To Claim A Crown Book One: The Half-Blood King (Complete)

44.

Authors Note:
This book is a Wattpad exclusive if you're reading this anywhere else then my work was published without my authorisation.

Armon sits up in his bed. He scrambles for tissue as he feels his chest tightens. He pulls a tissue out of the box beside his bed and he coughs into it. It is dampened with blood and he crumples it in his fist then throws it onto his floor. The entire floor is littered with tissues that are all stained red.

Armon forces himself out of bed and he wipes sweat from his brow. He trembles with the cold and stumbles into the bathroom. He turns the shower on and then turns to the mirror above the sink. His cheeks have sunken into his face and he has heavy eye bags. His skin is pale and speckled with unkept facial hair.

He knew the signs the second he started feeling sick but chose to keep it to himself. He would rather die on his own terms than be chained up and kept alive by magick for longer than necessary. But it is getting worse, he knows it is. He knew it the second he started swinging in and out of consciousness.

And when he started seeing him everywhere.

He pulls his clothes off and leaves them laying on the floor. He steps under the hot water and it's scalding against his skin but it feels good to feel something. At the first sign of it he drove off the property. He knew he needed to create distance between himself and his pack before he did something to hurt anyone.

Armon reaches out and leans against the wall of the shower. Trembles run through his body and he waits for them to pass before straightening.

He quickly and quietly moved to his apartment in town and it provided the peace and solitude he needed but regardless of how much time he spent he couldn't bring himself to end his own life, despite knowing that it's the only way. He knows he will have to do something soon. He had awoken on the road leading to the reserve. The road to his pack. His home.

He feels weak in his leg and then all around him the whispering starts. He leans against the wall and he sobs. The whispering grows louder and he shuts his eyes and covers his ears. There's a deafening silence and he knows better than to open his eyes.

"Open your eyes..."

"No no no..."

"Open your eyes Armon...I know you understand why it has to be this way...I know you understand what needs to be done...why you need to be the one to do it."

"Please no...please..."

                                                                                                    ❄

Naomi turns her face to the shower and the water lands on her chest. It's hot and the air around her is covered in thick steam. It has been two days since the breach of Sigrid and ever since then Naomi had been feeling an unshakable cold.

Raurlin steps into the shower behind her and he wraps his arms around her. Naomi leans back against his chest and their hearts beat in sync. Raurlin had been worried about Naomi since Sigrid's attack. She was closed off...reserved. Jackson had assured him it was the trauma of, well, everything and that she would come round.

"Are you okay doll?"

"Yes. I'm done. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast."

Naomi steps out of the shower and wraps a towel tightly around her body and she walks into their room, closing the bathroom door behind her. She dries herself quickly then dresses in a thick warm winter dress and thick tights. She brushes through her hair then towel dries it and she opens the door and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her.