I drifted between darkness and light, my wolf stirring restlessly beneath my skin. Pain radiated through my limbs in waves, dulled by whatever medicine they had given me. Voices filtered through the haze, familiar and unfamiliar, threading through my consciousness like smoke.
"Does she have any other family we should contact?" A female voice, crisp and professional. One of the healers.
"I just told you she's more of a family to me. Do you still have to ask after some other relative?" Richard's voice cut through, sharp with frustration.
I wanted to open my eyes, to tell them I was fine, but my body refused to cooperate. The silver poisoning had left me weak, my wolf whimpering in the depths of my mind.
"I apologize, Healer Richard." The female voice retreated, footsteps fading.
A pause. Then Richard spoke again, his tone softer. "You know her family, right?"
"Yes." Nonna. My friend's voice wrapped around me like a blanket. "But she hasn't been in close contact with them for years. Her mother is dead. Her father is bonded to his new mate and their daughter. Aurora is an outsider to them now."
The words should have hurt. They had hurt, once. Now they just settled over me like old scars, familiar and numb.
"So she has no one except herself and her son?" Richard asked.
"Yes. Except you and I. We are the only family she has now."
Something warm bloomed in my chest. Through the fog of pain and exhaustion, I felt it. Not alone. Not completely alone.
"Yeah, we are her family now." Richard's voice held a conviction that surprised me. I barely knew him, this royal healer who had pulled me from the edge of death. We had met only days ago, yet he spoke as if he had known me for years. Why did he care so deeply?
I heard them move, their footsteps retreating. My wolf pushed against my consciousness, urging me to wake, to see, to understand. But sleep dragged me back under.
Time passed. I could not measure it. When I surfaced again, I heard different sounds. An engine. Voices, muffled but closer.
"Do you have feelings for me?" Richard's voice, playful now.
"I should be asking you why you find it difficult to express how much you have been crushing on me." Nonna, teasing.
I should not have been listening. This was private. But I could not help it, consciousness sliding in and out like the tide.
"I was going to express my feelings that evening when Cody was taken by Jack's warriors. I decided to let this whole situation be cleared first. But now I guess I don't need to say it again?"
"You still have to say it. It's important to me."
A pause. My wolf perked up, suddenly interested despite our exhaustion.
"Alright. I'm in love with you. I love you, Nonna."
Silence. Then Nonna spoke, her voice careful. "Are you dating someone else?"
"No. We broke up."
Good for them, I thought hazily. Nonna deserved happiness. After everything with Analdo, after watching her heart break, she deserved someone who chose her first.
A phone rang. The ringtone cut through whatever moment they were having.
"Hello, Mother." Richard's voice shifted, respectful but warm.
"You are unusually late today. I am just checking on you." A woman's voice, older, carrying the weight of authority. A Luna, I realized. Richard was the son of an Alpha and Luna.
"I'm fine. My friend got into a terrible state and I'm with her in the healing center. I will be a little late tonight. Everything is stable now."
"Do I need to send the pack servants with dinner?"
"No, I'm having dinner with my girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend now?" Surprise colored the Luna's voice. "I want to meet her. Bring her to the pack house. And I wish your friend a quick recovery. Your father sends his regards as well."
The call ended. I heard Nonna speak, her tone lighter. "Your mother treats you like a pup."
Richard laughed. "When Tessa and I broke up, she was worried. She hasn't seen me with anyone after that. It's been six months and we haven't been in touch."
"Why did you break up with her?"
The question hung in the air. I felt myself slipping again, darkness pulling at the edges of my awareness. I fought it, suddenly desperate to hear his answer. Something about his voice when he spoke of me, when he declared himself my family without hesitation, made me curious. Made my wolf curious about this male who seemed to care without reason.
"She wasn't in love with me." Richard's voice went flat. "She loved someone else. I knew she was seeing another male but I was ready to let it go if she stayed with me. But I couldn't take it when I caught her with another healer, in my office. That was too much."
I heard car doors opening. Movement. The conversation continued, but I was fading fast.
"She told me I wasn't mated to her yet, so she wasn't obliged to be faithful."
Nonna made a soft sound of sympathy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back unpleasant memories."
"It's alright. I survived. It's in the past now."
Their voices faded completely. I surrendered to the darkness, but this time it felt different. Warmer. Because somewhere beyond my closed eyes, beyond the silver burning through my veins, I had family again.
Richard, who barely knew me but claimed me as his responsibility.
Nonna, who had been my friend through everything.
Except you and I, Nonna had said. We are her family now.
My wolf settled, finally peaceful. For the first time in years, I wasn't alone. When I woke, I would thank them. I would figure out why Richard felt this pull toward me, why his wolf seemed to recognize mine.
But first, I needed to heal. I needed to survive.
For Cody. For myself.
And now, for the family who chose to stand beside me when my own blood had turned away.