Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
Alice nodded.
“We need to talk about it,” she said.
Axel pulled back; she was avoiding his gaze.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Let’s sit,” she said, pushing off the door and moving toward the couch, pulling him along with her.
Once they were settled on the couch, Axel observed her movements. She was pulling back from him, hiding behind her walls.
“Tell me,” he said.
She swallowed, but she did as he asked. She told him about Sadie and about Holden. Finally, she told him about the cure.
Axel sat back against the sofa, taking everything in.
“Alice…” he whispered.
“I’m doing it,” she interrupted. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”
“Alice,” Axel sighed, sitting forward to look at her.
“It’s not just for Myka,” she said softly. “It’s for all of you.”
Axel closed his eyes and lowered his head.
Alice lifted his chin, he opened his eyes, and she smiled.
“We both know things will get so much worse very soon. And you will be on the battlefield,” she whispered. “If one of these creatures gets you….”
Axel reached his hand up over hers, rubbing the back of her hand reassuringly.
“I won’t let that happen…” she said, a small crack in her voice. “Not if I can stop it.”
Axel sighed.
“I don’t understand. If Holden proved his theory by experimenting on Sadie, then why can’t we get the cure from her?”
“Because the virus wasn’t finished when Holden died,” Alice replied. “They didn’t have your blood yet. So, the fae code he used on her isn’t the same as the one the virus uses.”
Axel leaned back and pulled Alice into his arms. She didn’t resist, allowing him to comfort her.
“I don’t want you to go through this,” he whispered.
Alice smiled.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “But I’d rather it be me than anyone else.”
Axel bent down and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her shoulder.
“I know,” he whispered.
***
“Are you sure about this?” Peter asked, looking down at her.
“Of course,” Alice nodded, looking up at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t blame you, and neither will Axel.”
“I mean, I wasn’t worried about that before, but now I am, so thanks for that,” Peter said with a playful sigh.
Alice lifted her arms. The restraints stopped several inches off the bed.
“You need to tighten these,” she said. “If they aren’t tight enough, I’ll snap them.”
“Right…” he said, “I’m not used to strapping people in to withstand torture.”
“Well, I guess you’ll need to acquiesce to my expertise in being tortured then,” she smiled.
Peter swallowed.
“Come on, Peter,” she said. “Time to put on your big boy pants and do what needs to be done.”
Peter took a deep breath.
“Just so you know, insulting me and trying to make me feel like this is no big deal for you isn’t going to put me at ease with doing this.”
“Then just think of Myka,” she said. “Because I’m doing this for him and Axel.”
Peter closed his eyes and nodded. He swallowed his unease and the lump in his throat and then reached down and tightened the restraints on her wrists and across her chest and forehead so that she could barely move.
Alice attempted to struggle but couldn’t.
“Good,” she nodded at him.
Peter began to turn on the machines and set up the IV.
“Ten seconds after I turn this on, the iron will enter your veins. For the next hour, iron will continue to pour into you, burning through your body and weakening your immune system. After that, I will give you a transfusion of my own blood, an average wolf with average fae remnants.
“According to Holden’s experiments, this should kickstart your healing. Since you already have it in your system, it will activate the virus simultaneously.”
Peter paused, swallowing and taking another deep breath.
“And then… I will once more… flood your body with iron.”
“And I won’t die,” Alice said, more to Peter than herself. “Because a human wolf is not a true wolf. Iron will burn me; it will be excruciating. But it won’t kill me, just the virus.”
Peter swallowed and nodded.
“Do it.”
Peter clenched his jaw and turned on the machine. Just as he said, ten seconds passed, and then twelve. Her body shuddered, and her jaw clenched tight. Peter could see her strain through the veins in her throat. But still, she did not let out a sound.
Miles away, in a small bunker kept for prisoners considered too dangerous to be held with others, the Alpha of Winter was bound in chains as he roared out the pain his mate was experiencing.
Axel stayed by her side for the two stays she slept.
Corrine was working with the other leaders to ensure that all of Winter’s needs were being met and that their allies were also safeguarded. She sent a report every few hours. He would take a look, respond to anything that needed his input and then immediately return to Alice.
He didn’t understand all that Alice and Peter had explained to him about the process of finding the cure. But he knew that she had suffered a great deal to be able to provide it.
They said it had to do with her genetics being primarily human, which somehow made her immune to the effects of the virus. But, the virus itself could be triggered by introducing another wolf’s blood or genetic material.
Peter had given her his blood to activate the virus and then overwhelmed it with iron.
Iron.
They should have suspected long ago that the wolves had a connection to the fae. The only weakness they still knew about from the ancient wars was a vulnerability to iron.
According to what he remembered of Peter’s words, overwhelming the virus allowed him to isolate it, and with a few experiments that Axel did not want the details about, he was able to find what Holden had boasted about.
The cure.
A way to teach the virus to attack itself instead of the host.
Peter could extract what he needed from Alice’s body; from there, he made whatever changes he needed to so that they could quickly give it to Myka.
Axel didn’t know what that meant. He didn’t care either. Myka was a nice guy, and he was precious to Alice. He wanted him to get better, but based on the mutations Myka was already showing, it seemed clear that any hope of a family for Axel and Alice was lost in saving him.
Axel could not lose her too.
He held her hand, pressing his forehead against it. He listened to the soft sounds of her heart and lungs. Reassurance that she was still with him.
The sound of the door opening slowly perked his ears. Axel didn’t want to move, but the scent in the air surprised him.
“Careful,” he heard Peter whisper.
Axel sat up slowly and lifted his gaze to the door. He saw Peter, his back, holding the door as he and the other person entered the room.
“I’m fine,” came a weak voice.
He was leaning heavily on Peter. His blue hair had lost most of its sheen and bounce while bedridden. Now there was even a soft green in it.
“You are not fine; you just woke up. You shouldn’t even be up right now.”
Myka took a deep breath and looked at his lover. Showing him his sincere wish through his eyes.
“Peter,” Myka sighed, “I need to see her.”
Peter paused, letting out an exasperated breath.
“I brought you all the way here already. It’s not like I was going to refuse to let you go the last few feet,” Peter huffed.
Myka smiled as they moved together into the room.
Axel watched them approach, but he didn’t get up or say a word. His feelings, at the moment, were complicated.
He was relieved to see that the cure had clearly worked on Myka, but glancing down at Alice, dulled the relief he felt.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?