The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61: She Was Dying. He Brought His Girlfriend.

Serena felt the rock disappear behind her and found herself flat on her back.

She opened her eyes slowly. Constellations shimmered above her. A massive silver moon hung overhead, impossibly close. For a moment, she thought she was outside.

Then she recognized it. The chamber under the library. The one with the ceiling enchanted like a night sky. The one as large as Drakenfell castle itself.

She was lying on the rune she’d carved the night she was crowned. The Aureus Catenes cuff she wore on her wrist had activated and brought her here.

That meant one thing: this was most definitely not her first shift.

Was she really that close to death?

She felt strangely calm. Almost like it was happening to someone else.

Well, now we know they work, she thought dryly to herself.

"Serena?" Alaric’s voice cut through the fog in her mind. "What on earth?"

He slid to his knees next to her, examining her forehead followed by her limbs.

She heard him, but couldn’t answer. His next words were muffled.

The pain had surpassed everything, even her Hidden Flame mark. Her mark flashed even hotter, competing for dominance.

Alaric’s hands glowed, but nothing happened. Serena didn’t even feel it.

"Was she poisoned?" A voice called, cutting through the muffled noises.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she was out.

✦✦✦

Fin staggered to his feet. Aeron helped him up, raising his eyebrows but not commenting.

Protocol be damned. Fin knew the likelihood of being seen was high, even with a cloak on and hood up.

Drakenfell’s tents were in the middle of the camp, which was one of the reasons they’d met in his earlier.

They entered the main tent a minute later. To his relief, everyone was there.

Before they could say anything, Gavriel spoke, voice clipped and urgent.

"Was Serena with you?"

"I found her in the forest." Fin’s jaw was tight. "She was in a lot of pain. Kept insisting she was fine and wouldn’t let me help her."

"That’s when I arrived and tried to heal her," Aeron added, eyes locked with Hyran’s. "But she vanished into thin air."

Gavriel and Hale exchanged a glance, faces darkening. That alone told Fin everything he needed to know.

Without a word, Hyran carved a portal in the middle of the tent. He ran through and Fin didn’t ask permission. He bolted after him before the others could move.

He gave zero fucks that he was running into a portal with an unknown destination. Hyran made that portal for a reason, and there was no question she was on the other side.

Serena’s scent hit him immediately. He followed it at alpha speed, ignoring the excruciating pain in his body, and slid to his knees beside her.

Her eyes were closed. But even unconscious, her brows were furrowed and face pained.

Fin inhaled sharply, clocking the shift in her coloring even from a few minutes ago. Her complexion now had a slight grey hue. Small veins darkened beneath her eyes, like ink spreading through water. She looked like she was dying.

A healer knelt over her, gold magic glowing from his hands.

Fin recognized him instantly. Alaric Kestrel. They had met once through Aeron. He was known as one of the best healers on the continent.

That should have made Fin feel better. But it didn’t.

"Standard antidote first," Alaric muttered, hands still glowing over Serena.

"I don’t think she was poisoned." Aeron moved next to Fin, voice clipped. "Has she had recent prolonged silver exposure?"

Neither of them bothered with the usual decorum involved when visiting another pack. There wasn’t time.

"Yes, she has." A woman’s voice cracked. "One year of it."

Fin looked up. A redheaded woman stood beside Hale, their hands linked. He assumed this was Elara Vaelor, the other person Garrett had mentioned.

Gavriel slid in on Alaric’s other side across from Fin, face tight with concern.

Xeon: It won’t matter if she dies either way.

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