Chapter 73
At the same time, a flash — the glint of an arrow slicing through the air. A soldier, stationed just out of sight, obeying a ruthless order: Shoot the fleeing Omega in front of the Crown Prince.
The arrow flew, aimed straight for Marie Alphrose’s exposed nape.
Crash!
“Kh—!”
“Aaagh!”
With a violent crash, Marie’s body tumbled across the ground — no, not the ground. Strong arms had seized her, pulling her forcefully away from the cliff, away from death.
They rolled together, hard and fast, until they stopped with a painful jolt.
“Your Highness!”
Cries rang out from the knights. Pain throbbed, sharp and dizzying.
“Let go! Let me go!”
“Marie. Marie, look at me!”
“I don’t want to die. hngh!”
“Why the hell would I kill you?!”
Hot drops splattered across her skin.
Marie blinked. Through her haze, she saw it. Blood… Russell’s blood. A deep gash ran down the firm muscle of his shoulder, dark red blooming like ink across his uniform.
The coppery scent hit her like a wave. Her blurred mind began to clear. The sharp tang of Alpha pheromones filled the air — his scent, pouring from him, enveloping her.
And through the contact of their bodies, the heat soaked in, reaching down to her core through a raw, intimate, and wordless connection.
“Marie.”
Ah, Russell.
Marie moved without thinking, instinct taking over.
Her hand reached out, grazing the blood-slicked wound on his shoulder in a trembling caress. Then, with a soft thud, her arm dropped.
Her head slumped forward.
Her body, pushed far beyond its limits, finally gave in and collapsed.
Watching her with eyes sharpened by fear, Russell released a breath only when he confirmed she was unharmed, at least on the surface. She looked as though she’d been through hell, but no wounds marred her body.
He clenched his jaw as he cradled his unconscious Omega in his arms.
The sound of his teeth grinding echoed like steel snapping under pressure.
A deadly chill radiated from him. Marie had nearly died. If he had arrived even a second later, that arrow would have pierced her throat.
The bastard must’ve been one of Arwena’s, of course.
“Find him. Kill him. I want his head.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Ah, what shall we do with Ryan von Alice?”
“That bastard.”
The knight commander gestured toward the neatly dressed Alpha, still unconscious on the ground. The man Marie had chosen to run away with, leaving Russell behind.
He wanted to kill him. To wipe him from existence right before Marie’s eyes. But if he did that, she’d only hate him more.
Russell turned away without hesitation.
“Hold House Alice accountable. Dump him back where he belongs. If they have any sense, they’ll understand the message.”
With careful hands, Russell adjusted the sleeping woman in his arms, pulling her gently to rest against his chest.
Only then did he allow himself to exhale, slow and deep. The tightly coiled tension in his body eased. She was alive. He had saved her.
And she was back in his arms, right where she belonged.
He hadn’t lost her. His mate. His destined bond. The woman he loved.
The one he’d nearly let slip through his fingers out of cowardice, out of fear of speaking too soon.
Never again. He would never let her go.
“We’re going home.”
To the imperial palace.
A cloud of dust lingered in the air as the knights moved with military precision, leaving behind only a body and a dark stain on the ground. As if nothing had happened, silence settled once more.
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