"You tried to kill the alpha," Ryker said, his voice sharp.
"What are you even talking about?" I asked, frustrated.
"You harmed him when you tried to escape," he said, stepping closer.
"If I did, why would I call you instead of running?" I shot back, baffled at his stupidity.
"You humans are vile and untrustworthy. How am I supposed to know your reason?" he bit, narrowing his eyes.
"Arguing with you is pointless, I'm getting someone that can actually help," I muttered, about to bolt to get help. But his hand shot out, gripping mine painfully.
"And where do you think you're going?" he asked, his tone low and threatening. "We're not done talking."
"Let go of me!" I yelled, jerking my hand free as much as I could.
"Not a chance in hell." He yelled.
We struggled for a moment, shoving each other, and then the patrol team came running into the clearing.
"What's going on here." A voice boomed.
"Rhodes, he's injured." I managed to get out as my chest heaved.
Their leader froze when he saw Rhodes on the ground.
"Alpha!" the leader shouted, racing toward him.
I turned toward Rhodes. He looked worse than I had ever seen him. His skin was pale, almost gray, and his chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths.
"John, this filthy human tried to—" Ryker started.
"Enough!" John snapped, scooping Rhodes into his arms. "The alpha is in terrible shape, and here you are bickering. Bring them both to the clinic!" he barked at one of the patrolmen.
"Don't touch me!" Ryker yelled, pulling against the patrolman's grip.
"I'll go by myself," I said firmly, ignoring him.
"You're going to get what's coming to you," Ryker muttered, shoulder-checking me as we moved.
"Asshole," I muttered under my breath.
We got to the clinic quickly. Inside, Ryder moved clumsily, shoving herbs and bottles around as he tried to figure out what would help Rhodes.
The moment he saw me, he approached quickly. "What happened out there?"
"I… I don't know," I said, shaking my head. " He just dropped to the ground."
"Liar," Ryker snickered from across the room. "You were alone with him. Only you could have hurt him."
"Is there anything funny about this situation." Ryder asked him harshly. Ryker stared at him expressionlessly.
"What were you doing outside the clinic?" Ryder asked me suspicion creeping into his voice.
"I… I wanted to escape," I admitted quietly.
"You wanted to escape, and the alpha caught you, so you harmed him," Ryker said, smirking.
"I didn't harm him!" I shouted.
"Ryder, I don't know why we're wasting time with this liar. Just throw her in the dungeon," Ryker said, gesturing as if I weren't even in the room.
"Ryker, enough! This is not the time for your prejudice against humans. The alpha is dying!" John snapped.
Ryder knelt in front of me and gently held my hands, staring into my eyes. "Freya. Please. Tell me exactly what happened."
I swallowed hard, glancing at Rhodes and then at the floor. "I… I tried to escape. He caught me. He… he agreed to let me go after he broke the mate bond."
The room went silent. Ryder stepped back as if he'd been slapped.
"Did he ... Did he actually break the mate bond." Ryder asked quietly.
"He did."
"He promised he would wait, He—"
"What are you saying, we're wasting time."
"There's… nothing I can do," he muttered.
"What do you mean there's nothing you can do? He's dying!" I demanded, my panic rising.
"I've never seen a bond rejection this violent, ever," he said, shaking his head. "His body is struggling hard to secure the bond."
"You healed my injured hands in a day! There has to be something you can do!" I insisted, my voice rising.
"That was a physical injury. This… this affects his soul. My medicine won't work," Ryder replied.
"Of course your medicine won't work," a sharp voice cut in as the door slammed open.
"Priestess!" They muttered in chorus, surprise written on their face.
Everyone turned. The older woman didn't respond to their greetings and went straight to Rhodes.
She knelt beside him, hands hovering over his body, examining him carefully. "What have you done you foolish boy," she muttered, shaking her head.
"What happened? Can you heal him?" I asked desperately.
She stared me down, I could feel her staring into my soul. It sent shivers down my spine
"I can… but only this once," she said. She pulled out a bundle of tied branches and leaves and ran them over his body, muttering words that sounded like a chant.
Rhodes gasped, drawing a deep, shaky breath. I sank to my knees beside him, and he grabbed my hand as if his life depended on it. Gradually, his color returned, his breathing stabilized.
"You made a deadly gamble, trying to break the bond recklessly," the priestess said, her voice low but firm.
"I… I can't be bonded to a human," Rhodes whispered, still weak.
"That's not your choice to make Rhodes." She said firmly. Her voice carried the authority of a mother figure
"She won't be safe here and you know it rhea."
"You have no choice rhodes." Rhea said with a tone of finality. "If you try to break the bond again, you will die," she said, her eyes hard on him.