My Most Precious Human

I truly hoped that my regeneration abilities would deal with the alcohol detoxication because I lost count of how many glasses of wine I had drunk. Nonetheless, I was sober enough to refuse Draven's proposal to carry me to my bedroom, and I swayed my way all by myself, although it took extra focus to climb the stairs. Once I closed the door and walked to the bed, I thought that I could finally rest. Suddenly, my eyes landed on the bedside cabinet and... my phone, the one I had completely forgotten about and hadn't even glanced at for two days!

I swallowed hard before taking it into my nervously trembling hand. I already knew that I screwed up. The screen displayed thirty unanswered calls and seven text messages. I took a deep breath and took a closer look at the details. The calls were mostly from Martha, Kanan called me three times. The sense of guilt swallowed me entirely. In my defense, I could only say that I didn't usually carry a cell phone with me since I had never needed to, but those missed calls and unread texts really made me feel like an idiot. I was the one who wanted them to contact me, for God's sake!

I felt even worse when I went through the texts. Martha was worried sick because I hadn't answered any of her calls. She asked me if I was alive in the last one... I knew she was equally concerned and angry at me.

It was 3 AM, so calling Martha and Kanan back at this hour wouldn't be the brightest idea. I decided to send a message to both of them.

"I'm alive. I'm sorry. A few things happened, and I was away from the phone. I'll call you back in the morning," I typed and sent.

I put down the phone and started taking off my clothes and preparing for bed. The phone rang.

"In the morning, my ass!" Martha thundered through the phone once I took the call. "What the hell happened?! Say it now!"

I had to lower my head and tell her every detail of the test that Draven had put me through. Then I told her about how the Royal Army vowed their loyalty to me instead of Draven and what had happened at the party. Once I finished the whole story, Martha calmed down.

"Are you sure you are all healed?" she asked hesitantly, after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes. According to Melinda, the pack's doctor, I have super-regenerating abilities," I chuckled.

"That's good... Maybe you would survive even if she succeeded..." she mumbled, more to herself than saying that to me.

"Survive what? Succeeded who?" I caught on to her words, confused.

"Um... I wasn't supposed to tell you anything, but remember Katie, that younger girl who came from the castle with me?"

"Yes, I remember her bringing me lunch and dinner once or twice. What about her?" I asked curiously.

"She was bribed by that bitch, Elora, to poison you," Martha explained.

"What?!" My head started to spin.

"Katie put some incense in your room, so you would breathe the poison while you were sleeping. King Sariel discovered it behind your bed in your room the night after you were gone..." Martha stated cautiously.

"This is insane..." I muttered, processing what I had heard while panic was filling my neurons.

"The King went wild. He ordered to search the entire Palace until the culprit was found, and stupid Katie had a few of this poisoned incense hidden in her room... If I only knew... I would have never let her anywhere near you..." I could hear Martha angrily gritting her teeth.

"I know you, Martha. I only hope that you know that this wasn't your fault," I said, trying to calm her down. "So... what happened to Katie?" Martha took a deep breath. "She's dead. She was killed before she could officially testify and excuse Elora." She gave out a hopeless sigh.

My lips immediately formed an ironic smile. "Of course... I should have known it was going to end like that."

I felt a fire burning within my guts. This was frustrating beyond my limits. Who the hell backed Elora, making sure she wouldn't take responsibility for any of her actions?! I didn't know much about Sariel's plans, but I knew that he was trying to cut her off from any vampire family supporting her. He had literally an army at his command, and yet Elora was still able to get away with everything! Who knows, maybe I would have been dead already if I stayed at the Palace a little longer. I thought that I had been aware of every powerful family in the vampire world, and they all couldn't possibly become a match for Sariel's power and intelligence. I also assumed that Elora wouldn't be stupid enough to involve werewolves from my father's pack since their scent would have been too easy to trace. The odorless ones wouldn't last long living close to vampires either, because even without werewolves' typical smell, their strange, human-like appearance would still stand out.

"Anyway... it's good that you are safe, and that there's Patrick beside you." I could hear a wide grin in her voice.

"Yeah... but he would only be here for a few days... Not to mention that he and most of the pack warriors would leave to the south to fight my father in less than a month," I said bitterly. "Aren't you joining them?" she asked.

"What?" I flinched.

"Don't tell me you have never thought about walking into your father's territory and claiming victory..."

Her daring tone surprised me. The truth was that I had never seriously thought about getting revenge on my father. I'd always been too weak to do it, and I'd never planned anything impossible for me to accomplish. Somehow, I missed the moment when I stopped being defenseless and was more qualified to fight for justice for myself. Besides, I could have had one more reason to join that war: my mother. I had no idea what had happened to her over the years. If I met her now, would we have a chance to reunite? Would she fight me if I stood on Draven's side? Or would I have a chance to convince her so that she could finally choose her daughter instead of her spiteful Alpha?

"I should go to war with them... right?" I laughed nervously.

"I don't want you to go to war," Martha wept.

"What? But you've just said that-"

"But you will regret it if you don't go," she sighed. "Besides, if I had had the strength to crush my disgusting father to the ground by myself, nothing would have stopped me."

That reminded me that her mother had been raped by a noble vampire, but I had never asked who he was nor how this story had ended.

"And... did you have a chance to avenge your mother?" I asked hesitantly.

"King Sariel did it for me," she said. "My mother used to work as a nurse in the Duarte family's hospital, and she was once responsible for taking care of the Duchess of Calvet, King Sariel's mother. Years later, when she was raped, the newly acclaimed Duke Sariel Calvet got to know who did it... A week later, that rapist was found dead, ripped to pieces."

"But... if he was a noble, then Sariel couldn't possibly punish him, could he?" I inquired, confused.

"He took a huge risk to cover it all up, but that was how he always would act. He took care of his workers and of those whom he treasured. My mother must have been one of those people since he found me home after she died giving birth to me, and offered me a job at the castle when I grew up."

Admiration filled her voice when she talked about Sariel. Listening to her story painted a sad smile on my face. I bet there were a lot of things about Sariel that I didn't know. I only wish he wouldn't have kept me in the dark. Perhaps then I would understand him better... Perhaps then I would forgive him... Sadly, I knew that no matter what would happen in the future, there was no going back to what I had with Sariel. I would never have the same innocent and pure feelings for him as I used to.

"He misses you, you know?" Martha tossed out of the blue.

"God... you talk like Patrick." I clicked my tongue.

"Because it's true! If it weren't for the attacks on the vampire families, I bet that he would go to the Moon Hill Pack and kidnap you if he had to!" she exclaimed confidently.

"Yes, I bet that he would do that even against my will," I chuckled, shaking my head.

"No, God damn it!" Martha burst out. "He wouldn't have forced you, but he is willing to fight for you! Do you want to know why? I asked around to find out what it is like. Everyone says that when the blood bond is broken, all the affection created by the bond should die with it, but King Sariel still has feelings for you!"

"So what? Did my breaking-the-bond-chant malfunction? Should I repeat those stupid words in front of him just to make him feel better?" I sneered.

"Lilith..." Martha heaved a long sigh, "If he had those feelings for you now, it means that he felt for you long before he marked you."

My chest squeezed, making me struggle to take a breath. My heart foolishly fluttered, even if I knew it didn't make any sense. Even if what Martha said was true, it didn't change what Sariel did to me. But I started to ask myself what I would do if Sariel stood before me and asked me to go back with him... and I wasn't a hundred percent certain that I would refuse him.