Crowned by Fate Chapter 82

Skye's POV

"Nadia, don't—"

"Please," she interrupted, her eyes intense. "Listen to me, Skye. I want you to take my place."

The request struck me like a physical blow. "Me? But I can't—"

"You can," she insisted. "And you will. Adrian needs someone he can trust at his side."

She shifted slightly, wincing at the movement.

"He prefers ocean-scented shampoo and body wash—I order it specially from a supplier in Oregon. Pine-sage is his favorite candle scent, though he'd never admit to having such a 'soft' preference."

I stared at her in confusion as she continued.

"He works too much. Somebdy need to reming him to sleep. He takes his coffee black in the morning but with cream after noon. He pretends to read reports before bed, but really he reads poetry—Frost is his favorite." Her voice grew more urgent.

"He struggles with back pain from an old injury, but he's too proud to admit it needs regular attention. The heating pad in his office—make sure it's always available."

Tears burned my eyes as I listened to her reciting these intimate details—a catalog of small but precious knowledge about the man she had loved for years.

How deeply must she have loved him, how complete her devotion, to have noticed and remembered such tiny particulars of his daily life?

"Nadia," I whispered, my voice breaking, "only you know these things. Only you can do this. You're going to recover—"

"No." She squeezed my hand. "I know my body, Skye. I can feel the poison spreading. This is my last wish. Please. Promise me you'll take care of him. Promise me you'll be the Beta he needs."

Her eyes held mine, pleading silently. How could I refuse her this, when she had sacrificed everything—even swallowing poison meant for me?

"I promise," I whispered, tears spilling over. "But Nadia, I don't know if I can—"

"You can," she assured me with surprising certainty. "I've watched you these past months. You have the strength, the intelligence. The pack already respects you." Her lips curved in a faint smile. "Once all this is over, tell him. Tell him how you feel. Life is too short for hesitation."

Before I could respond to this startling advice, she nodded toward the door. "Now, please ask the others to come in. I need to speak with them too."

Wiping my tears, I rose to call in the others.

They entered quietly, forming a silent half-circle around Nadia's bed. Venus took her position at the head, her single hand gently stroking Nadia's dark hair.

"Venus," Nadia began, her voice weakening but still clear, "I'm sorry I'll miss your wedding to Marcus. I had such plans to help organize a beautiful ceremony for you both." She attempted a smile. "In my dresser drawer, there's a necklace my mother gave me. Consider it my wedding gift to you. Promise you'll wear it when you marry him."

Venus gripped Nadia's hand tightly, nodding as tears streamed down her face. "I promise," she whispered.

Nadia turned her attention to Garrett, who had sunk to his knees beside her bed, his head bowed as if in prayer.

"Garrett," she said, her tone lightening artificially, "you're too quiet, too withdrawn. I wonder who your mate will be, though I suppose I'll never know now." She coughed slightly, grimacing before continuing. "Your birthday is in two months. I already bought your gift—that vintage circuit board from the 1970s you've been searching for. I found it at that electronics collector's auction in Austin."

Garrett made no attempt to hide his tears, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs as he clutched Nadia's hand against his cheek.

"Ryder," she continued, turning to the young warrior who stood rigidly at the foot of her bed, clearly fighting to maintain his composure. "The warriors' training is your responsibility now. Don't slack off. And no more wolf liquor, understand?"

"Stop it," Ryder choked out, his fists clenched at his sides. "You'll get better and train us yourself. I'm calling the best doctors from Stormhowl Pack right now. There must be another solution."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and bolted from the room, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

"Lydia," Nadia continued, "do you remember that scrying you did for me last year? Turns out you were right after all."

Lydia's eyes narrowed above her mask. "What we call destiny," she replied softly, "is often just a chain of choices."

Her words struck me like a knife to the heart.

Had this been inevitable from the moment Nadia chose to accompany me to the wedding? When she drank the poisoned coffee meant for me?

Or perhaps even earlier, when she first accepted me into the pack despite her misgivings?

Had every choice she made been leading inexorably to this moment?

Finally, Nadia's gaze settled on Adrian, who stood at the foot of her bed.

"Alpha Adrian," she said, her voice suddenly formal and serious. "My greatest regret is that I won't be by your side to help you become Alpha King." She took a labored breath. "Do you remember what I said when Ryder and I followed you from Stormhowl? I promised we would build a new pack together, and that one day you would become Alpha King, making all North American wolf packs better, more just."

Her grip on my hand tightened as she continued, "Skye will fulfill the promise I couldn't keep. She'll be an excellent Beta—I believe this with all my heart."

Adrian moved closer, taking her other hand in his. For a long moment, he said nothing.

"I would trade it all," he finally said, his voice barely audible, "every ambition, every dream, if it meant keeping you with us."

"I know," she whispered. "That's why you'll make a great Alpha King someday." She looked around at all of us, gathered at her bedside. "Promise me something—all of you. Don't seek revenge. Don't let Kane destroy more than he already has. Build something better instead."

Her eyes began to close, her breathing growing more labored. "I'm tired now," she murmured. "So tired."

As if by some unspoken agreement, we all moved closer, forming a protective circle around her.

In that moment, we were no longer Alpha, Beta, council members—we were simply a pack, united in grief, in love, in the knowledge that one of our strongest bonds was about to break.

Nadia's breathing grew shallower, her pulse visibly weakening beneath the thin skin of her throat. Yet somehow, she managed to open her eyes one last time, finding Adrian's face with uncanny precision.

"I was never your mate," she whispered, "but you were always my home."

Her eyes closed, and with one final, peaceful exhale, Nadia was gone.

Author’s Note

Writing this chapter broke me. I was a mess, tears streaming, because I couldn’t save her. Nadia was my favorite, a girl who carved out a piece of my heart.

I think many writers will understand this: when you create a character, they start to breathe on their own, carrying their own purpose, their own fate. Sometimes, all you can do is follow where they lead, even when it hurts.