Sera's Pov
I woke up gasping.
Not from pain—though that came a second later, a deep, aching throb in my ribs and abdomen—but from the lingering ghost of Lucian's voice in my dreamscape.
It faded fast, slipping through my fingers like water, but I still felt the weight of it in my chest.
I blinked against the blinding white light above me. The sterile scent of antiseptic stung my nose, and the soft beep-beep-beep of medical equipment filled the air.
The infirmary.
I tried to sit up, but my body screamed in protest. My ribs burned, my stomach felt like it had been ripped apart and stitched back together—probably because it had—and I barely bit back a wince.
Pain meant I was alive.
That was the first thing I told myself.
The second thing?
Lucian let it happen.
The memory slammed into me with brutal clarity.
The fight.
The silver weapon.
The unbearable agony as my skin sizzled, my body turning against me as I bled out onto the dirt.
Lucian standing there. Watching. Doing nothing.
I forced myself up, gritting my teeth against the pain. Every muscle screamed in protest, but I pushed through it. I wasn't about to lie in bed like some helpless—
"Oh, hell no."
Before I could react, firm hands shoved me back onto the mattress.
"Lie down before you rip your stitches open!"
I blinked up at the person now hovering over me—a young woman with bright hazel eyes and curly brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail. She was wearing a nurse's uniform, but the sheer exasperation on her face reminded me of a mother dealing with an unruly child.
"Who—" My voice cracked, hoarse and dry.
"Lisa." She huffed. "And if you try getting up again, I will strap you down. I don't care how tough you think you are, you're my patient now, and my patients listen to me."
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
She reminded me of an irritated hen, scolding one of her chicks for wandering too far.
"Fine," I rasped, easing back against the pillows. "But only because I'm too tired to fight you."
Lisa smirked. "Smart choice."
She busied herself checking the monitors, scribbling something onto a clipboard before finally glancing at me again.
"I guess I should be saying 'welcome back to the land of the living.'" She crossed her arms. "You had everyone scared shitless for a while there."
I frowned. "How long have I been here?"
Lisa hesitated.
Then, almost reluctantly, she said, "Three days."
I jerked, ignoring the pain that followed. Three days?
Lisa sighed. "Told you not to move."
Three days. I had been unconscious for three whole days.
A deep unease settled in my chest. That was longer than I expected.
Lisa must have seen something in my expression, because she softened slightly. "You lost a lot of blood," she explained. "Silver wounds take longer to heal, and we had to remove all the contaminated tissue before you could start regenerating properly."
I swallowed hard.
That bastard.
I turned to Lisa. "What happened after I passed out?"
Lisa clicked her tongue. "That depends. Do you want the short version or the juicy version?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Juicy?"
Her eyes gleamed. "Oh, definitely juicy."
I gave her a look.
She grinned, setting the clipboard aside. "Alright, so after you dramatically collapsed—don't give me that glare, it was dramatic—your very handsome friend tried to help you, but the Alpha King wasn't having it."
My heart clenched. "Kael?"
Lisa let out a dreamy sigh.
"Ugh. Yes. Kael. Do you even realize how gorgeous that man is? I mean, obviously you do, since you probably see him up close all the time, but damn."
I stared at her.
She placed a hand over her chest, shaking her head. "Tall, green eyes, jaw so sharp it could cut glass,a bit psychotic? ...and those arms? I saw them when he picked you up, and let me tell you—"
I groaned. "Lisa—"
She held up a finger. "Let me have this moment."
I sighed, waiting as she dramatically fanned herself.
After a few seconds, she cleared her throat and continued.
"Anyway. So Kael got back into the fighting circle, picked you up like some tragic warrior prince, and tried to carry you off himself. But then—" she paused for effect, "—the Alpha King got in his way."
My stomach dropped.
Lisa smirked. "Yeah. You should've seen it. The tension. The way they squared off like two wolves about to rip each other's throats out."
I could picture it.
Lucian, standing there, exuding raw power, issuing commands like he expected instant obedience. And Kael, standing just as tall, refusing to bow.
I clenched my fists. "What happened after?"
Lisa leaned closer. "Lucian told him to put you down. Kael ignored him."
I blinked. "He ignored an Alpha King's order?"
Lisa whistled. "Yup. Just kept acting like Lucian hadn't said a damn thing."
My stomach twisted.
"What did Lucian do?"
She shrugged. "Used his Alpha King tone. The big one."
I swallowed.
That tone wasn't something wolves could just ignore. It was raw dominance, something that dug into your bones, forcing compliance.
"And Kael?"
Lisa grinned. "Oh, he submitted—but only after making sure you were safely in the medics' hands. And then he walked away without saying a single word to Lucian."
I exhaled.
Kael had pushed back against an Alpha King just to make sure I was okay.
Something heavy settled in my chest.
Lisa tilted her head. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on between you three, or should I just assume this is some messy, messy love triangle?"
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly.
I didn't even know how to answer that.
After a beat, Lisa shrugged.
"Well, whatever it is, someone doesn't want Kael anywhere near you," she muttered.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that Kael has tried to come visit multiple times but has been strictly forbidden from entering the infirmary?"
My hands curled into the sheets.
Lucian.
Of course.