Vanished Sisters: The Lycan King's Slave Island Chapter 141

Fergus's POV

"My lord, please," another guard urged. "Let us bring her. We can carry her carefully, make sure she's comfortable—"

"No," I said firmly. "I won't risk her life. If the midwives say moving her could kill them, then she stays where she is."

"But the poison—"

"The dose was small. I can fight it." I hoped that was true. "Leave Matilda alone. She has enough to deal with."

"My lord, there must be something else we can do," the guard said desperately.

"There isn't," I said, closing my eyes and focusing on controlling the poison's spread. "Wolfsbane this concentrated can only be neutralized by wet nurse milk. And Matilda can't provide it. So I'll have to fight it the old-fashioned way."

"You could die—"

"Now leave me," I said. "All of you. I need to concentrate."

The guards exchanged worried glances but obeyed, filing out of the room. Nathan lingered, clearly wanting to argue, but I fixed him with a stern look.

"You too. Go." I told Nathan.

"But—"

"Just go. My spy told me Sabastian plans to kill Modred tomorrow night. Now find your sister, stay hidden, and don't come out until I send word that it's safe."

He hesitated, then finally nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

I lay there in the silence, focusing all my energy on fighting the poison. The dark veins had reached my knee now, but they were moving slower. My body was adapting, fighting back. The pain was intense, but manageable.

I could do this. I could survive this.

I had to.

---

Ten minutes passed in a haze of pain and concentration.

The poison had stopped spreading past my knee, held at bay by my body's natural defenses, but it wasn't retreating either. We were at a stalemate.

Then I heard the door open.

"I told you to leave," I growled without opening my eyes.

"You did," a soft voice replied. Not Nathan. Female. "But I couldn't."

I forced my eyes open to see Davelina standing in the doorway, her expression determined despite the fear I could see in her eyes.

"Davelina," I said, my voice rough. "You shouldn't be here. It's not safe—"

"I heard what happened," she said, moving closer. "The guards told me everything. You saved Nathan. You nearly died protecting my brother."

"There's nothing you can do," I said. "I'm fighting the poison, but I need time. You should go, stay with your sister—"

"Well," she interrupted. Her hands moved to the fastenings of her dress. "And I think I can help."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

She pulled open her dress, revealing her chemise beneath. And there, spreading across the white fabric, were unmistakable dark wet patches.

Milk.

She was lactating.

My mind went blank with shock. "How...? We never... I never finished inside you."

"I know," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "It started two days ago. I didn't understand it. I thought maybe it was from when we... when you and I..." She trailed off, her face flushing. "But I'm not pregnant. I checked. And you never... we never went that far."

No.

Fated mate.

The realization hit me like a physical blow.

I never had one.

But there was no other explanation. Only two types of females could produce milk for a Lycan male: Lycan wet nurses who were pregnant or nursing, and fated mates, whose bodies responded to the mate bond itself.

Davelina was my fated mate.

No. No, this couldn't be happening. Fated mates were rare, incredibly rare. And for that mate to be human—

But the evidence was right in front of me. Her body was producing milk for me, responding to my need, preparing to nourish me. The mate bond had triggered her lactation even without pregnancy, even without her understanding what it meant.

"This can't be real," I muttered, more to myself than to her.

"What can't be real?" she asked, moving closer. "Lord Fergus, I don't understand what's happening to me, but I know you're in pain. I know you need wet nurse milk to fight the poison. Even though I don't know if my milk is going to work. But please. Let's at least try."

I should have refused. Should have sent her away, protected her from this, from the implications of what her lactation meant. If I fed from her, it would strengthen the mate bond, would tie her to me in ways she couldn't possibly understand.

She would become mine, bound to me by biology and fate, and she didn't even know what she was offering.

But the poison was still there, still burning through my system. And the beast inside me, recognizing its mate, roared with desperate hunger at the sight of her, at the smell of her milk.

"If you do this," I said, giving her one last chance to escape, "there will be consequences. Do you understand? This isn't just helping someone who's injured. Feeding a Lycan is... it's intimate. It creates bonds."

"You saved Nathan's life," she said firmly. "You nearly died protecting someone you barely know, just because it was right. I won't abandon you now. I don't care about consequences."

The beast inside me snapped its leash.

I sat up with more speed than I should have been capable of in my condition, my body moving on pure instinct. Before she could react, I'd pulled her toward me, my hands gripping her arms, my face inches from hers.

"Are you absolutely certain?" I growled, my voice rough with barely controlled need. "Once I start, I won't be able to stop easily. The poison, the hunger—I could hurt you without meaning to."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide but steady, and nodded.

"I'm certain. You saved my brother. This is the least I can do."