The Rejected Luna’s Prince By Aurora Archer
Chapter 60 – The Clinic
(Willa)
Days turned into weeks, into months, into years.
I felt like a shell of a person, burying myself in work, but I never felt fully here.
“How is he?” Cali tugged at a curl, not bothering to knock on the office door, his office door.
“The same,” I said, nothing new.
Stable, unchanging, but at least he wasn’t worse. Not yet.
It was painful to be away from him, but I had to step up; it was what he would have wanted.
“What can I do to help?” She came up to my desk, Caspien’s desk.
I was trying to sort through everything that was important, but I didn’t know what was. I should have accepted Luna duties before, and then I would know what I needed to do here. I was so wrapped up in my own s*hi*t I didn’t think about what was best for the pack, for Caspien.
Thankfully, I had support. Rendell was a huge help, and Griffen handled the new pack while Holden held things down at The Dracos Group.
“I don’t even know.” I slumped into myself.
“Go get some rest. You need it,” Her voice was softer than usual.
“I can’t sleep,” Those same images just flashed through my mind. Him laying in pain, him slipping away, how he looked almost corpse-like now.
Besides, any second sleeping was a second that something could turn for the worse for Caspien.
“You didn’t sleep last night,” Cali said, “Go down to the hospital and sleep next to him, but you’re useless without sleep.”
I was useless with sleep too.
“He’s been stable for hours now,” Cali tried, “I’m sure he will be okay.” But she didn’t sound sincere.
The doctors didn’t know; no one did.
“It’s been almost twenty-four hours since we got back. He’s been stable most of the time,” She grabbed my hand and pulled me up, “I got this; link me if you need anything. Get some rest. I’ll let you know what Griffen finds out,” I nodded once.
Has it only been a day? I swore years had passed.
I didn’t know what true fear was until everything that I knew was held on a precipice that I didn’t control.
I was terrified of being pregnant alone, scared out of my mind during labor. Moving to the city by myself was a new flavor of fear. Emmett’s fevers were the worst, but there was still a bit of hope there, even if I felt mostly hopeless.
This was something else. This was too real. It ripped open parts of me and filled them with waves that felt white hot.
I dragged myself up, “I’ve got it. Go,” Cali urged as I paused at the door. I nodded and left.
Emmett was with my parents. I couldn’t bear to tell him what had happened yet. I didn’t know how.
The elevator door opened, and Emmett came barreling out, followed by my parents, who looked both frantic and stoic.
“He needed to see you,” My mom explained, “I tried to link you.”
S*hi*t. I didn’t mean to have a block up. I couldn’t afford to miss any information. I worked to lower it, it was the first time I accidentally had a block up, I didn’t even realize that was possible.
“Dad is hurt,” Emmett’s green eyes were wide and filled with tears.
I looked at my parents, who shook their heads, “We didn’t tell him, I swear.” My dad said.
“Baby,” My voice shook, “He will be okay.”
“I want to see him,” Emmett said, and I swallowed; Caspien didn’t look like himself. I couldn’t put Emmett through that; he was already starting to look like a corpse.
“I don’t know if that is a good idea,” I said, trying to put on a smile, “Let’s see him when he’s better.”
“No,” Emmett’s tears spilled over, “I need to,”
I looked up at my parents for help, but they didn’t say anything.
“Okay,” I took his hand and led him to the main elevator that went down to the other floors leaving my parents behind.
The clinic was bright, with large windows letting in the sunlight and plants everywhere. It did little to improve my mood, actually, it worsened it.
This place was far too cheery.
“Luna,” The nurse nodded. I didn’t care about her using a title I didn’t have, it meant nothing without him anyways “There isn’t any change,” She looked away, and I nodded not trusting my words.
“Are you sure?” I asked Emmett.
He was solemn next to me, clutching onto my hand. He nodded once.
I walked down the already familiar corridor. The others in the hallway stepped aside and looked down. When the professionals looked worried, I knew better than to hope for a good outcome.
“It’s okay, Mama.” He said, and it shattered me.
He didn’t have to protect me. I didn’t want him to think he had. I was supposed to be the one rea*s*suring him, and I tried but I couldn’t.
I felt like such a failure.
I took a shaky breath as I paused at the closed door at the end of the hallway. The largest room, I was a*s*sured, as if that mattered. He was so far gone the extra square inches meant nothing.
A doctor that looked familiar was standing by his bedside, looking over papers on a clipboard.
It felt too normal, jarring; it grated against me.
