THE ALPHA’S FORBIDDEN MATE

CHAPTER 14: "30 DAYS TO LIVE"

The medical wing smelled like antiseptic and lies.

White walls. White bed. White light that made the blood on my collar look worse.

Beta Cole left me here with 2 guards.

“Doctor will be with you shortly,” he said. Then walked out.

I sat there for 20 minutes.

Staring at the cracks on my neck in the mirror.

Silver. Glowing. Bleeding.

The door opened.

Not the doctor.

Drake.

He shut it behind him and locked it.

“You’re bleeding,” he said. First thing.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, Raven.”

He crossed the room in 2 steps and cupped my face.

His thumb brushed the mark.

It stopped hurting.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I left you there.”

“You did what you had to,” I said. “For the pack.”

He flinched.

“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t make excuses for me.”

The door banged open.

Doctor Hale. Elder Maren. Lila.

Drake dropped his hands instantly. Stepped back.

Like I burned him.

Doctor Hale ran tests. Blood. Scans. That weird wolf machine that beeped.

The whole time Elder Maren watched me. Like I was a disease.

Lila watched Drake.

Finally, Doctor Hale cleared his throat.

“Alpha. Elders. I have the results.”

He looked at me. Then at Drake.

“The mate bond is incompatible,” he said. “Human physiology cannot sustain a full Alpha bond.”

He paused.

“At the current rate, the bond will cause systemic failure in approximately 30 days.”

Silence.

30 days.

The same as the wedding.

Lila put a hand over her mouth. “Oh Drake...”

Elder Maren nodded. Grave. “As we suspected.”

She turned to Drake. “You have a choice, Alpha. Sever the bond now. Reject her publicly. Or she dies. And you with her.”

Drake didn’t move.

“Is there another way?” he asked. Voice dead.

“No,” Doctor Hale said. “The only cure is rejection. Before the bond completes.”

Elder Maren stepped forward.

“The wedding is in 25 days. You will announce the rejection at the engagement ceremony. Make it clean. Make it final.”

Her eyes cut to me. “For her own good.”

For my own good.

Right.

Drake looked at me.

I couldn’t read his face.

But in my head, quiet:

I won’t do it, Raven. I swear.

“Understood,” he said out loud.

Lila smiled.

They left. All of them. no one stayed to watch me ,not a little sympathy in their eyes for me .

Leaving me with the guards and the beeping machine.

I counted in my head.

25 days until he announces he doesn’t want me.

30 days until the bond kills me.

5 days difference.

I laughed.

It came out broken.

Because the man who marked me was going to be the one to kill me.

Either with words.

Or by letting me die.