His destined mate

Bianca's POV

"Ethan..." His mother's voice was laced with an urgency that couldn't be denied. She looked at me briefly before turning her full attention back to her ailing son.

I met the Lycan King's gaze, seeing the enormous effort it took for him just to remain conscious and focused through the waves of pain and sickness assailing him. Yet his eyes still burned with that inner fire I had come to know so well.

"Mother...do not..." he managed to grit out, each word seemingly costing him dearly. "Bianca is...not to blame..."

The Queen Mother's eyes flashed dangerously. "Do not insult me with lies to protect this deceiver, my son. Her wretched curse has finally shown its true face!"

I flinched at her accusatory venom, shrinking back instinctively. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Emily watching the confrontation with the faintest hint of a satisfied smile. Ethan let out a pained growl, his fingers tightening around mine with what little strength he could muster.

"The breaking... of our bond..." he rasped out, fixing Emily with a scorching look. "That is the true cause. Not her..."

A disbelieving silence fell over the gathered crowd as they followed Ethan's meaning. I felt a swell of gratitude that he was still defending me, even now when his very life seemed to hang by a thread.

Emily, for her part, appeared utterly nonplussed. She met Ethan's challenging stare with mocking indifference.

"Really, Ethan? You'd risk everything, turn your back on your own blood, just to protect that...that wretch?" She sneered in my direction with undisguised disdain. "How pridefully arrogant you've allowed yourself to become."

The Lycan Queen narrowed her eyes at Emily's implied suggestion but clearly couldn't deny the power behind her words. After all, Ethan had chosen to undo their cosmic mating bond himself. If that act had indeed come at some terrible mystical cost... One of the healers cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the tense room.

"Your Grace," he addressed the Queen Mother with a respectful bow. "Perhaps we should consider that the King's spirit has indeed been...polluted by the forces he recklessly exposed himself to."

Ethan made a noise rejecting this, even as another shudder of agony went through him. I felt a rush of protectiveness, wanting nothing more than to shield him from these accusations and judgments.

Before I could speak up, Emily stepped forward again, her expression one of exaggerated sadness and concern.

"I fear my words are true, Your Majesty," she said to the Queen Mother in an overly sweet tone. "We've all heard the stories of this girl's curse, how anyone who ties themselves to her ends up dead in an unnatural way. Perhaps....this is simply that cursed power at work once more?"

A shocked murmuring rose up from the crowd at her thinly-veiled suggestion. I felt like the ground had disappeared from under me, with panic gripping my chest.

It was one thing for the nobles to hate me as an outsider who had deceived them by

pretending to be Ethan's mate. But to be accused of literally cursing him with a dark, fatal essence?

I looked around at the hardening, disgusted glares and mutters being directed at me.

Even the guards had subtly shifted their weapons in a more hostile way, as if prepared to

cut me down on the spot if I made one wrong move.

"That's...that's not true..." I tried to feebly protest, feeling completely alone despite being at Ethan's side. "I would never-" "ENOUGH!"

The powerful Alpha tone of Ethan's yell shook the entire room. Despite his weakened

state, the sheer force of his willpower caused everyone to instinctively fall silent, even the brazen Emily. Fixing the gathered crowd with a scorching glare, each word he forced out carried the weight of an unbreakable decree.

"I will hear...no more... of these baseless...accusations..." A tremor of pain went through him, but he powered through it by sheer stubborn force. "Bianca has...done nothing...to deserve this treatment. She is...my MATE!"

The last two words rang with such finality that no one dared challenge them further. I stared at Ethan with a potent mix of shock, awe, and undisguised gratitude. Even now, suffering so greatly, he still fought with every ounce of his indomitable spirit to protect

me.

But such efforts appeared to have taken a big toll. With a guttural sound of pure agony, Ethan's eyes rolled back as a tremor more violent than any before gripped his body. In an instant, I was knocked away from the bedside, several guards rushing to help restrain his convulsing form to the bed.

"Ethan!" I cried out in panic, struggling against the sudden restraining hands that held me back. "Let me go to him!"

My voice was drowned out by the shouts and rising commotion as the healers rushed to intervene with fresh urgency. Billowing clouds of smoke and ethereal light filled the air as They performed their most powerful rituals and spells.

Yet nothing seemed to ease Ethan's horrific suffering. If anything, the violent fits wracking his body only seemed to intensify more.

Tears blurred my vision as I watched helplessly, feeling more powerless and afraid than ever before. Somewhere through the noise and chaos, I heard the anguished cry of the Queen Mother, finally expressing a mother's grief at her child's torment.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the violent shaking stopped. An eerie stillness descended over the room. No one dared even breathe as Ethan's body went terribly, completely still and limp against the sweat-soaked sheets.

