Chapter 303
Chapter 303
The guard glanced at the doctor. She nodded, and he turned and stepped outside. Good. That was one less set of eyes to worry about.
The doctor poked and prodded at my stomach, muttering under her breath. She pulled out her pouch of herbs and waved it under my nose. I fought the urge to gag. Then, she made me remove my bottoms and performed a pelvic exam.
All the while, I surreptitiously scanned the tables covered in herbs and bottles, searching for something useful.
“Hm,” she said. She set her materials aside. “You’re fine. Just stressed. Go back to your tent and rest p>
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I really don’t feel well p>
“You’re fine,” she repeated firmly. She turned away, dismissing me. She probably didn’t care if I had a miscarriage or something. It would likely just make her job a lot easier.
I sat up slowly, letting my gaze continue to wander around the hut as I dressed. There were shelves lined with jars and vials. Labels I couldn’t read from this distance. But one caught my eye.
It was sitting on the table near the doctor’s workspace. A small glass vial filled with clear liquid. The label read “Morphine p>
A narcotic. Strong enough to knock someone out in moments. That was exactly what I was looking for.
The doctor had her back turned, too busy focusing on her herbs to notice me. I took my chance and, while I was walking over to the door, I reached out and grabbed the vial. I slipped it into my pocket, along with a syringe I found.
I turned, looking at the doctor. She didn’t seem to notice. Satisfied, I met the guard outside and followed him back to my tent.
Around midnight, I carried out my plan. I filled the syringe with the morphine, careful not to spill a drop. Then, I tucked it into the folds of my dress and headed toward Asher’s tent, claiming that I needed to talk to him. My guard followed me, but that didn’t matter. I could manage.
My plan was simple, although it made my stomach twist. I would tell Asher that I loved him. That I wanted to be with him, and that I was tired of waiting for our wedding night. He always wanted to fuck me, anyway.
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Once we were alone, I would inject him with the narcotic while he was distracted. Then, after he fell unconscious, I’d steal the keys to Gideon’s cage and free him.
And then we would run. We would find a way out of this camp and never look back. After… I wasn’t sure what would happen after. But we had to get out of here first if there was ever going to be an “after” to consider.
It had to work. It was the only plan I had left
I had just reached Asher’s tent when I heard voices.
I froze. The voices were coming from inside the tent. I could make out Asher’s voice, and another’s. A male voice, deep and familiar.
Gideon.
My breath caught. What was he doing in there?
Curious, I leaned closer, pretending to fuss with my dress. My guard barely paid any attention, too busy staring at a half-nude woman passing by to notice that I wasn’t moving. I pricked my ears to listen.
“Do you truly want Avery? Or is it the child you’re after?” Asher’s voice said.
There was a pause. My heart pounded in my ears. I leaned closer, trying to listen more, but it was no use. Whatever Asher said next was drowned out by the sound of raucous cheers behind me. Even my guard perked up at the sound, looking over to see that some males had apparently just begun a drinking contest not far off.
Suddenly, Gideon’s voice responded. Every word was like a silver needle piercing my skin. Over and over and over.
“I don’t want Avery. I just want the child. Not her. Never her p>
The world tilted beneath my feet, and my knees began to buckle.
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Chapter 304
Gideon’s POV
Everything was a blur. Shapes moving in and out of focus. Voices that sounded like they were underwater.
I watched Avery walk away through the bars of my cage. Her back was turned to me, shoulders rigid. She didn’t look back. Not even once.
My body was on fire. Silver needles jutted from my arms, my legs, my chest. She’d pushed them through the bars herself, one by one, while the entire camp watched. I’d tried to scream, to tell her that I hadn’t slept with that woman, but the gag in my mouth had muffled everything.
She thought I’d betrayed her.
And now she was punishing me for it.
Blood dripped from the wounds, pooling beneath me. The silver kept them from healing. Each breath sent fresh waves of agony through my body.
I couldn’t hold on much longer.
My eyes fluttered closed, and the world faded to black.
When I woke, I was somewhere else.
Not the cage. Somewhere warmer and quieter. I cracked my eyes open and saw thick canvas overhead. A tent. Asher’s tent, judging by the wolf pelt draped over the throne in the corner.
I was tied to a chair. My wrists were bound with silver chains, the metal searing into my skin. My ankles, too. I couldn’t move.
Asher was standing in front of me with his arms crossed. He looked pleased,
“Good. You’re awake,” he said, “We can get started p>
I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry, Only a rasp came out.
Asher walked over to a table and picked up a cup of water. He brought it to my lips
and tipped it, letting me drink. The water was cool, soothing. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
“How are you feeling, Alpha Gideon?” he asked.
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I glared at him.
“Not feeling talkative?” He set the cup down. “That’s fine. You’ll feel plenty talkative when we’re done here p>
He walked around me, circling my chair like a predator. I could hear his boots against the dirt floor, metal buckles clanking in the quiet space.
Then, he stopped behind me.
“You know she’s pregnant, right?” he whispered.
My jaw clenched.
“It must be difficult for you,” Asher went on. “Knowing that your heir is trapped here with me. Knowing that you might never get to meet them p>
I didn’t answer.
Asher moved in front of me again. He bent down, bringing himself to my eye level.” Here’s what I think, Gideon. I think you don’t actually care about Avery. I think you only care about the child. About having an heir to carry on your bloodline p>
“That’s not true,” I rasped.
“Then why did you sleep with that woman? If you truly loved Avery, you would have resisted. But you didn’t. You gave in the moment temptation was placed in front of you p>
“You drugged me. And I didn’t sleep with her p>
Asher simply shrugged. “That’s not what Avery seems to think.” He stood and walked over to a table, where various tools were laid out like a surgeon about to operate. “It was her idea, you know. The silver needles. She wanted to make you suffer. It was rather cathartic for her p>
I watched as he picked something up. A knife? No. As he turned to face me, I saw it was a razor blade. Freshly sharpened, from the looks of it.
“Let’s test my theory, shall we?” Asher said. He walked back over to me and pressed the edge of the blade against my arm. The metal was cold. “All you have to do is tell me the truth. Admit that you don’t want Avery, and never did. Admit that you only want the child. And this will all stop p>
“No p>
“No?” Asher pressed the blade down harder. “Are you sure about that p>
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