Chapter 536
Dallas
I woke to the suffocating stench of bleach, rotting silver, and something far worse—pity.
I opened my eyes to the harsh fluorescent lights of the ICU. Vance Decker, Dr. Vance, and a nurse named Serena stood around my bed. The guilt rolling off my Gamma was nauseating. Inside my mind, Ragnar roared in agonizing shame. We were broken. Less than a male.
I ripped the IV lines from my arms. Blood welled up instantly, dripping onto the pristine white sheets.
“Alpha, please—” Vance Decker stepped forward, his voice cracking. “I didn’t know. I am so sorry—”
A dark, hateful laugh tore from my throat. “Sorry that you turned your King into a sterile husk?” I ignored him and locked my storm-gray eyes on the doctor. “Listen to me very carefully, Alistair. If you breathe a single word of this to anyone—especially to Adella—I will personally destroy your Mate’s medical license and ensure your pups are hunted as Rogues for the rest of their miserable lives.”
The sheer cold malice in my voice drained the blood from their faces. Serena whimpered. Without another word, the three of them scrambled out of the room, terrified of the monster I had become.
Only Duncan remained, stepping forward from the shadows. “Alpha,” he rumbled. “Chelsi Parrish is outside. She knows about the Swiss clinic. She knows you’ve been hiding the silver poisoning for a year. She’s threatening to expose it unless you make her Luna.”
A twisted, calculated calm washed over me. Chelsi only wanted power and a chance to reclaim her family’s lost status. And Adella—Adella needed to believe I was worthless so she would finally leave and save herself.
“Let her in,” I commanded. “And bring the doctor back.”
A minute later, Chelsi walked into the ICU. She looked different from the arrogant girl who had once tormented Adella—her dress expensive but slightly outdated, dark circles shadowing her eyes. She was a fallen princess clinging to the wreckage of her family’s former status.
“Dallas,” she said, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt at confidence. “I know about the Swiss clinic. I know you’ve been hiding the silver poisoning. If the Commission finds out, you’re finished. But I can keep it secret—if you make me Luna.”
I didn’t look at her. “Dr. Vance,” I rasped. “Tell her. Word for word.”
The doctor swallowed hard, trembling under my glare. “The Alpha King has suffered complete pelvic nerve death. He has zero sperm production and is physically incapable of completing a Marking.”
Chelsi froze. The desperate calculation on her face shattered, instantly replaced by raw, unfiltered revulsion. She took a step back, looking at me as if I were a rotting corpse.
“You’re a cripple,” she spat, her voice dripping with venom. “A sterile, useless Alpha. I wasted my time.”