“I… didn’t k-know,” I uttered. “I’m sorry,” I said as my voice broke into sobs.
I had witnessed the day he found his mate’s lifeless body. Desmond didn’t shed a tear, but he carried her with an expression that could only belong to a broken man. It turned him into a monster–we turned him into this heartless monster.
“I–I’m so sorry,” I repeated. I felt like I knew his pain, like I owned it too.
“Don’t lie to me,” he growled.
The tears were blurring my vision. I couldn’t see Desmond's face, but I felt his hand against my cheek. It wasn’t cruel… It was unexpectedly gentle, and then, something snapped.
The pain was temporarily gone. The tears no longer blocked my view, and I could clearly see him. Desmond’s eyes were wide, as were mine when I felt the mate bond snap into place.
The relief from pain didn’t last long, and it came back like a torrent that drowned all else. Every time I breathed, it would hurt so bad that I was almost glad to slip into oblivion. Even so, I felt his arms clutching me close, carrying my limp body.
“Don’t die.”
I wanted to open my eyes, but my eyelids were too heavy. Everything was. I didn’t have enough energy or mental capacity to process what had formed between us. I also didn’t think it mattered because I was dying–or so it felt like. I had been left too long in that cold cell, who knew? Maybe my heart’s condition had worsened during that time.
“You will not die. Not until I allow you,” Desmond’s voice echoed in my ears. “Not when you’ve placed this cursed bond on me."
How was it even possible that a mate bond would form between us? The moon Goddess rarely offered second chances, and in this case, it appeared like she was playing with us. How could she match me with someone my parents had wronged?
I awoke in a soft mattress this time after passing out in Desmond’s arms. I took a look around and realized that I was in his room. I knew from the insignias around the room.
A healer was also present. She held my hand and said, “This isn’t an illness. It’s poison. Something has been poisoning your heart slowly.”
“What?” I muttered. My heart had been a problem for five years now, I couldn’t even shift because of it. All I knew was the healers couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so they couldn’t fix it. “H-how do you know that? Why didn’t the other healers know that?”