Page 163 of My Fated Alpha: The Royals

I covered my ears as I heard it for the first time.

Screams.

Hundreds of human pets screaming—-

Burning—-

Dying—-

And at the center of it all was Katarina.

She too was screaming, burning, dying.

And it was all because of me.

I forced myself to move even as I sobbed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I tried to search for a clue, wiping the tears and ashes constantly from my eyes as I did. I had so little time left before I had to go back or burn with this world.

Praying for strength, I took a deep breath and jumped through one of the doorways. Fear engulfed me, my skin melting under the heat, but I ignored the pain and doggedly searched for a clue.

This was not real, I told myself. This was not real.

I stumbled towards the reception area, the pain crippling, and I started to gasp for breath.

I fell on the counter and began rummaging. A slip of paper caught my eye, an appointment note that had the date encircled—-

I TORE OUT OF MY VISIONSwith a gasp, and I could only nod in thanks as I took the glass of water Katarina held out. The icy cold water relieved the irritating and burning sensation in my throat. Even now, I could feel the sting of smoke on my eyes, the way the heat cooked my skin, and the pain, oh God, the excruciating pain.

Katarina didn’t say a thing, only watching me patiently, carefully.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

She froze. “A year then? A month?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry.” I didn’t think I could ever say it enough. “You don’t even have a week.”

“Oh.” Her eyes turned glassy with shock. “I s-see.” She leaned back against her seat. “But these visions...” It was my first time to hear her sound so hesitant. “They don’t always happen, yes?”

I nodded vehemently. “We can do something to stop it.”

“Yes. Definitely.” But she didn’t sound like she believed me.

I bent my head down, and it was all I could do not to let my shoulders droop even as the weight of my guilt became heavier and heavier.

Even now it was unclear.

How it would happen, why it had to be her, what it had to do with me...

But one thing was certain.

Whatever happened, her death would be my choice.

I would choose whether she lived or died.

“Lady Zari?”

My head jerked up. “Y-yes?”

“Were you always able to prevent your visions from happening?”

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