Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Cedric
I stood by the window, fists clenched tight. The chaos of footsteps below faded as I sent every guard out. They had to find Alice, even if they had to tear the kingdom apart. She was pregnant. How could she survive out there alone? The thought made my chest tighten.
I reached for the mate bond, forcing my consciousness deeper, but got nothing back. The other end was silent—maddeningly silent.
I had no idea which way to go, but the silence meant she was safe. At least that's what I told myself.
Then Alice's voice broke through.
Cedric.
Cedric, help me.
Please, I can't hold on much longer.
She was in danger. Her words nearly stopped my heart. The pain and desperation made my wolf go ballistic, roaring to break free and get to our mate.
"Hold on." I shot back. "Alice, hold on. I'm coming."
I launched through the window, shifting mid-air. Black fur erupted as I landed hard on the grass and took off at full speed toward where I felt her.
Wind screamed past my ears. My wolf howled.
Faster! Move faster!
I had to see her. Had to know what danger she faced. I didn't care whose kid she was carrying anymore. I couldn't lie to myself. Couldn't deny what I felt for her.
I needed her.
The pull led me north into the forest. The second I hit the tree line, white-robed figures appeared ahead.
I skidded to a stop and shifted back.
The White Witches. At least a dozen. Elsa led them—Serena's right hand. "What are you doing here?"
Elsa bowed low. "Your Majesty! We sensed dark magic deeper in the forest. We were going to investigate."
Dark magic? Had Alice run into a Black Witch?
"You know where it is exactly?" I demanded.
Elsa nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. The disturbance is north, at the forest's heart."
North. Forest center. Right where the bond was pulling me. I locked eyes with Elsa, urgency bleeding through. "Take me there. Now."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Elsa bowed again and led her witches forward.
But as we neared the forest depths, something felt wrong.
The bond was weakening. That thread connecting me to Alice grew faint, like it might snap any second.
That wasn't right. The bond was goddess-given. It couldn't weaken. I immediately knew something was off. I narrowed my eyes at the witches.
They still looked respectful enough, but I caught the glances they exchanged, the small gestures.
"Where exactly are we going?" My voice dropped, dangerous.
Elsa turned back with a smile. "To find the Queen, of course."
"Did I say I was looking for the Queen? Elsa, you know what happens when you lie to the King?"
Her smile froze. Her eyes turned cold. The other White Witches stopped walking and slowly turned around.
Their gentle expressions vanished, replaced by icy mockery.
"Figured it out?" Elsa sneered. "Too bad. Too late."
She waved her hand. The air twisted. A complex magic circle bloomed beneath my feet, black runes slithering like snakes, trapping me inside.
"What the hell are you doing?" Every word was ice.
Elsa stepped closer, triumph gleaming in her eyes. "You think we'd bow to werewolves forever? Let you oppress us forever?"
"Even the mighty Wolf King is nothing special," another witch shrieked. "Today's your last day! And we'll drain every drop of power from that mate of yours!"
The mention of Alice sent my wolf into a frenzy. He roared to rip their heads off.
They'd betrayed me. And they wanted to hurt my mate.
"Where is Alice?" I snarled, my alpha pressure exploding outward, slamming into the witches.
Their faces went white. They stumbled back, watching me warily.
"You'll never find her." Elsa had clearly anticipated this. She backed up to a safe distance, laughing. "This circle severs your bond. You heard her call for help, but she can't hear you. Of course, you'll join her underground soon enough."
My body started shaking—not from fear, but from pure rage.
"What did you do to her?"
"Drained her power, naturally." Elsa's smile was cruel. "You think she's just some ugly omega? She's carrying power the Moon Goddess gave her. Every witch craves that power."
Before she finished, I shifted and lunged. My fangs closed on Elsa's throat. I shook my head once. Hot blood exploded in my mouth. She didn't even get to scream before she collapsed.
"Get him!" The other witches attacked at once, black magic shooting toward me.
I dodged hard, but the circle limited my range. One blast hit my back. Flesh tore. Pain ripped through me.
But I didn't feel it.
All I could think about was Alice. Her desperate voice through the bond.
Alice!
Alice, answer me!
Damn it, answer me!
Still nothing. Just death-like silence. The thread grew weaker, almost gone.
I went feral, tearing into the nearest witch. My claws pinned her shoulders. My fangs ripped her throat. She screamed and fell. I moved to the next one.
Kill them. Kill everyone who hurt Alice.
Just as I was losing control, Alice's voice came again, even weaker.
Cedric...
Cedric, please...
If you're still there, answer me...
It's her!
She was still calling me. My breathing went ragged. My eyes turned blood-red.
"Hang on!" I roared through the bond. "Alice, hang on! I'm almost—"
But then, as I turned to break through the circle, Alice's voice came through one last time, full of despair. "I, Alice, reject Cedric as my mate. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."
Agony exploded from my chest. The thread connecting us—severed like someone took a blade to it. Gone without a trace.
"Ahhh—" I screamed, my body shifting back against my will. I crashed to my knees. The pain—like someone reached into my chest and tore my heart out with their bare hands. Like a thousand needles stabbed into my marrow, shredding my soul from the inside out.
No, not just my heart. My soul. My entire reason for existing. Rejected by your mate—it was crueler than death.
"No!" My voice was shredded. "Alice!"
"You look miserable!" The witches' laughter echoed around me. "The mighty Wolf King, abandoned by his own mate? Guess your bond wasn't so strong after all."
"Shut up! You'll pay for this!" Rage consumed me. I shifted again and went at them like a madman. Fangs ripped throats. Claws tore out organs. Blood soaked my fur.
