Contract With The Alpha King by Brey Mitchylle

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Chapter 50

Fiona crouched beside the soldier, her hands moving swiftly over the deep gash on his arm. Blood oozed from the wound, staining her hands as she pressed a cloth to slow the bleeding. Around her, the training ground was in chaos.

The practice session had spiraled out of control, turning into a deadly skirmish when someone had swapped the practice weapons for real ones. Now, the consequences were severe-there had already been one fatality, and several others were critically injured. "Hold still," she instructed the soldier, who winced as she applied pressure. Kariana worked beside her, tending to another soldier who had been hit in the leg with a sword.

"His pulse is weak," Kariana muttered, glancing at Fiona as they moved quickly to stabilize the injured men.

Fiona nodded and reached into her pouch, pulling out a vial of herbs. She sprinkled the dried mixture over the wound before adding a liquid from another vial. "This will help stop the bleeding," she explained to the soldier, though her voice was more focused on the task than on reassurance.

As the herbs began to take effect, the soldier's breathing steadied slightly, but the tension in the air remained thick. The sound of groans and panicked shouts filled the training grounds. More soldiers were being carried in from the far side of the field, some unconscious, others limping. Fiona glanced up and saw Queen Luna approaching, her face tight with concern.

"Get them to the infirmary immediately," Queen Luna commanded, her voice steady despite the chaos. She turned to the healers with a look of urgency. "Make sure all who can be saved are treated at once."

Fiona glanced over at Kariana, who had managed to stop the bleeding on her patient's leg. "We need to move him," Kariana said, already preparing to lift the soldier with the help of another guard. Fiona nodded in agreement, knowing there wasn't much time to waste. As they worked, Fiona couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and anger bubbling beneath the surface. This was supposed to be a practice, but whoever had tampered with the weapons had turned it into something far more dangerous. She wondered briefly if it had been deliberate-a sabotage-but there was no time to dwell on the thought.

Another soldier was brought to her, his chest wound gaping and deep. Fiona quickly set to work, her hands moving with the precision and speed she had honed over the past weeks in the infirmary. She mixed a fresh batch of herbs, this time using a different combination to prevent infection, and applied it to the wound. The soldier winced but stayed silent, his eyes glazed with pain.

"You're going to be alright," Fiona murmured as she worked, though the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on her. One man had already died, and she feared there might be more if they didn't act quickly enough.

A commotion near the entrance to the training grounds caught her attention, and she looked up to see King Nicholas himself arriving. His expression was grim as he assessed the scene, his eyes landing briefly on the Queen, who was already coordinating the evacuation of the most critical cases.

"Fiona!" Kariana called, her voice tight with urgency. Fiona turned her attention back to her work, focusing on saving the soldier in front of her.

"Keep the pressure on the wound," she instructed one of the guards assisting them as she moved to check the soldier's vitals, His pulse was still weak but steadied slightly. "We need to move him to the infirmary now."

of worry and determination as she continued to issue orders. "Make sure they get the best treatment, she said to one of her aides,

with the combined efforts of Fiona, Kariana, and the other healers, they managed to stabilize

just as Fiona was about to leave the training field, she heard

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meeting the Queen since she arrived here, and that was partly because of Elijah's words. She knew Elijah would protect her, but she didn't want

Queen Luna approached, her heart pounding in her chest. She kept her

at me," Queen Luna commanded, her tone firm but not unkind. Fiona hesitated for a moment, then lifted her cautiously. The Queen stepped closer, her sharp eyes scanning Fiona's face before settling on the necklace that hung arour her neck. Without warning, Queen Luna reached out and gently grabbed the pendant between her fingers. Fiona stiffened in

swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. "A very important person gave it to

Fiona's face for a moment longer. Fiona felt the weight of the scrutiny, knowing full well that the Queen had recognized the necklace. There was no mistaking the

Queen Luna ordered. "Do not return to the

duties, relieved that the conversation had not gone further. She hurried back

had suffered several deep cuts across his arms and torso. Fiona applied pressure to the worst of them, her hands steady as

attention. One of the men she was treating had unusually dark blood oozing from his wound. She frowned, leaning in closer to inspect the injury. There was a faint, acrid smell coming

suddenly screamed. His body jerked violently, and he began vomiting blood. Fiona jumped back, shocked by the suddenness of

her voice urgent. The situation was far worse than she had realized. Something was terribly wrong with the soldiers who

cutting through the

froze, her eyes darting to the Queen, unsure

commanding. One of the women at

on the situation, leaving no room for hesitation, Then she looked at Fiona, her eyes narrowed. "Detain the healer who touched

shock. Was this man another contender in the Rite of Kings? Before she could even glance back at