Chapter 60 I don‘t know how much more my body can
Everything hurt at first as the world shined bright all around her. She only had one thought and that was
to get to William, to save him. He couldn’t die, she wouldn’t let him die. Everything else was a blur. Her
bones felt as if they were tearing out of her skin, she felt every part of her was expanding and closing at
once. Time felt as if it dragged on for hours when she knew it must have only been seconds. The most
agonizing seconds of her life, she knew she would never forget the feeling. 1 Her wolf was free. “Mate!”
Her wolf shouted in her mind. Bright white fur broke out from her skin and she rushed to William the
second her feet hit the floor without a hesitation. She dodged other wolves in the crowd before she
slammed right into his body and pushed him out of the way from the wolf’s claws. The next thing she
knew was a sharp, blinding pain into her neck. It fogged her vision instantly, she went down with a hard
thud that shook the earth. Blood coated her fur and stained the ground beneath her. Was this her
final ending? Would her body allow her to survive through this? “Doris!” Doris felt as if William was
shouting in her mind. She heard another voice too, one she didn’t recognize but felt like home in a way.
She wanted to curl up against the sound and close her eyes for eternity. It was like electricity had passed
through her body and woke her up for the first time in her life. She felt him, she felt as if their wolves
were one. Their connection formed and cemented itself in her soul and she didn’t think she could last a
day without it now that it was free inside her. This was meant to be. “My mate… What have they done to
you. Why isn’t your wound healing?” He said, was it William’s wolf speaking to her? Doris let her eyes
drift closed as she listened to the sound of William tearing through every wolf around her in fury. She bet
it was gruesome, she bet it was a huge blood bath but she didn’t have enough energy to open her eyes
to see it. Her life was fading faster than she could register. Imagines of her memories flashed across her
eyes as if it was all one big play out on a stage in front of her. What a marvelous thing. Moments from
when she was younger, when she first went to the palace, when she first met Beth. She saw herself in
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇthindsight with
William‘s arms wrapped around her protectively as they tried to bear the cold nights. Why had he held on
so tight to her? Why did he tear through so many villages for
her?
She heard her name leave his lips a hundred times, but she couldn’t see him. It was as if she was in a
dark room far away from any sense of reality. She wanted to bang on the walls and demand to be let out,
but no matter where she went, the darkness never ended.
Doris woke back in the cabin and her world was still once more. Did she… did she dream that? Did she
dream saving William and becoming a wolf herself? It wasn’t possible, it must have been a nightmare.
She must have passed out after she returned and had a nasty
dream… But pain in dreams didn’t usually follow her when she woke. William was seated in a chair by
her bed with his head propped up on his chin and eyes closed. The sight startled her, she quickly looked
down to see herself in even more bandages. By this point, her entire body must have been littered in
scars. How hideous she must be As if he felt her gaze on him, his eyes slowly opened. At the sight of her
awake, he sat up instantly. “Doris, you’re okay.”
“What happened?” Doris asked. Her voice sounded hoarse and sore, she was starting to get used to the
dreadful feeling. It was like she hadn’t drank water in years. He must have noticed, he leaned over to
retrieve a cold glass of water off the end table next to her and set it in her shaky hands. “You shifted,
Doris. Did you know you could do that?” He asked curiously, his blue eyes studied her as she drank.
Was this a dream? This couldn’t be real, none of this was real. “No… no that can’t be possible. I don’t
have any wolf in me, I never have.” “We all saw you shift, Doris.” An unfamiliar voice sounded from the
other end of the room. Doris flinched when she noticed the lean man. He clearly was from the palace
with the way he stood and the way he was dressed. What on earth was he doing in her room? Doris
glanced at William but he didn’t seem bothered the man was in here in the slightest. He leaned against
the fireplace, watching as the flames flickered. It made his hair almost look orange in the light. “Apologies
for our delayed meeting, but my name is Patrick.” Realization dawned on Doris. Patrick was William’s
beta and best friend -Beth had told her about him ages ago but she’d never seen
him up close before. She thought he was only another guard on their trip since he didn’t speak a word to
her the entire time. William must have brought him on all his trips. “Oh, hello.” “You were a white wolf, do
you realize how rare that is?” Patrick asked as if she hadn’t said anything Doris nodded weakly.
Everyone in the entire kingdom knew how rare a white wolf was. Of course it was possible for other
wolves to be white, but usually they had spots of other colors across there body. To be pure white was
almost unheard of. There was no way she was a white wolf, he was mistaken. “I don’t know how this
happened. This.. it can’t be true.” Doris shook her head. It simply wasn’t possible.
“Do you remember what happened before you shifted?” Patrick pushed away from the fireplace and
turned his gaze on her. Doris pulled the covers up a bit higher. “I… I saw these strange wolves come out
from the forest behind the fight. I watched them because I thought it was odd that they looked so
different from both packs. When I saw them go for William, 1-” Doris hesitated. His blue eyes were a
calm storm as William watched her. She swallowed and continued. “I had to save the prince, they would
have killed
I don… you.” Doris tried not to feel embarrassed under their gazes as she gulped down more cool water
to ease her throat. He was the prince, of course she tried to save him. His life was worth ten of hers.
“This has to be some sort of mistake. I don’t have a wolf in me like you do.” Doris said again. It felt more
as if she was trying to convince herself at this point. William refilled her water again in silence. “Some
people aren’t aware they have a wolf until something forces it out of them.” Patrick explained. “If their
family didn’t raise them to know, it’s possible they’d never find out until that moment hits. I’ve heard of
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmmany people not changing until they were older than you.” “I don’t understand, I’ve been tortured and..
almost taken advantage of-” William’s eyes darkened at her words, she hurried on. “But I’ve never
changed before. Not once, not to save myself.” “Our wolves protect those we care for more than
ourselves at times. It makes us act in ways we don’t expect. It’s possible yours was waiting for a moment
it felt needed for someone else, not for yourself.” Patrick said. Doris glanced at William as he ran his
fingers through his messy dark hair and she curled her fingers in her lap.
“I want to protect myself.” Doris said quietly and traced her fingers across the scars on her arms. How
many more hid beneath the covers? “I don’t want to live in fear anymore. I don’t want to wait around for
people to save me when I could save myself.” “I can teach you.” William offered after a moment of
silence. She tried to hide her surprise at his offer. “I heard you calling for me.” Doris whispered. “I could
hear you in my head. Why could I hear you so clearly?” William cleared his throat and looked away for
the first time since she woke up from her own personal hell. “I don’t know, perhaps you were
hallucinating it. You did lose quite a bit of blood.” 2
“Wait,” Doris looked around again. They were still at Enzo’s camp. William must have had them stay
since she was hurt, Enzo was kind enough to allow it. “How long was I out for?” “Two days.” William said
and leaned back against the chair. His clear eyes watched her, she could see the hints of exhaustion
across his skin. She wondered if he had even slept during that time or if he’d slept at all when she was
gone. Enzo had said he was searching for her like a madman-perhaps he
hadn’t been lying. “I don’t know how much more my body can
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. take before it finally gives up on me.” Doris said with a frown. For some reason, her body didn‘t feel like
her own. It was as if she was numb to it all and she could just barely move her limbs enough. “You’ll survive, Doris.” Patrick said gently.” You were given a bit of William’s blood to heal some of your wounds
while you rested.” Doris hesitated before she spoke again. William’s face darkened a little as if he knew
what she wanted to ask before she could dare. “Have you spoken with Enzo?”