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King Romulus' POV

It started as an uneasy settlement of noises filtering through one ear and drifting to the other, but once they stayed, they weighed heavy enough to cause a throbbing ache. Romulus found himself twitching, aggravated that his restless sleep would hardly be any at all helpful to tackle the rest of the day, but oh what a way to wake up.

While Rhea's scent wasn't nearby, he knew she was close.
He hadn't awoken when she left the bed, leaving him alone in the room.
But after gently feeling the space beside him, it was left entirely cold.

Empty.

A frown erupted on his face as he groaned once more, silencing the room and any whispers that may lay about. Had he fallen asleep in his study?
Where was Rhea?

"Sir? Can you hear me?" He hadn't responded, thinking it was a taunt than anything else as he took in the better half of the room. His room, to be exact.

Confusion flashed over as he took in the figure closest to him, the one who more than likely spoke to him. "Yes, I can hear. And smell and see just as any wolf can." He promptly silenced, but upon getting to his feet, that is where the struggle truly came from as he fell promptly to his knees and clutched the better half of his stomach.

"What's happened?"
"Poisoned, sir. You were poisoned." It was one of the simplest ways to get the issue across, but the anger bit the King's tone as quickly as ever.
"Poisoned?!" He roared, and the poor Assistant Healer had ducked and bowed to cower themselves lower than Romulus' status.

"I have alerted the guards to tell Beta Elias and Delta Lyall, they wanted to be notified right away." That wouldn't do, not when Romulus had clutched the male's robes and pulled him closer. Just as he was about to question him, the door to the room opened with a quick swing as both acting Alpha and acting second in command had come forth to greet the King.

Even with as much time has passed, Elias had always known that he was not Alpha material—Much less Alpha King.

"Goddess, sir! Get back in bed!" Lyall hurried to do just that, easing the King back under the covers. Though that did little to nothing to get Romulus to relax.

"Poisoned?"

"You are dismissed, go check on..." Elias had stalled his order, nearly outing an even worse predicament than what he was about to share. "Yes, you were poisoned. They have been identified and are set to be on trial."

"When?... How?"
"Through the wine. It's suggested that there was more wine in Rhea's room." That was true, at one point they had taken a bit more—But not much.

Had it truly been enough to leave him bedridden for... "How long has it been?"

"Since the Ball? Today would have been the two weeks mark. Since an antidote was found? Two." Disbelief had caused Romulus to sink further into his pillow.
No wonder his body ached.

"I take it Rhea made the antidote?" Elias had been able to withhold himself. It was Lyall, however, that sucked in a breath. Feeling the temperate drop ever so suddenly.

"She did...In a sense." The acting Alpha had questioned, avoiding the point, but Romulus could feel that something had turned wrong.  "What is that meant to mean?"
"While the story isn't confirmed, it is said that Lady Rhea was kidnapped during the Rogue attack. You were unreachable and already deemed past intoxicated from whatever was in your system. The Rogues were able to take Rhea and held her for days. Drex had spent every moment tracking her down to find her." The Royal Delta continued on, but it was as they both expected, Romulus' eyes had instantly gone black at the mere mention of Rhea.

Of his female.

Of his mate.

He completely disregarded the mention of returning and staying in bed as he manage to his feet and worked his way across the room and into the hall. "Where is she?"

"Sir, it's—"
"Where is she?!" It was pointless, and so Elias wrap his arm up around Romulus' shoulder and wordlessly escorted him to the spare room. Given that Rhea's apartments were left in complete shambles upon the search.

Romulus truly couldn't handle the idea of being led at someone else's will, and Elias hadn't expected anything less than his King fighting every moment. There was nothing normal when it came to separating a male from their mate, or even the other way around.

So when the four armed Enforcers had straightened their back at the three's arrival, it did not bode well for Romulus' state of mind. Though there hardly needed to be an order to let him in, they knew the risk of stalling any further.

But their bows of respect hadn't crossed Romulus' mind until he caught just how many Enforcers were inside the room as well.

Hell, his eyes had landed on Drex, who was slumped in an armchair guarding a connecting dressing divider—One he could catch the outline of a bed and others behind.

Yet as the Alpha's scent had filled the room, the General had begun to stir all the same. And much like the Enforcers in the room, he too found it ill-mannered to not greet the King with proper respect.

"Is she—"
"She hasn't woken yet. The Healers are doing everything they can." That wasn't what he had heard from the two males beside him, and thus he picked up his own pace. Not caring that his robe was making it utterly difficult in dragging on the floor, no.

Seeing Rhea wearing half a gown with an open wound exposed to the air had nearly caused him to come undone. Clive had stepped before the two, a rather foolish action that caused Ray to catch him by the shoulder.

