Chapter 164

Chapter 164 Already they fall “Daniel!” Doris screamed. She dropped next to him and rolled him over-but he was already out. He looked so pale, he looked as if all the lift had suddenly left him and she didn’t know how to get it back.

“Daniel!”

Stomps echoed behind her and soon she was ripped away from him as if she was the one that knocked him down. Tears blurred her eyes and made everything seem as if it was out of focus around her. What was happening?

Guards went to check his pulse instantly and it was then that she noticed his chest was moving evenly.

“He’s alive! Move him to the medical ward!”

“What happened to him?” Doris shouted. A guard roughly moved her further away from the scene and it only made her wolf want to break free and tear them apart for keeping her away from her friend.

“What did you do to him?” A man screamed in her face. Doris tried to push him away from her but his grip was like iron. His question ignited a fire inside her and made her ready to burn down everything around them.

“I didn’t do anything! We just came out for a walk and he collapsed!”

It was like her claims fell to the ground. They didn’t believe her for a second. Already she could see herself being thrown in the cells where it was cold and dark with no one but herself for company. She would suffer through hundreds of cells if it meant Daniel lived.

“Let me go with him! I need to make sure he’s okay!” Doris struggled to get out of their grip, but they only held on firmer.

“We can’t let you do that. We need to figure out what happened to him first-”

Doris finally forced her arm free from their grip with a growl that came straight from her wolf as if it was ripped from her throat. “How dare you treat me as if I had something to do with it? He started coughing and collapsed! I would never harm any of my friends,”

“Let her go to him.” William walked calmly towards them. Everything about him was collected, as if there wasn’t a worry in the world on his shoulders. “And don’t ever touch her like that again. I’ll rip both of your arms right off if I see you lay another hand on her like that.”

“As you wish.” The guards bowed to William and stepped out of her path. Doris looked at William for a second longer, but he did nothing but stare back at her. Had he been watching her walk with Daniel?

She hurried after where they took Daniel and found him in the medical ward with several doctors standing over him as if he was some sort of strange experiment that they couldn’t figure out. “What happened to the prince?” Someone demanded. Doris quickly stepped up.

“He seemed fine until we went for a walk. He started coughing and fell to the ground a moment later. I told him we should sit but he insisted that he was fine-“

“That’s enough, thank you.” A doctor grumbled. The doctor checked his pulse and slowly she was pushed to the corner of the large room while they checked him.

“It doesn’t seem to be a problem with his heart—“

“We won’t know that until we do some tests—“

“The prince has been perfectly healthy! How would this have happened?”

Doris picked at her nails. She didn’t even notice William was next to her until he cleared his throat. It almost made her jump out of her skin. How long had he been standing there?

“I’d like Daniel to be moved somewhere more secure than here while you treat him.” William said. His voice silenced a room and brought all attention on him at once. It wasn’t hard to see him as the ruler he so desperately wanted to be.

“Prince William, he’s perfectly safe here-“

“I didn’t ask if he was safe here. I asked for him to be moved to a more secure location while you treat him.”

“This is the only place in the palace suited to treat him-“

William took a step forward and Doris swore all the doctors took one back. “I don’t want him in the palace. He needs to be moved to a more secure location. Far from the palace.”

Silence. The doctors exchanged uneasy looks that appeared just as confused as Doris felt.“ Yes, your majesty. We will find somewhere…better for him to heal.” One of the doctors bowed.

Doris felt a heavy lump settle in her chest when she looked at William. A realization slammed into her and left her breathless.

“No… you didn’t.” Doris whispered. William grabbed her by the arm without looking at her and hauled her out of the room as if she was a rag doll. “Let go of me!”

William didn’t loosen his grip in the slightest, even when she felt her wolf simmer inside her and beg to be left free. He shoved her into a nearby closet and slammed the door after him.

“You did you poison him?” Doris asked. Even to her own ears she sounded utterly horrified. “Tell me you didn’t do that to your own brother.”

William stared at her for a long minute, and it was all the confirmation she needed. Doris shoved past him and left the closet before he could stop her. William ran after her and grabbed her by the waist before he pushed her up against the wall with his body.

“You can’t say a word about this, Doris.” He said against her ear. The hallway was empty of but she wondered what he would have done if she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“How could you do this to him?” Doris shoved at his chest. He released her after the third shove but didn’t move to let her by. “Oh my god…” Doris whispered. “You had me deliver it to hum! I basically gave it to him!”

William covered her mouth with his large hand, “Will you shut up?” He hissed. “I did this for his own good!”

Doris pushed him off her and hurried down the hall to her room. She glanced back and saw he didn’t follow by the time she reached her door.

Doris slammed it as hard as she could and locked it behind her.

“Are you okay?” Beth asked, startled. She stood from the couch and eyed Doris as if she had gone mad.

“What happened to you? Is someone chasing you?”

“No, no.” Doris breathed. Her head felt as if it was about to roll off her shoulders. “I just… | just needed to lay down and get away from everything out there.”

Beth hurried over to Doris and started to help her undress and put on clothes that were much more comfortable before she laid in bed.

“Are you feeling nauseous again?” Beth asked as she smoothed her hair back. “I can get you a bucket or anything else that might help.”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Doris whispered. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the horrible pressure pushing down on her chest. What if she unintentionally killed Daniel? Why didn’t William deliver those cookies himself if he knew what was inside them?

A small bloom of hatred filled inside her. It was hard to forgive a man who did something so terrible, no matter the reason. She should have realized it sooner-she should have stopped him. 0 Beth rubbed her back slowly, Doris had forgotten she was even there. How long had she been like this?

“I had dinner brought for you, do you think you can eat?”

“I don’t know if it’ll stay down. I feel so utterly sick.” Doris whimpered. She hugged her stomach and buried her face in her pillow as if it would ward out the world around her. Daniel’s sweet, trusting face smiling at her as he shoved the cookies in his mouth one after another. He must think she’s a monster if he ever were to wake up again.

How would he ever forgive her? O “William sent a letter asking if you would join him tonight.“

“No. I want to be alone right now.” Doris said quickly. Beth silently got up and left the room without another word.

Hours passed in her own misery before Beth returned with a light knock. “William has come to visit you. I told him you wanted to be alone but he said he needed to talk to you about something important.”

“Tell him he can tell me later.” Doris mumbled.

William shoved the door all the way open and closed it in Beth’s face. Doris quickly sat up.

“Don’t you dare slam a door in my friend’s face like that!” She went to stand and apologize to Beth, but he grabbed her and pushed her right back into the bed.

“You’re going to listen to me.” .