SERAPHINA'S POV
Time blurs.
He's there on the floor, motionless, and I'm here in a stunned state of dread. His chest-barely rising. My hands want to pound, want to shock him back to life.
Wake up. Please, wake up.
Fear crawls through me. The temptation to shake him, to scream, gnaws at my sanity. But what if it makes it worse? What if the invisible thread holding him here snaps?
What if it's already to late? How do I begin to get him out of here? Do I leave his body and run to get Jasper? What if I'm not fast enough?
My fingers twitch above his heart, desperate to feel a stronger beat, to see his eyes snap open. Instead, they're met with the cruel reality of his persistent silence.
Don't you dare leave me, you bastard.
Do something.
DO SOMETHING!
My thoughts shout, but my body is frozen-the blood is everywhere. Everywhere I look at. I don't realize it at first, but I'm trembling.
Thankfully, the others arrive.
Juliet did find help. Minutes after, she rushes back in with Jasper, Ace, and two other guys who locate us effortlessly.
Ace and the crew lift Artemis off the floor, away from his own pool of blood, while Jasper drapes a jacket over me and tenderly lifts my shaky form up.
"You're going to be okay," he whispers as he guides me away.
I want to tell him it's not me he should worry about, that 'okay' isn't guaranteed.
But fatigue from the ordeal overwhelms me, and despite my struggle to stay awake, I find myself drifting off.
Hating it too, because I need to stay awake to make sure Artemis is okay.
By the next day, as the sun crests the horizon, I find myself perched on the edge of a chair outside his room. He's in the same clinic where Olivia was treated during her coma, on the highest floor.
Since last night, the pack's doctors haven't left his side.
I've done my share of pacing and crying, and now, I sit curled into a ball, knees tucked in, waiting alongside Ace and Jasper.
I can't bring myself to meet their eyes, feeling the weight of my own guilt in all of this.
The instant the door swings open, the three of us snap our heads up, rushing toward the first doctor who steps through.
The small smile on her lips is enough; it tells us he's going to be okay. I exhale, finally able to breathe for the first time in what feels like an eternity.
"C-can we see him?" My question comes out as more of a mumble than a query.
Her smile vanishes as she turns to me, and I recoil from the disapproving glance she casts my way, lowering my head.
"Close associates and family only. Your relationship with the Alpha prince is undetermined, so you can't go in. The rest of you may," she says, her smile reappearing as she looks at Ace and Jasper.
Her words slam into me like a boulder. Combined with the guilt I'm already drowning in, I don't dare argue.
Do I even deserve to be there?
Without wasting another second, Ace strides through the now open door, and Jasper follows. He pauses in the doorway, looking back at me with a sad smile.
"I'll let him know you were waiting," Jasper offers. I can only nod in response as he walks in.
Tears sting at the corners of my eyes as I retreat to my chair.
So what if I can't see him now? Soon enough, he'll be sitting up, and when he finds out I've been waiting, he'll tell them to let me in.
At least, that's what I tell myself.
***
I drift off again, waking up two hours later in the same uncomfortable chairs. I readjust my back, trying to find some comfort.
The waiting is becoming painful, but I bear it, knowing I have to get a chance to apologize to Artemis for what happened.
Footsteps from the hallway catch my attention, drawing me back to the present.
I expect to see Jasper or Ace again, making full use of their privilege to see Artemis. Instead, copper-red wavy hair comes into my vision.
She pauses the moment her eyes find me, and I instinctively sit up straight. There's just something about her aura that makes me want to present myself in the best way possible.
"Hawthrone," she calls out, drawing closer. I stand up.
"Hey," I reply, managing an awkward wave and a smile.
This is only our second conversation since the friendship agreement, so I haven't quite adjusted to interacting with someone like her - intimidating and effortlessly elegant.
"I heard about last night. Are you okay?" She poses the question.
Initially, I consider fabricating an optimistic answer, but her question almost brings me to tears.
"I don't know-just a few scratches. But that's not what's important."
I meet her blue eyes-darker than his but still a reminder of the way he looked at me, right before his eyes closed and his hands turned cold.
"I'm sorry, all of this is my fault. I was stubborn, insisted on handling things on my own, and pushed even after he warned me," I blurt out, tears welling up in my eyes.
She remains expressionless for a moment before sighing and sitting on the bench where I've been uncomfortably dozing for hours.
"I can only imagine the level of guilt you're experiencing," she begins. I sit next to her, noticing even her posture screams regal. "Trust me, I've been there. I've been on the other end of his heroic acts, so believe me when I say, it's okay. He was doing his duty as the Alpha of the Black Council Wolves. That's it."
"He got seriously hurt," I interject.
"Of course he did, going up against someone like Morgan solo. It was reckless, but he's okay now. Regardless of what you think, he's an Alpha wolf, the strongest of his kind. They don't go down easily; it would take a lot more than a near-fatal stab to the heart to bring him down."
"Wow, thank you. I feel better."
"I didn't say this to make you feel better. I'm stating facts. If it had been someone else, say a random student, he would've done the same. You're not solely responsible for what happened," she says, her tone shifting noticeably.
I can't help but think there's an unspoken message in her words: 'Don't think you're special.'
I fall silent, getting her message.
As much as I'd like to think otherwise, my relationship with Artemis, the Alpha Prince and her mate, is new. We're friends, nothing more.
Yet, admitting that stings more than I'd like to admit.
"I understand," I say, forcing another smile.
She regards me with a lighter expression that somehow unsettles me.
"Good. Then you don't have to waste your time sitting out here anymore," she says, casually rising to leave. She heads toward the door to Artemis's room.
"Wait!" I call out just before she gets too far.
She pauses, hand on the doorknob, and turns to face me. Her expression teeters between annoyance and reluctant patience.
"Yes?"
"Uhm, could I ask you for a favor?"
Her smile broadens, seemingly delighted at the idea of helping.
"How can I assist you?"
"I've been waiting out here because they won't let me see Artemis. Could you, maybe, help me get in?"
She slowly shakes her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
My heart sinks. "Why not?"
"It's the rules, Sera. What kind of example would I be setting for the lower-class wolves if I broke them? Besides, why do you even need to see him?"
"I just want to make sure he's okay," I say again, feeling my hands tremble. But she shakes her head.
"The doctors have said he'll be completely fine in a week. Instead of moping about not being able to see him, why not enjoy this newfound freedom? You've mentioned before how much you disliked being under his thumb - your little archaic slave arrangement irked you so much, is that not?" She points out.
She's right.
I did say all those things. I remember despising every moment of having to cater to his whims, the humiliation of being forced to sit at his table in the cafeteria.
I longed for the day I'd be free of it all, and now that freedom has come, my emotions are a chaotic mess.
It's like I'm finally reaping what I sowed, getting exactly what I wished for, yet it doesn't feel as fulfilling as I thought it would.
"I guess you're right," I murmur, taking a step back.
"I am," she confirms, a casual shrug punctuating her point.
So, this means I won't see Artemis for a while.
That should be okay, right? I'm not special, and I already know he's recovering. The pain that rams through my chest should be irrelevant. It shouldn't hurt this much.
"Then could I ask you for something else, Kamila?"
She studies me for a moment, perhaps trying to guess what I'm about to ask, before offering another smile.
"Of course, anything at all."