But the close proximity had done well to tame the King's beast. "She won't wake?"
They simply shook their head, but Clive's sniffle had alerted him to an even worse predicament. Course, at first glance, Rhea didn't look much different. Her hair had been sprawled out onto the pillow, and it reminded him of the unharmonious naps she would take on the couch in her apartments.

As he rounded to her bed, he realized that her figure was not at all how he remembered it to be. The wound looked very much irritated, almost as if it just happened. But she had introduced him to her scar prior, he knew it was immortal, and this was just another bit of proof.

Something he didn't want to ever see.

As he fell the last few steps toward the bed, he cursed himself for losing his strength. Yet being aided by both of Rhea's males had given him some of his dignity back, even if it wasn't all that far away.

It was the fact that the closer he leaned forward, the more he could smell the tonics and herbal pastes lingering on her skin.
No, he decided to suffocate himself in the likes of her hair as he choked on the thought.

"Please come back to me, Rhea...I'm sorry I wasn't here." He said through chopped breaths. But it was no use, no amount of words would tell her how sorry he was.
"Whatever it is, we'll get through it—Won't we? We'll get through it. In sickness and in health...That's a human's promise to their spouse, yes? You will get better, you have such an amazing reign ahead of you. This isn't the end, damn whatever god there is...Threatening to take you from me so early, please...You need to be okay." His voice was wavering between a plead and a demand, but even with the tears starting to streak down his face, he had been all but tempted to hunt down those bastards himself.

"What about the pups we talked about? However many you want, one—Two, hell, I'll adore five if that's what you want. Just, please...Please don't leave me." It was a terrible feat for Romulus to realize in that very moment that he wasn't just afraid for Rhea, but he was afraid of being alone.

Afraid of being given such a precious gift to cherish, but her being stripped too soon had been the ultimate tease.

His tears were now coating the likes of her wrist, yet reality had sent a brutal reminder Romulus truly wanted to ignore it, to dismiss whatever pain that was still coursing through his system.

But he deemed it well enough, a punishment for being weak.

He needed to pull through whatever's happened—in order for Rhea to get better.

"Get me every Enforcer on this floor." He growled, his eyes darting off towards both Elias and Drex. But both had hesitated, causing the King to make a motion of a threat, twitching his nose as though he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

"Sir, there was no telling how this could have happened—"
"Now, Elias." The Beta had ducked and left the room to follow said order, but Drex had only crossed his arms over one another."I won't allow you to hurt my males, Romulus."

It was an astonishing feat that the King managed to keep his breathing steady, and it was partially due to the fact that Rhea's wonderful scent was putting him at ease.

In addition to her touch, no matter how limp it felt.

Without a verbal response, Drex had come forward back towards the front door as he watched the absolute terror strike his males. But the General could only remain placid—He would act as guard to them, it was his fault that Rhea wasn't found sooner.

"Sir, how can we help?" The highest ranking Enforcer had come towards the edge of the divider, but his eyes were pinned on the tile floor. Not daring to make any sort of eye contact.

Not to the King, and certainly not to the female laying in bed.

"I want all the mated males at attention." There were a few beats before the order had been settled amongst the wolves' better judgment. They walked in single file as they created a line, their hands cupped in the center of their person and their chins tilted down, in respect for the King.

Yet the highest ranking had joined the males, though he was a step before them. "These are all the mated males from those on this floor, Alpha." Romulus eyed the males, not daring to move his tears as this was his reality.

This is what happens when others play with the fated.

This is the destruction and start of a terrible decision on the King's behalf if Rhea does not recover.

"Tell me, what does a male's blood do for their mate?" He had gauged the room, and while it hadn't surpassed his males or Rhea's, it stumped the dozens of males that they had lost part of their fear.

Yet not one male had come forward to speak, even when Romulus was waiting patiently for an answer. It was damning, he could feel the slowness in her heart—The lack of its steady beat, and it was making him itch to do something more.

The discomfort was obvious, and a brave male had stepped forward.

"Sir, a mate's blood is meant to be a healing factor...I have not done it myself before." Romulus had recognized the male, a seasoned wolf whose loyalty would not be questioned. But that was not the answer he was looking for.

"I have not either, sir. But I've heard that it will speed up the healing process, if not make it stronger." Another had picked up, but it was the fifth wolf who spoke who had looked into Romulus' eyes.

Wondering if the possibility was true, that Lady Rhea was truly— "My King, when my mate was giving birth to our pup...I was told to give her a direct intake of my blood. It soothed her and provided a necessary step. It is not always done, but I do believe it helped her recover as well as deliver the pup." That had done well in Romulus' mind, and he thanked them before curtly dismissing them all.

However, the highest-ranking guard remained, and kneed before the King and offered up the scar on his wrist. "I did the same for my mate, what Gordon spoke of. Her birth was difficult and I truly believe that is why the pup had survived." Bishop offered, but it hadn't managed to catch the attention of the King—It was all repetitive anyhow.

