Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne

Chapter 70 Did you think I wouldn‘t find you

William stood, the chair almost fell behind him when he turned to the door. “Should I come-” Doris moved

for her coat. “No, stay here. I want to talk to the spice guy and work out a deal.” He closed the door

before she could ask what he meant. What kind of deal would he mean? Again, Melody and her

poisoning had slipped from her mind. She had to ask him about it before they left but whenever she was

around him-Melody was the furthest thing from her mind. As horrible as that sounded. She ate her food

alone and laid on the bed to read when her thoughts tried to drown her. She wondered if the wolves lived

nearby or if they were long gone and all of this was for nothing. William would probably be furious for her

wasting his time and having to pretend to be married to someone like her. She

could see the rage on his face now when he realized she was wrong and wasn’t smart at all. Doris was

dozing off when William finally came back in their room. She sat up quickly and set her book on the end

table. His eyes looked a little wild and his cheeks were red from the cold. “He mentioned someone

coming by the market last week looking for some sort of cure for poison.” Doris stood quickly. “Had he

come by recently?” “He said he saw him again a few days ago-but he looked close to death. He comes

by often to check for something to help him.” Doris chewed on her lip and sat on the edge of the bed. He

might already be dead. They both knew it, but at least they weren’t going in circles. He had passed

through the market in search of a remedy. Perhaps he was close enough to hear the man actually had

one. “Patrick is watching the booth, he’ll leave a note on the horse if he follows anyone.” “Shouldn’t we

wait out there too?” Doris asked

“We will. Tonight. The man said he always comes at night, never during the day.” William picked at the

plate of food she laid out for him. “I’ll get answers out of him one way or another.” His voice darkened a

little and sent a small shiver through Doris. She never knew where his emotions would land at any given

time. Perhaps it should thrill her that she never knew what he was going to say, but more often than not it

left her annoyed with him. Or terrified of what he was capable of. Lately she’d been feeling less scared

and more… used to it. Doris tried to turn on the heater but it refused to start. She kicked it a few times,

but still nothing. She sighed and laid in the bed and brought the covers over herself. Night time was

hours off, they both could use rest before the night came.3 Her entire body trembled. How was it possible

that she felt more cold in here than outside? She heard the bed creak and his weight brought it down a

little while he settled himself. Doris closed her eyes and almost stopped breathing when

he wrapped his big arms around her small frame, trapping her in his warmth. “….William?” “Shhh.” He

said against her ear. It sent a new kind of shiver down her body and she silently shamed herself. What

was wrong with her? 3

William woke her a few hours later when the room was completely dark except for the few candles he

must have lit near the door. “It’s time.” He whispered. Doris shoved her books in a small pouch and

followed him out the door. There was nothing else for her to take, she wasn’t even sure if they would

come back. Probably not if they ended up finding him. When they stepped out into the snow, she could

hear the sounds of chatter from all angles. It was even more alive at night when all of the torches and

candles lit up the area like a beautiful scene. She gripped William’s arm and followed him down the road.

She tried her best not to focus on the muscles she could feel through his jacket and instead focused

on not slipping on the ice. They stopped at each booth, looking over things they didn’t really care about

and trying not to search the crowd too obviously for a man that was on his last leg. So far, everyone

looked completely healthy. The closer they got to the booth, the more she heard the bell. The spice man

stood on the edge of his booth ringing a small bell while shouting to the crowd . “Poison from a bush?

I’ve got the cure! Come on down, not much available!” He shouted it over the murmuring voices and

laughter while everyone ignored him. It wasn’t a common thing to get poisoned, she assumed. Even

berries that were poisoned would leave them with an upset stomach but nothing more if they had the

wolf in them. William led Doris off to the side where a booth was selling warm cider and sweets. He

bought her some before they went off to sit on a bench that just so happened to have a perfect view of

the spice booth. “I may have given him a little extra for his help.” William said as he wrapped his long

fingers around his warm mug. Doris scooted a little closer when

another gust of wind picked up through the booths. “What if he doesn’t come tonight?” Doris whispered.

He bent his head closer to her own. His breath smelled like cinnamon. “He will. The man said he’s gotten

desperate. The word will get back to him.” Doris lifted her book and tried to act like she was reading as

she watched the crowd. Minutes turned to an hour and her skin was close to freezing over into ice. Her

trembling was so rapid, it was hard for her to control her teeth chattering. Part of her was afraid she’d

break her teeth soon. William took her arms and wrapped them around his torso so he could hold her.

The warmth was a small relief, she didn’t understand how all of these people could take it so easily. She

felt as if she was an icicle. Some of the booths had already closed and gone home, the roads weren’t as

cluttered anymore. The spice man had stopped his ringing about half an hour ago and Doris already felt

herself ready to give up. At least for the night. And then

The sound of coughing littered down the sidewalk. William picked up her book and set it in front of them

as if they were both interested in what it had to say. She knew his blue eyes tracked the man that finally

appeared in front of them but he didn’t spare one glance in their direction. He only had eyes for the man

at the spice booth He moved slowly with a limp leg. Doris was positive he was using every bit of strength

to even move. She knew that feeling, it was like all of his limbs weren’t his own and he had to force them

to move the slightest bit. He was determined, though. He didn’t stop until he got there and slammed his

coins down with a nasty cough. “You lyin’ bastard. Give me the cure before I rip your—” he couldn’t even

finish his threat before coughing. He couldn’t have been more than thirty, but he sounded ancient. Did

she sound as horrible as him when she was sick? It was a wonder how William could stand being around

her. Once the spice man had handed off the vile, the man downed it and threw the

glass on the floor before he walked back the way he came. William stood casually, as if it had nothing to

do with the man they’d been waiting for all night. He held out his hand for Doris and she took it as she

stood, her books tucked back in her pouch. The spice man nodded once at William before he closed

down his shop. Doris gripped tightly onto his arm as they followed as far from the man as they could.

She didn’t think he would notice them anyway. That sort of poison made breathing difficult, let alone

noticing your surroundings. He walked off the path and stumbled a little towards the edge of the village.

Once he got between the trees, he doubled over and started violently coughing. William dropped Doris

from his arm and motioned for her to stay while he crept up behind the man. William grabbed the man by

his shoulder and forced him around before he slammed him into a tree. “Did you think I wouldn’t find

you?” 2