Word Count: 1770

~Avila

I keep my shoulders squared back, my chin held high.

The tour is nearly over, but the first walk onto the stage hasn't gotten any easier. Having so many wary eyes staring up at me, looking at me like they can see dark magic leeching from my pores.

I'm not even sure what dark magic truly is. No one wants to explain it to me, avoiding the subject like the plague every time I bring it up.

I stand in the centre of the stage, trying to ignore the murmurs rippling through the crowd.

Do they see something off about me? Or is it obvious I have no idea what I'm doing?

"Thank you all for coming here today. I am so glad to see you all," I exclaim, my voice ringing out through the town square.

Thankfully everyone falls silent. That hasn't been the case for most of my speeches since everyone started to turn against me. Most of the time my words are drowned out by yelling and jeering.

"As I am sure many of you have heard, there are concerns about the circumstances of my illness. I must admit, the way it was dealt with was not ideal, however, I can assure you I am more than fit to rule," I tell them, forcing a smile onto my face.

Most eye me sceptically. It makes me want to vomit at my feet, but Roel has been training me to overcome this.

I just wish it would get easier.

"For many years my family has denounced the use of dark magic, and have actively tried to suppress the practice during their reign," I say steadily, trying to recall the words crafted for me by Roel. "This is a principle I intend to uphold. Dark magic has no place in this world, and it never has."

The intention behind this speech is not only to fill them in on the circumstances of my illness, but also to try persuade them that dark magic was not involved in curing me.

Even if I'm not entirely convinced it wasn't. Especially not after what my father said to me at dinner last night.

"Now, in saying that..." I drift off, something catching my attention in the crowd.

A man fights through people, shoulder them out of his way. The guards surrounding the stage start off toward him, however, it's not enough to stop him from fulfilling his objective.

He holds his ground, raising his arm to reveal him holding a rusty old gun pointed straight at me.

I don't even get to open my mouth to scream.

I hear the shot blasting loudly through the square before I feel it hit my shoulder. My entire body jerks back violently, the world spinning around me as I slam to the ground, my head cracking against the wood of the stage.

My entire body is numb. I know I should be in pain, but I feel nothing but a dull sensation in my shoulder. Screams echo distantly, but the sound muffled in my ears, only the vibrations of the stage beneath me coherent.

Suddenly hands are on me, jolting me out of my panic.

"Avila!" It's Vade and he's screaming in my ear.

He looms over me, his shoulder pulling the sun from my eyes. I can feel myself gasping, my lungs wheezing as shock overcomes me.

"I...I've been shot," I stutter, reaching to touch my shoulder. When I pull back, my hand is smothered in blood. I just stare at it, the reality not entirely registering that it's come from me.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay," Vade assures me, but even he can't hide his panic.

When I turn my head I see the crowd dispersing rapidly. The man who shot me as been knocked to their knees, multiple guards restraining them.

"Get her out of here," Roel instructs, coming to the other side of me.

With my head turned, I watch as a pool of blood seeps away from my body, dripping through the wooden slats of the stage.

"There's so much blood," I gasp out, feeling a cold chill settle over my skin. "I'm going to die again, aren't I?"

"Shh, you're going to be okay. I promise," Vade soothes, carefully shifting his arms under me.
 
"I don't think...so..." I draw off, every word slurring the more I speak.

My vision starts to fade, everything around me turning to mist as I let my eyes close.

***

~Vade

I step into the infirmary, seeing Roel standing in the hallway, looking tense.

"Where is he?" I question.
 
"Detained," he muses calmly. "Off the property."

I sigh roughly, digging my hands into my hair. I've spent twelve hours straight in the infirmary today alone and I haven't had a chance to find much out about the person who shot Avila.

"I need to go speak with him," I say gruffly, knowing there is only one reason I'll be willing to leave Avila's bedside.

"What you need you need to do is relax. How much sleep have you gotten?" Roel questions, his keen gaze drifting over my face.

