The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

Chapter 28

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Tsuneo

Agony. A searing inferno pulsed in my shoulder, spreading like wildfire through my veins. Claws. That's what they felt like razor-sharp talons ripping through my flesh, tearing at the very

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essence of my being. My vision blurred, the opulent confines of my chambers morphing into a swirling vortex of pain.

Through the haze, a distant voice pierced the cacophony in my head.

"Tsuneo?" Female. Familiar, yet distorted. My throat felt like sandpaper, words refusing to form on my parched tongue. Leave. Get away from me.

The primal scream echoed in the depths of my mind, but my lips remained stubbornly sealed. My body shuddered and tensed with a feral, uncontrollable energy. I was a puppet on strings, pulled by an unseen, malevolent force. I had thought the poison was wearing off. Then, a touch. Cool. Calming. A pair of arms wrapped around me, anchoring me to the storm. raging within. The touch, surprisingly gentle, sent a jolt through my system. A flicker of recognition sparked in the abyss of my mind as the scent hit my nose. It was Morgan.

Her presence pulled at my mind. Slowly, ever so slowly, the tendrils of rage loosened their grip. The inferno in my shoulder subsided to a dull ache, and the blinding vortex in my vision faded to reveal the familiar surroundings of my chambers.

With a grunt, I wrestled back control, forcing my eyelids open. Morgan's face swam into focus, etched with worry and concern. Relief, warm and sweet, washed over me, battling the lingering remnants of the poison's insidious grip. "Morgan," I croaked, my voice hoarse and unfamiliar.

A shaky smile broke across her face. "There you are," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I was so worried. Are you alright?"

The concern in her eyes, so genuine and raw, sent warmth spreading through my chest. In that moment, amidst the throbbing pain and lingering echoes of the monstrous transformation, a single thought flickered to life I couldn't let her see me like this, Not like... that. CH28

I turned away from her, trying to block her view of my shoulder, wincing as the movement sent a fresh jolt of pain through my shoulder.

"I'm fine."

"And bleeding."

it's just the poison," I

to my shoulder, the black veins stark against my pale skin. "How

the situation, the near descent into oblivion, crashed down on me. Shame burned in my throat, hotter than the

I could answer, she cupped my face and stared

you... at least

I nodded.

could have hurt her. I looked away. She shifted to look

her hand on my shoulder. Her touch was soothing as

full of concern. "But I know we don't know each other

you're going to have to

in my throat, hotter than the lingering embers of the poison. I wanted to confess, to explain what it felt like when it was like that, the way my instincts to get rid of the pain threatened to consume me, but the memory of it sent a fresh

bad, but it wasn't working as well as it used to. Mustering every ounce of control, I pushed myself away from her embrace, wincing as the movement sent a fresh jolt of pain through my violated

"Morgan,"

my voice hoarse and unfamiliar, "1...

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of succumbing to the poison's control, of nearly becoming a mindless beast before her eyes. But the larger part was the raw, throbbing

with unspoken emotions. I could feel her gaze on me, a mixture of worry

"you need help. This poison... it's clearly affecting you more than you're

state to be alone, yet the thought of her witnessing another descent into that primal rage filled me with dread. "I... I'll be fine," I lied, my voice barely above

her features. "No," she said, her voice firm. You're not fine.

"He's gone until tomorrow."

"Fine."

could protest further, she moved with surprising swiftness, crossing the room and reaching for a small pouch hanging on the wall my emergency medical kit. My

that. It's just a... a

thing that's turning your veins black?" she countered, her voice laced