Claimed By A Midnight King

Chapter 18

Vivian’s pov

The fire in the stone fireplace blazed brightly, throwing warm, flickering orange shadows across the room.

I knelt on the edge of the mattress, an iron basin of water resting beside me. Dominic’s dark shirt was soaked in sweat and black blood. I used Silas’s dagger to slice the ruined fabric away, exposing his chest.

His body was defined by thick muscle and filled with a harsh history of silver scars. However, the most prominent mark was the dark, jagged crescent moon brand that had been seared directly over his heart.

My hands trembled as I dipped a strip of linen into the cold water.

I pressed the damp cloth against the angry, blistered skin surrounding the burn on his shoulder. Dominic flinched, a sharp escaping his mouth.

For ten years, I have heard of this man to be a monster. I had been told my blood was poison to his. But as I carefully washed the blood from his collarbones, the force of the mate bond pulled at the hollow space in my chest, demanding that I comfort him. It was an intoxicating gravity.

I reached out to wipe a bead of sweat from his temple. A massive, burning-hot hand suddenly shot out, his calloused hand locking around my wrist with the force of an iron vice.

I gasped, my pulse hammering against his palm as he pinned my arm against his chest. Dominic’s amber eyes snapped open. The fever had glazed them, making the predatory glow completely feral. But there was no softness in his gaze. There was only the brutal ice of the Butcher.

He pulled me down until my face was mere inches from his, the scent of pine and dark rain wrapping around me like a cage.

“Do not mistake this weakness, Valerius”, Dominic snarled, his voice a low, vibrating threat that sent a spike of pure fear and maddening heat straight to my core.

“You are still my prisoner. You are still the daughter of the man who slaughtered my bloodline”.

“I just cut a poisoned bolt out of your shoulder”, I breathed, my free hand coming up to push against his massive chest, though I couldn't budge him an inch.

“Because you know I am the only thing standing between you and the executioner’s block”, he shot back, his lips curling. His thumb brushed over the pulse point on my wrist, a gesture that was fiercely possessive. “You belong to my vengeance. Do not forget it”.

He shoved my hand away, releasing my wrist. I tumbled back onto my heels, gasping for air, staring at the man who hated me just as fiercely as his wolf craved me.

I didn't argue. I grabbed the crushed roots from the mortar, poured the distilled spirits over it, and packed the poultice directly into his raw burn.

Dominic let out a guttural growl of pain, his body going rigid, but he didn't reach for me again. I bound his shoulder tightly with the linen and retreated to the foot of the bed, putting as much distance between us as the mattress would allow.

An hour passed in agonising silence. The fever slowly began to break, and Dominic’s breathing finally evened out as the root drew the last of the infection from his blood.

Then, the heavy iron bolts on the door slid back.

Silas slipped into the room, his raven feather cloak dusted with fresh snow. He locked the door and leaned against the wood, letting out a long, heavy exhale.

Dominic forced himself into a sitting position against the headboard, his jaw tight.

“Report”.

“Kaek found Jarek’s body”, Silas said, stepping into the firelight. “He sounded the alarm, secured the lower gates, and convened an emergency tribunal in the Great Hall”,

“And?” Dominic pressed, the tension tight in his jaw.

“He told the vanguard that Jarej went rogue, released the Sun Chemist, and paid the ultimate price. He also told the pack that you, Alpha, were gravely wounded while heroically fighting off the Sun clan's ambush in the tunnel”.

A heavy sigh of profound relief left Dominic’s chest. The Alpha leaned his head back against the timber headboard, closing his eyes. “He covered for us. He kept you out of it, and he kept the prisoner hidden”.

“He did”, Silas agreed, his tone entirely respectful of the elder. “But the pack was panicking, Alpha. To maintain order and prepare for the Sun Prince’s retaliation, Karl invoked the Regency Act. He has legally taken temporary command of the vanguard until you are fully healed”.

I sat at the foot of the bed, feeling the political tension in the room instantly evaporate. Kael had stepped into the line of fire to shield a wounded king.

“He’s buying me time”, Dominic murmured, a rare look of genuine vulnerability crossing his harsh features. “Kael placed his own personal guards outside this tower to ensure no one disturbs the healing process. We are safe here”.

“There is one more thing, Alpha”, Silas added softly. “To keep morale high, Kael asked Vespera to coordinate the Citadel’s internal defences while he handles the borders. The vanguard is looking to her for comfort”.

Dominic nodded slowly. “Vespera knows how to handle the nobles. Let her run the keep. Silas, get some rest. We start hunting Jarek’s true killer tomorrow”.