Chapter 43: Chapter 43

JASMINE

The infirmary’s chilly air nipped at my skin, a harsh reminder of the internal battle I was fighting. The walls seemed to echo with a silent grief, a testament to the pain and struggle that had taken place. I tried to steady my breath, to let the adrenaline ebb away, but it clung to me, a haunting reminder of the day’s chaos and loss.

The magical healers from Wolfheart and Scire’s doctors were working diligently on my leg. Their hands glowed with a faint magic as they worked to remove the dark spell embedded deep in my skin. Each surge of magic sent a jolt of pain up my leg, causing me to gasp.

But my attention was elsewhere—on the three men standing at the foot of my bed. Aaron, Erik, and Sebastian. They stood in silence, their faces etched with worry, but there was something more in their eyes—an emotion so raw and tangible, it made my heart hurt.

Erik was the first to break the silence, his voice soft but strained. “How’s your leg, Dream Girl?”

He tried to keep his tone light, but I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hand clenched and unclenched at his side, as if he were fighting the urge to rush to my side.

“I’m fine,” I responded, but even I could hear the quiver in my voice. It was a lie. The pain was intense, but it was nothing compared to the weight of the day’s events—the lives lost, the battles waged. The uncertainty that still hung over us all.

The healer pressed harder into the wound, and a moan slipped past my lips before I could stop it. My body jerked involuntarily, and the healer’s grip tightened, holding my leg steady as they continued their delicate work. Erik and Sebastian exchanged a quick glance, and without a moment’s hesitation, Sebastian stepped forward.

His hand, warm and comforting, slipped into mine. “I know it hurts,” he whispered, his blue eyes filled with empathy as his thumb traced small circles on my palm. “But you were incredible today, Jasmine. You saved them.”

His words hit me hard, sinking deep into my heart. Saved them. The pack. Their people. My people.

Then, after one final spell, the mages and doctors left, leaving us alone and my leg finally pain-free.

Before I could process it, Aaron moved closer, his voice rougher than usual, as if he were struggling to contain a sea of emotions. “We were in Silverclaw,” he started, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. “We found the books… fought to get back here… and the entire time—Jasmine, we couldn’t reach you.”

His words felt like a punch in the stomach. I hadn’t realized how much they must have worried for me, how helpless they must have felt.

Aaron’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he took a breath as if the memory itself were painful to recall. “I shouldn’t have called. I put you in danger.”

“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head, my throat tight with the need to alleviate his guilt. “Aaron, you didn’t—”

“I did,” he interrupted, his voice softer now but filled with regret. “But I can’t tell you how proud I am of you. What you did today… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

His pride was unexpected, raw. Aaron wasn’t someone who gave compliments easily. But there was no hesitation in his voice now, no doubt in the way he looked at me, and it made something inside me ache with both relief and longing.

Erik’s hand moved to cup my cheek, his touch gentle despite the tension in his body. “When we couldn’t reach you, Minnie…” His voice broke, the vulnerability in it piercing the silence. “I thought…”

He didn’t finish, but he didn’t need to. The unspoken fear hung between us like a dark cloud, and I felt the weight of his fear in every word he didn’t say.

“We weren’t here when you needed us,” he whispered, his thumb brushing against my skin, his brow furrowed in distress. “You faced it all alone.”

I squeezed his hand, wanting to tell him that I didn’t feel alone—not truly. But before I could speak, it was Aaron’s voice again, cutting through the silence.

“You shouldn’t have done this alone.”

Their faces were a canvas of guilt and fear. Not just fear for me, but a terror that gripped them at the thought of losing me. Seeing it, I realized that I harbored the same fear. The idea of losing any of them was too much to bear.

“I’m relieved you’re okay,” Aaron murmured, his eyes shimmering with unspoken emotions. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if—”

He didn’t finish. But his eyes said it all. The thought of losing me was unbearable for him. For all of them.

Before I could respond, I was wrapped in their arms, cocooned in warmth and love. Their unique scents filled my senses—Aaron’s cinnamon and wood, Erik’s ocean and mint, and Sebastian’s amber and wood. In that moment, I realized that for the first time since this war started, I felt safe.

“I couldn’t have done this without you,” I whispered into the comforting warmth of Aaron’s shoulder, feeling his steady heartbeat beneath my cheek. Erik’s fingers continued to trace soothing circles on my skin.

“You don’t have to face anything alone,” Erik said gently, his voice filled with warmth. “Not ever again.”

His words lingered in the air, heavy with emotion. The three of them looked at me, and for a moment, the world seemed to shrink until it was just the four of us.

“I didn’t face this alone,” I repeated, my voice more stable than I felt. The fatigue was pulling at me. “You were with me. All of you.” I tapped my forehead. “Here.” Then I tapped my chest. “And here. I felt you with me. Every step. Every breath.”

They shared a look, and in that moment, I felt our bond solidify. It had always been there—an invisible thread connecting us—but now, in the quiet of the infirmary, it was stronger, unbreakable.

I wasn’t alone.

I never had been.