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Overwhelmed, I allow them to guide me through the marquee to a bed, where I am instructed to sit on the edge while they pull the curtain around it, separating me from Scott and the rest of the tent. Panic tightens like a vice around my chest, and I jump up from where I’m perched. After everything that happened in the arena and being surrounded underwater by all of those creatures… My vision starts to narrow as I hyperventilate. My physical body might be safe in the tent, but my mind is back in that dark, freezing water where it felt like I would be eternally trapped. The bond pulls taut in my chest, tugging and attempting to pull me back.
A voice breaks through my panic—Scott. Although I can’t make out what he’s saying, I can tell that he’s protesting from his tone, so I focus on that sound and follow it back until I feel grounded. My eyes have been open the whole time, and I only just start to make sense of what I’m seeing—one of the healers is kneeling in front of me, frowning as she says something I don’t hear.
“—to be next to Laelia. I need to know she’s okay.”
Scott. Focus on Scott’s voice. It’s getting louder, and the side curtain of my makeshift cubicle is pulled back, revealing that he’s been put in the bed next to me. The other curtains around us are closed, so we’re still separated from the rest of the marquee, but that wall between us is now gone.
The space isn’t much larger than it had been before, but just being able to see him, a friendly face, helps to push the fear back far enough that I can breathe more easily. He’s watching me, and I don’t know how he knew that I needed this, but there’s a glimmer of relief in his eyes that makes me think that the feeling goes both ways.
“Happy now?” the healer assigned to Scott asks with exasperation, gesturing towards me. “What’s wrong with your friend?”
Neither of us are looking at her, our eyes locked on each other. He looks ragged, like the weight of the trial has taken its toll on him, and I’m sure I don’t look much better.
“I’m fine,” I manage to croak out. It’s a blatant lie, but I’m a hell of a lot better now that I can see him and know we’re here and alive.
The healer kneeling in front of me shares a doubtful look with her colleague but takes me on my word, returning her attention to me.
“Laelia, I’m Lilly,” she tells me. “I’m going to be looking after you. I’m the healer assigned to you for the duration of the trials, so you should call for me if you have any medical needs.”
Nodding slowly, I try to focus on the healer. The next ten minutes or so are spent going through various tests and assessments, but it doesn’t take long. Werewolves heal fast and don’t get infections easily, so most of our more superficial wounds have either healed already or are well on the way.
I’m given some cream for the bites from the lake creatures, which seem to be healing much slower than everything else. Lilly examines my cheek and jaw carefully, confirming no bones are broken, but she winces at the bruising, commenting that it may take a day or so for it to go away completely. I’ve not seen myself in a mirror yet, but if the healer’s grimacing at the state of my jaw, then it must be bad.
Scott shifts to wolf form and back again, speeding the healing of his wounds. Just as he thought, he has several broken ribs from where the minotaur hit him, but they are already healing. He also has a couple of bites from the lake creatures, however, unlike mine, his are already healing, most likely thanks to the fact that he’s a full-blooded werewolf, unlike me.
Throughout the whole thing, we stay close, always within eyesight of each other. We don’t speak, both lost in our own thoughts as we follow the healer’s instructions.
Lilly finishes her quiet conversation with the other healer, nodding in agreement to something the female says, and then she clears her throat to get our attention. “You’ll both be fine, but I want you to rest here for a bit longer before we release you.”
They depart, closing the curtain behind them, finally leaving the two of us alone. I’m fully aware that the curtains only stop others from seeing us, and that anything we say can be overheard, but at least it gives us a semblance of privacy.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stare down at my hands. Although they have been scrubbed clean, I can still feel the minotaur’s hot blood as I stabbed him. I know I killed that hybrid squid creature, but that was about to attack me, so I acted in self-defence and the presence inside me took over. However, with the minotaur, it feels different. Scott was in danger and Syn could have gotten hurt, so I just reacted.
“Laelia.”
That’s all he says, but it brings me back. Lifting my head, I meet his gaze and the unspoken question waiting for me. I’m not ready to answer it, so instead I shake my head.
“I can’t believe we did it.” Laughing shakily, I smile at him tentatively, knowing I couldn’t have done any of this without him. Images of the trial flash in my mind, threatening to drag me back down, so I rapidly try to shift the subject to something lighter. “What will you do with your free day tomorrow?”
A whole day free of the council and champions’ compound. It’s an unexpected bonus, one I hadn’t realised I desperately needed. Just the thought of spending it with my father and pack massively lifts my spirits. However, the change of subject doesn’t have the effect that I thought it would. Instead of looking happy about the prospect, his expression changes, and I feel himself rebuilding his barriers, distancing himself from me.
“Well, as you pointed out earlier, I’m a lone wolf, I have no one here to care about.”
I wince, my heart dropping to my stomach. I’ve been dreading this conversation, and it came up way sooner than I expected. His ire isn’t misplaced, and I deserve it. Even so, I hoped that what we went through would be enough to smooth over what I said in fear.
“I’m sorry I said that.” I release a shaky breath, hoping he can see the sincerity in my expression. “I could make a lot of excuses about why I said it, but it was still a shitty thing to say, and I’m sorry that it hurt you. We made a good team, and you helped me through this. I literally wouldn’t have made it without you…” Realising that I’m rambling, I trail off and clear my throat. “Look, the reason I asked was because if you don’t have any plans, I’d like you to spend tomorrow with me and my pack.”
He raises his brows, and I suddenly feel embarrassed, realising how formal this sounds, like I’m taking a boyfriend home to meet my family for the first time. Will he take this as an insult? Like I’m implying he should be with my pack because he doesn’t have his own?
“Not that I’m saying you don’t have anything better to do. I just—” I cut off when I see his lips pulling into a smile and amusement shining in his eyes. Giving him a smile that’s more of a grimace, I wait for his reply.
His brow furrows slightly. “You don’t think it would be a bit weird? I’m not your mate, we’re not even friends.”
Again, his words make me want to wince, but I hold it back and give him a small, tentative smile. “I’m hoping to change that. The friends part I mean, just to clarify,” I blurt, my eyes wide as I realise I just implied I wanted him to be my mate. Why am I so awkward around him? I don’t usually act like this around others, but I’ve had little exposure to my own kind beyond my pack.
He laughs, taking in the embarrassed flush of my cheeks. Rolling his eyes, he leans back on the bed, stretching his arms up over his head. “Okay, I’ll meet your family.”
Pleased, I chuckle as I imagine him meeting everyone. They’ll be so excited to see me, especially my father… Ah. “Be prepared for crazy. My father is a little overprotective.” The warning is an understatement, but he’ll learn this for himself tomorrow.