"My mate is human, sir. Our pup is half." The admission to the truth had caused Romulus to dart back in pure disbelief, how was it he didn't know this?

"You didn't put that on your records, Bishop." Drex issued, but that was the least of the King's concerns at the moment. But given how high ranked the male is, he couldn't risk discrimination, and thus, hid the truth.

"I've read somewhere that the intake of a mate's blood aided during the pregnancy. That is what I did, and my pup is fine—With another on the way...I will leave you to your mate, and long may she reign beside you...As Alpha Queen." With a quick bow, Bishop followed the rest of his males and resumed their previous positions.

But Romulus was in awe, it was not a title he had ever thought of. The Council had always treated the idea of Romulus' Queen as their future Luna, as a tier behind him.

No, Rhea would have all the respect and power that he did.
Human or not.

With her true identity made aware to the Enforcers, it would not change a damned thing, she just needed to wake.

Lyall had tugged Clive's tunic and gestured for both him and Ray to take themselves elsewhere for the time being. But that did not stop Elias from claiming Drex's original chair.

Leaving only three bodies in the room.

Romulus had positioned himself further into the small bed, similar to the one in the infirmary. But he managed well to curl up beside her as he took to enacting his fangs and snapping them against his wrist. Leaving a small opening that looked similar to the one that Bishop had presented to him.

This felt wrong, utterly wrong, yet the idea of losing her so suddenly had urged him to continue with the motion.

Placing his wrist directly to her lips, he had to part them in order to get a proper connection.

It was a strange feeling, one that Romulus didn't know how to describe. While this technique didn't hurt, nor change Rhea's scent besides the obvious notes of his blood, she felt warmer. That much was clear.

For right now, he could feel a looming sense of peace drift over him. While he didn't think this had much of a comparison to pregnancy or how a female's body changed during pregnancy in caring for a pup—Her injury was just that, and it made him feel utterly relieved that there was some merit to this type of madness.

Never had he thought he would have a resemblance to the Vampyres of the world. But there was something eerily right about gifting something that was a part of him.

There was really no telling how much was enough. But as he finally pulled away, it seemed that choice was already made for him. Given that the bite he had created was now nothing but a closed scar.

Bewildered, he hadn't even needed to call Elias forward as the male had felt the shift in tension. "A mate's saliva is just as powerful, the other mated males wanted to inform you of that as well." An idea sparked instantly as the King leaned back and stripped down the robe that was already loose on his body and shifted.

"Was it your plan to out yourself to Bishop's platoon?" He asked, but Romulus ignored him once more. The haze of nurturing pushed forward to the point of getting aggravated that the blanket had blocked the immortal wound during his shift.

This prompted Elias to remove said interference before ducking away, as it was already dangerous enough for a male to be so close to an unmated couple—Even worse when the female was injured.

It was almost as if he was asking to be killed.

"When you are in your right mind, we will speak."

I will be here beside Rhea until she wakes.

"Yes, anything for our Alpha Queen." He reinstated, smirking with a low bow and leaving the room in its entirety. Though Lyall stood in wait, his eyes curious to the point of popping.

"I told him about the saliva."
"I am sure there is some truth to all of this, but it wouldn't hurt...Besides, we need to get the courts in order."
"The courts...The courts are falling apart, and we nearly lost our future Queen. They will face their own backlash, Mithwell included." Elias hadn't stopped moving forward and thus, Lyall was left to follow in pursuit.

"But a Castle lockdown? Confining everyone to their rooms. It still gives them room to plot." Their conversation had all but drifted to a new set of ears, but Drex was all but classically turned from the Enforcer he was speaking with to join the Beta and Delta.
"Mithwell is good as a dead male. You weren't in that room, his scent was all over it and then some."
"The location that you uncovered, it wasn't listed as under Mithwell, was it?"
"Hm, but I will bring that forward on my own. How is Lady Rhea?" It felt odd, to Lyall at the very least, that they continued to call her Rhea.
Did Drex not know the truth?

"With the King's blood and saliva, there is hope. I will be sending a Healer in soon for both of them."
"I'll inform Bishop. You're needed downstairs, considering you're still acting as King." There was a bit of a bite to that, but Elias didn't think much of it. Drex was best suited as a General, and Elias as Beta.

Had there been a position as Gamma, then perhaps that would have interested Drex more, but Romulus had decided not to go that route as many Alphas in the territories did.

It didn't bother Elias nor Lyall, as they worked well as a pair in aiding their King.
And that is what they needed to focus on as of right now.

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Date: 07/19/23

Time: 10:57

Words: 3093

Author's Note:

Difficult day so a little late of a chapter, bare with me for the next few.
I definitely cried writing the scene where Romulus begs Rhea to wake. Or just anything involving Rhea during her imprisoned.