Chapter 280: Holds no strength
Amelie woke up in the afternoon. Her eyes slowly blinking as she took in her surroundings. Her body was feeling strange. She could feel the presence of her wolf inside her.
'Amelie, it's me. Your wolf, Selene.'
'Really?' Amelie sat up, wondering if it was a dream. She pinched the skin on her arm lightly, wincing in short pain. 'It's real. Selene, where you all this time? And...' she paused, recalling what happened to her last night.
"I was feeling a sharp pain," Amelie murmured, lowering her head and hands to her bump. Everything seemed fine.
'Yes. We were in an extreme pain. I always wanted to communicate with you, Amelie. But I couldn't. It felt like I was imprisoned all this time,' Selene said.
'Did you wake up because of what happened last night?' Amelie questioned.
'I have no idea. But there was a presence of a warmth around us,' Selene asserted.
"Amelie, you're awake!" Gabriel's voice reached her ears. As she her head, she found him on the bed beside her. The next second, he hugged her as if his life depended on it.
His hand moved to the back of her head as he closed his eyes. She wasn't surprised by his reaction and placed her hand on his back, patting it gently.
'Selene, I'm your mate, Valko.'
'What a good name!' Selene replied.
'You've a beautiful name too,' Valko said.
Gabriel gently pulled away, peering into her eyes. "Your wolf is awakened. You're not cursed. Your wolf name means like moon," he stated with a smile. "And you're an alpha she-wolf."
"Yes. It's surprising! Selene was always there inside me," Amelie said. "I only remember tiny details from the last night. My entire body was still and was in extreme pain. My neck..." She brought her hand to her nape, touching the mark. Her eyes stopped blinking for a moment as she felt a sudden chill upon touching it.
"It's turned strange. What's going on?" she asked in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
"When I touch this spot, it feels cool," Amelie replied.
Gabriel reached his hand to the same point, feeling a stung on his head. His eyes closed and he ended up seeing a short vision from their pasts.
What he saw was Amelie lying in the pool of blood while he was standing alongside a woman. He couldn't see her face, but he could see a smile on that evil face.
"I curse you..."
"Ahh!" Gabriel let out a small, sharp cry before pulling back his hand.
"What happened?" Amelie promptly asked in panic.
He shook his head.
"A vengeful witch cursed us in our past lives. She's returned again. Last night, she's the one, who cast an evil spell to open the curse mark. Carlos told me all of this," Gabriel said.
"But it ends up making me meet Selene. And our wolves connected too. I'm an alpha she-wolf, not an omega," Amelie stated.
"Yes, that's what was always hidden inside you. The mark was the reason. Carlos' grandmother id looking into these marks, so only she can tell us. We have to wait to find out the theory behind these marks."
"Oh."
"How do you feel, Amelie? You and the pup feel good, right? It scared me last night when you suddenly turned stiff and was crying in agonizing pain," Gabriel said in a worried tone. His hands moving to hers, holding them firmly.
"We are fine," Amelie replied. "I'm sorry for troubling you last night." She lowered her head, feeling guilty. "I always trouble you."
"Don't say that," Gabriel replied, his thumbs caressing the back of her palms. "We both are mates. It's normal to get worried for each other at a time like this."
She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. His eyes looked tired and so did his body.
"You didn't sleep, did you? I know because of me you stayed awake all the night," Amelie said in a low voice.
"Well, sleep evaded me after all of that happened. I was pissed thinking why a witch is after us," Gabriel said.
"Master, Sir Carlos has returned," Albus announced from outside the door.
"Where did he go?" Amelie confusedly questioned.
"To bring the charms. You should freshen up," Gabriel told her.
"Yeah." She got down from the bed while Gabriel watched her heading to the washroom.
Opening the room's door, he noticed Albus was still outside. "Get the room cleaned. Also, Amelie is awake, so keep a maid here until I'll be back," he ordered and walked downstairs.
