ARIA’S POV:
”What curse?” Without a word, Draven walked out and slammed the door behind him.
The pace of my heartbeat doubled.
Something was terribly wrong and I was filled with fear.
Hours went by and the only person I had seen was the maid who was tasked to bring me a meal and feed me too.
“Ma, you have to eat something,” Nicolle walked in with the maid.
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, she reported you to me, because you don’t want to listen.”
”And you are the enforcer of the law?
I listen to you now?” I stubbornly pushed back.
“No, but you will eat because the Alpha is hanging my job on whether or not you’re taken care of and I can’t afford to lose my job. My family can’t afford that either.”
My resolve weakened.
Nicolle was the one person I had come to care about and she was right.
Draven knew exactly what he was doing.
I gestured for the maid to leave.
Nicolle and I were left alone in the infirmary.
“How’s Ella? Did she get checked?” I probed.
“Ella is fine,” Nicolle replied, “but she didn’t get checked.
The Alpha said her seizure was not of medical origin.”
”The curse,” I quickly recalled.
Clearly, Draven was the only one who knew what was wrong with Ella, but he was not doing anything about it.
“He’s the only one who can save his child but then he’s not trying. That’s really weird,” I said.
“Well, a lot of things are weird around here,” Nicolle reached for the food, pushing it to my face, just to remind me that it was the reason she was here.
“Do you know anything about the curse?” I probed.
Nicolle shook her head, communicating negative feedback.
“I need to know what that is about.
If I’m going to help Ella,bi need to know what she’s fighting against.”
”I don’t think anyone can help Ella.
Matter of fact, I think that’s the reason Alpha Draven is not trying.” Her response was sharp.
“What do you mean?”
Nicolle looked around, in a way that got suspicious. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
She knew we were alone.
She went to the door, opened it and peeped through the corridor.
I watched the drama in anticipation and a bit of worry.
“I don’t know so much, what I do know is Ella is not the Alpha’s first child,” she whispered very close to my ear.
“What?” The news shook me.
“What are you talking about?” It didn’t make any sense.
Draven had Ella after about two years of his union to his mate and she passed away while having Ella.
“Rumor has it that she lost a lot of children before Ella. Children that never saw the break of day and finally, she gave her life for Ella,” the words kept echoing in my ear.
I wasn’t sure what to believe.
I remained quiet and finished my meal.
Allowing Nicolle to leave immediately after.
I laid on the infirmary bed in absolute silence.
‘The curse,’ I could not get over it and what Nicolle had said.
It felt like I knew too much, but then there was still a lot to be known.
“Aria,” Ragner’s voice came from behind the door, accompanied by a short knock, just before he let himself in.
“Alpha Draven asked me to check on you. How are you doing?” He said, finishing his statement beside my bed.
“He sent you to check on me?” I scoffed, “I’ve been here all day, if he can’t squeeze from his busy Alpha schedule to see me, he shouldn’t act like he cares.” I rolled my eyes.
Ragner took a deep breath.
“You’re in your right to be upset, but you have to understand this is not easy for Draven too,”
”What is not easy for him?” I raised a brow, since my broken shoulder restricted my movement.
“I can’t understand what I don’t know Ragner and neither of you is talking, so what do I understand?”
I saw in his eyes that he was torn between emotions.
He was clearly carrying a burden–one he wanted to let out, but couldn’t.
“It’s a tough time for Draven,” Ragner said, “glad to see you’re recovering,” he turned around to leave.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” My question made him stop halfway to the door.
“The curse, the children he had before Ella. They aren’t rumors, are they?” Ragner turned back and walked to my bedside.
“Who told you about any of that?”
”Draven mentioned the curse,” I replied quickly, so he doesn’t trace it to Nicolle. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
I couldn’t tell what consequences would await.
Ragner took a deep breath.
His next move was unexpected–he took a seat beside my bed.
“Draven lived a life he is not very proud of,” he started, “so much that he encountered a witch and took from her the only thing that mattered to her.”
”He made his way right years later, when he met his mate, but the damage had already been done.
The witch claims every seed he plants in a woman.” He spoke softly, his voice dropped with sadness.
“In the first year, after losing five pregnancies, his Luna could no longer take it.
She went to a dark magic cave to undo the curse,”
”What Draven found out, he was furious, but all of that disappeared when Ella was finally carried to term and born.” Ragner took a break, a dramatic pause.
“It was not until she was on her deathbed that Luna told us that she had to pay the price for Ella.” A drop of tear trickled down my cheek.
“And Ella’s seizure?” I probed.
“Luna had the same seizures every time she lost her baby.
She did say there was something the witch didn’t add.
She said we’ll know it when it happens…”
”And today…” I took over,”It happened,” Ragner finished up.
I took a deep breath.
This really was a lot to take in, but it explained why Draven stood there, helpless.
He recognized her seizure.
He knew what was happening.
“Ella was only given five years to live and…”
”Not on my watch,” I said strongly.
Ragner smiled, not the kind that was happy and proud, the kind that said ‘oh, how innocent you are.’
”I know you think you can save her, but we only got lucky today.
Sooner than later, she’ll no longer be here.
Draven is just trying to wrap his head around it.”
I heard him, loud and clear, I just wasn’t accepting it, so I said it again, this time, stronger than the last.
My resolve was definite.
“Not on my watch.”
”What do you plan to do?” Ragner’s question was an obvious one.