Betrayed By My Mate, Claimed By His Lycan King Uncle
Chapter 106: The young man is healing!

Chapter 106: The young man is healing!

Meanwhile, back at Anaya’s pack, Rhys lay unconscious on her bed, his body battered with bruises and covered in dried blood. The room was silent except for the faint crackle of the fireplace and the soft rustling of bandages.

News of the prison break had reached Anaya’s parents. Despite their fury, after countless pleas and threats from their daughter....even going so far as to threaten her own life, they reluctantly agreed to let Rhys remain under her care. However, they refused to provide a physician.

The responsibility of healing Rhys fell solely on Anaya and her personal maids. Failure was not an option. If Rhys died, it would not just be Anaya who paid the price. Kisha, her most loyal maid, would be executed along with her entire family. Their punishment would be seen as justice for aiding Anaya in defying the Alpha Emperor’s direct command.

"What do we do now?" Kisha cried in a hoarse whisper, her hands trembling as she struggled to feed Rhys a steaming herbal concoction. "Please... just drink it..."

The bitter-smelling mixture had to be reheated time and time again as it always grew cold from the endless struggle to get it past his lips. Rhys would not swallow. His jaw remained clenched, his breaths shallow.

"My life... my whole family’s life is at stake here, young master," Kisha sobbed softly, holding the wooden spoon near his lips. "Please... please take the herb..."

Anaya sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her fingers interlocked with Rhys’s hand. Her tears slid silently down her cheeks, splashing against his bruised knuckles. Her eyes were distant, filled with guilt and helplessness.

Kisha paused and reached for Anaya’s hand. She began to write slowly with her fingertip against Anaya’s palm. Anaya’s eyes widened with realization.

Kisha had written: "I don’t think he’ll survive."

A sharp sob escaped Anaya’s lips as she clutched Rhys’s hand tighter, pressing it against her heart.

If only I could give my life for him this time too, she thought desperately, her other hand rising to touch the delicate locket hanging from her neck. It glowed faintly....warm and familiar.

Suddenly, a cold voice echoed in her ears, sending shivers down her spine.

"So... you want to save his life again?"

Anaya’s eyes widened in shock. "I can hear again?" she whispered aloud. But her joy was short-lived.

The room around her dissolved like mist. In an instant, the warmth of the fireplace and the presence of Kisha and Rhys disappeared. When her vision cleared, Anaya found herself standing in a vast, reflective space. She was surrounded by countless mirrors, each one capturing a different expression of herself.

Without needing explanation, she understood.

I’m back here again...

"You really want to save that man again, Princess Anaya?" one of the mirror reflections asked, its voice laced with disbelief and contempt.

"That’s not even the real question," another reflection said, stepping forward within the glass. "The real question is: are you willing to give your life to save him?"

"Or..." a third chimed in, her tone sardonic. "Would you rather live on but remain nothing more than an empty vessel? He’ll survive, yes, but he’ll forget about you completely. You will vanish from his memory like you never existed."

The fourth reflection scoffed, arms crossed. "Don’t be stupid. No one sacrifices so much for love....not when that love was never returned."

Anaya stared at them all. Her throat tightened, but she spoke with resolve.

"If you erase everything about me from Rhys’s memories... if he forgets me completely... he’ll live, won’t he?" Her voice trembled. "He won’t die, as long as he forgets I ever existed?"

The reflection in the largest mirror nodded. "Oh yes. He’ll forget every moment he ever spent with you. And in addition to you being deaf, mute, and blind. Your life force will also start to fade slowly, painfully unless, by some miracle, he falls in love with you."

"Which is impossible," another mirror said flatly. "Who could fall in love with an empty shell of a woman?"

The mirrors erupted in cruel laughter, their voices rising like a chorus of mockery and scorn.

"Just give it up," one sneered. "Live your life quietly. Let the man you sacrificed everything for die. Why throw yourself away again?"

Anaya lowered her head, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands shook as she clutched her locket tightly.

"Then what’s the point?!" Anaya screamed, her voice trembling with both fury and despair. Anger burned in her chest, but the sadness etched deep into her tone was unmistakable. "I already sacrificed myself for him once, and now you expect me to just let him die? When I could save him again....when all it’ll cost is his memory of me?! He’ll be alive... and I will too. And just like you said, maybe....just maybe...Rhys might eventually remember me. He might even fall in love with me."

