The Alpha King’s Broken Mate

A drop or two

Namiko’s POV

The cell was cold. Not just the kind of cold that settled into your skin, but the kind that buried itself in your bones and made you forget what warmth ever felt like.

I sat curled on the stone slab that passed for a bed, tracing circles into the grime with my fingertip, trying to think. Trying to breathe. Days had passed, how many, I didn’t knowhow long it has been since I was thrown into this dungeon for a crime I didn’t commit.

I hadn’t seen a map.

I’d never touched a locket.

But truth, as it already seemed, held no weight here. Not when the court already saw me as the poison to be removed itself.

And Caspian, Caspian hadn’t even come to check on me. Not even once.

I told myself I didn’t care. That his absence was a blessing. That I didn’t want to look into the eyes of a king who once took me into his arms like I was something sacred, and now believed the worse of me.

But it wasn’t true.

Because I did care. Because part of me still wanted him to believe me. To protect me from all this. To save me.

And maybe that part was the most dangerous of all.

A noise echoed down the corridor, light, deliberate footsteps. I straightened, heart thudding hard in my chest! Who could it be?

The guard opened the cell door, stepping aside to reveal a figure draped in midnight-blue robes.

Astrid.

The pack’s healer.

Her dark eyes swept over me, and something like pity, no, something more like purpose flickered there. “You’re a mess,” she said quietly.

“I’ve been locked underground for days,” I muttered. “What do you expect?”

“I expected to find you angry,” she said, stepping closer. “Instead, I find you thinking.”

“I’ve tried everything,” I whispered. “Everything. But there’s no way to prove I’m innocent. I don't have the locket or the map to at least find a loop hole to prove myself. No one who would believe my word over a noble’s word. So I was trying to figure out what I can do here. All I can do is think.”

Astrid’s lips pressed together. Then she reached into her satchel and pulled out a small crystal vial. Inside, a single drop of blood shimmered, violet-hued with a faint silver glow.

“What's that?” I gasped.

“This.” She crouched before me, lowering her voice. “This is your blood.”

I blinked. “How? I don't remember giving you. . . ”

“You did, during your initial examination. I saved a few drops. It’s not standard, but something about you didn’t make sense, and I trusted my instincts.”

I stared at the vial, then at her. “Like you always do. Why are you here, Astrid?”

“Because I know what’s killing the Alpha King,” she said quietly. “And I know what will save him.”

My chest tightened. “It wasn’t me.”

“No,” she agreed. “It wasn’t you. The poison in his system is lunar root, rare, lethal, and designed to destroy a lycan’s core over time. It mimics madness. Weakens the regenerative process. It was tailored for him.”

My hands trembled. “How do you know it’s lunar root?”

“I’ve been testing his blood in secret. The symptoms match, but more than that, your blood responded to it. When mixed with his poisoned sample, it neutralized the toxin completely.”

My breath hitched. What does this mean?

Astrid leaned closer. “And that’s the part that matters most, Namiko. The poison didn’t activate because your blood mixed with his. It activated because your blood was missing. His bond with you, however faint, was disrupted. Lunar root reacts violently to broken spiritual bonds.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I whispered.

“It does,” she said. “The only thing that can counteract lunar root in this state is the mixture of your blood directly into his system. Not through touch, not through forced rituals. Through choice, through a willing exchange.”

I reeled back, stunned.

Astrid handed me the vial, fingers firm. “This is your leverage. Give him your blood and save his life. But don’t do it for nothing.”

My fingers closed around the vial. “What are you saying?”

“Trade it for your freedom,” she said. “He won’t let you go otherwise. You know what he’s like. But if you give him the cure”

“He’ll owe me,” I finished quietly.

Astrid nodded. “And maybe, just maybe, that will be enough to get you out alive.”

She stood and stepped back toward the door. “Use it wisely, Namiko. I can’t help you again.”

“Astrid,” I called softly as she turned. “Why are you helping me?”

She paused. Her profile was still, unreadable in the dim torchlight. “Because I know what it’s like to be blamed for something you didn’t do. And because the court needs shaking.” Her gaze flicked over her shoulder. “And maybe you’re the one to do it.”

Then she was gone.

The cell door slammed shut behind her.

I stared down at the vial in my palm, watching the single drop of blood shimmer like it held the fate of a kingdom.

Maybe it did.

I stood slowly, the aches in my limbs ignored as adrenaline surged. My voice rang out, sharp, certain, and hopeful.

“Guard!”

Footsteps approached. The same surly male who’d ignored me for days appeared outside the bars.

“I need to speak to the Alpha King,” I said, standing tall.

He snorted. “You’ll speak to no one.”

“Tell him,” I said coldly, “that I have a cure for what is poisoning him. And if he doesn’t want it, then he can die, slowly and painfully, while I rot in here.”

The guard hesitated. His gaze flicked to the vial in my hand, then to my face. “Is this real?”

“Try me.”

He disappeared without a word.

And I waited for the hope I have no choice but to hold on to.