How could anyone go on doing anything normal while my mate was lying there dying?
I hated them. I hated them for not knowing what this felt like. I hated them for not understanding.
I hated that they could go on back to their normal lives, that this was just a part of it – a job.
I envied them, anyone, that could find joy still. Anyone that could do anything with any sense of normality.
I didn’t realize how lucky I was before, how much I took for granted, and that even sounded cheap, didn’t encompass how much I lost, could lose.
I promised The Goddess I wouldn’t take anything for granted if he came back, but I knew that it was a promise I couldn’t make. I craved nothing more than normality, and I would willingly slip back into it if I was ever allowed the opportunity.
I hated the hope; it felt cheap. I didn’t want to cling to it even though I had to. I had to.
The doctors had nothing, the specialists had nothing, there wasn’t enough time to come up with some other saving grace, magic, or anything. Time was almost up.
We were scrambling, and we were behind.
We had been behind since the challenge.
He lay there, pale, his lips cracked and unmoving. His chest barely rose and fell, too slow, too d.amn slowly.
But it was a sign of life.
“Dad?” Emmett asked, letting go of my hand.
I was shot back to reality, the beeping in the room felt overwhelming, the dim light was far too bright, and I reached out for anything to keep me from spinning.
“Mama,” Emmett’s voice sounded far away, and I nodded once closing my eyes, trying to pull myself from the overwhelm.
I blinked back tears for him. I still had a reason, even if it wasn’t for myself.
“Mama, we have to fix Dad,” Emmett said, his voice small but strong.
“Yes, baby, yes we do.” I grabbed his hand and nodded ferociously for him.
I walked towards the bed, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to be with him, but being here showed me just how far he had gone.
It broke me, cleaved me in half seeing him like this.
This room was cold, dark, and nothing like Caspien.
I didn’t want this to be my last memory of him. I didn’t care if it made me weak. I didn’t want this to taint the few memories we had.
Emmett dropped my hand again, and I breathed quickly, not wanting to slip away from the cold, cruel reality for my son’s sake.
Emmett climbed up on the bed, and I reached for him, not sure why. Maybe I didn’t want him to touch Caspiens’ tubes. Maybe I didn’t want Emmett to see his only father figure like this for the last time.
The doctor opened his mouth and then shut it after he saw my face. I didn’t know what he saw on it, though. I didn’t know what I must have looked like. I didn’t care.
I grasped onto the back of Emmett’s shirt.
“Careful,” I croaked.
“He needs help,” Emmett’s small hand came to Caspien’s pale cheek.
I almost lost the rest of myself right there.
“Your pocket,”
I studied Caspiens handsome face, memorizing the planes of his face that I already knew better than my own.
His face was set in a pained look.
My hand reached towards him, brushing his cheek. It was cold, clammy, and sent a shiver through my spine.
There was no response from him, no way to get to him, tell him how much I needed him, how much he changed me, completed me.
“Your phone,” Someone said from far away.
“Hm?”
“Mama,” Emmett smiled, almost laughing, “Your phone.”
“Oh,”
I took my phone out of my pocket and slid it open.
“It affects the blood, stays in it. A pure form of wolfsbane mixed with some poison. It suppresses the wolf completely. They said they usually die in minutes; I’m not sure how long he can hold on, I’m not sure how he did.” A voice so familiar came through the phone,
I scrambled to replay his words in my mind.
Who was it? What was he trying to say?
“I’ve notified anyone that might be able to help,” Griffen said.
Griffen.
“The remedy?” I asked, that seemed logical.
“They don’t know. The last one died in a few minutes.”
Thankfully, I didn’t even have time to spark that hope that there was a way out of this.
“Okay,” I managed.
“His blood, it stays in it.” Griffen said, “Willa? Give me to the doctor, anyone, please. Hand me to someone.”
I held out my hand, I don’t know who but someone took the phone.
“Draining, but how much?”
“New blood.”
“Which blood?”
“Witchcraft.”
“No, science.”
I focused on Emmett and Caspien.
I would be here, in this moment, while he was still here.
“You need to move, please.” Someone came up and brushed my arm, making me jolt.
“No,” Emmett buried his head in Caspien’s cold chest, the sound of his protests wrenched through me, “I can help.”
“Emmett, baby,” My voice caught.
D.amnit, I took a breath.
“We need to drain him, replace his blood,” Someone held my arm and helped me stand.
“With what blood?” My browns tugged together. I wouldn’t let myself grasp onto hope even though I so desperately wanted to.
