Claudia
"In two weeks, I'll be dead."
I blinked, the weight of his words rendering me momentarily speechless. My hands clenched the fabric of my dress, and I stared into the pitch-black room as if doing so would help me see him.
"What did you just say?" I whispered, hoping I'd misheard.
"You heard me," he said, his voice void of emotion. "In two weeks, this sickness will claim me. That's why they sent you here—to bide their time until I'm gone."
My chest tightened as I tried to comprehend his meaning. "But... why?"
"Because when I die," he continued, "you'll be passed along to one of the elders as their concubine, that's if you prove to be useless afterwards. A fitting end for a pawn like you, don't you think?"
A cold wave of nausea washed over me. The room felt smaller, the air heavier, and I struggled to catch my breath. My father's cold dismissal, my sisters' pitiful glances—it all made sense now. None of them had dared to marry into this family because they had known. They had known, and they had sent me instead.
"That can't be true," I said, my voice cracking. "You're lying."
"You think I'd lie about my own death?" he asked with a bitter laugh. "Why do you think I'm locked away like this? I'm nothing more than a breathing corpse to them."
My hands trembled as I wrapped my arms around myself. "But surely there's something—someone who can help?"
"There's no cure, Claudia," he said flatly. "Whatever hope you came here with, let it go. You're stuck with me, just as I'm stuck with this fate."
The despair in his voice was suffocating, and I felt an unfamiliar sting behind my eyes. I refused to cry, not now—not when I needed to think.
"I deserve to know more," I said, forcing strength into my voice. "What kind of sickness is this? How did you—"
"Stop," he cut me off. "Questions won't change anything. Just accept it."
Accept it? How could he expect me to accept this? But before I could press him further, a faint sound outside the door caught my attention.
"What's that?" I asked, straightening. He didn't answer, but the door creaked open a moment later. I shielded my eyes from the sudden light as a servant placed a tray of food just inside the room. The door slammed shut just as quickly, leaving us in darkness once more.
"They won't come any closer," he said quietly. "They're afraid of me. Of what I've become."
I swallowed hard, staring at the tray on the floor. This was my new reality—from one prison to another.
I stood and walked toward the tray, the dim light from the hallway gone now. My fingers brushed against the cold surface of the dishes, and I carried it back toward the door, where I could sit.
"Is this how it's always been?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Since the sickness worsened, yes," he said. "Out of sight, out of mind." The bitterness in his tone made my chest ache. How long had he been enduring this isolation?
I glanced down at my dress, now wrinkled from the hours of sitting. "I need to check my clothes," I said, standing abruptly.
He didn't respond, and I took the opportunity to move to the small trunk that had been brought with me. As I rifled through my belongings, I felt a pang of resentment. My sisters had been given jewels, fine dresses, and grand celebrations. I had been given to a man destined to die.
When I returned to the tray of food, he spoke again. "You're braver than I expected," he said, his voice softer this time.
I frowned. "Braver?"
"Most people wouldn't dare stay in the same room as me," he said. "Let alone sit so close."
"I don't see a reason to be afraid of you," I said honestly. "You're just... a man."
He laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "If only it were that simple." Something in his tone made me pause, but I decided not to press him. Instead, I picked up one of the dishes and set it near the tray.
"Aren't you going to eat?"There was a long silence before I heard the sound of movement. My pulse quickened as he stepped closer, the faint rustle of fabric the only indication of his approach.
"Don't scream," he warned.
"I won't," I promised, though my heart pounded wildly.
He stepped into the faint shaft of moonlight filtering through a tiny window, and my breath caught in my throat. "I can hear your heartbeat. Even with my dimmed senses, my wolf is still alerted by the slightest sounds.
"I'm sorry." I gulped.
"Don't be." His face and skin were pale, as if all life had been drained from him. And yet, despite the sickly pallor, he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. High cheekbones, a strong jawline, and piercing eyes that glowed faintly in the dim light—he was both otherworldly and devastating. Before I could stop myself, my wolf surged forward, her voice clear and unyielding.
"Mate."
The word echoed in my mind, and I gasped. My eyes widened as I looked at him, my heart pounding for an entirely different reason now.
"What is it?" he asked, his brow furrowing.
I opened my mouth, but no words came. How could I tell him? How could I explain that the man destined to die in two weeks—the man everyone feared and avoided—was the one my wolf had chosen?
"Claudia," he said, his tone sharper now. "What's wrong?"
I shook my head, forcing myself to breathe. "Nothing," I lied. "I just... wasn't expecting you to look like this."
He arched a brow, skepticism etched into his features. "Disappointed?"
"No," I said quickly. "It's not that. It's just—" I hesitated. "You're not what I imagined."
He let out a humorless laugh. "Few things are."
I watched him as he sat across from me, his movements deliberate and slow, as if even the act of sitting was a burden.
"Why did they hide you away?" I asked quietly.
His gaze flicked to mine, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer. But then he sighed. "Because I remind them of their failures," he said. "And because no one wants to be near death." His words cut deeper than I expected, and I found myself gripping the edge of my dress to keep my hands steady.
"I'm not afraid of you," I said softly.
His lips twitched, the faintest hint of a smile. "Maybe you should be."
But I wasn't. Despite the darkness surrounding him—despite the sickness that clung to him like a shroud—I felt drawn to him. And my wolf's declaration echoed in my mind once more, a reminder of the bond that now tethered us together.
"Mate." I growled under my breath.