The healer who had been tending to him most closely made a sign to ward off evil. "His spirit...has left this plane..." he said in a hushed, disbelieving tone. "The King is...no more." A collective gasp rose around me. Several guards immediately knelt down, with slumped shoulders showing despair at the unimaginable loss. I could only stare in shock and mute denial as the Queen Mother turned her tear-streaked face towards me, features twisted in rage.

"You..." she said through gritted teeth, raising a hand that crackled with terrifying power despite her evident grief. "You vile, wretched, unnatural creature! You and your curse of Death has murdered my child!"

I shrank back, struck numb and unable to speak by the accusation. The Queen Mother's anguish and belief that I was to blame were palpable. In that moment, I realized the true danger I was in.

Before anyone could react, I felt myself lashed by an invisible force of sheer magic that sent me crashing hard against the far wall. Pain went through me, with spots flickering in my vision.

Despite my state, I could make out the form of the Queen Mother looming over me,

power and hatred radiating off her in waves. An ominous red glow began to envelop her hands, building in intensity.

"For your crimes against the throne and royal family," she said in a chillingly emotionless voice, "I condemn you to oblivion, you spawn of evil..."

My breath caught in my throat as tendrils of that unholy energy reached out towards me

like living tentacles ready to trap their prey. I tried to scramble away, to flee, but I was

utterly frozen in place, death itself seeming to close in around me.

"Wait!" I cried out desperately. "I can help Ethan! I know a way to heal him!"

The Queen Mother paused, her hateful glare boring into me. "Do not insult us further with your lies, wretch."

"It's not a lie, I swear!" I pleaded. "My grandmother...she taught me ancient healing rituals before she passed. Please, let me try to save your son!"

Emily laughed coldly from nearby. "As if we would allow your cursed magic anywhere

near Ethan after the harm you've already caused?"

I looked around at the doubtful, disgusted faces. No one seemed willing to give me a

chance, the perceived source of Ethan's affliction, to try any kind of ritual on him. Tears filled my eyes as I made one final plea. "I gave my oath to be Ethan's mate. I accepted this bond wholeheartedly. Why would I ever wish to harm him? Please....please let me try to save his life!"

For a while, there was a scary silence. I could see the Queen Mother hesitating, unsure whether to protect Ethan or face the truth that he was getting worse.

Eventually, she nodded firmly. "Okay. Go ahead with your ritual. But one mistake, and I won't hesitate to stop you!"

I swallowed nervously and rushed to Ethan's bedside. Close up, he looked even worse - his skin was almost see-through, and he was barely breathing. Time was running out. I struggled to recall the teachings from my grandmother's old healing books. Pushing away my fear, I started the complex series of hand movements and powerful words she had taught me.

At first, there was no change. The bundles of strong-smelling herbs I waved filled the air with thick smoke meant to purify, but Ethan stayed unnervingly motionless. Desperation set in. I delved deeper into the raw energy flow, using it to power my gestures and spells. Sweat formed on my forehead as I exerted myself to summon these mystical forces.

Just when it seemed like my efforts were about to be in vain, I sensed it - a faint glimmer

of response in Ethan's weakened life force. Encouraged, I intensified my concentration

and poured all my strength into nurturing that flicker into a flame.

The smoke around us transformed into a swirling vortex, crackling with energy. I vaguely heard gasps of astonishment from the onlookers, but I tuned it all out. My sole focus was on channeling the ancient healing powers into Ethan.

Minute after agonizing minute passed. Just as I started to fear that I had failed, Ethan's

body suddenly jerked violently.

I cried out in shock, stumbling back as he started to convulse again. However, this fit looked very different from the dark shivers that had been consuming him before. With a sharp intake of breath, Ethan's eyes snapped open wide. He sat up abruptly, trembling as life surged back into his frail body.

In that timeless moment, our eyes locked in an intense gaze. I sensed an overwhelming sense of destiny as the swirling energy around us condensed into a brilliant burst... And then, it was quiet again. The dazzling light faded into wisps of smoke as Ethan slumped back, his chest heaving. A profound stillness filled the room as we all tried to comprehend what had transpired.

Ethan blinked slowly, visibly exhausted yet undeniably alive. When he looked at me, a faint smile graced his lips - a silent expression of gratitude and understanding that words couldn't capture.

In that instant, I understood that our relationship had shifted irreversibly. By taking the risk to save him, I had crossed a boundary from which there was no turning back. What began as a desperate attempt had forged an unbreakable connection between us, guided by powers beyond our control.

Amid the crowd's astonished reactions, I locked eyes with Ethan, feeling everything else fade into the background. Though I couldn't explain it, I sensed our fates were now

forever linked, destined for a journey fraught with danger and opportunity, yet uncertain in its outcome.

And then he came closer towards me and kissed me deeply, not minding the grasp of people around.