43 His Decision
+8 Points
43 His Decision
Colton POV
The scent of antiseptic and the sound of machines beeping pulls me from the darkness. My
eyes
flutter open,
and I look around frantically trying to figure out where the hell I am. “It’s alright, Colton. You’re safe” Liam says, stepping into the room from a door I didn’t even notice.
“Where the hell are Lily and Drake?“Two female elves step into the room but make no move
toward my bed. “Colton, this is the infirmary of the tribe.”
“The tribe of elves that shot me and Lily. That tried to shoot Drake. Is that the tribe you mean, I whisper yell at Liam. One of the female elves giggles and I glare at her. “Yes, this is the Red Death Tribe but them shooting at us was all a misunderstanding. Lily and Drake are meeting
with the tribe leader now.” I go to toss my blankets off, needing to see that Lily is alright for
myself, but Liam pushes me back down.
“You need to stay here. They are giving you an antidote in the IV for the poison that the bullet was dipped in. Lily and Drake were able to heal your injuries, but we need to make sure the poison is flushed from your system. You need to let these elves check you over. I will let Lily
know you’re awake in a minute,” Liam says.
“Are you kidding me? These elves shot us, and now you’re telling me that it was all a misunderstanding. You are supposed to be Lily’s protector. Why the hell are you here with me instead of with her? What if this was all a trap, and she is in danger? What if she and Drake are being hurt while you are here babysitting me?”
“Lily was very clear that I needed to go with you to make sure you were safe. In case you haven’t noticed, Lily isn’t a fragile flower, and she was more worried about you, Colton. Besides, her mate is a royal elf with powers of his own. I think you should worry more about the fact that she also knows it’s you Colton,” he says.
I immediately look down at my hand in a panic. The ring that hid who I truly was is gone. “Where the f**k is the ring?“One of the women reaches for my arm, but I quickly pull away. “I’m fine, I don’t need to be fussed over. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would unhook me.”
“No, you
will let us finish what we need to do. I understand that you are upset, but you are my patient, so lay down and do as you’re told,” the woman says.
This time it’s Liam’s chuckle that has me seething. “Colton, this is one of the tribe doctors, Auriela. She has been taking care of you since we arrived. She is also one of the leader’s daughters, so try not to offend her,” Liam says. “No worries Liam. I’ve had much more difficult
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43 His Decision
patients than your friend” she says before she turns to me.
“Now I’m going to check your vitals and leave you to finish this bag of fluid. When it’s done, if
I’m satisfied, then and only then will I disconnect you and let you leave. Are we clear wolf,” she
asks. I see out of the corner of my eye, Liam covering his mouth with his hand, trying to hide
the smile spreading across his face as she gives me her speech.
“Don’t be an a**hat, she is only trying to help you” Cash says. The relief I feel at hearing my
wolf’s voice in my head is indescribable. “I’m not trying to be. I’m just worried about Lily. F**k
think she hates us for deceiving her. I really don’t want her to hate us Cash.”
do you
“I know but no matter what happens I’m proud to call you my human Colton. You made
mistakes, but the character of a man is what he does to right his wrongs, because no one is
perfect. You were given an impossible choice by the goddess so I can’t say it enough how
proud I am of you” Cash says. I focus back on the elf standing at my bedside.
I take a deep breath before I finally answer. “Yes, we are clear. I apologize for giving you a harc
time. I’m just worried about our friends after what happened when we arrived.“You have
nothing to worry about. You and your friends are guests of our tribe. As Liam explained, it was
a misunderstanding. I promise you my father is not the monster you have heard about in
stories,” she says before she turns to leave.
Once we are alone, I turn to Liam. “So what the hell happened to the ring?““All I know is, I thought you were going to die. Blood was pouring out of your chest. Lily was beside herself
even when she thought you were Grant. She didn’t want to move her hand off your wound, but
she finally agreed after she talked to Ariel,” he says.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, Colton. You were surrounded in this purple glow that looked
like it was coming from where Lily and Drake’s hands were touching. It didn’t last long, but
when it was gone, whatever spell had you looking like Grant was gone with it. Lily was even
more panicked when she realized that it was you, and you weren’t waking up,” he says.
