Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King Chapter 89

EMILIA'S POV

The door clicked shut behind Doctor Raina, and the silence that followed felt like a weight pressing down on my chest.

I didn't move. I couldn't.

Her words were still echoing in my head—sharp, cold, heavy.

I tried to breathe, but the air felt thick. The lights above me buzzed softly, the monitor beside me kept its slow, steady rhythm—but none of it felt real anymore. The world had shifted. Everything I thought I knew about myself, about Maximus, about this place—it all suddenly felt like a fragile illusion waiting to crack.

The Milandra spirit. Inside me.

The idea sounded insane, impossible... but deep down, some part of me wasn't sure.

Because what if it was true?

What if that was the reason for the strange dreams, the flashes of cold, the way I'd felt something alive inside me the moment before I passed out?

A tremor ran through me. My fingers gripped the edge of the blanket tightly, the thin fabric twisting between my palms.

If Raina was right, then something inside me could destroy everything.

And Maximus...The silence was suddenly broken by the faint sound of the door handle turning. My breath caught immediately, panic shooting through me.

I thought Raina had come back to tell me something even worse.

My body went rigid, my fingers digging into the blanket.

But when the door opened, it wasn't her.

It was Damien.

His tall frame filled the doorway, his dark eyes searching the room before finally landing on me. His expression softened a little when he saw my face, but there was still tension in his shoulders—tight, alert, protective.

"You look pale," he said quietly, stepping closer. "What did she say to you?"

I forced myself to breathe normally, even though my chest was still tight. "It was nothing," I whispered.

His brows drew together. "Nothing?"

"Just... girl stuff," I said, trying to smile even though it trembled at the edges. "She wanted to make it clear she doesn't hold anything against me. That whatever happened between me and Maximus shouldn't affect us as women."

The lie came out smoother than I expected, but I could tell by the way his eyes darkened that he didn't believe me.

He studied me for a long moment, his jaw working like he was trying to hold something back. Then, finally, he looked away, dragging a hand through his hair. "So that's it?" he asked. "That's all she said?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes."

He exhaled, a low, heavy sound. The silence that followed wasn't calm—it was thick with things neither of us could say.

Then his voice broke through it again, lower now. "I heard something today."

I looked up at him, confused. "What?"

His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw it—the storm behind them. The mix of anger, jealousy, and something else entirely.

"I heard you were sleeping in Maximus's room," he said, his voice barely above a whisper but sharp enough to make my heart jump.

My throat went dry. "Damien—"

He stepped closer, his jaw clenching. "Is it true?"

I didn't answer. I didn't have to. My silence said everything.

His eyes darkened further, and I could see the muscles in his jaw tighten. For a moment, he said nothing. Just stood there, staring at the floor like he was trying to calm the fire building inside him.

When he finally looked up, his voice was calm—but that calmness scared me more than any shout could.

"You're my mate, Emilia," he said slowly, deliberately. "And I won't let you sleep in the same bed with another man."

His words hit me like a blow to the chest.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn't even know what to say.

It wasn't that I didn't understand his anger. I did. He was my mate, bound to me in ways I still didn't fully understand. But it wasn't as simple as that. My heart belonged to Maximus—and even if I couldn't have him, even if fate had decided to be cruel, I couldn't erase what I felt.

Still, seeing the look on Damien's face, I knew arguing wouldn't change anything.

He took a step closer to my bed, his tone softening slightly. "As soon as you're discharged tomorrow, you're coming with me."

My breath hitched. "Coming with you?"

He nodded once. "To my house."

"House?" I repeated, trying to process what he was saying. "You don't live in the palace?"

"No," he said quietly. "I have my own place. Not too far from here." His eyes softened a little. "You don't have to worry. I have many rooms. You can sleep in whichever one you like. I won't force you to share a bed with me."

For a second, I didn't know what to say. Relief and confusion tangled inside me.

"Thank you," I whispered finally, my voice barely audible.

Because I did need space. I needed time to think—to breathe—to understand everything that was happening.

Being near Maximus right now would only make it harder. I knew that deep down. Every time I saw him, my heart wanted to forget logic, forget reason, forget the world. But that wasn't possible anymore.

Fate wasn't being kind to us.

It had never been.

Damien gave a small nod, as if my words were enough for now. But I could still feel the tension radiating from him—the silent anger, the restrained jealousy. It filled the room like smoke.

He moved closer to the window, his hands slipping into his pockets. The night outside was dark, the moon half-hidden behind heavy clouds. His reflection looked broken in the glass.

"You should rest," he said quietly, not turning around.

I wanted to. I wanted to close my eyes and forget everything. But rest was the last thing my mind would allow.

Because the moment I looked at him, I could see the faint shimmer of his aura—his power, his control. I could feel how much he wanted to protect me, even if I didn't belong to him in the way he wanted.

And it hurt.

It hurt because Damien didn't deserve any of this either.

He turned around finally, his eyes meeting mine again. "Try to sleep," he said softly. "I'll stay here tonight."

I nodded, unable to argue. I didn't have the strength to fight him.

As he sat back down in the chair beside me, I watched the way his shoulders stayed tense, the way his hand rested near mine but didn't touch.

Part of me wanted to reach out. To take that hand and hold on, even just for comfort. But another part of me couldn't move. Because all I could think about was Raina's voice, her words dripping like poison into my thoughts.

My heart thudded faster.

If what she said was true, then there was something dark and ancient inside me. And if it was awakening, it could destroy everything.

Maximus. The kingdom. Me.

I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, feeling my pulse beating wildly beneath my skin. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't.

No matter what it took, I had to find that witch.

Even if Maximus didn't want me to.

Even if it meant walking straight into danger.

Because the fear in Raina's eyes hadn't looked fake. And the way she said the king's witch... it felt important. Urgent.

I looked over at Damien again. His eyes were closed now, his breathing steady. He'd fallen asleep in the chair once more, his hand still close enough to mine to almost touch.

I watched him for a long time, the guilt rising like a tide inside me.

He was doing his best to protect me. He thought bringing me to his house would keep me safe.

But the truth was—safety didn't exist anymore.

Not for me. Not for Maximus. Not for anyone.

Because if what Raina said was right, the real danger wasn't outside.

It was inside me.

I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders, trying to stop the shaking in my hands. The room felt colder again, darker. The shadows seemed to move against the walls.

Somewhere deep in my chest, that strange burning cold stirred again—a soft, almost invisible pulse of energy.

I sucked in a sharp breath, holding it until it passed. But even when it did, the fear didn't go away.

If this thing inside me was real—if it really was a dangerous spirit—then I didn't have much time before it fully awakened.

And when it did, I didn't know what would be left of me.

I looked at the window again. The moon had disappeared completely behind the clouds.

Everything was dark.

And for the first time, I understood what true fear felt like.

The fear of becoming something that could destroy everything I loved.

I closed my eyes, my heart aching. "I'm sorry, Maximus," I whispered under my breath. "But I have to do this."

Because I'd rather die than watch him fall.

I'd rather risk everything than see the kingdom burn.

And if finding that witch meant answers—meant saving him—then that was exactly what I was going to do.

Even if it meant breaking every rule.

Even if it meant betraying the king himself.

The monitor beside me beeped softly, its rhythm steady and calm.

But inside, my pulse was chaos.

I looked at Damien one last time, his face peaceful in sleep, and whispered, "Forgive me."

Then I turned my gaze back to the window, to the night that seemed to whisper back at me.

Somewhere out there, the witch was waiting.

And tomorrow... I would find her.

No matter what it cost.