Chapter 306: Chapter 306

306 Dam of Worries

“Thank you,” the girl echoed through before rushing into the infirmary in search of the room that exuded her best friend’s scent. She didn’t even notice the nurse that asked her who she’d come to visit.

She didn’t notice the scent she unconsciously followed when she was looking for Crysta’s room and when she did reach the room, she blew right through the door and to the bed where Crysta had been, completely missing the amber-eyed girl that had stood up to greet her.

“Crysta...” the rest of her words were stuck, caught in a dam of muddled thoughts and emotions raging within her and leaving her speechless.

“Hey, look at you. You’re crying and sweating really badly. Have you been jogging?” the girl in the bed asked her.

“I was running, not that it matters. Although, I was worried... maybe a little,” the girl replied, faking a smug tone.

“Oh, did you run all the way from the Golden Moon pack?” the delta smirked.

“No, I didn’t. We returned today,” Lina eased up, walking up to the girl’s bed, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I just got left out of an interesting road trip,” she joked. Her light mood calmed Lina’s dam of emotions and thoughts, quieting them down. However, that came with the clarity of seeing her friend’s state...

...and remember that there wasn’t a thing she could have done to protect her.

.....

Lina was quiet for a moment. Her words were gone. Her eyes moved from Crysta’s face to the machines that had been attached to her hand and further to the different bandages that had been used to patch her up.

She could tell her friend was badly injured. The dry lips told her she’d been dehydrated before the treatment was given to her, “Tears... I never thought you’d worry about me that much... again,” the injured girl didn’t chuckle this time. She looked glad.

“Shut up... There is just something in my eyes,” Lina snapped at her, rubbing the tears from her face. However, the uncoordinated actions only made her look more like a mess and brought her already weak defence crashing down, “I was... so worried. When Honour called... I didn’t know what to do. I almost jumped out of the car, but that wouldn’t have helped one bit.”

“And I don’t think you’re faster than a car,” Crysta replied with a sigh, “I’m fine, Lina. You can stop worrying about me now. Besides, I had Honour who took care of me. There is nothing that doctor can’t diagnose.”

It was only then that Lina noticed her friend in the room. Before Honour could say anything, Lina had her engulfed in a hug, “Honour, thank you for saving her. I’m glad you were here,” Lina thanked her profusely, tears still flowing. For a girl that was said to be lacking in strength, she was far stronger than the average human.

“Yeah, you got that right. If Honour had left, I don’t know what I would have done,” Crysta said in a melancholy tone that caught the attention of the two girls.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lina asked.

“She was the one I contacted for help in that cave, but if she hadn’t been here, I don’t think I could have made the connection. I have a lot to tell you, Lina... Honour,” the girl said to them. The two girls brought chairs closer to the bed and got comfortable while the girl got ready to tell what happened to her.

“Take your time, Crysta and don’t force yourself to say anything you don’t want to,” Lina said to her.

“It’s okay. I think I can talk to the two of you without having much trouble,” she forced a smile, “Who else would worry for me this much? Not even my parents love me the way my best friend did.”

“That’s... that’s why you wouldn’t give up?” Lina was beyond words. The two of them had been best friends long before they stopped and Crysta had been trying her best to get that back.

“Having friends the way I did when I sided with Liam and Wyatt. It’s not the same. Not even close. Friends don’t have to be many or hang at whatever you say and do. I missed all that and don’t deserve to have it back. I wasn’t going to give up until I was certain you wanted nothing to do with me,” Crysta explained.

Lina couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, “I missed you too, Crysta.”

...........

When the tears had finally stopped flowing and the two girls had calmed down, Crysta began her narration, “It was after the slumber party. That morning as I was going back home. I met Ginger on my way there. The girl asked for us to have a private conversation and also asked that we go somewhere that we would not be overheard.

There are not many places where that is possible in a world of werewolves. She took me to the back of the palace where we were to talk. I thought she was acting weird, but then again, the two of them had been acting weird since I started supporting the princess...

I should have listened to my hunches then.”

......The morning after the slumber party......

Crysta had followed Ginger through to the palace and the girl had taken her into the woods behind the palace, stopping her walk at the far corner of the woods, a suspicious place for anyone to be holding a conversation.

“Hey Crysta, anything you would like to tell me?” Ginger asked in a tone that Crysta could not quite place. The girl had her back turned to the delta and without a way to view her face, Crysta was oblivious to the girl’s emotions. As it so happened, Ginger had cut herself off from the mind link, which made this even more suspicious.

“None that I know of. We could have just gone to my room, you know. I doubt anyone can hear us from over there. Why did we have to come here?” Crysta asked.

“You were at her house, weren’t you? The house of that weakling. Admit it, Crysta,” the girl argued with her.

“And what if I was?” Crysta replied, “Does it suddenly make me a criminal?”

“No, it doesn’t. It makes you a traitor and a hypocrite. What do you see in them all of a sudden, Crysta?” Ginger sounded genuinely baffled.

“I see the friend that I lost, Ginger. Nothing more than that. I see an invaluable friend that I’ve been giving hell for all this time and she’s never once thought to do the same and yet she’s clearly more powerful,” the girl replied.

“Oh, is that so? She must be powerful indeed to have you in this kind of delusion. It was you that declared how weak she truly was,” the girl sounded dejected, as though she had given up on her argument, “You’ve been brainwashed, dear Crysta.”

“What are you saying, Ging... er?” a sharp pain radiated through the back of the girl’s head, immediately tinging her vision with dark spots. Dizziness invaded her senses as she fell to the ground and lost consciousness.