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Despite her withered form and stooped back, she had a fluid grace about her as she moved, her skirts swishing with each step. She eased herself on the sofa in my sitting room and blinked up at me expectantly.

“What can I do for you, Your Majesty?”

I sat in the armchair across from her and leaned forward, bracing my arms on my knees. “Hypothetically speaking,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “How would you assist a Wolven Mage who had been suppressing their wolf for twenty years?”

Dulsa frowned. “Suppressing? I’m not following.”

“Let’s say this Mage is not from here and did not realize he had a wolf inside him, and he was taking a potion to keep the wolf subdued.”

“Like the Moonfire juice?”

I blinked, my gaze shifting to the vial of pale blue liquid sitting on my bedside table. I’d completely forgotten about when she’d given it to me to help settle Tavik.

But, now that I thought about it, the liquid had given off a sharp, minty scent.

Just like Cerise’s tonic.

Shit. How had I not pieced it together before? Of course Elvira had discovered which ingredients best suppressed a Mage’s wolf. She had probably used a stronger dose of it for Cerise’s tonics.

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Yes. Let’s say this Mage took unhealthy amounts of Moonfire juice daily without realizing it.”

Dulsa stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I admit, I’ve never encountered a Mage with that problem before. But I would want to conduct a full evaluation on both the man and the wolf to ensure both are healthy.”

“How would you do that?”

She arched an eyebrow. “With my magic. And a century of medical training.”

My eyes closed, and I rubbed my forehead. “Right. Of course. Forgive me.”

“Your Majesty, who are you referring to? If there is a Mage who has been taking large doses of Moonfire juice, I should attend to him immediately. He could be in danger of rupturing.”

Panic seeped into my chest, and I struggled to breathe. “How would you help prevent a rupture?”

“Well, a rupture is not always preventable. It is entirely up to the man and the wolf. If they cannot resolve the conflict within them, there is nothing to be done.”

“Is—is there something you can do to help that process? Anything at all?” Desperation tinged my voice.

Dulsa narrowed her eyes slightly. “Let me be perfectly frank, Your Majesty. The best way to help a man and his wolf resolve their conflict is for me to talk them both through it. I need to speak with his side, and the wolf’s side. But I cannot do that if I don’t know who it is we’re talking about. I cannot do anything to help without knowing who the patient is.”

I ran a hand down my face, struggling to rein in my frustration and helplessness. Gods’ breath, I hated feeling so useless. I could do nothing for Cerise. Not until she allowed me to share her true identity. Luckily, right now, she was resting; she was not in any immediate danger… at least, not yet. But there was still a possibility of her rupturing.

If her situation got any worse, then I would tell Dulsa everything. Even if it meant breaking Cerise’s trust.

She was too important to me.

When Dulsa continued to watch me expectantly, I said, “I—I can’t say. The Mage in question has asked to remain anonymous. But I will ask if you can get involved. Because I agree with you; I think the patient needs to be tended to by a skilled healer such as yourself.” Perhaps, once she awoke, I could convince Cerise to trust Dulsa. The healer knew how to be discreet.

Dulsa offered a smile, but her eyes were full of sympathy. “I am sure this patient, whoever he is, appreciates your discretion, Your Majesty. But I take my vows of privacy very seriously. If the patient requests it, I would not disclose his identity to anyone. Not even my own chief.”

I thought of Chief Korvus and the amulet he’d given me. Truth be told, of all the chiefs, he was the one I trusted the most. But I appreciated Dulsa’s sentiment all the same. “Thank you, Dulsa. Is there anything I can do… for this Mage in the meantime?”

“Ensure he gets plenty of rest and food. Also, urge him to communicate openly with his wolf.”

Sasha is keeping secrets, Cerise had said just before she’d lost consciousness.

I had a feeling they would not be making any progress so long as Sasha was hiding things from Cerise. It seemed the wolf was quite adept at shielding certain things from the mental link she shared with Cerise—likely because she was accustomed to it and had more practice, whereas Cerise only just found out she had a wolf inside her.

It was unusual for wolves and Mages to keep secrets from each other, but certainly not impossible. Particularly if one had a good reason for it.