The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 221: Stay Buried

When Revana opened her eyes, her gaze settled on Esme, who was busy wrapping her wound with a bandage.

There was instant relief in Esme’s eyes the moment she saw Revana had woken. She quickly reached up, gently pressing her back down before she could sit up.

"Don’t move," Esme instructed softly, her gaze softening. "You need proper rest. Your wounds are healing, but you’re not completely out of danger yet. Just stay still– I’ll get you what you need."

Revana exhaled sharply, closing her eyes for a brief moment before muttering a curse. She had only gone to retrieve Esme’s book— the last thing she expected was to come face-to-face with the true bearer. She hadn’t even realized who he was when she saw him standing there, holding the book she had come all the way up here to retrieve.

A single kick.

That was all it took to leave her body broken and bruised. The sheer force of it reminded her of what Donovan was capable of with a single strike, but this... this was far worse. The small cuts she got from bursting through a glass window no longer hurt, but she was going to have some difficulty standing now.

Letting out a sigh, her eyes flicked to the carriage window, watching as the landscape blurred past. They were still descending the hill, and they had even forgotten it was raining due to the chaos. The steady motion of the carriage felt unnatural after what they had just escaped.

She turned to Esme, who was quietly packing away the bloodied cloth and vials she had used to treat her wounds. The movements were precise, almost mechanical, as if keeping herself busy would keep the grief at bay.

"What happened to the True Bearer?" Revana’s voice was hoarse, uncertain as she asked. The silence in their flight was unsettling, and her instincts were already kicking in.

Esme paused at the question, her fingers tightening around the edge of her satchel. She exhaled sharply before turning her gaze to the window.

"He didn’t follow us," she said, her voice hollow. "He just... stopped." She shook her head, as if trying to make sense of it herself. "No one knows why."

She then turned to Revana, searching her face. "But it doesn’t matter anymore. He killed them all. I couldn’t stop it. I just stood there and maybe if I even did something, it wouldn’t make any difference. They’re gone."

Revana’s expression remained unreadable, but her hands curled into fists. "There was nothing that could have been done," she murmured. "None of us could have foreseen this. If anything..." she then hesitated, as if the words might choke her, before forcing them out. "They’re free now. Free from this bondage, even if it meant dying to escape it. At least they died knowing they tried."

Esme studied her, the dim light of the carriage casting shadows across Revana’s face. The weight of loss pressed against them both, suffocating and heavy. Esme knew Revana was trying to contain her grief, to stay composed– but she had known those people longer.

And now, they are gone.

Not just them, but countless others— innocent lives, slaughtered due to a fate they never saw coming. The carriage rumbled on, but inside, the silence felt like a funeral shroud.

"Death isn’t always the answer, is it?" Esme asked softly. "I know it’s difficult but there is always another way. You’ve already proven that."

Revana let out a weary sigh. "Because we have no choice," she murmured. "It’s more difficult when everyone is depending on you to set them free. If I had the luxury of escape, I’d rather be dead– like my fellow comrades. At least then, this weight wouldn’t crush me anymore."

Her sharp gaze suddenly softened, and her voice became steadier now. "But if I die, who will take care of Althea? It took a lot of work to make her forget about our parent’s death. Even if freedom is not something I’ll get to experience, I want her to have a real life— one that isn’t just survival. She deserves that much."

Esme watched as Revana forced herself upright, her movement stiff with pain. Determination flickered in her eyes.

"Everyone has their reasons for fighting, Esme and that includes you too. Let’s hope the king is wise enough to listen to us this time," she said, her voice laced with quiet fury. "I won’t let my people’s death be in vain."

Esme reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "They won’t be," she promised. "We’ll make sure of it."

"Can I ask you something?" Revana’s attention shifted to Esme. "That book... What was in it? What could have possibly been so important that the true bearer revealed himself like that?"

For a moment, silence ensued. Esme struggled to find the right words before inhaling deeply, bracing herself.

"It was given to me by my Aunt," she finally said. "It holds a ritual– one my family performed long ago. I was told it carried a prophecy. But before I could read it, I was attacked. All I know is that it spoke of something called a blood wolf, and I witnessed the ritual– as if the book had been charmed with some kind of spell that makes one revisit that particular moment in the past. I don’t know what kind of spirit wolf it is, only that my family believed it was the only thing strong enough to stop the true bearer. So they tried to summon it."

She paused, hesitating. "My father did. But something went wrong. The wolf... chose me instead. That’s what he’s after."

Revana stiffened at the information, as If her mind was struggling to process everything together.

Esme’s hands clenched on her lap as she added, "He said it’s the only thing stopping him from achieving godhood."

"Godhood?" Revana’s brow furrowed. "You mean— he wants to become a god?

"That’s what his words implied." Esme’s voice was barely above a whisper, whilst she turned to put away the remaining vial.

"But Esme.." Revana shifted slightly. "If there’s a wolf inside you, shouldn’t you be happy about it? It’s one of the things you’ve always wanted. There has to be a way to awaken it since it’s still dormant inside you."

"Awaken... you say," Esme flinched, as if the thought alone hurt. "Why now?" Her voice cracked. "All these years... this thing inside me was the reason for my illness. It almost killed me. And now– now that I’m stable, when I don’t need a wolf to survive, I find out it’s still there. What if I fall sick again in the process of trying to awaken it?"

She let out a shaky breath. "I won’t let the true bearer take it. But the wolf stays buried."