One of the mirror reflections scoffed, crossing her arms as if Anaya’s hope was offensive. "Are you being serious right now, Princess Anaya? Your life force will begin to drain the moment he stops getting dreams about a woman he knows which is you and the day he completely loses all memory of you....that’s the day you’ll die. Do you truly want to risk that? You could live a quiet, peaceful life without all this heartache."

Another reflection added with disbelieving urgency, her voice laced with panic. "You’re already half-dead! You gave up your voice, your sight, and your hearing just to save a man who never once told you he loved you. Do you really think this is worth it? Is he worth it?"

Anaya stood still, her fingers trembling as she clutched the locket at her chest....the very source of her sacrifice. Her tears, hot and ceaseless, ran down her cheeks in silent agony. But her voice, when it came again, was firm and resolute.

"I agree," she whispered, the words heavy with sorrow but unshakable. "I agree to let Rhys forget everything about me, as long as he stays alive." Her hands trembled harder now, but she didn’t stop. "I don’t care if I remain blind, mute, and deaf for the rest of my life. I just want him to live. Just like you said...I’m an empty shell now, of no use. Let him live his life, marry a beautiful woman, have children, grow old. Even if he never remembers me... even then, I’ll be at peace, as long as he’s happy. This is the first time I’ve ever been certain about anything in my life. Please... please save Rhys."

There was a beat of silence. The reflections stared at her, unmoving.

Finally, one of them stepped forward from within the mirror, her expression softening just slightly. "This is... unbelievable," she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief. "But your wish has been granted, Princess Anaya. I have no right to continue questioning you when you’ve already made up your mind."

"Thank you," Anaya said softly, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

And just like before, the countless mirrors began to shatter....one by one, then all at once into glittering shards. Her vision vanished. Her voice dissolved. Her hearing faded into silence. All at once, she was plunged back into darkness.

***

"Princess Anaya? I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now... What are you thinking about so deeply?" Kisha asked gently, writing the question into Anaya’s palm with a trembling finger.

But there was no response. Anaya remained hunched forward on the bed, tears still trickling down her cheeks, her hand clutching Rhys’s as though afraid to let go.

Kisha turned back to the unconscious young man. "Please... just survive," she whispered under her breath.

Then suddenly, something happened.

Rhys’s body moved.

The bruises that once marred his skin began to fade, healing rapidly before Kisha’s astonished eyes. Torn flesh sealed itself, dark patches of blood disappeared, and in their place bloomed fresh, unmarked skin. Kisha gasped, horror and awe crashing through her chest.

"My lady!" she cried out, grabbing Anaya’s hand. But when she remembered that Anaya couldn’t hear her, she quickly traced the words into her palm: The young man is healing! His wounds are disappearing!

Anaya nodded faintly, her expression unreadable through the steady stream of tears.

But before Kisha could write another word, Rhys’s body began to blur.

His form started to fade...first his legs, then his torso....until he became transparent, as though evaporating into thin air. Kisha’s mouth fell open in shock. "What’s happening?!" she whispered. She grabbed Anaya’s hand again and quickly scrawled The young man is disappearing, my lady!

Anaya nodded again.

She reached out with trembling fingers, trying to hold on to Rhys’s hand just a little longer but it slipped away like smoke between her fingers. In moments, his body vanished completely, leaving behind only the pale pink silk bedsheets where he had lain.

Kisha’s heart thundered in her chest. Before she could ask any more questions, Anaya beat her to it.

Her own fingers moved against Kisha’s palm, slowly tracing out: Rhys has been saved.

Kisha’s shoulders sagged with relief. "Are you for real my lady?! Thank the moon..." she murmured, placing a hand over her pounding heart.

But the relief was short-lived.

Did you use the locket again, my lady? Kisha asked, carefully tracing the question into Anaya’s palm.

Anaya gave no response.

Then, without warning, she lurched forward and vomited a mouthful of blood onto the polished tiles. The red liquid splattered the floor, the sight of it sending cold terror lancing through Kisha’s spine.

"My lady!!" Kisha shrieked, falling to her knees beside her. Her hands shook violently as she reached for Anaya’s shoulders.

But Anaya only sat there, trembling, blood on her lips and tears in her eyes, clutching the locket that gleamed faintly against her chest....its magic spent once more.

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