Chapter 61
Gavriel left Althea in Lakan’s care and made his way quickly to Riela’s bedchamber. Simon had already placed the princess on her bed, and Uriel was standing beside her, his hands glowing faintly as he examined her condition.
“She’s stable for now,” Uriel muttered, brows furrowed. “But something feels wrong p>
Gavriel’s sharp gaze fixed on him. “What do you mean wrong p>
Uriel let out a low sigh, his hand hovering over Riela’s chest as he channeled his magic.
“The potions I created are not working the way they should. At this stage, she shouldn’t be having these violent episodes anymore. I wonder if there’s something that triggered her? What pushed her to lose control like that p>
Gavriel’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping into a hiss. “You’re the best mage healer in this kingdom, yet you stand here asking me for answers?” His tone carried a dangerous edge.
But Uriel didn’t flinch. He kept his focus on Riela, as calm as ever despite the Alpha King’s temper. “You said you only saw a white mist covering her, didn’t you? The one that came from… Althea?” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ (.)net
A deep growl rumbled in Gavriel’s chest, his expression hardening. “Address her properly,” he snapped. “You have no right to call her by name as if she were an equal. She is not yours to speak of so casually p>
Uriel finally glanced up at him, but his eyes remained steady. He didn’t argue further, though the curiosity in his expression lingered.
“So possessive. She’s not my mate, so rest assured I won’t do anything out of instinct, Gavriel,” Uriel replied with a sigh.
Gavriel didn’t answer right away. Instead, his voice was firm as he instructed, “Now that you’re back, focus on Riela. Do everything in your power to bring her old self back.” His eyes narrowed as he added, “And stay away from my mate. Do not concern yourself with her p>
He turned to leave, but Uriel’s voice stopped him.
“She’s Cain’s daughter, Gavriel. I know you’re acting on instinct because of the mate bond, but you need to be careful. Everyone is watching you, and they see how much she affects you. If you truly want to protect her, then stop showing us that she’s your weakness. Otherwise, she’ll be used as a pawn and in the end, we can’t even be sure where her loyalty will lie p>
His face darkened, but he said nothing. Instead, he strode forward, heading straight to where Althea was. In the hallway, he stopped abruptly and slammed his fist into the nearest wall.
The stone cracked under the blow, and blood seeped from his knuckles.
The mate bond was indeed turning into his weakness. Since Althea had entered his life, he had done things so unlike himself, things he never imagined he would do. His possessiveness over her was even worse than it had been with Rizza.
Even the smallest words or actions unsettled him if they involved Althea. And now, he couldn’t deny Uriel’s warning. Althea was still Cain’s daughter. The chance that she might use him to favor her father was real. She had already proven she would sacrifice herself for her siblings and her pack… how much more would she give for her own father?
Gavriel let out an annoyed growl, torn between going to see Althea or ignoring her altogether. He shouldn’t care so much. He shouldn’t even bother checking on her. She was nothing more than his breeder.
With a sharp snarl, he shifted into his wolf form and bolted out of the royal estate, disappearing into the forest to clear his head.
But Gavriel failed to notice the figure lurking in the shadows. The man’s gaze lingered on the balcony of the Alpha King’s bedchamber, where Althea was, as he whispered, “I finally found you p>
Althea drifted once again into that strange, blank space. She knew it was only a dream, an empty void she had fallen into before. But this time it was not her mother’s voice or fading memories that greeted her.
Instead, four faint lights flickered in the distance, slowly circling around her.
She blinked and took a hesitant step forward. The lights drew closer, their glow sharpening until she could make out their colors. One burned red like embers, another rippled blue like water, the third gleamed green like polished stone, and the last shimmered gold, soft but unyielding, like the wind itself.
Fire. Water. Earth. Air.
Her chest tightened. No one had spoken the words, but she knew. Somehow, her heart understood what those lights represented.
And then she noticed it—something different, something she hadn’t seen before. A pale, shifting light stirred around her feet, climbing upward like mist. It wasn’t fire or water or earth or air. Its glow was softer, almost silvery, and yet there was a sharp edge to it, as though it could cut through the void itself.
The four lights pressed in closer, circling faster now, their glow flaring as if they were testing her. She felt the pale light inside her respond, pulsing faintly with her heartbeat.
Her breath caught. She shouldn’t have this.
The word came unbidden, like a whisper carried on the mist.
Aether.
Her skin prickled. The name rang in her mind, heavy with warning. She had heard it only once before, buried in hushed whispers when she was a child.
Aether—the element that no longer existed. A force erased from history because it was too dangerous, too uncontrollable. The stories had said that those who held it were cursed, destined to bring ruin. That was why they had been destroyed.
Her family.
The realization hit her with a painful weight. The other lights flared brighter, clashing against the pale glow that rose from her. For a heartbeat, she thought she could hear angry voices—old, forgotten, yet sharp enough to sting. They accused, they condemned, vowing to erase a house too strong, too dangerous to be allowed to remain.
Her blood turned cold.
She wanted to reach out, to demand answers, but the void began to crack and shatter around her. The four lights faded into the darkness one by one, until only the misty pale glow remained.
It wrapped around her, heavy and suffocating, before vanishing as quickly as it came.
Althea gasped as her eyes snapped open, her body jolting awake. But even as the dream
slipped away, one word stayed carved deep in her mind.
Aether.