Chapter 94

Arthur had been unconscious for what felt like an eternity. His breaths were shallow, and his skin never regained an ounce of color. I was starting to wonder if he would ever wake up. Maybe Noah had messed up the change somehow.

His body lay still, a fragile vessel suspended between life and death. The room was filled with an eerie silence, broken only by the beeping of the machines. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, my heart heavy with despair.

The nurse had come and gone, but I had barely acknowledged her presence. How could I when the love of my life was slumped over and chained to the wall? How could I focus on anything when everything had been ripped away from me?

As the hours passed, the air around him grew heavy, carrying a scent that sent shivers down my spine. It was the scent of a wild death, the primal essence of something ancient and untamed.

Even when they started to burn, my eyes never left Arthur's face, searching for any sign of life. Then it happened. His eyelids fluttered, revealing eyes that were no longer the vibrant green I remembered.

Instead, they gleamed with an unearthly crimson. They shined in the dim lighting, betraying what he was. A predator that was meant to be constrained to the night. But I knew that due to his wolf, he would be free to terrorize at any time of the day.

A gasp escaped my lips as I recoiled, a surge of fear coursing through my veins. This was not the Arthur I knew. There was no recognition in those crimson orbs, only a hunger that seemed to consume him from within.

The air grew colder, as if the very room recoiled from the darkness that now dwelled within him. Arthur looked around the room slowly, his eyes almost rolling in his skull. His head seemed to be too heavy for him to move at the moment.

I guess Noah hadn’t been lying when he said Arthur would be too weak from the change to be much of a threat. Watching him reminded me of watching a baby experience the world for the first time. But only if that baby had fangs and craved blood.

With a newfound confidence that Arthur wouldn’t be able to hurt me, I steeled myself and waved my hand at him to get his attention. "Arthur," I whispered, my voice trembling with a mixture of hope and dread. "It's me, Almara. Do you know who I am?"

His response was swift and brutal. With a snarl that echoed through the room, he lunged at me, his fangs descended like a predator poised to strike. Instinct took over, and I tried to put myself against the head of the bed, but being strapped to machines and heavily pregnant did not allow for a lot of movement.

The force of his attack sent him crashing into the wall, a low growl emanating from his throat. The manacles clinked together and he looked at them, surprise written across his features. He hadn’t noticed them before.

Arthur studied them, a calculating look in his eyes. He ran his fingers slowly over the cuffs, looking for any weaknesses. I bit my lower lip, afraid if I made any big movement it would bring his attention back to me.

My heart was pounding in my chest. This was not the man I loved. This was a creature of the night, a specter of the shadows, driven by an insatiable hunger that consumed his very being. Tears welled in my eyes as I grappled with the harsh reality before me.

Noah had really done it. He had turned Arthur into a hybrid. I guess a part of me had hoped that the change hadn’t taken. That maybe being an alpha would override the vampirism. That when Arthur woke up, he would still be the man that I had fallen in love with.

A sob escaped from between my lips before I could stop it and Arthur’s head jerked back in my direction. Fangs flashed as he strained against his restraints, snapping his jaws in my direction.

He reminded me of a wild animal that had never had a proper meal. The only thing driving him was hunger. There was certainly no getting through to him when he was in this state. I may never be able to get through to him at this point.

My muscles tensed as I had another contraction. I gripped the sheets and bit my cheeks so hard that I could taste blood. I couldn’t afford to whimper in pain. If I did, I would sound like prey.

Arthur’s predatory instincts could be enough to overrule his weakened state. Like how some human mothers could lift cars off of their trapped children. Adrenaline was a powerful hormone, especially when paired with the supernatural.

I let out a sigh of relief when the pain receded. When I glanced at Arthur, he had his head cocked to the side. I couldn’t even begin to know what he was thinking. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good.

We stared at each other for a long time. It felt like neither one of us blinked until the door opened to reveal Noah. He clapped his hands together in genuine excitement when he saw that Arthur was awake.

He kneeled down in front of Arthur and put both of his hands against his cheeks. “Do you know who I am?”

Arthur stared at him from inches away and I watched an almost worshipful expression come over his face. “Yes,” he croaked out. “You are my sire. I live to serve you. I live to make you happy.”

I thought my heart couldn’t be broken into any more pieces, but I had been wrong. I felt another piece of it fall away at the rapture in Arthur’s face. He was really and truly gone. I was never going to get him back.

“That’s right. I am your sire. Do you know who you are?” Noah asked and I could tell that he was doing this for my benefit. He knew how this worked. He must have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of new vampires. He was just rubbing the hopelessness in my face.

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows as if he didn’t understand the question. “I am yours, Sire.”

Noah shook his head, his eyes lit with glee. “That’s not what I meant. What is your name?”

Arthur pursed his lips. “You have not given me a name yet, Sire.”

Noah cackled. “Quite right. All in due time. How are you feeling?”

Arthur bared his fangs and his eyes shifted toward me. “Hungry.”

Noah bopped his nose like someone would do their dog when they did something bad. “You are not allowed to feed off of her. She is going to be my wife and she is about to deliver our daughter. She is not food.”

Arthur cowered into the corner. “I am sorry, Sire. I did not know. Please have mercy.”

I turned my head away. I couldn’t bear to witness this anymore. My husband had never cowered before. He had been the bravest and strongest man that I had ever met. It absolutely killed me to see him like this.