Oh.Right.
She peeled back my gown then and I looked down at the same time she did.
Holy crap. The four-inch gash I should have from surgery was now a thin pink line. The little dots from where I must have had temporary stitches were already healing.
“How long have I been here?” I asked Nurse Mary.
“About twenty-four hours. Your sister is worried sick,” she said.
My sis—?Leah. “Can I see her?”
She nodded. “After Dr. Greywolf discharges you.”
I looked her over, wondering what her story was. How did a wolf come to work in an ER with Brayden? Then it dawned on me.
“You’re in his pack.” I stopped myself. “Or used to be.”
Sadness washed over her face and she nodded. “I was. We are all counting the days until the next big fight.”
That made my heart hurt. “Is Silas a bad alpha?” It was a super direct question that I felt bad asking after this woman just gave me her blood, but I was feeling loose-lipped. Maybe they’d given me pain meds. I did feel slightly loopy.
Her face went void of all emotion and a look of absolute trauma flashed across her features. “The worst.”
The way she said it, the way she avoided eye contact when she said it… it made my skin crawl. “Can we help in any way?” I wondered aloud.
She looked up at me with a sudden desperation. “Don’t let Brayden lose this fight. I can’t stay another year under that sick man’s rule.”
Sick man? My stomach roiled and anger flared up inside of me. I knew that in order to survive, Brayden probably had to put a lot of this out of his head, but I made a promise right then and there never to forget the look on her face. A look that said Silas was a very bad man.
I internally vowed to kill him one day.
“Averly!” Brayden’s worried voice filled the small room.
Nurse Mary patted my hand and then looked over at him. “She’s fine,” she said, and then backed out of the curtained room, pulling the edge of the cloth to close us in and give us privacy.
He looked worse for wear, like he hadn’t slept. There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. His white doctor’s coat was wrinkled and there were fine splatters of blood on his blue scrubs.
He grasped the sides of my arms, and then leaned his forehead on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
His voice was thick with regret; it made my throat tighten. My brows drew together in confusion. “It’s not your fault, those idiot hunters—”
He jerked his head up and his eyes were glowing. “If I hadn’t kissed you like that, you never would have run off.”
It was true, but still, he couldn’t be held accountable for my reaction—though I was still slightly pissed at how he’d rejected me.
“Brayden.” I reached out and grasped his hand. “I’m fine. I had a really good doctor. See…”
I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes. His gaze followed mine and his shoulders sagged with relief. He stood then, going into doctor mode. He checked my reflexes, peeked at my healing wound, and flashed a light in my eyes.
Fatigue pulled at my limbs then and Brayden sighed. “It will take about three weeks for you to fully heal. You suffered a severe spinal cord injury that would have put a human in a wheelchair for months,” he whispered. “I can’t take you to the Briar Woods in this condition. We’ll just have to wait until a few days before the fight when you are strongest.” He looked calm, but I could hear fear in his voice.
If we didn’t find the Elder Fae’s brother, Artemis, and get him to unbind some of my power, it might be impossible for Brayden to win in his fight against Silas.
I nodded. “I’ll heal quickly and be ready to travel in no time.”
He dipped his head. “You just focus on resting. I’ll send Leah and Maddy in.” He turned to leave and I reached out for him, grasping his fingers.
When he looked at me with those seemingly endless blue eyes, my stomach tied into knots. “Thank you for saving me.”