Their magic hit me. Flesh split. Ribs cracked. But I didn't feel it. I just wanted them dead. All of them. Everyone who hurt Alice.
I don't know how much time passed. When I came to, silence had fallen. The witches lay in pools of blood. Not one left alive.
And I was wrecked. My right foreleg nearly blown off, hanging by a thread of skin. Every step left a bloody print. I staggered back to human form, trying to find her, but my body gave out.
I collapsed hard. Blood poured from countless wounds. Alice had severed our bond herself. I couldn't sense her anymore. And she was probably already...
What did those damn witches do to her? She must have been in so much pain. Before she cut the bond, she must have waited for me with every ounce of hope she had. But I didn't make it. I didn't save her.
That's why she was desperate enough to sever the bond. She hated me. Hated me so much she didn't want any connection left.
I lay there, memories flooding back. Her cold eyes at the wedding. The finality when she said "I hate every second with you." How she tried to run from me again and again.
She was my mate, but every time she tried to explain, I believed Victoria instead. Not only that—I made her take care of Victoria. Made her move out of the Queen's chambers. Let her be humiliated in front of everyone.
But now, losing her, I finally understood. I'd fallen for her long ago. That possessiveness when anyone got near her. The panic when she pulled away. The fury when she mentioned divorce—
It was all love. But I kept denying it, running from it, using my father's tragedy to convince myself I couldn't love her.
Now I finally knew my own heart. But I'd lost her completely.
I tried to stand, gritting my teeth. My arm buckled. I hit the ground again. The pain from my wounds was nothing compared to my heart.
Maybe... maybe I should join her underground. After hurting her so deeply, after failing her when she needed me—I had no right to live. I closed my eyes, letting the darkness take me.
"Your Majesty!" A familiar voice, panicked. "Your Majesty! Wake up!"
Someone was shaking my shoulders hard, rough and urgent. My wounds screamed.
"Don't bother saving me..." I forced my eyes open. Caspar's frightened face swam into view. "Let me be with her..."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Caspar's voice cracked with anger and tears. He hauled me up. "Your Majesty! Snap out of it!"
"She's dead," I mumbled, tears sliding down. "Caspar, Alice... she's dead."
"How do you know she's dead?" Caspar shouted. "Maybe she's alive! Maybe she's waiting for you to save her!"
His voice got louder, almost a roar. "If Alice is alive, bleeding somewhere, and you give up now, then she really has no chance! You want her to die?"
My body froze. Caspar was right. What if she was alive? What if she was waiting?
"Help me up." I struggled. Caspar steadied me. I gritted my teeth and stood, inch by inch. Every breath felt like knives in my lungs. My right leg was numb, held up only by Caspar's support.
I looked at the guards Caspar brought.
He spoke quickly. "After you left, guards reported that all the palace White Witches suddenly left together, heading the same direction as you. I was worried, so I brought reinforcements."
I nodded and gave orders immediately.
"Find Alice!" I gasped. "Send two back to the palace. Mobilize every guard. Turn this whole damn forest inside out if you have to. Find the Queen!"
The guards scattered in different directions.
Caspar looked worried. "Your Majesty, your injuries are severe. Let me take you back to get bandaged."
"No! I'm not leaving until we find Alice!" I refused without thinking. Alice was waiting. She was in danger. How could I leave her here alone?
I struggled to stand steady, trying to walk forward.
Caspar grabbed me. His voice hesitated. "But..."
"No buts, Caspar! Alice needs me. She's scared right now, terrified! Those bitches are hurting her!" I roared, shaking him off again, limping deeper into the forest.
From dawn to sunset, we searched every corner. Every bush. Every cave. Nothing.
By the third day, I'd scoured the entire northern border. Finally, deep in the forest, I found signs of a fight. Werewolf claw marks. The scent of witch magic. And blood—so much blood soaked into the earth, turning it dark brown. I caught Alice's scent in it.
So much blood... how could she still be alive? My body shook. Massive fear gripped my heart like a vise.
"Your Majesty," Caspar approached, voice soft. He looked just as exhausted. "You haven't rested in three days. Your wounds haven't healed. Maybe go back and—"
"No." My voice was wrecked. "Keep searching."
"But—"
"I said keep searching!" I roared. "Even if... even if it's just a body, we have to find her!"
Caspar opened his mouth, looked in my eyes, and finally said nothing. He just walked away. I knew he was hurting almost as much as I was.
I dropped to my knees in that bloodstain, hands pressed into the cold mud. I knew this was probably pointless. Three days. She couldn't still be alive. But I had nothing else. The place in my chest where the bond used to be—empty. Nothing.
"I'm sorry..." My voice trembled. "Alice, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"If I could do it over, I'd treat you right..."
"I'd believe you. Protect you. Make everyone respect you..."
"I'd tell you... I love you..."
Tears hit the ground, mixing with the blood. I pushed myself up slowly. I searched with the guards again until dark, practically tearing up every inch of this forest. But still no Alice. Not even a clue.
When dawn broke again, my hope finally shattered. I gripped the dagger in my hand. The silver blade glinted cold in the morning light.
I'd failed the pack. But without her, I couldn't live. A world without her—I couldn't last one more day.
I raised the dagger, aimed at my heart—
Suddenly.
A faint flutter in my chest. So light, so weak, I almost thought I imagined it. But it was real. The bond.
"Alice?" I shouted, the dagger clattering to the ground. That sound snapped me awake.
"Everyone!" I roared. "All of you! Assemble now!"
She was alive. There was still hope.
This time, I wouldn't lose her.
Never again.