shuhaige
Chapter 251
Chapter 251
#Chapter 41 A fallen queen
William’s POV
Doris looked like a goddess to his eyes. She glowed and made the world bow to her. She brought down every foe with barely lifting her paw, and then extinguished every bit of fire that tried to turn the village into dust.
When she finally collapsed, William felt himself breathe. He shifted back into his human form and ran to her. He barely registered when a guard had draped a cloak around him, he took Doris into his arms and pulled her weak body against him.
The necklace shined in the moonlight and a spark of rage ignited inside him. What was this doing on her? He tried to rip it off her, but it wouldn’t budge. There was no clasp as if it was melted together. The more he pulled on it, the harder it felt. It was as if it was becoming more stubborn the more he tried to get it off her.
“Fuck.” William grumbled and let the chain go. She was still in her wolf form which concerned him. Each time she passed out, normally she would change back into herself.
William felt more presence around him. He glanced up to see the villagers crowding around their king as well as his own guards. They looked down at Doris as if she was already their queen and he could only pull her tighter against him. “Will she be okay?” One of the villagers asked. Enzo came to stand near them, he also had a cloak on from one of the guards and he watched the crowd with interest.
“She will be.” William said simply. He moved to gather her in his arms. “I need to get her back to the palace.”
“She saves us!” Another woman blurred out. “She saved our village! I’ve never seen power like that!” “She’s a white wolf! I never thought I would ever live to see a white wolf.” An older man commented. William stood with Doris in his arms and began to walk back to the palace. Still, his people followed.
“Make sure everyone here has a place to sleep tonight.” William said as he passed his guards. He ignored the murmuring of thanks behind him and watched his bride try to breathe normally in his arms.
He wanted to be mad at her. He wanted to scream and shake her until she woke up so he could scream some more. She never listened. She never stayed still and allowed him to handle things.
He loved her for that. He loved that she had a heart of gold and chose to follow it even if it meant going down darker paths to do what was right. He loved that she didn’t cower from him once she found herself. He loved everything about her and he knew this small space that formed between them had only made them stronger in the end.
The only thing he didn’t love was the feeling in his chest. It felt as if his heart was about to break in half. What if the necklace didn’t come off? He was told that it tried to suck a person dry if it had the chance. It could suck the life out of her if she wasn’t strong enough to resist it.
He would give his own life to restore hers. She would hate him for admitting it but it was true. He would. She was the mother of his child and she was the reason this kingdom had hope flicker in their expression even on the darkest day.
They all talked about how great she was the whole way back. No one questioned if he had sent those Hunter wolves. He knew they could tell the truth and could see he wasn’t involved, he didn’t have to prove anything.
They spoke about her as if she was already their queen and William would have felt his cold heart warm if Doris hadn’t been unconscious.
William brought her to the medical wing and they immediately took action. All the noise was closed behind him until he heard Beth rush in the door. “Where is she? Is she okay?” Beth said, out of breath. Enzo came in behind with Alec in his arms. William checked his son before he turned to Beth.
“They’re not sure how to get that thing off.” He grumbled and raked his fingers through his hair. “ I don’t... I tried to break it but it only grew stronger.”
“She has to be the one to break it.” Enzo said. William gave him a long look and he continued. “ She’s losing herself. She has to find her way back here and release the hold herself or it will never come off.”
William opened and closed his hands at his sides. He was used to using them to get his way. He would be rough and tough and everything would fall at his feet. But now—now he felt at a loss. He felt as if he didn’t have it in him to fight when he knew it would only make it worse for her. He just wanted her back.
William left them and went to sit at Doris’s side. He raised his hand and the room emptied, leaving William alone with Doris.
He ran his fingers through her hair and looked down at her with a softness that only she could ever bring out of him.
“When I first saw you, I tried to fight the voice that told me how beautiful you were. A part of me hated that from the first moment, you made me want to soften without saying a word.” William spoke gently. Doris flinched a little beneath his touch— perhaps she could hear him.
“I could see there was a small spark of fire in your eyes whenever I told you what to do. I knew that beneath all the small flinches and scared behaviour, there was someone stronger beneath. I saw it for the first time in the north and I knew 1 loved you then.”
Doris moved her head closer to him. “My entire life I was so sure that I didn’t want to fall in love. I didn’t want someone that I had to care for and worry about. I resented how much I cared about you. I told myself that it wasn’t love, it was just possession. But it wasn’t. I love you, and I would have loved you even if you weren’t my mate. I would love you even if you left me there in the cold and never came back.”
William’s fingers touched the necklace and it was hot enough to burn. He quickly pulled away. “You we're always meant to be a queen. And a mother. Come back fo me, Doris. Don’t let this take you, you know you're stronger.”
A few moments passed in silence. William sighed and dropped his head in his hands. There had to be something he could do— Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
The bed shifted a little and he shot his head up to see Doris clenching blankets to her chest with one hand, and the necklace in the other.