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Lola’s gaze was fixed on mine, but she was still dazed. Her chest heaved with her short, sharp gasps.
“This is what we wanted, remember?” I told her. “It’s why you’ve been working so hard, researching and reading everything you could get your hands on. This is it, Lola. You might be able to use your magic to help Zander recover fully from everything he’s been through, maybe even help him find his missing wolf. But for now, let’s leave the medical team to their work. We’ll just be outside. They’ll come and get us if we’re needed.”
I caught Ridge’s eye, which wasn’t hard, since after my most recent attack, he’d barely taken his sight off me. Having heard my words to Lola, he gave me a discreet nod, then darted his eyes to Elliot, letting me know he’d stay behind with the older man, who remained ever-vigilant at his son’s side.
With a hesitant nod, Lola allowed me to take her hand, and I led her out into the corridor, giving her some much-needed space to breathe. By the time we exited the busy room, some of the panic in her eyes had faded.
“Sit down, Lola,” I said gently.
She was like a young child, allowing me to move her around. I guided her to a chair, where I encouraged her to sit, then got her some water from the cooler. Her hands still trembled as she brought the cup to her lips and started to take small sips. I watched her closely, encouraging her to slow her breathing and calm herself down.
It wasn’t long before my brother emerged from Zander’s hospital room, looking more stressed than I’d ever seen him. It was strange seeing him like this. When he’d pulled silver from Audrey’s bloody body, he’d been calm, his movements careful and methodical. Seeing him so flustered unnerved me.
His face was flushed, and his brow furrowed as he wiped his hands down his face. He pulled me aside, the sickening churn of his stomach evident in his pallor.
“Dammit, Tori.” Anger seethed through his words. “This is all because of that witch Giselle and what she did to Zander back at the compound. I swear, I thought we were curing shifters, helping them.” He gestured to Zander’s room. “Not whatever that was I just witnessed in there.” He shook his head. “When Dad announced he’d been working with witches, that they’d found a cure, a way to remove the beast from a shifter and leave them entirely human, I believed him. I thought it was the answer to my prayers.” Kyle gripped the tops of my arms, so tight I was sure I’d have bruises later. “You have to understand, Tor, I considered that my chance to get my sister back. That I’d find you. That we’d have your monster removed.” He had the decency to flinch at his choice of words. “Everything would return to how it was before. I didn’t know it would make you suffer like that or kill you. I swear. There’s no way I would’ve ever fucking considered suggesting you for this if I knew the truth.”
He let go of my arms, and I rubbed them. I understood, I really did. If Kyle had found me before I’d arrived in Blackwood Creek—when I still believed the hunter’s rhetoric—and had offered me a cure, I’d have jumped at it without hesitating.
My wolf bristled at my thoughts. I hurriedly assured her that I’d never let anyone interfere with our bond now.
Kyle’s eyes grew darker, filling with disgust. “William must’ve known. He’s too detailed, too thorough not to have known the end results. His cure is causing the shifters to endure immense pain that ultimately leads to their death. It’s sick. He’s treating them like lab rats, experimenting on them without their consent.” A humorless laugh escaped him. “Not that William Fucking Summers needs consent. What I just watched that shifter go through...it’s torture. I’ve always known Dad tobe a vicious bastard, but this goes beyond sadistic. Countless innocent people have suffered at the hands of our father and his faction. I want them wiped out, Tori. I’ll kill them myself. He’s sealed his fate and signed his own death warrant.”
Despite his bluster, I could see the conflict behind Kyle’s eyes. On the one hand, this was his father, the man who’d raised him. He’d been our only parent after our mom had been killed. Kyle had looked up to him, trusted every word he’d said.
Things were different now. This was not just about Kyle’s loyalty toward me; he was learning for himself. He’d been living alongside shifters now, and like me, was coming to realize everything we’d been taught was a lie. Shifters were not the true monsters. We didn’t go out looking for hunters. We didn’t wipe out entire factions of hunters. We didn’t kidnap hunters and experiment on them to remove a part of them, then return them to society without a clue who they were, only to let them die a horrific death.
Kyle took a slow breath. “Listen.” His words shook with emotion. “I don’t care if you’re a hunter, a shifter, or whatever. You’re my sister. I will always have your back, no matter what.”
As I looked into my brother’s eyes, I was overwhelmed with love. The trials we had faced could easily have torn us apart, but we were still family. And that bond would never be broken.
My relief upon hearing Kyle’s words was short-lived as my attention was drawn to the entrance of the ER. Christie and Martin Greenthorne had arrived, nosing around and talking to medical personnel. They must have caught wind of some sort of drama unfolding here.
I watched as the Greenthornes tried to push through to where Zander’s room was. An older nurse jumped up from the desk. “Excuse me, you can’t go back there,” she said.
The Greenthornes ignored her and continued on their path, but the nurse refused to be ignored. She maneuvered herself infront of them, forcing them to stop. “I’ve already told you, you can’t go back there. If you are going to keep going, I’ll have to call security.”
The Greenthornes looked down their noses at the nurse. Because, of course, anyone who worked for a living were beneath them.
“I think you’ll find we can. We heard poor Zander had taken ill. We’re family friends of the Elkinses.” Christie’s demeanor dripped with false sympathy. “When we heard Zander had taken a turn for the worse, we knew we had to be here to support poor Elliott. We dropped everything and rushed to be at his side.”
Horseshit. Neither Christie nor Martin Greenthorne had any idea how to be supportive. It wasn’t in their DNA. As far as I was aware, none of the staff would have disclosed information to non-family members. Yet, like a foul smell, here they were. Just as unpleasant and just as unwelcome.
I wanted to know who was feeding them information. Whoever it was, they were breaking some ethical code. The Greenthornes were no friends of the Elkinses. If anything, they looked down on them. This wasn’t about being here to bolster Zander and Elliot; they were trying to figure out what was happening and how it pertained to Ridge and his position. They were obsessed with ending his reign as alpha.
The idea that they’d leverage Zander’s situation to build up a following of shifters unhappy with Ridge’s leadership in Blackwood Creek made me sick. Their ultimate goal was to challenge Ridge, but they were cowards. Rather than standing up and challenging him directly, they opted to do so indirectly by sowing discord and contention. They wound up these vulnerable and frightened shifters, then sat back and watched the destruction they’d wrought.
The possibility of them taking charge of Blackwood Creek was enough to send shivers down my spine. I shuddered to thinkwhat kind of damage they could do if they were given carte blanche over the town.
Anger seethed in my veins. My wolf was pushing to shift, and I had to lock her down tight. I was better, but we still had a touch of the feral inside us, and heightened emotions made it difficult for me to stay in control. Right now, she wanted to protect Ridge, and she was out for blood. The predatory instincts within me urged me to confront the Greenthornes, to put an end to their schemes once and for all.
But I just couldn’t afford to lose control in their vicinity. If they even caught a sniff that I was feral, it would be just another thing they’d use against Ridge.
While I fought with my wolf, pleading with her to understand the possible consequences of shifting right now, how damaging it would be to Ridge, Kyle stepped in. I watched as he approached the Greenthornes, who were so busy arguing with the nurse, they didn’t see him approach. That proved just how hopeless they were. What kind of shifter didn’t keep a close eye on their surroundings?
“Get lost,” he snarled at the pompous couple, his eyes blazing with fury. “You’ve no interest in the Elkinses. If you’re here to mess with Ridge, Tori, or anyone else, you’d be better off leaving now with your tails between your legs.”
As Kyle glared at them, the Greenthornes exchanged glances with each other, their arrogant demeanor faltering. With an indignant huff, they turned and hurried out of the ER.