“F**k, I was hoping she would never realize it was me. I don’t want her to think I was trying to
trick her. That I was trying to sabotage what she has with Drake.” “Colton, I can’t say she won’t
be upset you deceived her, but I know damn well she won’t think for a second you were here to
interfere with her bond with Drake after all you did to make sure she got to him,” he says.
“I love her Liam. I can’t live the rest of my life with her hating me or not being around her.” He
gives me a sympathetic smile. “I’m going to go see if Auriela can point me in the direction of her father’s office, so I can let Lily know you’re awake. Will you be alright on your own for a few minutes,” he asks. “I think I can manage,” I say sarcastically.
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43 His Decision
Lily POV
This is surreal. To learn that Drake’s mother and Canius were siblings is not what I was expecting. He is older and I mean a lot older. I’m sure I looked like a fish out of water when he said he was one hundred and fifty years old. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to how elves age.
I wonder what that means for me being mated to Drake. It won’t change anything, but I would still like to know. I look over at Drake as he talks to Samuel and Canius with a huge smile on his face. I can feel his happiness through our bond.
“You will never know how sorry I am Drake. If I had only known how many of my fellow council members were corrupt I could have” Samuel starts to say, but Drake interrupts him. “We can’t change the past, so we need to focus on the present and future. We can only move forward. I would like you to come back and head the remaining council members if you are willing. I may be king, but this is all new to me and I have no idea how the royal tribe is going to feel
about me taking my place as their ruler,” Drake says.
I squeeze his hand to reassure him that we are in this together. He pulls me to his side and places a soft kiss on my temple. “I’m sure you know that David stripped me of my powers. I’m not sure that I would still be the best one to lead the council given that fact,” Samuel says. Without a word, Drake reaches his hand out to Samuel while holding tight to mine. I feel our
combined power once again flowing through me.
It doesn’t take long for Samuel to have tears in his eyes as he feels his powers return. He immediately bows his head to me and Drake. “Thank you, my king and queen. It would be my honor to serve as head of the council and be there in support of your reign,” he says. I smile knowing that Drake thinks of him as a second father. His support means everything to my mate. “I would also like to be there for your ceremony along with your cousins and my wife if
it’s alright with the two of you,” Canius says.
“Of course, you are the only family I have left. Besides, having the Red Death Tribe on my side will probably scare any of the elves that oppose me taking the crown,” Drake says. Canius and Samuel both laugh. A knock on the door has us all turning our heads toward the sound. When the door opens, Artruo and a beautiful young woman who is definitely Canius daughter steps
inside.
“Drake and Lily, this is one of my daughters, Arina. She is a seer and the reason I truly must apologize for what happened earlier. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had the chance to let Artruo know about her vision before you arrived.” “It’s nice to meet you” I say, and she smiles widely. “The Red Wolf,” she says, “Yes, I am.” “My cousin is very lucky to have such a strong, beautiful beloved” she says.
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43 His Decision
“Thank you, but believe me, I’m just as lucky.“Before I can say more, the office door opens and another woman steps inside.
“Ah, this is my other daughter, Auriela. She is one of our tribe’s doctors. Auriela this is your cousin Drake, the king, and his queen, Lily,” Canius says. “Thanks for the introduction, dad, but I came to let them know that Colton is awake. It’s nice to meet you both,” she says. I’m on my feet and ready to follow her. I’m shocked when everyone starts to join me, but my focus right now is seeing if Colton is alright for myself.
I’m startled when Arina slides her arm through mine. “Don’t worry, my sister is an amazing doctor” she says, and I smile. We make our way back through the foyer and outside. We follow the long bridge into another large tree house. As soon as we step inside, Liam is waiting. “Auriela said he’s awake.” “He is, and he’ll be glad to see you. He was freaking out that I was here and not with you,” Liam says. I roll my eyes but move toward the door that Auriela just opened.
I step into the room with Arina by my side. As soon as my eyes meet Colton’s they darken. His wolf is at the surface. My steps falter when he says a word I never expect him to say to me again. “Mate.” That’s when it hits me. He’s not looking at me. He is looking at Arina. “Beloved” she whispers.