I know I look exhausted. It's been three days since Avila was shot, and we were forced to return early from the tour. Why her father didn't allow her to go home when things started to become tense, I'm not sure.

If I weren't focused on Avila, I would be holding him accountable...King or not.

"How am I supposed to sleep when I don't know if Avila is going to wake up?" I know I sound exasperated, but I'm sure Roel understands. The state of Avila's health hasn't changed in days, and I'm anticipating terrible news with every passing second.

"She will, you must have faith," Roel soothes.

Sometimes I hate how calm he is. Why can't I be the same? He would tell me that he has years on me, that his wisdom allows him to remain even tempered, even when horrible things are occurring.

"That's not enough for me." I start pacing back and forth. "I lost her once, Roel. I won't lose her again."

I lost myself for months after she died. She's my mate...I didn't know how to continue.

"The healers are hopeful. She is making good progress," Roel tells me, although even he knows he's being optimistic.

"We can't protect her. I can't protect her."

Seeing her fall to the ground after she was shot put everything into perspective for me. I was pulling back from her because I thought I was making her life harder. Before she died, the fact that we were mates haunted her.

"Don't say that..." Roel scolds softly. "What happened before has not happened this time."

"I failed her then too. All I do is fail her."

The way she died before horrified all of us. None of us expected it, just like we never expected her to come back. I sought revenge initially, but it became clear that everything I cared about would be taken from me if I did.

"None of this is your fault, Vade. You cannot control the actions of anyone other than yourself," Roel reminds me calmly, watching a nurse sweep into the infirmary behind me.

Every time I see them I examine their expression. They are good at revealing nothing, though.

"I need to go see the man who did this to her," I growl, continuing to pace incessantly. "I need to do something."

"You need to wait until she wakes. She will want to see you."

"She won't," I mutter. "All I've done is push her away. I doubt she wants anything to do with me."

All she did was try so hard to make our marriage work before it even started. I pushed her away because I thought I was protecting her. I was fighting every urge in me that wanted to be with her, and now I realise that was a mistake.

"She will always be drawn to you," Roel murmurs, his cloudy eyes narrowing slightly. "And you know why."

I pause. "She doesn't know still."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Should I?"

"I don't see why not," he muses with a shrug, scratching the grey facial hair growing on his chin. "You're married, and you obviously care deeply about her. I think it's time to be entirely honest."

When Avila and I first touched, I thought she would realise we have a soul connection that is more important than any other union. Instead, she didn't seem to remember the concept, so I took that as a sign to keep it from her.

"What if she is angry about me keeping this from her for so long?" I ask.

"It was for the best that you did. You would have overwhelmed her," Roel reminds me. "Giving her a chance to get to know you first is a gift not everyone gets."

"Alright, I'll tell her...if she pulls through." I say the last part with a wince on my face.

Roel gives me a long, pointed look. I'm not sure how he expects me to be optimistic. I've watched her die before, so I'm not unfamiliar with the feeling of losing her. It was second nature for some time.

"She will Vade, I assure you," he leans forward, giving me a pat on the arm.

"I love her. I don't want to imagine my life without her again," I breathe. I haven't vented this much to anyone before. Roel is more of a father figure than what I grew up with.

"Make her know she is loved when she wakes. She is going to need our support to heal from more than just her physical wound."
 
I nod, rubbing the back of my neck. "Of course. But I'm worried about Crimson."

Avila becomes easily stressed when her mother is around. After Crimson tried to take her blood to test it for traces of dark magic, she chased off any chance of getting close with her daughter.

"I'll deal with her," Roel assures me, giving me a small smile.

I gesture to the infirmary door behind me. "I should go back in there."

He nods. "Good idea."

Slipping through the door, I wince at the sight of Avila lying on the bed, her eyes closed, still and bandaged up.

She will recover. She has to.

🤎••🤎

Want more? You can read the COMPLETED version on Radish! (:

Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed (:

Out now on Wattpad, The Alpha's Mistress!

I hope you check it out (:

~Midika 💜🐼