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"Yet, you do," I whispered.
"Regrettably," she sighed.
I moved my hand further to slip around her waist. She didn't seem hesitant to relax against me, her eyes closing briefly.
"Willow," I whispered and didn't hide my worry.
"I'm okay," she assured me. "Aurelia said I'd feel weak on and off until I adjusted to my meds. I'm a bit glad for this break and that Dimitris approved it. I'm not sure I can deal with these blows from all angles."
Her voice was barely audible, as if she were embarrassed to admit she was struggling.
"Dimitris surely isn't showing it, but I'm sure he feels your pack's exhaustion."
"Ya," she admitted. "Neo's pretty tired, which makes him slightly irritated. Onyx is burned out. I can see it, even if the rest of them can't. Saint and Jayce feel equally tired. Not crazy exhausted, but I'm sure if we went on an intense mission of some sort, something would be skipped by accident. Dimitris feels like a train wreck ready to happen. I wonder how much I can pay Aurelia to drug him for a week?"
That actually amused me. "Would you be willing to face the consequences?"
"Probably not," she said with amusement as her lips quirked up slightly. "But would he punish me as William?"
I didn't need time to reply to that. "Nah. He’s love-stricken."
She giggled and let out a long sigh. "These last few days have been a lot."
I held her a little tighter as if she needed me to be her wall to lean against.
"I know," I whispered. She was dealing with a lot, plus her new role as Beta in the pack was clearly opening her up to pathways in the pack bond where she could easily sense how the others were feeling. I doubted she'd expressed her ability to Dimitris.
If she did, he'd easily realize she's tapping into her Alpha abilities.
Willow's wolf abilities were awakening faster than they should, and without her being given a moment to breathe and embrace the transition, I worried it would knock her out or force her to stop and take a serious break.
Dimitris may have approved of a break, but it wouldn't mean Willow and the others would be sitting down and relaxing. This "time off" was to prepare for bigger things - grand reveals, bigger announcements, and to prove to the realms of business and the shadowed areas of power that the Forbidden Pack wasn't here to play around.
"When we return, I think you should enjoy a long bath and relax. Your muscles need it."
"That sounds delightful, though I have a strong feeling it'll be interrupted by Onyx," she admitted with a smirk.
"He should be sleeping," I noted.
Willow laughed. "If you think he's going to sleep knowing we're visiting Roberto, you better do a recheck of his priorities because he'd become a zombie if it means he can stalk me with the intentions of keeping me safe.”
She had a point, and I knew he was probably somewhere around this place keeping an eye on us.
"I'll distract him when we get home if you need some alone bath time," I concluded.
"Much appreciated," she replied and lifted her head to look up at me.
I bet she didn't know I could see her eyes through the shades at this angle. That I could see the worry, fear, and uncertainty that flickered in her blue, radiant eyes. My eyes lowered to her delicate lips that were glossed with red lipstick that only further stood out against her tanned skin.
She looked a bit paler this afternoon. I didn't like it, but I knew we'd be leaving shortly.
"Are you worried?" I took the risk of asking.
She continued to stare up at me before whispering, "I'm not ready to take over his pack, Viktor." Her voice actually shook and I'd be a fool to ignore her glassy eyes that were fighting to remain hidden by her black shades.
I was sure she didn't know that the bright light of the hospital room illuminated those shades enough at this angle for me to see it all, but I knew deep down that she wanted me to see the hints of her vulnerability.
That she was relying on me to guide her out of this crazy path of uncertainty.
