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CHAPTER 59
THREE WEEKS LATER.
LILY
I inched my way down the corridors of the infirmary, tracing my fingertips along its smooth walls; the feeling both familiar and yet so new to me. After travelling the same route day in and day out for the last three weeks, I’d memorised every step. Five steps, sharp turn right, two steps, stop. Greet the lady behind the reception desk. Wait for her response. Slide my fingers along the cold surface of the desk until I reach the heavy textured ornament. Turn slightly left. Ten steps, sharp turn right, five steps, stop. Reach for the door handle, twist, and pull.
It had become second nature and I took pride in the thought that I could now do it on my own, without Axel’s help. Guiding my fingers around the cool, metal doorframe, I took four carefully calculated steps into the room and stopped where I knew was about a foot short of the bed. This was it. I smiled and inhaled a deep breath of air, enjoying Raiden’s scent invading my remaining senses. A kind warmth spread through me; home. This was what home smelled like.
Lifting my hand, I carefully reached for the soft folds of linen. Another smile as my fingers grazed the smooth sheets. I proceeded to slide my hand along the surface, searching for the warmth of Raiden’s body.
Nothing.
My brows scrunched together, and I had to step closer, reaching even further onto the bed. It was cold and deserted, making me feel overwhelmingly alone and vulnerable all of a sudden. Where had he gone? Luckily, the feeling lasted only a moment and strong arms quickly snaked around my waist. Large hands slid over my stomach and pulled my back flush against a hard wall of muscle. Ray.
I sighed in relief, melting into his familiar form, enjoying the tingles of the mate bond dancing across my skin. In my mind’s eye, I could clearly see him smirking over my shoulder.
“Looking for something?” his husky voice caressed my ears, sending a shiver down my spine. My smile stretched and I turned in his arms. Before I could get a word out, his lips had found mine, claiming them with vigour.
Powerful, hungry kisses, demanding all of my attention. I loved it, had been yearning for it all morning. His skin was warm, heating against mine as the tingles exploded and spread between us.
“Well, I guess someone’s back to his old charming self,” I said in between heated kisses and stolen breaths. The sound of his chuckle filled the room. I wished I could have seen it.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” I asked when he finally pulled away. Folding my arms over my chest and trying my best to act as serious as I possibly could. Raiden kept his hands on my body as he moved around me, circling me like a predator. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I enjoyed the feeling of him against me very much.
“Nah,” he snorted, “the doctor said I’m free to go.”
Behind me, he stopped and began placing soft butterfly kisses down the back of my neck. I arched into him as goosebumps and tingles spread across my skin. He did sinful things to my mind with his wicked mouth, and oh-, my knees gave out as his tongue lapped at my ear, his breath toying with my restraint as it stroked against the inner walls. He’d caught me, held me up and took another lazy stroke with his tongue, sending scorching heat gathering in the apex of my thighs.
“That’s not all I said,” a male voice sounded from the doorway then, ending Raiden’s kissing spree and sending sweltering heat into my cheeks. “Luna,” the pack doctor greeted as he entered.
“Good morning, Doctor,” I replied, turning towards the sound.
I heard him take a few more steps inside, and I held out my hand for him. He found it almost immediately and gave it a welcoming squeeze.
“What I said was that the Alpha could go home and rest.Also, he would have to take it easy for at least another month or so. His injuries were severe and needed more time to fully heal.”
“Well, thank you for clearing that out, Doctor,” Ray said flatly, sounding a little too sarcastic. I turned my head in his direction and pulled a face at him. Something I hoped to say; show some respect. I knew immediately that he’d seen it when I heard him chuckling. Not the effect I was hoping for, but okay.
While Raiden started gathering his belongings, I engaged in some light conversation with the pack doctor. He asked me whether I was coping both physically and mentally with my new disability, and reassured me of his willingness to help, should I ever need someone to talk to. Even though I’d made peace, as best I could, with my sudden blindness, I still didn’t like talking about it.
Marie had explained to me afterwards that magic was cunning and greedy. She said it was taken away easily but gave back hesitantly. She also said I should thank my lucky stars that it hadn’t taken my life in return for Raiden’s. I guess it was something to be thankful for; a silver lining around the dark cloud that had held me captive for so long.
Since losing my sight, I’ve been working on strengthening my other senses in order to live a relatively normal life. The doctor said I needed to be more patient, as it would take some time to settle in. Having heightened wolf senses certainly helped a lot, but even with it, I oftentimes found myself too weak and vulnerable. I had to try harder. Work harder. Be better. A Luna couldn’t be as pathetic and helpless as I was. I couldn’t stand knowing I was Shadow Creek’s weakest link.
No. Relying primarily on hearing and smell would be the way forward for me. I wouldn’t cower away, hide or live a cotton-covered, sheltered life. I would grow and rise to be the Luna Shadow Creek has been waiting for. In time. All in dear time.
Large groups of people remained my biggest challenge. It frightened the hell out of me. Time. Surely, I would be able to fit in and move around more easily in a few months or so. Hopefully, by then, people would also treat me like they used to.
I hated the fact that people behaved differently around me now. They treated me like a fragile piece of china, something brittle just waiting to be dropped and shattered into a million pieces. I’d earned respect in my home pack, but now, everyone just seemed to feel sorry for me. I hated it.
“Ready to go?” Raiden called out from inside the room’s tiny bathroom.
“Ready when you are,” I answered. His footsteps approached and I held a hand out for him to find. He took it and led me out of the room, down the hall. Home. His hand in mine. A loving home I would fight for until my dying breath.
When Ray helped me down the front steps of the infirmary, I heard him chuckle, a light, infectious laughter. “I see Axel’s still around.”
On instinct, I lifted my nose into the air and drew a deep breath. I didn’t smell him anywhere.
