Chapter 50: Chapter 50

ADELIE

I felt my breath hitch, but I mustered enough strength to summon vines from the earth, ensnaring the figure behind me.

I managed to break free, spinning around, but the figure had already escaped the vine's grasp.

Rain began to fall, each drop heavier than the last, obscuring my vision and muffling the sounds around me.

I could tell the figure was a woman, draped in a red cape, but it wasn't Esty. This woman was smaller, more delicate.

Suddenly, she lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. My head smacked against the earth, and a wave of nausea washed over me.

Her face was hidden beneath the oversized hood of her cape. I couldn’t fathom how she could see anything.

~“Maeve, help!”~ I mind-linked Maeve, a sense of dread creeping in.

The woman remained on top of me, straddling me. My head was submerged in the mud, the cold rain turning the earth into a slushy mess. Leaves and twigs littered the ground.

Anger welled up inside me, my breaths coming out in ragged gasps. The woman tried to pin my hands to the ground.

I fought back, managing to free my arm and land a punch to her chest, causing her to lose her balance.

My vision was blurred by the rain, but I heard her cough.

I quickly shoved her off and scrambled to my feet. My chest heaved as I braced myself for her next attack. I didn’t want to hurt her, but she was clearly a threat.

She charged at me again, but this time I was ready and ducked, eliciting a frustrated growl from her. Her growl was distinctly human, not the guttural sound of a werewolf.

I attempted to summon a root creature, but she didn’t give me a chance to focus.

She relentlessly attacked, but I managed to evade her blows. My training was finally paying off.

She didn’t seem to possess any supernatural abilities, or at least she wasn’t using them. She felt like a regular opponent, or so I thought.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and yanked me towards her. I felt a sharp sting on my shoulder, akin to a bee sting. But before I could react, she was yanked away.

I turned to see Maeve holding an empty red coat. The rain continued to pour, and I stood there, frozen. Maeve was panting heavily, having rushed to my aid.

She examined the coat, searching for any clues.

“Where…,” I tried to ask, my voice catching in my throat, still reeling from the fight.

“Where did she go?” I yelled over the roar of the storm, as if Maeve wasn’t just as baffled as I was.

“I grabbed her by the shoulder, I felt her body, and then...nothing. Just this coat,” she said, looking at me. “So, it wasn’t Esty,” Maeve concluded, sighing heavily.

“This is bad. This is very bad,” she muttered to herself.

“She seemed to be after me, so she won’t harm you or anyone else,” I tried to reassure her, but she just laughed bitterly.

“Adelie, we need to tell Alpha,” she insisted.

“No!” I protested immediately. “He’ll never let me come here alone again.”

She dropped the coat in the mud. “What if you explain everything to Kairos? Adelie, he’ll understand,” she pleaded, as the rain began to let up.

Her eyes were filled with desperation. I knew Kairos wouldn’t let me risk myself for the pack, but I didn’t want him to repeat his past mistakes, letting love cloud his judgment. I shook my head.

“He almost lost everything because his mate was selfish, only interested in power. I can’t let him risk the pack for me. They don’t deserve to go through that again, to lose their loved ones.”

I moved a step closer to her. “I was given the responsibility to protect the pack, and I vowed to do so during my ceremony.” My gaze fell to the ground, my lips pressed into a thin line.

“If you won’t help me as a friend, then I ask you as your Luna. I command you to follow my order.”

Using my Luna voice on her was something I couldn’t do, and it hurt to give her an order. She was my friend after all.

Maeve put her hands on her hips. “Of course I’ll do it. It’s just… I’m not sure it’s the safest way,” she said. “I know you’re trying to protect the pack but… what about you?” she asked.

I knew it was a mistake, allowing Esty to use me as a guinea pig to keep the pack safe.

“Better me than a dozen others,” I said, glancing around to see the rain had almost stopped, only a few drops falling from the trees. “We should probably get going.”

“What about this?” Maeve asked. “Are we just going to act like it didn’t happen?” She sounded shocked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, I don’t know anything, but I also know that there isn’t much we can do. What can I do?”

I didn’t want to talk anymore. I wanted to leave and return to the pack, but now even the pack didn’t seem safe. I could feel my body trembling. It felt like everyone was against me now.

Maeve didn’t press me further. We walked back to the pack in silence, parting ways without a word.

I was on my way home but dreaded facing Kairos and lying to him that I was okay, that I had just performed my ritual in the forest. I was soaked, my hair still dripping.

Maybe the rain was a blessing in disguise—a way to hide my distress.

My red, swollen eyes could be blamed on the rain. My scraped hand could be explained by a slip in the mud. And the tremor in my voice was because I was cold.

I entered the house, my wet dress leaving a trail of water behind me as I walked down the empty hallway, my footsteps echoing.

I entered the room quietly so as not to wake Kairos, but he was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes met mine as soon as I walked in.

He had a book in his hands but put it aside, looking at me with concern. I gave him a smile, the most insincere smile ever, even crinkling my eyes to make it seem genuine.

“Heavy… rain… outside. Hope I don’t… don’t get sick,” I said, forcing a chuckle at the end.

The worry faded from his eyes, and he chuckled back, coming over to kiss my forehead.

Oh, how I longed to be in his arms and share my troubles, his gentle touch soothing my worries. But to ease my worries, I would have to worry him. That was something I couldn’t do.

“I’m really tired. Can you manage?” he asked, and it was already too late. He had stayed up to make sure I was okay. Physically, I was fine. Mentally, I wanted to scream and cry.

