Mated to the Mad Lord-Chapter 264: Any Worse Than Death?

According to what Uva had asked for, they all waited in tense silence, watching Cain closely for any sign of change.

The atmosphere in the mansion in the corridor of Cain’s wing was thick with anticipation, each tick of Henry’s wristwatch stretching the seconds unbearably.

At first, Violet had no issue waiting. She stood still, leaning against Cain’s beast. Arms crossed, her gaze flicking back and forth between Cain’s form and the others. But as the minutes dragged on, her patience thinned, her foot tapping against the polished wooden floor in a restless rhythm.

The shadows cast by the chandelier above swayed slightly as if mirroring her growing anxiety. The longer Cain remained unchanged, the tighter the coil of unease wound in her chest. Every few minutes, she turned to Henry, her voice sharp with urgency.

"How long now?" she asked, her eyes darting toward the watch strapped to his wrist.

Henry, though equally tense, merely glanced down and answered. "Still a few minutes left."

Violet nodded, swallowing down her nerves. She had already done everything Uva asked—waited, observed, held her breath in hope—but the wait had become unbearable. The air itself felt heavier as the silence pressed in around them.

She stole another glance at Cain, who remained trapped in his beastly form as he laid on the floor. His massive frame was curled on the floor, the dim glow of the lanterns casting eerie shadows across his thick fur. He looked powerful, but also frighteningly still, the only indication that he was alive being the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Doubt gnawed at her. What if the potion fails? What if the single drop she had given him had messed up the specifications?

Her fingers clenched around the small glass vial in her pocket, her mind racing through the possibilities. Maybe she had been wrong to listen to Uva. Uva was a witch, but the one that gave them the vial was clearly stronger—definately what Cain needed to return to normal.

Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for the vial, the cool glass pressing against the skin of her palm.

Then, finally, Henry checked his watch and announced, "Fifteen minutes."

Violet’s breath caught.

Her body moved before her mind could stop it. She turned to Uva, who was already rising to her feet from where she had been sitting by the stairs.

For a moment, their eyes locked. There was something unreadable in Uva’s expression—not surprise, not defiance, but a quiet expectation. As if she had been waiting for this very moment.

Still, Violet spoke first, her voice sharp with frustration.

"We’ve waited long enough!" she snapped, stepping forward with the vial clenched tightly in her fist.

Uva, however, held up a hand in warning. "We still need to wait for a—"

"I DON’T CARE!" Violet’s voice rose to a shout, the tension in her body snapping like a taut wire. "I waited like you asked, but we’re not waiting any longer!"

She yanked the cork from the vial, ready to pour the rest of the dark liquid into Cain’s beastly mouth.

Then, suddenly—

Loud footsteps thundered behind her.

Violet barely had time to register the sound before a blur of motion entered her vision. She turned, startled, just in time to see Uva rushing toward her with a look of firm determination etched into her face.

Before Violet could react, Uva’s hand shot out.

The impact came hard and fast, striking Violet’s wrist with enough force to send the vial flying from her grip.

Violet’s breath hitched.

"No—!"

The world seemed to slow as her gaze followed the vial’s descent. It twirled through the air, the dark liquid swirling within it like ink in water. For one desperate second, she lunged forward, hands outstretched, her heart hammering wildly in her chest.

But it was too late.

The glass shattered against the wooden floor.

The potion spilled onto the ground, its dark contents seeping into the cracks Then, before Violet’s horrified eyes, the liquid began to evaporate, vanishing into the air like mist caught in sunlight.

Silence.

For several agonizing moments, Violet could only stare at the empty space where the vial had been, her mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Then, slowly, her shock gave way to something far more volatile.

Her entire body tensed, her hands curling into trembling fists as a deep, burning rage ignited within her.

She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Uva.

"How—what—" The words stuttered from her lips, caught between disbelief and fury. Her breath came in sharp, shallow gasps, her chest heaving with barely contained emotion.

Uva remained unfazed.

Violet’s anger sharpened.

"You broke it," she accused, her voice low and dangerous, every syllable dripping with fury.

If she expected Uva to be apologetic, she was sorely mistaken. Instead, the other woman merely nodded, her expression utterly calm.

"Yes." Her voice was steady, unwavering. "It’s not good."

Violet’s nostrils flared. Her pulse pounded against her temples, the sheer audacity of Uva’s words stoking the fire inside her to a roaring blaze.

"Not good?" she echoed, her voice rising with incredulous rage. "Do you have any idea how much I paid for that potion? How much it was worth? Do you see another lying around?"

She stepped forward, her body radiating fury, but Uva didn’t flinch. Even as Violet got in her face, even as her voice shook with emotion, Uva stood her ground like an immovable force.

Violet’s hands twitched at her sides. She wanted to lash out, to grab Uva and shake her, to demand an explanation that made sense.

"Do you know what you’ve done?" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Cain isn’t shifting back. The longer he stays in that form, the more dangerous it is for all of us!"

For the first time, Uva raised her voice, meeting Violet’s anger head-on.

"Violet, trust me!"

Violet let out a bitter laugh, her eyes flashing with pure disbelief. "Trust you? After you just destroyed our only hope?"

"The potion is poison!" Uva insisted, her voice edged with urgency. "It’s not good for him!"

Violet’s lips parted, then twisted into a snarl.

"Poison?" she spat, taking another threatening step forward. "Oh, really? And what, pray tell, is worse than Cain losing himself completely? What’s worse than him becoming nothing more than a mindless beast?"

She took a sharp breath, her voice rising to a near scream.

"WHAT’S WORSE THAN DEATH, UVA?"

The words echoed through the mansion, bouncing off the walls and into the tense silence that followed.

Uva held her gaze, her expression still composed, but now there was something else in her eyes. A flicker of something Violet couldn’t quite place.

Violet, however, was too far gone in her fury to care.

Her hands clenched at her sides, her body trembling with barely restrained rage.