Carlos was drinking the water, quenching his thirst. Lowering it to the table, he pulled out two rings with embedded paper charms inside the stone. "Is Amelie awake?"
"Yes. A while ago. She's fine and the pup too," Gabriel replied. He looked at the rings, then at Carlos.
"You both need to wear these. Keep them on until we catch this witch," Carlos said. "In any situation, don't remove them. I talked to my grandmother on my way back. Because of her health, she can't fly here but she will send someone trustable to help us," he asserted.
"Did your grandmother tell you about the marks?" asked Gabriel with a hopeful gaze.
"Not yet. She's to confirm something before telling everything," Carlos answered.
"I see. Amelie's wolf is awake," Gabriel said. "And when I touched the mark on her nape, I got a vision. The witch was happy seeing Amelie lying in the pool of blood. Then she spoke: 'I curse you…' That's all I heard. A sharp pain shot through me, and the vision disappeared before I could hear her finish the curse."
"It's confirmed then. You both were cursed. But why? That's a mystery. You two must have done something to anger the witch," Carlos stated.
Gabriel hummed, nodding his head slowly.
"I have to go to the palace as well," Carlos said.
"Go after having lunch," Gabriel asserted.
"I'll eat later. First, let's find out what your mother has to tell me. That's most important right now," Carlos remarked.
~~~~~~
"Your Majesty, the Queen has requested your presence," Lester said politely, standing at a respectful distance.
Without lifting his gaze from the document in his hand, Raidan asked, "Why does the Queen wish to see me?"
"Her Majesty mentioned that Prince Gabriel requires her assistance, and she needs to speak with you regarding that matter," Lester explained.
Raidan's brows drew together in a slight frown. He placed the document neatly on the table and laid his pen across it before rising from his seat. Without another word, he made his way toward the Queen's quarters.
The guards stationed outside the chamber straightened and bowed, stepping aside to open the towering doors.
Raidan entered the room, his sharp eyes sweeping across the chamber. The attending servants, sensing his presence, silently retreated, bowing their heads as they exited one by one.
His gaze settled on Mabel, seated by the window with a book in her hands. As soon as she saw him, she rose from her seat and offered a courteous bow.
She met his eyes but remained quiet.
"How many more days must you remain like this?" Raidan asked, tinged with something between concern and weariness.
"Six more days before I'm permitted to step outside my quarters," Mabel replied calmly. "Your Majesty, Gabriel contacted me early this morning. He's sending someone to see me. I hope you won't object."
"I was planning to speak with you about it myself," Raidan said, a faint note of irony in his voice. "It seems Gabriel was in greater haste than I expected."
"Gabriel looked troubled," Mabel said. "Something happened to Amelie last night. She was in terrible pain. And the way he spoke… it felt as if the prophecy is beginning to unfold."
Raidan's expression darkened. His brows drew close as he asked, "What do you mean? Don't tell me you said something cruel to our son again."
"I didn't," Mabel replied, shaking her head. "I agreed to help him. But the pendant, it couldn't shield Amelie from the pain. It failed."
She paused, her voice firm despite the tension simmering beneath it. "They were never meant to fall in love, Raidan. Gabriel sought love, but it may end up destroying him. That's what the High Priestess warned us. You know I wanted to test the pendant's power… but clearly, it holds no strength when a witch is involved."
Raidan's jaw tightened as the weight of her words settled. In that moment, he realized, once again, how much Mabel had kept hidden from him.
"Why weren't they supposed to fall in love?" he asked. "Mabel, why didn't you tell me everything before?"
She lifted her gaze, her eyes sharp and unwavering. "Your Majesty, if anything happens to Gabriel, if he's harmed because of this, then you and Amelie will bear the consequences. I will never forgive either of you."
"Are you serious, Mabel? Again you're ready to put the blame on the others rather than genuinely helping our son. Even if curses exist, I believe in the power of love. Nothing will happen to Gabriel because Amelie loves him. They will protect each other."