Chapter 652
“Why did you even ask Flora to take you to that forest?” she finally questioned, her eyes searching his.
“Because she tried to run away from the mansion,” Gabriel replied. “She wanted to play the hero, and despite my warnings, she decided to leave. I’m sorry, Amelie, I didn’t have the time to explain any of this to you in the heat of the moment p>
Amelie shook her head, the image of the jagged wounds on Flora’s neck flashing in her mind. “The claws wounded her deeply, Gabriel. You should have hurried to her. How could Alex hurt her right in your presence?” she asked, her voice rising with a hint of heartbreak. “Flora must have been so scared. That’s why she tried to leave… She thought she had to do everything alone without telling the others p>
Tears began pooling in her eyes before they finally spilled over, streaming down her cheeks. The guilt of her sister being used as bait, even willingly, was more than she could bear.
Gabriel reached out to pull her into his arms, but Amelie took a step back. “What if something happens to Flora? How will you answer my parents? You did this all alone. You could have called me, warned me, before taking her into that death trap. How am I supposed to look at my parents, or even look at myself, if she doesn’t wake up p>
Gabriel’s fists tightened at his sides until his knuckles turned white. His heart felt crushed under the weight of her tears, but a darker fear was paralyzing him. He suddenly recalled Carlos’s grim premonition: Flora’s thread of life was short. The realization that she might have been destined for this, and his interference did it, made his blood run cold.
“Amelie, I—I am sorry,” Gabriel managed to say.
Casaio stood by the hospital doors, his gaze shifting between them. Though he remained silent, he silently sided with Amelie. Gabriel had gambled with Amelie’s family member’s life, and now that life was hanging by a literal thread.
“I’ve let you do everything you desired,” Amelie continued, her voice cracking as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Just to save me, you are willing to sacrifice everyone else. But what will that do to me, Gabriel? Have you not thought about the guilt I’ll carry? I’m grateful you stay like a shield for me, but you forget that other lives are important too. Flora was once evil, yes, but she changed. She was trying to be better p>
She stepped back from him. “Being a shield doesn’t mean you get to decide who is expendable p>
Gabriel had no words left to even take a stand for his actions. He never thought a day like this would come when he would have no answers to justify his actions.
Suddenly, a doctor stepped out and Casaio immediately told them about it.
The doctor looked between the three of them, his brow furrowed in deep confusion. “We are unable to identify the substance in the patient’s bloodstream. It acts like a venom, but it’s stagnant. It’s as if it’s trying to stop her heart from the inside p>
“The wolf who clawed her was resurrected from the death,” Casaio stated.
“Resurrected from death?” The doctor stepped back, his face a mask of bewilderment. “That is medically impossible. If the source of the injury isn’t living, the biology of the wound defies everything we know p>
“There must be a way to treat her,” Gabriel said.
“I’ve never seen a case like this before, Your Highness,” the doctor explained, sounding increasingly overwhelmed. “I don’t even know what base to use for an antivenom. Our healers are working on her now, but I fear that since the source is of a dark, unnatural origin, ordinary healing magic may not be enough to purge it p>
“There must be a way, doctor,” Amelie said this time.
Gabriel stepped closer. “Alex’s blood was raven-black. But an Alpha’s blood is pure. Can my blood heal her? If the venom is death, then perhaps the blood of a living Alpha can act as the antidote p>
The doctor hesitated, considering the theory. “In ancient texts, royal blood has been used to counteract curses, but the risk of a transfusion reaction with this ’black venom’ is high p>
“Discuss it with the healers inside,” Gabriel commanded. “Tell them if there is a chance that Alpha blood can burn out that poison, we take it. I’m sure they have heard of something related to the Blood Bind ritual p>
The doctor nodded quickly and retreated back into the emergency room, leaving the three of them in the corridor.
Gabriel gazed at Amelie. He reached out as he grasped her wrist, leading her away from the corridor to a secluded corner of the hospital.
“Are you still upset?” Gabriel began. “Alex was contacting Flora. She was the only hook I had, the only lead that could pull him out of the shadows. I’m not making excuses for being late to reach her, but I felt she was the only one who could lure him into the open p>
“You could have used me!” Amelie countered, her voice trembling as she met his gaze, her dark lashes matted with fresh tears. “He was my ex-mate. This entire scenario was created because he wanted to ruin me. And you… You risked your life too. I saw it, Gabriel. He was overpowering you p>
“I only care for your life and Noah’s. That’s who I am,” he stated. He brought his hands up to cradle her neck, his palms warm against her skin as he drew her face toward his. His thumbs moved to wipe her tears from beneath her eyes.
“I warned everyone to stay inside the mansion. I gave a direct order. Yet, Flora broke it. What if I hadn’t caught her right as she was escaping? I’m not dodging my responsibility, Amelie, but the situation forced my hand. She wanted to save you. She wanted to save Noah. I felt she deserved the chance to play the hero for once, to balance the scales p>
Amelie closed her eyes, more tears escaping to wet his thumbs. “In the end, this all happened because of me. Don’t deny it. I’ve seen her living in constant regret, Gabriel. She wanted to move on, to forget the darkness she once stood in, but she couldn’t. Now, she’s fighting for her life in there, and I’m just… I’m standing here unable to do a single thing for her p>
She leaned her forehead against his chest, her strength finally giving way. “We need to save her. I can’t lose her. If something happens to her, I won’t be able to live well p>
Gabriel smoothed his hand over the back of her head, pulling her deeper into the safety of his embrace. He rested his chin atop her hair.
“We will find a way,” he murmured, his voice sounding more certain than he actually felt. “I promise you, Amelie, I will do everything in my power to save her p>
Deep down, the words of Carlos were ringing in his head– The prophecy about Flora’s short life. But seeing Amelie so broken, he remained silent as he didn’t want to believe in it now.