped three of their headshots in front of me before I was shipped to this hellhole.”

“Yes, well there’s more,” Victoria mumbled. “She said that one of the men could be your fated mate. When you recognized the fated mate bond, and accepted it, your natural gifts would be unlocked.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. I thought of what Valentin and Maximus had taught me about the great war between vampires and werewolves. My mother was said to have powers that she unlocked as well. Did I have these same powers?

“But I don’t even have a wolf,” I said softly. “How am I supposed to have gifts when I don’t even have a wolf.”

“My hope,” Victoria went on. “Is that by finding your fated mate, you will unlock both. At once.”

My jaw fell unhinged. That was why she was so keen on me finding a mate. She was trying to help me. At once, every horrible thought I’d had towards marriage was absolved. By finding my fated mate, I would not only be as powerful as the others, but potentially more.

Maybe we should’nt have been such a dick about this? My inner voice mused.

Probably not, I responded. But if she told us, then we would’ve known.

My inner voice “humph”ed before disappearing in the back of my mind. I could’ve sworn I saw a shimmer of silver follow in her path. I blinked a few times before bringing my attention back to the room.

“I’ll go,” I said, quickly. “To Mateball. I’ll go.”

Victoria seemed to sigh in relief. “Thank the Gods,” she said. “I’ll send some attire for the occasion to your room. Don’t worry, it won’t be embossed with the royal crest.”

“Okay,” I nodded. My neck was slowly feeling less stiff. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Victoria said. “Now please give the phone back to Valentin so I can arrange for the shipment of clothing.”

I slowly removed the phone from my ear and handed it back to Valentin. He looked pale as he picked it out of my hand and held it back to his ear. I tuned him out and stared at the ceiling.

Someone play here comes the child bride…