The Princess's Revenge Chapter 148

Valencia’s POV

Something in her tone made my heart race. I scrambled out of bed and yanked the door open.

Delphine stood there, her face flushed. Her eyes were bright with excitement.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong!" She grabbed my hands. "Valencia, Alpha Logan is awake!"

The world seemed to stop.

"What?"

"He's awake! Dr. Vance sent me to get you!"

I didn't remember running. One moment I was in my room, the next I was sprinting through the castle hallways. My bare feet slapped against the cold stone.

I burst through the stone house door. Dr. Vance looked up from his desk, startled.

"Where is he?" I gasped.

Dr. Vance smiled. "Back room. Go ahead."

I ran to the back room and pushed the door open.

Logan was sitting up in bed. His back was propped against pillows. Bandages still covered most of his chest and arms.

But his gray eyes were open. When he saw me, his face softened. A small smile appeared.

"Val." His voice was rough and weak.

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Tears streamed down my face.

"Are you going to stand there crying?" Logan asked gently. "Or are you going to come here?"

That broke the spell. I crossed the room in three steps and threw myself into his arms.

He grunted in pain but held me tight anyway.

"You're awake," I sobbed into his shoulder. "You're really awake."

"I'm awake." His hand stroked my hair. "I'm here."

Through our bond, I felt him. Not the faint flicker from before. This was strong. Relief crashed over me so intensely. I pulled back to look at his face. He looked tired and pale, but his eyes were clear.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Like I was shot with a hundred arrows and fought an army." He smiled slightly. "So not great, but alive."

I laughed through my tears. "Don't joke about that."

"I'm not joking. It really hurts."

The door opened behind us. Dr. Vance entered carrying his medical bag.

"Luna, I need to examine him," Dr. Vance said. "Please step back for a moment."

I reluctantly moved aside. Dr. Vance approached the bed and began checking Logan's wounds.

He removed bandages one by one, inspecting each injury. His expression was focused and professional.

"The wounds are healing well," Dr. Vance said. "Better than I expected, actually."

"When can I get out of this bed?" Logan asked.

"Not for at least two weeks. These injuries were severe. You lost a massive amount of blood. Your body needs time to recover."

Logan's jaw tightened. "Two weeks is too long. We have enemies gathering on multiple fronts."

"If you push yourself too soon, you'll tear these wounds open and we'll be right back where we started," Dr. Vance said firmly. "Or worse, you'll die from infection or internal bleeding."

Logan looked like he wanted to argue, but Dr. Vance continued.

"I can move you to your own room this afternoon. You'll be more comfortable there. But you must stay in bed. No training. No fighting. No strenuous activity of any kind."

Logan's frustration was clear through our bond, but he nodded. "Fine."

Dr. Vance finished his examination and rewrapped the bandages. "I'll check on you again this evening. Luna, make sure he actually rests."

"I will," I promised.

Dr. Vance left, closing the door behind him.

Logan looked at me. His expression grew serious. "Valencia, what happened? The last thing I remember is fighting in Axel form. Then nothing."

I sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "What do you want to know first?"

"Everything. Start from when I collapsed."

I took a deep breath. "You were dying. The warriors kept attacking. You couldn't fight anymore. Your wounds were too severe."

Logan's grip on my hand tightened.

"That's when I called to the dragon. I begged it to help us. I offered it everything I had."

"And it answered," Logan said quietly.

"Yes. I shifted. Put you on my back. We flew away from King's Fang."

Logan studied my face. "What else happened? There's something you're not telling me."

I looked down at our joined hands. "I lost control, Logan."

"What do you mean?"

"After we escaped, I was flying north. But the dragon was so angry about what they did to you. The rage was overwhelming."

My voice dropped to a whisper. "I breathed fire on King's Fang. I burned the whole castle. The courtyard. Everything."

Logan didn't speak for a long moment.

"How many people died?" he asked finally.

"I don't know. Hundreds, probably. Guards. Servants. Anyone who was in the castle."

"Innocent people, Logan. People who had nothing to do with Elton's plans. And I killed them."

Logan pulled me closer with his free arm. "Look at me." I met his gray eyes.

"You saved my life," he said firmly. "If you hadn't transformed, we would both be dead. Elton would have won." Logan cupped my face with one hand. "Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you for saving me."

I leaned into his touch. Through our bond, I felt his gratitude and love. It helped ease the guilt.

We sat like that for a while, just holding each other.

Then something occurred to me. My whole body went still.

"Logan." My voice came out sharp with sudden realization.

"What is it?"

I pulled back to look at him directly. "I was conscious the whole time."

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"When I shifted into the dragon. When I flew away from King's Fang. Even when I breathed fire and burned everything." I grabbed his hand tighter. "Logan, I remember all of it. Every single moment."

Logan's eyes widened. "You were aware? The entire time?"

"Yes!" My heart was racing now. "That's never happened before." I stood up from the bed, too agitated to sit still. "But this time was different. I felt everything. I saw everything. I was there, experiencing it all."

"But you said you lost control—"

"I did! The dragon's rage was overwhelming. I couldn't stop it from burning King's Fang. But I was conscious through all of it, Logan. I was trapped inside, watching myself destroy everything, unable to stop it but fully aware."

My hands were shaking. "And there's something else." I turned to face him. "I remember what I promised the dragon. I said I would give it anything. My life. My soul. Whatever it wanted. I just needed it to save you."

"But it didn't take anything, Logan." My voice shook with confusion. "I'm still here. My memories are intact. I didn't lose anything precious."

Logan was quiet, thinking.

"So it just gave you the power freely?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe my promise doesn't matter. Maybe the dragon chose to help on its own."

But even as I said it, unease crept through me. It felt wrong. Like I'd signed a contract without reading the fine print.

"We'll figure it out," Logan said.