Entwined ✔️

Chapter 26: Proposed

My thoughts on this chapter? 🤮 I wrote this while dealing with writers block and I'm too lazy to work on it but it gets better, I promise.
Happy new year! I've missed every single one of you. Old readers, new readers, all of you I'm glad we all made it to this new year.

Two days later,

Late into the night, my sleep was interrupted by a handmaid who stood at my door with a lamp in her hand.

" My lady, the Dowager Luna sent me to fetch you." She said.

She led the way and I followed, the dull light of her lamp illuminating the dark corridors. I soon realized where we were headed.

Rhydian's room.

I hadn't seen or heard from him since he made me leave his room two days ago. No one in the castle save a select few, knew what was happening. They all thought the Alpha had left on one of his usual trips. Rhydian's poisoning was a secret that hadn't been allowed to leave his room.

These past two days had been hard. I had expected him to send for me but he hadn't and I spent the past days in a daze, worrying about his health.

Princess Raelynn had come by the castle for tea but I couldn't even remember a second from the two hours I spent with her. My mind was solely on him. The fact that I hadn't heard from Carrison or the Dowager Luna worried me greatly. It could only mean Rhydian wasn't getting better.

The handmaid stopped at Rhydian's door and knocked on it. A second later, the door was opened by a weary looking Carrison. He dismissed the maid and opened the door wide for me to go in.

My eyes zeroed in on Rhydian's bed.  He wasn't asleep but his eyes were squeezed shut. From where I was, I could see his whole body gleaming with sweat. The Dowager Luna sat beside him in the bed, mopping his forehead with a damp cloth. In the dull candlelight, she looked much older and tired. She had aged visibly in the two days of her son's poisoning.

I moved to the bed slowly. Although I had guessed that Rhydian wasn't yet better, actually seeing it hit me so hard. I knelt beside him, my widened eyes trained on his chest in worry. His breathing was laboured, I realized. He really isn't getting better. It took a few seconds before I realized that Carrison was speaking to me.

" The Queen mother and I need to leave the castle in the morning. There is an urgent matter we need to attend to and if we don't, it could lead to suspicion." He informed quietly. " But first, she needs to get some rest. Do you mind looking after Rhydian?"

" Of course not." I said and took the towel from the Dowager Luna. " You need to go get some rest." I said to her.

For a few seconds, she remained seated, staring with immensely sad eyes at her son.

" He should be fighting this better." She lamented under her breath. " He should be better by now." She said and her eyes filled up with tears.

I was surprised by this. He was sick now but his recovery was certain, wasn't it? She was acting like she didn't know if Rhydian would survive this.

" Two of the palace guards also showed signs of poisoning. They're both dead now." Carrison explained gravely.

I stared at him in shock. The palace guards were all powerful werewolves with immune systems almost as strong as Rhydian's. If they hadn't been able to fight this ...I cleared those thoughts from my head. Regardless of their strong blood, Rhydian's was stronger. He was the Alpha. He would be fine.