“Blood bank, Luna, you just need to relax-”
“Don’t chastise me,” My voice was harder than I remembered, “Give him my blood.”
“We had to process it and test-”
“Give him my blood.” I said again, turning to them. My voice left no room for question. I grasped onto the slight bit of clarity.
“Mine, I am his mate.”
“Okay,” Someone led me to a chair.
There was a prick.
Where was Emmett?
He was here next to me. He looked up and patted my hand but looked worried. His wide green eyes were bright but with fear, something that might have been clarity. I wasn’t sure.
“Does it hurt?” He asked.
I looked at him. Was he talking to me?
He was.
I shook my head and tried a smile, “No baby,” I curled my lips up; it didn’t feel right.
“I can help,” Emmett frowned.
“I know,” I grabbed his hand, “I know.”
Movement blurred around us, encapsulating us in our own world.
Voices, murmurs, machines, beeping, frantic questions.
“It’s a theory.”
“The only one we have.”
“How much do we drain? He’s already at the end.”
“This could kill him.”
“He’s dying. He has hours if that.”
“The Luna agreed.”
I grabbed Emmett, my tether. A part of me felt guilty for using him for comfort when I should be comforting him.
“It will be okay,” I told him, repeating those hollow words that had no meaning to either of us.
Warmth flickered through my hand, and I glanced down at Emmett.
They started draining him. It was too soon, and this would kill him.
“No,” The word escaped my lips as I saw Caspien’s almost lifeless form, somehow even paler than before.
This would be the last moment that I saw him on this side of the world. I clutched my heart hoping to physically keep the pain that was ripping through me together. If I moved my hand, I knew that I would rip open.
I stood up, and stumbled towards him.
No.
“Luna,” A hand came out to stop me.
I stopped when I hit their hand, but Iris wanted us to go to our mate, she was begging me to go to him.
“Space,” Someone said, “While we finish the transfusion.”
Emmett tugged at my hand. I f*orc*ed my eyes away from my mate being drained. I was still a mother. I had to be.
“Mama,” His eyes were wide.
I pulled him to me stroking his hair and facing him away. I didn’t want him to see Cas like this.Why was he still here? This isn’t appropriate for him to see this. He would be traumatized.
“Emmett, go wait outside.” I was about to link someone to get him.
“He needs me,” Emmett tried to pull back from my grip.
“Baby,-” My voice broke, I choked on my words and clutched tightly to him.
He broke away from me and didn’t stop him, hoping someone would follow my wishes and take him out. I couldn’t focus on anything besides my mate.
His heart sped up, the monitor beeping out of control. My skin crawled and felt too hot and too cold. That couldn’t be good.
One long beep that didn’t stop and everyone rushed around, I got pushed out of the way.
I’ve seen enough in movies to know this was the end.
“Get him away,” Someone said.
“No!” Emmett shouted, and I tried to follow his voice. Where was he?
Emmett was clutching onto Caspien, and it broke the last piece of me.
It was over.
Emmett was holding onto his dead father. His eyes were shut, and his hands splayed on Caspien’s bare chest.
The beeping started again.
The doctors froze. Time froze for a second before activity picked up back in the room.
(Caspien)
I fought with everything I had, what was left of me at least, but I couldn’t remember what I was fighting for.
Darkness was all that I knew. The only thing that made me think that there might be something else was a sharp pain that radiated through me with each breath.
I didn’t know where I was or why I was there.
I just wanted it to end.
Everything slowed and stopped.
The pain was there but not as sharp, but maybe it was because it was the end of whatever this was.
I was slipping.
Something new rushed through me, it wasn’t enough to take away the pain, but it lessened it.
The pain. My side. The challenge.
I held onto that, a moment of clarity in the darkness. A rational thought.
I was Prince Caspien Dracos, and I had a mate and a son.
Willa. Emmett.
I had them.
I had something to fight for, but I didn’t know how long I could hold on.
With each passing moment I knew I was fading away.
I knew Atlas was spent, and I was about to be as well.
I wished I could tell them how much they meant to me, how they shifted and changed my world completely. How nothing was worth it before them, I thought I had a life. I thought I knew peace and happiness, but what I had before them was just a shell of what real contentment was.
A warm light washed over me.
No, through me.
It pushed back the darkness and held it at bay.
I followed the light and tried to grasp it.
The dark red pain was replaced with warmth.
The sound of beeping, my heartbeat, and the smell of blood and bleach clawed at my senses.
“Cas?” The most beautiful voice lilted through the darkness.