CH 15 - Persefone

PERSEFONE POV *Therefore I am - Billie Eilish* The hospital wing smelled aggressively clean. And honestly, that was probably a good sign because it meant my senses were still working the way they should. Under normal circumstances the smell probably would’ve felt comforting. Tonight it just made everything feel more real. The second the nurse closed the examination room door behind us, I became painfully aware of the fact the three rogues had followed me inside like enormous emotionally unstable guard dogs. Not subtle ones either. Aiden stood closest to the doctor’s desk with his arms crossed tightly over his chest while his wolf prowled so violently beneath his skin his eyes kept threatening to glow every few minutes. Keres hovered near my chair instead. Not touching me, but close enough I could feel his body heat every time I moved. And Thane— Goddess. Thane stood near the window in nothing except black shorts hanging low on his hips while the first weak rays of dawn slipped through the curtains behind him. He looked exhausted. Completely wrecked actually. Like tonight had scraped him hollow from the inside out. But somehow still terrifying. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest while his jaw flexed every few seconds like he was grinding his teeth hard enough to crack them. And the scar on his back— Fuck. I could see it clearly now. It stretched diagonally from his shoulder all the way down toward his ribs, ugly and deep like something massive had tried to tear him apart with claws and almost succeeded. The sight snagged unpleasantly somewhere beneath my ribs. Because no normal wolf fight left scars like that. Wolves healed. Fast. Which meant whatever had done that to him… wasn’t normal either. I wanted to ask. Wanted to know where all those scars came from. Why all three of them looked like they’d survived wars nobody talked about. Why they still lived like rogues despite being strong enough that half the packs in the country probably would’ve fought over recruiting them. But I didn’t. Because Thane’s words from earlier still echoed inside my skull. Not that your people usually care much when it happens outside pack borders. The hatred in his voice had cut deep. Deeper than it should’ve. And I hated the fact part of me wondered if maybe Eden—somewhere behind whatever wall trapped her right now—could really feel them somehow. Could really feel a bond between us… even if she couldn’t answer me back. The doctor sighed softly while studying the screen of his tablet, fingers tapping against it a few times while silence stretched through the room. Uncomfortable silence. The kind where everybody was waiting for bad news. “Well,” he said finally, adjusting his glasses slightly, “the good news is your mindlink still works.” I blinked once. “Only with my sister though.” “That makes sense,” he replied calmly. “Twin bonds are different from ordinary pack links. Older too in some ways. Your connection to your sister existed long before your wolf fully awakened.” That should’ve comforted me. Instead my stomach twisted harder. Because it still didn’t explain where the f**k Eden was. I swallowed slowly. “So what does that mean exactly?” I asked quietly. “Is she unconscious or something?” The doctor hesitated just enough to make panic crawl unpleasantly up my spine. “I don’t believe your wolf is gone permanently,” he said carefully. “If she was, the damage would feel… different.” Different. Wonderful. Super helpful. “But something is blocking the connection,” he continued. “Almost like there’s a barrier between you and your wolf right now.” Barrier. The word echoed horribly inside my skull. Like Eden was trapped somewhere I couldn’t reach. “Like sedated?” I asked weakly. “Possibly.” Keres went very still beside me. Aiden’s jaw tightened instantly. And from the corner of my eye I saw Thane’s head lift slightly near the window, his entire posture sharpening in a way that made tension immediately spread through the room again. “Or suppressed somehow,” the doctor added grimly. I hated this. Hated that I’d been sloppy and too focused on myself to realize somebody had been drugging me. And the worst part? I had no idea how. It could’ve been the champagne. The food. The water. Hell, even the air at this point. But that made no sense. I hadn’t smelled anything strange. No chemicals. No herbs. No blood. Nothing unusual in the food or drinks. No needle marks on my skin either. No cuts. No scratches. Nothing. Which somehow made everything even worse. “Could it be a spell?” I asked hesitantly, hating how weak my voice sounded. Especially because they were all listening. Doctor Harris sighed softly. “I don’t think so,” he admitted. “But… if