Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 100

Ren's

POV

The waiting room was very quiet and I could only watch as everyone waited for my mother to do the blood test that would confirm if Zac's blood was compatible enough to be transfused into Lily.

I watched as Aiden sat as still as a stone statue and I realized that while I had thought he was not feeling anything on the day of his parents burial because of his blank face, that dead expression had been because he felt too much.

Sensory overload. There was nothing left to do except sit quietly and accept their deaths. Now, there was nothing left to do except sit quietly and pray to the heavens that by some miracle, Lily is saved.

Bia had stopped crying but Lily's mother hadn't and even though her sobs had become quieter, she still rocked back and forth on her seat, with Bia's arms wrapped around her as we waited for Zac to return.

Rhea had also stopped crying but she looked as pale as a ghost, holding Chelsea's hands really tight. Chase stood on her other side, watching over his sister and the girl he loves.

When my mother came out with Zac and he nodded with his best attempt at a smile, I could see the relief on everyone's faces but that was only the first phase of this solution. The next was going to be the transfusion of the blood taken from Zac to Lily and that was the most crucial part because the chance of her surviving was equal to the chance that we would lose her.

"Ren, a word," Ariel called and I nodded, walking with her to her office.

"I know that we have all agreed to do this procedure but of all of the people there, you and I are the only ones that have even the tiniest bit of doubt that this would work, am I right?"

I didn't realize that my mother had been watching me for the amount of time that I had spent staring at her and I nodded.

"Are you okay with all of this?"She whispered and I shrugged.

In just a couple of hours, I had gone from being the only boy in Lily's life to Zac confessing his feelings for her and replaceing out that Aiden was her mate but none of this could compare to knowing that it was because of my jealous bitter ex that Lily was now in this situation.

I knew that no one blamed me for it but the guilt was eating me alive. For the very first time, I had decided to be selfish and this was what had happened.

I didn't get to say no now just because I was worried that this was dangerous when it might just be the only way to save her life.

"I just want her back, mother. Whatever it takes."

Nodding, my mother led me back out of her office and as we walked towards the room where Lily lay unconscious, she continued

"I ask you this because to the best of my knowledge, you are the one she recognizes as her partner and there are resulting consequences of a blood exchange between a vampire and another, human or supernatural. It is called the blood bond. Do you remember this?"

s a descendant from a long line of healers, even without my special abilities, it had been the Hawthorne tradition to know about any and everything related to life and death. I nodded, my blood running cold as I thought about what this blood bond might mean going forward.

The blood bond was a powerful and intimate connection formed when there was a blood exchange between vampires. On rare occasions, vampires had also bonded with humans they came to love.

The human either drinks the vampire's blood, or receives a blood donation and what completed the ritual was the vampire feeding on the recipient so that the two could share a bond almost similar to a mating bond for werewolves.

All of us that were close to Zac knew all about this because Calista had tried to do it to him in order to use love to make her his puppet.

Vampires in a blood bond don't merely fall in love and hope to procreate, they see their partners as their sole reason for existence, the center of their universe. They become nurturing, protective and devoted to their partner.

"We are going to give her Zac's blood now but rest assured that as long as he has not fed on her or does not feed on her subsequently, the blood bond will not take effect."

Of course Zac has fed on Lily before, making the possibility of a blood bond happening very high. And even if he hadn't, I knew for a fact that my best friend would drink her blood just to bond with her.

"However," my mother continued, "the blood recipient who happens to be Lily in this case may experience heightened emotions and unrequited love and affection for her donor thanks to the donation. I know how you feel about Lily which is why I wanted to warn you of the risks. Being only part vampire, Zac's blood may not be potent enough to get this reaction out of her, but it's important to understand the risks involved. And then there is the chance that his blood may not even work against the corrosion process and we might lose her."

Fighting the urge to howl in sorrow, I nodded solemnly, knowing that whether Lily woke up in love with Zac did not matter. None of that mattered right now. The only thing that mattered to me was that she lived and I prayed to the gods if they were still listening to spare her. Whatever happened when she woke up, I would bear it. If she did not want to be with me anymore, I would bear it even if it would feel like my entire world was going to turn on its head and my heart was going to be shredded into pieces.

The two hours that passed after that conversation were the most horrendous as we waited to know if the blood donation had somehow worked and when my mother came out with tears of relief in her eyes to announce that even though she was unconscious, the blood donation had worked and the corrosion was receding, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Lily's mother was the first that was allowed to see her and Bia went in with her. When they were finished, Rhea and Chelsea went in to see her and then it was down to the three of us. Zac, Aiden and I.

"I'll go first." Zac announced and when Aiden didn't argue, I wondered what was on his mind.

The hallway was empty save for the two of us since the others had gone to the reception and Aiden finally spoke, his voice hoarse from lack of use. He hadn't said a word since the beginning of the whole blood donation exercise. "Mauve did this."

"I know."

"I know that you are no longer mated to her but do not interfere with whatever I plan to do to her."

"I will not."

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for being there for Lily when I could not."

I wanted to remind him that the reason why I even had to be there for Lily in the first place was because he had made her life a living hell but he already looked like he knew that and was beating himself up about it so I remained quiet. "You're clearly the better man for her, Ren. Perhaps the best of the three of us. But she's my mate. I will not give her up and I will not leave her side."

I nodded, already expecting his answer. Aiden was not the kind to ever give up on what he wanted.

"I would not expect anything less."

His lips finally lifted in what was a shadow of a smile as we stared at each other and I smiled back.

Lily was safe and right now, that was all that mattered. We would take care of the rest when she woke up.