Lillian stares at me. For a second, I think she might slap me. Or shift. I can see her wolf in her eyes, just as wild and desperate as mine.
Ryker steps between us again, his expression thunderous.
“Enough. Both of you.” He looks from Lillian to me and back again. “The two of you should sit down and talk rather than throw accusations at each other. Violet needs both of you right now. Not this.”
“I’m not talking to anyone.” I turn away, unable to look at either of them. “Not until I know she’s goingto survive.”
“I have nothing to say to him, either.” Lillian’s voice is cold. “So, that works out perfectly.”
Ethan sighs. It’s a long, exhausted sound that makes me wonder how he puts up with all of us. “Then maybe you both should just sit down and wait. Together. In silence. For Violet’s sake.”
I don’t respond. Just stare at the double doors the healers took Violet through, willing them to open. Willing someone to come out and tell me she’s going to be okay.
The silence that falls is thick and uncomfortable. I can feel Lillian’s presence like a thorn in my side, her grief and anger mixing with mine in the small space. Ryker and Ethan exchange looks I pretend not to see.
Hours crawl by. I pace and sit and stand again. The fluorescent light continues its maddening buzz. I’ve worn another path in the linoleum, deeper than the first, when the doors finally open.
We all rush over. The older healer steps through, her scrubs stained with blood. Violet’s blood. My stomach clenches.
“She’s stable.” The healer’s voice is tired but steady. “We removed all traces of the silver and treated the poison. She’s weak, and she’ll need time to recover, but she’s going to survive.”
The relief that crashes through me is so intense, it’s painful. My legs nearly give out. Beside me, I hear Lillian make a choked sound.
“Can we see her?” Lillian is already moving toward the doors.
The healer nods. “She’s unconscious. Probably will be for several more hours. But yes, you can see her.”
Lillian doesn’t wait for more. She’s through those doors before the healer finishes speaking. I follow, my heart pounding against my ribs. We are led into a treatment room by the other two healers from the arena.
Medical equipment beeps softly in the corner, a steady rhythm that matches the monitor displaying her heartbeat. And there, in the bed, surrounded by white sheets and tubes, is Violet.
She looks impossibly fragile. Her skin is too pale, lacking the warmth I’m used to seeing. Bandages, stark white against her skin, cover her shoulder where they removed the bullet. Someone hascleaned the blood from her face, but I can still see traces of it in her hairline.
Her chest rises and falls. Her heart beats on the monitor. Her scent, though faint, still finds me.
My mate is alive.
I move to one side of the bed while Lillian takes the other. We don’t speak. Don’t acknowledge each other. All our attention is focused on the woman between us.
I reach out to take Violet’s hand, and Lillian’s fingers wrap around the other one, gentle and desperate. Tears stream down her face and drip onto the white sheets.
“I’m sorry,” Lillian whispers. “I’m so sorry, baby. I should have been stronger. Should have found another way. Should have protected you better.”
The raw grief in her voice makes my own guilt twist deeper, so I focus on Violet’s face. There’s a bruise on her jaw I didn’t notice before. My father’s work. Or Zion’s. The rage that surges through me is so strong, I have to grip the bed rail to keep from putting my fist through a wall again.
The healer who allowed us in clears her throat softly from the doorway. “Alpha Darius, a moment?”
I don’t want to leave Violet’s side, but the healer’s expression tells me it’s important. With one last look at my mate, I step out into the hallway. The antiseptic smell is stronger here, but it’s mixed with vanilla. An attempt to make the clinic feel less clinical, I suppose.
“What is it?”
“It’s Lillian.” The healer glances back toward the room, then lowers her voice. “She is severely weakened. Malnourished. Dehydrated. There are signs of prolonged torture. Broken bones that didn’t heal properly. Internal injuries that need treatment.” She pauses. “Alpha, I’m surprised she’s able to stand at all.”
I close my eyes, fighting the urge to wash my hands of my stepmother. To let Lillian deal with her own problems. To hold onto my anger because it’s easier than facing my guilt.
But Violet wouldn’t want that. And despite everything,despite the monster I’ve become today, I’m not heartless enough to let her mother suffer when I have the power to help.
My father did enough damage to this family. I won’t add to it.
