Chapter 51 - Nicholas Tries The Wolfsbane Potion

***

The wedding was another chapter in Sophie and Nicholas' lives together and they spent the next few days together as a happily married couple. Even though they had already consummated before their wedding, their first night as husband and wife was also special.

Their hearts opened up further to one another.

It was at that time that Nicholas finally decided to continue with the wolfsbane cure and explained what it meant to rid himself of lycanthropy. The two of them discussed it over their meal together.

"Wait, you have to suffer throughout the entire process?" Sophie's eyes widened once she told him. She grabbed his hand and shook her head. "I don't want to see you suffer, Nick and I don't want you to die either."

Nicholas gave her a reassuring smile and he patted the back of her hand.

"I'll be alright, especially because I know that I will have you by my side. The reason for my life is sitting right in front of me."

"I'm serious, Nick. Wolfsbane is lethal to even humans… How much more when you're a lycan?" Sophie frowned at him.

"Don't worry about me, honey. I want to go back to my family and present you properly as the woman who saved my life and also opened up my heart." Nicholas told her. "I can only do that when I am no longer affected by this condition."

"But… can't they accept what happened to you?" Sophie looked at him. "This isn't your fault, so why do you have to suffer for it?"

Nicholas smiled sadly. "It happens to all of us, Sophie. Even though you have no fault towards your aunt and her family, still… they mistreated you. You can think of it like that."

Sophie didn't want to imagine how terrible Nicholas' parents were. The young man already explained it before when he was beating himself up for what happened to Sophie, but her husband still sought his parents' approval.

"Okay, I will do my best to help you, Nick." Sophie looked him in the eye. "As your wife, I will do everything that I can to alleviate your pain. What if there's a helpful pain reliever in your almanac? I will research."

***

Later that day, Nicholas and Sophie would start testing out the wolfsbane. All of the gathered wolfsbanes was made into a brewing potion that even though Sophie's eyes watered as she prepared it, she continued until it was a sickening purple hue.

"I think it's ready," Sophie finally said and poured all of its content into a bottle for Nicholas to drink. She gingerly placed it on the table because even inhaling the fumes was enough to make her feel incredibly sick.

Nicholas prepared himself a chair and also bought some thick ropes from Hauntingen Village. Some of the men were curious and asked him why he needed secure bindings, and Nicholas briefly told them that it was a trap.

The young man sat down in a chair and then tied his legs together to the legs of the chair and also added in some stones to give it more weight. Even though it was painful to do this, Sophie helped tie Nicholas' arms to a chair even though she was completely against it.

"Is it not too late to back out?" Sophie whispered. For once her lips were pale and she looked incredibly afraid of what they were about to do.

Nicholas offered her a weak grin. "I don't want to suddenly thrash around in pain and accidentally hurt you. Can you put the bottle in between my lips?"

He was afraid that Sophie would draw it back once she saw that he was in pain.

It was much better that he did it himself.

Hesitantly, Sophie listened to Nicholas and placed the bottle as he asked. The purple liquid sloshed and though it hit and made his lips literally burn and singe but without another moment's hesitation, Nicholas drank it down.

A haunting scream of pain and howling echoed against the Blackwood Forest. It was only the fact that they were in the woods that prevented the villagers from hearing it.

Or perhaps even if they had heard it… refused to rush into the forest to see what happened.

***

When Nicholas finally woke up, he was experiencing cold sweats and he was lying down in the bed and no longer tied to a chair. Sophie's head was resting against his hand, but he could feel the damp tears on them.

He gently pulled his hand away and looked at her. Did she cry herself to sleep while taking care of him? Sophie must have carried him here when he passed out from the intensity of the wolfsbane.

"Oh, Sophie…"

Nicholas' heart ached at the sight of his wife pushing herself to this and yet those strong feelings that seized him would transform him back into his wolf form and nearly tear out his clothes.

Before he could ruin his clothes, Nicholas forced himself and switched back quickly into his human form.

He clenched his fist and cursed underneath his breath.

However, it was finally at this moment that Sophie raised her head and saw him awake. She suddenly threw herself in his arms and let out a choked sound.

"Oh, Nick." Nicholas could hear the wobble in her voice. "Nick, I thought I'd never see you again."

Guilt came over his expression as he gently patted her back. Nicholas closed his eyes in pain. "I'm incredibly sorry… I shouldn't have made you worry like this."

"Please tell me that it worked." Sophie's shoulders shook. "I don't want to ever see you go through that again, Nick. Please, that much pain should have cured you."

Nicholas' own problems brought his wife so much trouble.

How could Nicholas give her a scare like this?

Sophie was someone who lost her parents and he knew that she would feel incredibly saddened if he were to disappear from her life as well. Nicholas made a decision to cure himself alone.

He didn't want Sophie to suffer.

"I'm okay now," Nicholas whispered.

.

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Oh no! It looks like this wolfsbane potion is bad for Nic, but he would keep forcing himself to take it, so he could get rid of his lycanthropy. T_T

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