Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King Chapter 114

MAXIMUS'S POV

"What do you mean there's nothing you can do?" I snapped, my voice shaking despite my best effort to stay calm.

The doctor didn't answer immediately. He was kneeling beside Damien's bed, his hands hovering over the injured body, eyes scanning with careful calculation.

Damien. My brother. My enemy. The man I'd fought with, argued with, hated and loved all in the same breath. And now, he was pale, barely breathing, lying in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to fix it.

"He's... he's still alive," the doctor said carefully, finally breaking the silence. "But the bullets—they were poisoned. It's not just the wound. The venom is in his system. His body... it's rejecting everything. Even the transfusion you gave him, Your Majesty, his body isn't taking it. His body is shutting down."

My jaw clenched. My hands flexed at my sides, gripping the air as if I could crush the world itself.

"Shut down?" I repeated, my voice low, dangerous. "You're telling me he's dying, and there's nothing I can do?!"

The doctor shook his head, his expression grim. "Not nothing. But it's... complicated. It will take time to find an antidote. Precious time that..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but I didn't need him to. I could see it in Damien's face—pale, weak, barely conscious. Every shallow breath was a battle. Every flutter of his eyelids was a reminder that I was too late.

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, my chest tight. I had fought with him countless times, but that didn't mean I wanted him dead. Not like this. Not from someone else's hand.

He couldn't die. He couldn't fucking die on me.

"Time?" I growled, pacing in front of the bed. "Time isn't on our side, you idiot! He's bleeding from the inside. His body's rejecting life!"

I looked down at him. His chest rose slowly. I reached out instinctively, touching his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his fading blood. I hated that I was scared. I hated that I felt helpless. But I couldn't lie—I was terrified.

"Where is Doctor Raina?" I asked sharply, my gaze flicking between the doctor and the terrified maid, Rose, who was standing frozen at the door, her hands pressed together as if she could hold the moment together with her prayer.

Rose swallowed, tears brimming in her eyes. "Doctor Markus... he was the first person I thought of. I called him right after you—after we brought him in."

I turned back to the doctor. "Do something! You're a doctor—do something!" I barked, pacing like a caged animal. "He's my brother! He's... he's still fucking breathing!"

The doctor straightened, running a hand down his face. "I'm trying everything I can, my King. But I can't just force his body to accept the transfusion. The poison is—"

"Poison!" I snapped, slamming my fist against the wall. The sound echoed through the room. "I know it's poison! That's why I'm screaming at you to fix it! Do your fucking job!"

I could hear Damien coughing weakly on the bed. The sound sent a sharp pain through my chest. I wanted to rip someone's head off, anyone's head off, for hurting him. For putting him here. For letting him lie like this while I scrambled to save him.

Rose took a shaky step forward, her voice breaking. "Doc... please... we can't just leave him like this."

I whirled toward her, my own fury matching hers, though my voice trembled. "We won't! We can't! He's still alive, damn it! He's still alive!"

The doctor gave a small nod, acknowledging her words. "I'll do my best,Your Majesty. I'll coordinate with other doctors, specialists. We'll find an antidote as fast as possible. But it's going to take time. I can't guarantee..."

I cut him off, my teeth clenched, fists balled. "Hurry. Just—just hurry! Find someone who knows what they're doing. Don't wait. Don't breathe. Don't stop moving until you fix him."

The doctor bowed slightly, then turned to leave, urgency in every step.

I exhaled sharply, running both hands through my hair again. My chest heaved, but I couldn't stop. My eyes flicked to Damien, to the shallow rise and fall of his chest, to the pallor of his skin. He was alive... barely. And if I didn't act, he wouldn't be alive in a few minutes.

Damien was a fighter. He was stubborn and I knew he was going to get through this. He had to because I don't know how I'll live with myself if anything happens to him.

I suddenly turned so fast as a scent hit my nose, subtle but impossible to ignore. My heartbeat picked up like a cage bird trying to break free.

And then I heard a soft voice whisper;

"I... I think I can help him."