Chapter 16

Caleb

I was getting addicted to Luka’s smell and body. It had only been two weeks or so, but it was bad, and getting worse every day that I knew her. Desire for her gnawed at me every moment of the day, whether I was near her or not.

There in her bed, her body was irresistible, and I couldn’t keep from touching it. But I felt that she wanted me to, and with each touch, it felt like a little bit of stress drifted away.

Luka was so delicate, but there was so much strength in her light brown eyes. Her scent was like roses mixed with vanilla, and the freshness of the woods.

I wanted to protect her. Not only that, I wanted her to know she was protected. I wanted to let her know I would never let what happened today happen again, if I could help it. And I would do everything in my power to.

She felt like heaven pressed next to me, feeling the quick breaths against my chest, getting to know her mouth with mine. And how soft and wet and dripping she was for me, just with my hands. When I slowly inserted myself into her, I felt fireworks, like this was where I belonged.

As soon as it began, everything shattered, like the wrong end of two magnets. A moment of ecstasy became agony for her, and for me, it became one of fear.

Luka’s face turned ashen. With a scream, she fainted. I immediately called Dr. Thorne, not even waiting to put my clothing on.

“Dr. Thorne, it’s an emergency. Please, come to the residence, in Luka’s room, as soon as possible.” I was propping her up, slipping her back into her comfortable clothes as I spoke.

“Of course, your majesty. I won’t be but a few minutes.”

“Thank you. And hurry.”

I hung up and put my clothes back on, and I rang for the nursing staff in the meantime to be prepared for Dr. Thorne.

When I expected a nurse to come in, Dr. Thorne was already in the bedroom. I embraced him with relief. “Thank you, Doctor. Thank you.”

“Of course, my dear king.” Dr. Thorne looked at Luka solemnly. “How is the patient? What happened?”

He was checking her vital signs as she lay unconscious. Normally I’d be shy talking about it, but I was too concerned for her to be embarrassed as I told him the story.

He nodded as I explained the course of her pain, going over the assault by the guard, her recovery when I took her back to her room, and her rapid decline after we began to make love.

“I see.” He was listening to her breathing on the stethoscope, examining her mouth and throat, checking her pulse, pressing on her stomach.

“What do you see?”

He sighed. “Well, her symptoms are unusual, and they’re unusually severe.”

“Symptoms of what, Doctor?”

He sat on a chair. “The mate bond was not completely severed when the rejection took place. Any…sexual activity…with anyone besides her previous…will have dire consequences that could worsen her health.”

“What can be done to help her?”

The doctor shook his head as he wrote down notes on his clipboard. “Anything I can offer would only treat the symptoms temporarily, not the underlying cause.”

“So there’s no cure?” I looked at Luka.

“There is. She’ll have to break the mate bond completely. She’ll have to reject him again.”

I was furious, shaking my head in disbelief. That demon Declan had done something to keep the bond from breaking. The plans for revenge in motion suddenly seemed inadequate. I wanted him to suffer.

“Dr. Thorne, if you’ll excuse me, I have important matters to attend to. I want to break this mate bond as soon as possible. Would you be able to stay to take care of Luka for when she wakes up?”

“Of course, your highness. It’s my honor to serve you.”

I shook his hand, genuinely grateful. “We’re lucky to have you here.”

I began calling James the moment I went into the hallway.

“Hello, Caleb, how are things going?”

“Not well, James. I need you to get Declan Shaw here as soon as possible.”

“Leave it to me.”

Luka

“What happened?” I blink away the sleep, not sure how I got here. “Caleb?”

A voice I can’t place speaks. “Luka, you passed out. It’s me, Dr. Thorne.”

“Dr. Thorne! It’s so nice to see you…I just wish it wasn’t always because of my health.”

Dr. Thorne chuckled. “I’m used to it. It’s how I wind up seeing most people. So, how are you feeling, Luka?”

“Awful. What’s happening to me?” I asked quietly.

Some of it was physical, and some of it was not knowing where Caleb was. I hoped I hadn’t scared Caleb away for good. It had felt so right before it suddenly went haywire.

“Luka, your mate bond was not fully severed from your previous m—”

“He wasn’t my mate. I mean, he was, but…” I felt on the verge of tears.

“I understand. We’re making arrangements for the bond to be completely broken.”

“I hope it’s as soon as possible,” I told him, speaking my mind more than usual. It was so disappointing to know that my misery with Declan didn’t end after leaving Declan. It followed me here.

“I do, too. The best thing you can do for now is to rest. And you’ll get the best medical care there is. I left some medicines for you, as well.”

“Thank you, Dr. Thorne. I appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure. Rest well. Feel better.”

I fell asleep quickly, my body craving rest. When I woke up, I wanted to see Caleb even more badly than the first time. I needed to know if I had lost him completely.

I went out of the bedroom and down the hall to look for Caleb, still a little dizzy and disoriented from the events of the day, physical and mental.

I wasn’t looking where I was going, and neither did he. We collided. It wasn’t Caleb, but my disappointment turned to horror when I realized who it was.

“Declan? What are you…”

I wanted to run away, but I was glued to the spot from confusion.

“I was summoned,” Declan scoffed. “Apparently you’re causing trouble, which is no surprise. You look worse than when I saw you last, and you were filthy then. Getting a bath and new clothes can’t fix what’s wrong with you. I knew the alpha king would get sick of you. I just didn’t expect it to be this fast.”

I didn’t think I could feel any sicker, but Declan has a way of always making everything worse than I could ever imagine.

“I have no interest in talking to you, Declan.” I backed away from him, showing my disgust. “But tell me just one thing: why isn’t the mate bond broken? What did you do?”

He looked genuinely surprised, which in turn surprised me. “That’s news to me. I guess I must be hard to shake. Poor you. Pining for me.”

My mouth is twisted into a scowl. “Never. Not even for a second.”

“Sounds like you’re in denial if your body is revolting against being away from me.”

“Something’s revolting, but it’s not my body, Declan.”

“News to me.” He looked me up and down. “I’ll be nice. If you kneel and beg, I’ll give you a chance to be my mistress and return to my pack. But there are going to be some changes.”

I pushed him away. “I want nothing to do with you, now or ever. You’re selfish, cruel, controlling, and sadistic. You’re a monster.”

Declan raised his hand to hit me, his muscles flexing, his vein popping in his neck.

I felt a force tugging me back, and I knew immediately from the scent and the calming effect on my body that it was Caleb. In a graceful two-step, the alpha king moved in front of me to block me from Declan’s violence, and he grabbed Declan’s hands in midair.

Caleb kicked him hard in the shins, nearly bringing him down to the floor.

“What dirty tricks are you pulling, Declan?” Caleb demanded. “What have you done to Luka?”