He could sleep peacefully because I would do my best to pretend I was fine, making him believe my lie. I nodded at him, and he kissed my forehead. “I love you,” he said, and I smiled in response.

He went to bed while I went into the bathroom. Thank god the walls were thick, and I could finally let my emotions out.

I leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the bathroom floor, resting my head on my knees.

I allowed myself to cry, my body shaking uncontrollably. I didn’t know what to do, how to protect the pack when I couldn’t even protect myself.

I couldn’t afford to crumble now. I brushed away my tears, taking deep, calming breaths until my heart rate returned to normal.

I hopped into the shower, making it quick. In less than five minutes, I was out, wrapping myself in a towel and stepping onto the cool tiles.

I needed to get dressed. I started towards the room but halted when I caught my reflection in the mirror.

My shoulder was a sickly green. Not like someone had painted it, but as if the skin itself had turned a putrid color, as if it was decaying.

I twisted to get a better look, spotting a small brown thorn lodged in my skin. It was swollen and tender. I tried to extract it, but the sharp pain made me recoil.

I remembered the slight prick I’d felt when that woman was behind me.

This was bad. I tiptoed into the room, finding Kairos already fast asleep. I quickly slipped into something light and, as quietly as possible, I slipped out.

I needed to treat this, but I wasn’t a doctor. I couldn’t heal myself like I could others. What if it was venomous? I made my way to Maeve’s house and knocked on her door.

Her house was dark, but I waited patiently until the porch lights flickered on. Maeve answered the door, clad in her pajamas, her hair tousled from sleep.

“What brings you here?” she asked.

I didn’t respond, instead pulling her outside, ensuring the door was shut behind us and scanning the area for any onlookers.

I carefully pulled my dress down from one shoulder, revealing the inflamed wound.

“What on earth is that?” she gasped.

I adjusted my dress back into place. “That woman. She did something. I don’t know what.”

“What’s your plan?” she asked.

“I was hoping you could remove it—”

She cut me off. “No, I can’t! Adelie, you need a doctor! Do you really think it’s harmless if that woman gave it to you? She didn’t strike me as friendly,” she pointed out.

“I can’t go to the doctor. He’ll tell Kairos.”

Maeve gripped my arms. “Adelie, this is serious. You need medical attention.” She sighed. “You’re the Luna. You can order him to keep it confidential,” she reasoned.

What other option did I have? I was his Luna. The doctor would obey my commands.

Maeve didn’t abandon me, accompanying me instead. As we approached the doctor’s house, she asked, “What if Alpha wakes up?”

“He won’t. He was exhausted. He’s a heavy sleeper,” I assured her, knocking on the doctor’s door. Naturally, it took a while for someone to answer, given the late hour.

A woman answered the door, immediately bowing her head in recognition.

“Luna, what brings you here?”

“I need to see your husband.” As if on cue, the doctor appeared at the door. “I apologize for the disturbance, doctor, but I require your assistance,” I explained.

He nodded, disappearing back into the house, only to reappear moments later in a coat. He shut the door behind him.

“What seems to be the problem?” he asked.

I glanced at Maeve. “You can’t tell Alpha about this,” I instructed him, catching him off guard. “Ever. That’s an order.”

He nodded in understanding. “Do we need to head to the hospital?” he asked, unsure of the severity of my injury.

“I believe so,” I confirmed, and he led the way.

The hospital was eerily quiet and deserted. I didn’t fully trust the doctor, but Maeve’s presence was comforting, assuring me that Kairos wouldn’t find out.

The doctor gestured towards a chair. “How can I assist you?” he asked, indicating for me to sit.

Maeve gave me a reassuring nod. I took a seat, pulling my sleeve down as I did so. The doctor, donning his surgical gloves, approached me, his headlight illuminating the room.

“How did this happen?” His surprise was evident in his voice.

“It doesn’t matter,” I retorted.

“Luna, I need to know in order to treat it properly,” he reasoned. His explanation, however, didn’t persuade me to confide in him.

“Just do what you can with what you see,” I responded curtly. He didn’t press further, but I could feel his gaze scrutinizing me. I was clearly hiding something, but it wasn’t his place to pry.

“Without knowing what caused this, I can’t numb the area.”

The pain was bearable, and I knew Kairos wouldn’t feel it through our bond. Mates only experience each other’s pain when it’s severe, and this was far from it.

“I don’t care,” I stated, watching as he prepared his tools on a tray.

“I’m going to remove the thorn, but it’s going to hurt due to the swelling,” he warned. The cold touch of metal against my shoulder was immediate. I hadn’t anticipated the pain to be so intense, but it was.

The worst part, however, was the pulling. I was no stranger to pain, but I still felt every bit of it.

The doctor struggled with the extraction. The sound of the tweezers clicking together as the thorn slipped from their grasp filled the room.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. “It’s out,” he declared.

He dropped the thorn into a bowl. I glanced over to see it was small, despite the immense pain it had caused. It was brown, with a green tip.

“Hmm,” he grunted, studying the thorn. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It doesn’t appear to be fatal, but without knowing how you got it, I can’t be certain. Are you experiencing any side effects?”

I shook my head in response.

“I’ll apply some cream. If the swelling doesn’t subside by tomorrow, come see me immediately. If you notice any changes, come see me immediately. If you won’t tell me how this happened, there’s not much more I can do.”

I was about to stand when a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Adelie, the doctor needs to know how you got it!” Kairos’s voice echoed behind me, laced with anger. I didn’t dare meet his gaze.