My mother lifts the torn shirt from over my head and gasps when she sees three deep claw marks across my back. I didn’t realise my back had been clawed through the fight. The doctor dabs the wounds with something cold and wet.
I bite my bottom lip, ‘It stings,’ I cry.
‘I’m sorry, Lylah, but we must clean it to prevent infection,’ Doctor Matlin says.
I never felt the wound until he began cleaning it. The stinging becomes a horrible burning pain. I roll onto my side and hug myself, ‘Stop! It hurts too much,’ I cry.
‘Doctor, let me try and heal some of her wounds,’ my mother says, stroking my hair.
‘Of course, Luna,’ he says.
She hovers her hands over me and says an incantation. The claw marks heal over but leave three long thick scars across my back. The inflammation in my ankle reduces by half, and some of the scrapes on my legs completely heal.
‘I’ll need to rest for a while before I can conjure more healing powers,’ she says and kisses my forehead. ‘Kayla might have some remedies as well that might help.’
‘She has minor bruises on the rest of her body. But, with time and some rest, she will be okay again,’ Doctor Matlin says.
I sit up and glare at Doctor Matlin, ‘My mate is dead. Torn apart in front of me and drained of blood, and you say I’ll be okay again? I will never be okay again. No matter what medicine or treatment you give me, no matter how much rest I have, no matter how much time passes. There is no cure for this,’ I say.
‘Forgive me, Lylah. I’m sorry for your loss. I will see myself out,’ he says, bowing and taking his leave.
My father walks in looking very sad and broken. He would have heard what I had just said to Doctor Matlin.
‘I’ll mind link Bella and have her help me bath Lylah,’ my mother says.
‘Alright, I’ll check on everyone else and send for Alpha Varan.’
‘Make sure you rest too,’ my mother says as he walks out.
He nods, but knowing him, he won’t be resting.
Bella knocks and quietly enters. She nods at my mother and walks into my bathroom. They must be mind-linking. Bella runs the bath and adds a scented bath oil. She then helps my mother walk me over to the tub. I stand there numb, unmoving and stare blankly at the water. Nothing matters to me anymore. I don’t want to do anything. All I want is Micah. I just want to curl up in the darkness and let it consume me forever.
Bella sees my lack of motivation, removes my daggers, leggings and underwear, and helps me step into the bath. I see the horrified look on Bella’s face through the mirror when she sees the scars across my back. More tears quietly drip from her face, giving my mother a sad gaze. My mother’s lips tremble, and she sobs as she begins washing my arms with a wet cloth. Bella takes my other arm and begins to wash me gently. The smell of fresh lavender has taken over the smell of death that had covered me. Bella keeps glancing and frowning at the scars on my back. I suddenly feel self-conscious. I hug myself, even though it does nothing to hide my scars.
The only sounds are sobs, crying, and the sound of tears splashing into the bath water or onto the stone-tiled floor.
Bella combs the shampoo through my hair and pulls out any twigs and leaves. My mind replays over and over the events of Micah’s death. My body trembles, my chest tightens, and I struggle to breathe.
My mother cups my face and begins to take deep breaths, ‘Breathe sweetheart, breathe with me,’ she says.
I follow her breathing, and my chest releases the tightness. However, my body still trembles, and the tears continue to fall. Bella rinses my hair out, and mother grabs a towel for me. Once I’m dried, I sit on the end of my bed, wrapped in the towel. I notice my mother is unsteady, but she tries to hide it. She is drained from all her energy from healing some of the areas of Micah’s body and then mine. My grandma, Anna, had said healing uses more energy than any other spell.
‘Bella, can you take Mother to her room to rest, please? I want to be alone for a while anyway,’ I say.
‘Are you sure you want to be alone? I can have Amara keep you company?’ she suggests.
‘No, I need some space,’ I reply.
Bella pauses and gazes at me as to whether she should give me some space, ‘Okay, but I will be back to check on you, though,’ she says.
‘Sure,’ I say, not caring.
‘Alright, Luna,’ Bella says. ‘Let's get you to your room.’
My mother nods, and they leave. I walk morbidly over to my wardrobe and drop the towel on the floor. I put on a crop top, an oversized shirt, fresh underwear, and leggings. Then make my way back to my bed. I crawl under the sheet and cradle myself as I cry for Micah to come back to me.
***
‘No! Get out of my way! Where is he? It can’t be true? It can’t be?’
I’ve been woken by Alpha Varans' thunderous yells that echo through the packhouse. I slowly remove myself from the bed sheet and hobble to my door. I peek my head out, trembling and gaze towards the downstairs staircase.
‘You’re lying, Alpha Maximus!’ Alpha Varan shouts.
My hands shake as I hold the staircase railing and, step by step, slowly make my way down the stairs. I have to make an effort not to put too much weight on my sprained ankle.
‘I’m sorry, Alpha Varan. We are all so sorry. I will take you to see him now in the apothecary,’ he replies.
I sit and hug myself in the shadows of the staircase and watch them walk down the corridor to the apothecary.
‘No! My son, my son!’ I hear Alpha Varan’s cries.
I close my eyes tightly as I try to keep myself from shedding new tears but fail miserably. I burst into tears. My heart hurts. It aches. I clutch my chest and feel my heart shatter like glass into a million pieces. It feels as if the flame in my heart has been snuffed out.
After listening to his cries for a while, he exits the apothecary and storms up the corridor.
‘Where is she? Where is the little wench responsible for my son's death?’
‘What did you call her?’ my father shouts angrily behind him.
‘You heard me! If that little useless, human wench of yours weren’t my son’s mate, he’d still be alive!’
I watch as my father shifts into his Lycan and holds Alpha Varan up by his throat. Alpha Varan grips my father’s wrists and tries to release his hands. His feet struggle to desperately touch the ground. Alpha Varan shifts into his wolf instead, and they fight. They knock over every vase and table along the corridor. Theo, Leo, Nathan and Alex struggle to separate them.
Glass shatters everywhere. I stand and walk down the stairs to make myself known, and everyone freezes. Alpha Varan and my father shift back into their human forms. My mother and Amara approach and stand next to me. I look up at Alpha Varan with my red-puffy eyes, fall to my knees, and cry, ‘I’m so sorry, Alpha Varan. I tried to save him. I tried to get back to him. There were too many. They were everywhere. I couldn’t see them. It happened so fast,’ I tremble.
Alpha Varan takes a step closer with fists clenched and looks disturbingly deep into my eyes with rage.
‘You tried to save Micah?’ he laughs. ‘You’re a useless human with no magic, no wolf and now no mate! I’ll take my son home to Storm Glenn, where he will be laid to rest away from you!’ he says.
I glare at Alpha Varan, ‘No!’ I say firmly and stand.
‘No?’ he replies, raising an eyebrow.
‘Micah, maybe your son, but he is my mate, and as his mate, I get to choose where he will be laid to rest. I won’t let you or anyone take him away from me. He will be buried here in the packhouse gardens where I can always be near him.’
‘You little wench!- oomph!’
My father punches Alpha Varan in the jaw. I watch as he grabs his face and stumbles backwards.
‘Lylah is right. As his mate, she gets to choose, and she has chosen. Insult my daughter again, and next time, you will have broken arms and legs to go with your broken jaw,’ my father warns with a look that could kill.
‘When do you intend on the burial?’ Alpha Varan snaps.
‘Midday tomorrow,’ I reply and burst into tears running past everyone and into the apothecary.