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Chapter 523: Authority

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RETH

Aymora raked a hand through her hair, her eyes thoughtful at Elia\'s words about the blood sharing.

"That\'s probably true," she said. "I hadn\'t considered that the healing effects might accelerate other things."

"What are you talking about?" Reth sighed. Baffled. "I healed her with my blood. But it was only her arm. She didn\'t ingest it. There was no sharing the way the wise-women do it."

Aymora nodded. "But some of your blood must have gotten into her bloodstream—especially if the wound was grievous. We haven\'t shared blood with a human before, to my knowledge. Of course, I hoped it would heal her, but I hadn\'t thought about… perhaps whatever it is within us that moves healing so quickly could also do other things. Like grow a cub."

"But… but she hasn\'t had the Anima blood for months!"

"Except last night," Aymora said, dropping her face into her hands. "I\'m such a fool. Of course. That\'s why… that\'s why it worked last night—it accelerated the impact of the herbs as well."

Reth grunted. It did make sense. If Anima blood healed faster, it must also accelerate other processes in the body—especially effective in the body of a weak human. Aymora had commented at the time that Elia had healed even faster than she would have expected from an Anima. That somehow the leonine blood had worked better for Elia than it did even for the Leonine.

Reth\'s heart leapt. "That means we can heal her, right?! Get her to the place where she can handle this and her body will stop trying to move the cub—"

"She doesn\'t need healing Reth, far from it. We have, without intending to, healed her into overdrive. I can\'t give her any more blood because we don\'t want to speed this pregnancy up any further—it\'s eating her from the inside out. Look at her!"

"No, she\'s—" he turned to look at his beautiful mate and noticed again her gaunt cheeks, the dark shadows under her eyes, her limp hair and thin limbs…

Creator\'s Light. Aymora was right. "And we gave her more last night," he groaned.

"There\'s nothing to be done for it now," Aymora muttered. "But no more. Whatever affects it has… those will have to do. She needs rest. To eat as much as she can so the blood can work from the fuel she\'s giving it, rather than her own body. And no more mating!"

The words were a pang to his stomach, but the idea of harming Elia… he shivered.

"I\'m serious, Reth."

"I know you are." He waved her off, already convinced on that point, and crawled up onto the furs with Elia, to lay on his back and pull her under his arm. "Rest, Love. Everything\'s safe for now."

Elia sighed and laid her head on his chest. "I just need a little sleep," she said, yawning.

Reth nodded and stroked her hair. But as Aymora and Jayah arranged different herbs and bottle along the top of the dresser, and Elia nodded off, his face went stony.

Elia could not do anything. He couldn\'t allow her to do anything that might jeopardize herself, or Elreth. Until Elreth was born—an entirely new threat, that process—he must make sure Elia did nothing except rest and eat.

Except… except he was King. His people had just been through war. The entire WildWood was reeling.

And he had an Alpha wolf in prison.

Reth wanted to bite something.

He had a people who had just found peace. Who needed to be guided back to unity. History was being written every day.

Yet, his mate was here, walking the tightrope between the life and death of their cub. And possibly her own.

He sighed even more heavily than Elia had.

As Elia began to snore quietly, Reth gestured to Aymora, who came to stand next to the sleeping platform.

"Do you have any messengers outside?" he asked as quietly as he was able.

Aymora shook her head. "No, but when I went to my cave yesterday to get supplies and find Jayah, I told Behryn what had happened. I believe he\'s put sentries in the meadow."

Reth nodded. "Ask one of them to get a message to Behryn and the Security Council. I need to meet with them, but I don\'t want to leave. Get them? here. I\'ll speak with them while she sleeps. You or Jayah can call me back in if she wakes."

Aymora smiled and patted his arm. "We can watch over her until you\'re done, Reth—"

"No," he said firmly. "She got confused last night. She thought we were in the dream. She thought when she woke she would be back in the human world. She was terrified, Aymora. I have to be here for her. She has to be able to see me and touch me and know she\'s safe. That she never has to go back there."

Aymora\'s forehead lined with worry. "She had… lost touch?"

"Not exactly. She just thought that seeing me and being with me—and you—here in Anima was a dream. She was afraid to sleep and then wake up from it, as we had while we were? apart. She was… Aymora, she had started giving up."

Aymora sighed and looked at Elia\'s face on his chest. "My poor daughter."

"We have to keep her close and relaxed. If she thinks she\'s been separated from me again…"

"It\'s okay, Reth. We\'ll help you. I\'ll get a message to Behryn and the others. They\'ll come. They\'ll be glad to know Elia is here, I\'m sure. Don\'t worry. We can do this."

Reth wasn\'t so sure. He might get away with not being seen by the people for today, while everyone was preoccupied with moving and reuniting with their families—and sleeping off the effects of the feast last night. But soon… soon decisions would have to be made. Soon he would need to be seen, just for the people to know that all was well.

But he would think about that later. "Thank you, Aymora. Thank you."

She nodded and left the room quickly to do as she\'d promised.