They travelled to the healing sea in a carriage, which had been an agonizingly slow journey, the poison in her veins had taken a turn for the worse on the way here and kept spreading quickly.
He had held her in his arms throughout, staring at her to avoid acting rashly. His wolf was too agitated to stay still, but the only thing that kept him focused was her.
They were taking a risk Azazeal could not afford to take any more, but the other option to heal her was a no-go area
The royal healer's words came back to him
He could save her by mating with her and giving her his mark.
Azazeal wouldn't lie to himself; the thought of finally claiming his mate had thrilled him immensely.
What he wanted the most was for his mate to bear his mark and for their bond to tighten.
He would've loved to hold her, make love to her, hear her sighs and pleasured cries as he drove deep into her soft body, and her soft scream as he sank his teeth into the flesh of her delicate neck.
As he thought about it, his eyes darkened further, barely able to restrain his surging lust.
He would have loved to heal her with that option
But he knew that wasn't what she would've wanted.
Elora wasn't ready to be his, and he would rather die than have her resentment for a lifetime all in the name of saving her.
She wouldn't be in this dire condition if not because he was negligent of his care for her, he was too busy keeping his distance because of last time, and such a thing was able to happen to his wife.
But now, he'd take care of her, protect her, and hopefully earn her trust and heart.
The right way.
They finally got to their destination.
The moonlight draped silver over the rocky cliffs, the distant crash of waves shattering the silence.
Azazeal changed into his wolf form as soon as he got out of the carriage.
A knight came forward to help place Elora on Azazeal's back, but a loud warning growl stopped everyone in their tracks.
" Alpha, I'll help place her on your back now," Casteel said in a measured voice hoping Anax would give him permission and act with reason.
They all know how possessive wolves can be with their mates, he couldn't help but commend Azazeal's calmness for allowing them to be here with him instead of hiring her from everyone like his nature demanded.
The wolf nodded a little and Casteel heaistantly stepped forward and gently placed Elora on Azazeal's back
Elora was still unconscious, her skin pale and translucent in the moonlight. Her blue tunic robe and hooded cape only made her seem frailer and weaker.
A low growl rumbled in his throat before he darted towards the cliff, charging through the night air, his knights kept their distance behind him.
Anax was very possessive and since his mate is in a fragile situation, his possessiveness was at an all-time high.
Any little glance towards Elora's direction from another male might cause a bloody disaster
No one wants their necks snapped in a second.
He didn't say a word as he made his way down to the sea bank.
The wind howled as Azazeal ran past with speed, but he held Elora with a fine and delicate precision that belied his huge size. Her coldness sank through his fur, a cruel reminder of her endangered condition.
Azazeal was soon standing at the edge of the jagged cliff, his silvery wolf shining in the moonlight.
The wind brushed his fur as he looked downwards, his sharp razor-like teeth glinting ominously towards the fragile figure curled in his dark grey fur.
As they reached the coast, he swooped down, settling his mate onto a sleeping rock above the beach. His body crumpled down to the ground so entirely gently as he set her down on the rocks.
He shifted back into his human form— tall and imposing with harsh angles in his face and cold gray eyes —he quietly watched how his mate seemed smaller in front of him.
He carefully descended each step down the cliff, a blank expression on his face as he walked toward the surging waves.
The sea sparkled in the moonlight, cold waves lapping at the shore. He waded into the water, his feet digging into the sand.
The water was creeping up to his knees, and he held Elora tightly to his chest.
Her face looked serene and calm, and as if she could feel the waters around her, the faintest tinge of color was coming back into her cheeks, and her lips were parted slightly as if she drew life from the very air around her.
Azazeal released her into the sea, his grip firm as the cold water began to seep into her skin. Almost immediately, the transformation happened.
Her icy pale skin was replenished and revitalized as she healed from within, the paleness from the poisonous entity ebbed away, and she glowed beautiful in the midnight.
" Mine" Anax growled as he quietly nuzzled Elora into their embrace, careful not to justle her.
Even as she remained unconscious, she had an otherworldly beauty that rivaled anything he'd ever seen.
The water had seeped into her clothes making the pale blue fabric transparent, revealing her soft curvature, rosy pink nipples, and a red peony-sized mark right above the right side of her chest.
Her chest rose and fell calmly.
She looked like a beautiful life-sized doll with wet glistening skin and Azazeal wondered how it would feel to run his tongue down her soft skin.
His heart faltered as he bit back a growl.
He inhaled deeply, unable to take his eyes off her ethereal form as, the moonlight was glistening on her now luminous skin.
The rosy flush that returned to her face triggered something deep inside him.
His mate was alive and okay.
Although his expression remained blank, the joy that he hadn't lost the one beautiful gift in his life was evident by the way his eyes glinted happily, and for reasons he didn't want to dwell on, her safety and comfort mattered to him more than his own life.
A sharp snap of brick in the woods reminded him that the knights were waiting out there.
His crimson eyes sharpened as he shielded her completely from wandering eyes keeping her delicate body in a cage made up by his entire body, his huge form made large boulders as he held her in his arms, his eyes blazing in anger and utter possessiveness at the mere thought of anyone seeing his beautiful wife in this form.
And like he couldn't help but reassure himself and Anax, he softly whispered into the still quiet night,
"My Elora."
"All mine "