Protect Me, Alpha King
18. Black Heart

"Who are you?” I whispered. "A-are you okay?" I mentally slapped myself for asking the obvious answer. No one would be okay just like that.

How could he still have the strength to open his eyes? The blood—his blood dried beside him. I wanted to cover my nose, but I didn't want the stranger to think I was disgusted with him.

"Can you talk?"

The least I could do for him was to give him consideration and mercy. It was too much. I wondered how he remained alive despite the blood loss.

My head spun when I imagined the red and metallic blood.

I gagged.

I can’t stomach it anymore. My vision was getting blurry. Gasping for breath, I went to the iron bars and held them as if my life depended on them.

“I'm sorry."

"Did you suddenly feel sick after seeing me?” he asked, barely whispering. His breathing was shallow. He should be treated immediately! Why did the guards never pity him? They could have at least brought the pack doctor!

I glanced in his direction.

I hesitated. “You have to tend your wounds or they will be infected.”

"It was already infected. Come.”

I shook my head. My vision was still blurry.

His lips curled.

“Understandable. Who would ever help a dying man?”

He coughed. "Could you help me drive away the flies? My skin is always itchy whenever they land on my skin."

"What happened to you?" I murmured.

"I don't have the stamina to talk loudly.” He coughed once more. Scratching his legs. A fly landed on his face, but the stranger did not even shoo it away.

I gulped, gathering my courage, and strolled towards him.

His face was smeared with dirt. There was a big cut on his shoulders. Flies were everywhere. And he smelt. Urine. Human waste. Blood. Everything.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The urge to heal him was getting stronger. But if I did that...someone might see what I am doing and punish me for helping an enemy. I will never gain the alpha king's affection.

Then watch him die, another part of me said.

"W-who are you?" I asked again but he did not answer.

It looked like he was still young.

I fanned myself when a fly went in my direction.

He gave me a small smile. “No one. A rogue. Trying to kill Black Heart.”

Black Heart?

"Who are you referring to?”

He stared at me with watchful eyes. It seems that those eyes will lose their light in a couple of minutes now.

“The alpha king.” He coughed once again. “And you?”

"A servant. Who was punished by Black Heart as you had said.”

I better ask the twins why the alpha king was called Black Heart.

He gave a throaty laugh that did not even reach his eyes. Low. Void of any emotion. Not lively. “He always punishes anyone, believing he is—"

He stopped in mid-air.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

I looked for the guards. Called any one of them. But no response at all.

Damn it! Why did I choose this cell again? I never wanted to be the main character. Only the side character.

"H-help,” he mouthed.

The stranger's eyes widened, clutched his arms, and fell to the ground. He lay just like that. Immobile. As if dead.

My feet went cold. My heart hammered against my chest.

"Hey?" I asked. “A-are you alive?” I asked and mentally scolded myself for being insensitive to a dying man just like him. When he did not move again.

I rushed to his side and felt his pulse. It was faint. He was barely hanging with a thin trade. "Guards! Please call the pack doctor! Someone is dying here! Dammit! For chrissake! Someone help us!"

"Let him die, woman. No one will help the prisoner in this place. There is no hope here. The moment we step into this place, let's consider ourselves dead," a voice of an old man whispered.

I cannot pinpoint which cell he was detained in. But it was no longer important. Think, River. What should you do?

"You cannot do anything for him. Hold his hand. That's what anyone wanted when they awaited their death. Someone else's warmth to make them feel that they are not alone as the Angel of Death gets them."

I shook my head. No. There is still something to be done. I cannot let someone die at my hands.

I no longer care if someone might see what I could do.

Not thinking anymore, I closed my eyes and gathered the energy around the dungeon.

I nearly gagged when most of them were dark. Suffering. Pain. Endless torture. The energy was so dark that instead of assurance and warmth it suffocated me.

I opened my eyes and gasped for air.

Can I do it? Can I save this person when I could not even save myself? Stop thinking! Focus!

I closed my eyes once again while the old man beside us was telling me something.

"Give up, servant.”

I won't.

I winced and tried to look for another source. Just not in this place. I looked around and found the presence of a neighboring garden, I called nature, reconnected with it, and gathered the energy I wanted so much.

With enough energy, I transferred it to the stranger's wounds. To my naked eyes, there was a light hovering over his wounds.

I felt sick to my stomach when I saw it was already infested with maggots. Oh, Moon Goddess. How could he bear this kind of suffering? How long were his wounds?

I drew a long breath, and entered his body, leaving my physical body. From another's perspective, I was kneeling in front of this man, with my eyes closed. However, my spirit was doing another thing. Entering this stranger's physical body and repairing his broken tissues and everything that needed to be healed

Healing him would take a lot of time.

I felt my physical body getting exhausted. However, I must pursue this. Or the stranger would die.

I did not know how long the minutes had passed. Or was it even an hour? I did not know for sure. But after healing him, I was beyond exhausted.

I fell on the iron bars, gasping for breath. Catching my breath.

When I was done, his heartbeat returned to normal. His wounds no longer open. The maggots were gone from his wound. Instead, they were all over the ground, wriggling.

I shivered at the sight while wiping the sweat on my forehead.

"That man is dead?" a voice said. I recognized the voice as the guard from the dungeon. "I was thinking he would last until tomorrow but I was mistaken.”

"Can't you see? His breathing!" I answered back, not hiding my irritation.

He chuckled. "I thought the rogue is already dead, so we will feed his body to the wild beasts. They have been hungry for a couple of days now. Need a gift to bring to them.”

When I could no longer tolerate his taunting, I faced him. My hands shook in anger as I glared at him.

"Damn you! How could you say that when he is fighting for his life? Instead of asking for a pack doctor to heal him, you left him like this! You're nothing but an egoistic bastard who is full of himself!"

Unaffected he looked back at me, smirking. "You're furious? What would you do about it? You are imprisoned in that filthy cell perhaps waiting for your end like your cellmate.”

"When I get out, I will poke your eyes!"

He laughed at me. "You can try, servant. But only a few had come out of this place— alive. I am certain you won't make it alive," he taunted.

I spat on the ground.

"Rot in hell, bastard! May the maggots crawl into your bed late at night! May your guilt attack you causing you nightmares every night!"

"Shut your mouth, bitch!" He pulled out his sword from his waist and tried to attack me using his sword, but I instantly moved away from the farthest direction.

"What's the meaning of this?" someone asked.

The two of us froze when I recognized the voice. It was the Black Heart as the rogue called him. It was none other than the alpha king! What was he doing in this filthy place?

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