Destined for Greatness ✔️

Chapter 32

"Paige!" There were hands on her face. Parker, she realised. He was tapping her cheek, trying to get her to wake up.

Her eyes blinked open. She was sitting on the floor, cold seeping into her backside, and Parker was crouching in front of her. Ellis was behind her, supporting her back. She blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the silver blur in front of her eyes. Her chest was heaving so fast she was afraid she'd pass out again.

"Is she alright?" someone asked. She didn't recognise the voice. It wasn't the prince. She looked up. Not a few feet away, on the other side of the bed, was a man with so much natural authority that there was no doubt in her mind that she was looking at the king himself.

Her entire being rushed to a halt. Her mind filled with images of blood. Corpses. Soldiers. She heard her own voice, screeching the names of her children over and over. She found her mate only minutes later, run through with a silvered spear. Dead. She'd fallen to her knees in front of his lifeless body, screaming until there was only air coming from her throat. She'd torn at his chest, had pumped all her magic into him, but it had done nothing. He was gone already, and her powers didn't reach beyond the grave. In a daze, she had pushed back to her feet and had started looking for her children. She never found them. They had burnt to a crisp in one of the houses.

"Paige. Paige!" Parker cupped her face in both his hands and she forced her gaze up to his. She was crying, she realised. The silver in front of her eyes was gone, but had been replaced by a veil of tears. She sobbed and buried her face in Parker's chest. His hand burrowed in her hair, pressing her tighter against him.

"What is he doing here?" he asked, nodding at the king, his voice strained in anger. "Did you want to watch the last werewolf healer in action, Your Highness? Perhaps if you hadn't killed all the others, she wouldn't be so rare. Did you know you killed not only her fated mate, but both of her children? You took everything from her, and you dare show your face?"

"Parker, no," she said, lifting her head. She envisioned him getting arrested for speaking so harshly to the king. She refused to lose him too.

He frowned at her. "Why –"

"There is no point. Please." She cleared her throat. "I can stand. Ellis, can you help me?"

"Of course." He hooked his arms around her and helped her to her feet, making sure she was standing securely before releasing her. Parker rose as well, still looking at her as though he didn't understand how she could tell him not to yell at the king for what he had done to them. Had Alder been anyone else, she might have let him, but he was the king, and she wasn't looking to push her luck.

"We're not trying to get arrested, remember?" she said, nudging him and forcing a smile. Everything hurt, from her feet to her throat, to her brains, and everything in between. Yes, she could get rid of silver like no other werewolf alive, but it took a few minutes, and it hurt like the bite of a feral rogue.

She turned to the king. He was staring at her. Usually, she could pick up people's emotions by using her magic, but her powers had no effect on him. However, she had spent years reading micro-expressions on Corbin and Ryleigh's faces, so she knew what to look for. He wasn't annoyed by Parker's accusation. If anything, he looked ashamed.

"Apologies, Your Highness," she said, "Parker is passionate."

"I'm not passionate, I'm pissed," Parker said. "You killed both my parents. You killed our alpha. Our children. Our friends. Ryleigh's mother. Our teachers. Our healers. Everyone. Everyone, everyone." He shook his head, clenching his hands into fists. "We need to leave before I get us both arrested."

"Calm down," Paige said, placing both her hands on his shoulders and working her magic. Involuntarily, his muscles relaxed. "It's not worth it. Your anger isn't going to bring them back. Please, calm down."