the tests come back clean, then yes. That becomes a possibility.” Wonderful. Absolutely f*****g wonderful. The nurse beside him quietly started preparing a blood collection kit while the doctor finally looked back toward me fully. “We need blood tests immediately,” he said. “If there’s a suppressant or toxin in your system, we need to identify it fast.” The nurse beside him moved toward me with a tray already prepared while I tried very hard not to look nervous about the needle. I failed spectacularly. Seriously? I survived homicidal smoke wolves tonight and this was still the thing making me anxious? Humiliating honestly. Un-avoidable too. Needles were my weakness. Always had been and always would be. The nurse wrapped the band carefully around my arm while avoiding eye contact with the three rogues looming around the room like they were personally evaluating whether she deserved to live. Fair. Aiden hadn’t stopped staring at the needle since she picked it up. Keres looked even worse. His entire body had gone unnaturally still beside me, shoulders tense enough that I could practically feel Samael pacing beneath his skin. And Thane— Thane still stood near the window, but his attention had shifted completely now. Sharp blue eyes locked onto the needle with an expression so dark it made unease crawl up my spine. Good lord. “Small pinch,” the nurse whispered carefully. The needle slid beneath my skin. I hissed lightly at the sting. Three growls exploded through the room instantly. Possessive enough that the nurse nearly jerked backward in panic. “Oh my god,” I snapped immediately. “Can everybody stop acting insane for five minutes?” None of them even looked remotely ashamed. Nope. And AIden even stepped forward “When will the results come back?” he asked sharply. Doctor Harris barely blinked anymore, which honestly meant the man deserved financial compensation for emotional damages at this point. “A few hours for basic toxins,” he answered calmly. “Longer if this is something uncommon.” “A few hours?” Aiden repeated like the concept personally offended him. “And what exactly are we supposed to do until then?” “Rest would help,” the doctor answered dryly. Aiden looked deeply dissatisfied by that answer. Keres was still staring at the nurse hard enough that she finished drawing my blood in what felt like record time. Honestly impressive. The second she stepped away, I pulled my sleeve back down quickly. “You’re all acting like I’m dying,” I muttered. Nobody answered. That… was not comforting. Doctor Harris sighed softly while removing his glasses. “It’s been an extremely traumatic night,” he said carefully. “And without access to her wolf, Persefone’s recovery process is significantly weakened.” My stomach twisted instantly. Weakened. I hated that word. “She needs food, hydration, rest, and as little stress as possible for the next twenty-four hours.” A humorless laugh almost escaped me at that. Yeah. Sure. Because my life clearly looked very low-stress right now. The nurse carefully wrapped a band around my arm before stepping back again. “Thank you,” I told her automatically. She looked genuinely surprised by basic manners. Rude. I’d always been polite and kind with everyone in my pack! Okay… maybe I liked plants and codes more than people but… could I be really blamed? I slid off the examination table slowly, suddenly exhausted enough that my limbs felt strangely heavy. Like adrenaline had finally stopped holding me upright. “I’m going to bed,” I muttered. Nobody argued. Which honestly should’ve terrified me immediately. Silly me instead thought they would take the hint and go back to their home… wherever it was. Obviously, I was wrong. The second I stepped into the hallway, Keres caught my hand gently. His fingers squeezed mine once. “Don’t think for a second we’re leaving you alone.” I stared at him. Then at Aiden. Then at Thane near the doorway. My expression must’ve looked mildly horrified because the corner of Thane’s mouth twitched faintly for half a second. Actual amusement. Oh hell no. And from somewhere behind me, Aiden asked calmly: “Where’s your bedroom?” Excuse me? “You cannot be serious.” “We’re very serious,” Keres informed me immediately. Wonderful. Absolutely f*****g wonderful. By the time I finally changed into pajamas and brushed my teeth with three overprotective psychopaths practically guarding the hallway outside my room, I was too exhausted to keep fighting properly. Which felt deeply unfair honestly. Because they were all still awake. Still alert. I awkwardly climbed into bed while trying very hard not to think about the fact all three of them were now inside my bedroom. Aiden sat on the floor near the door first. Keres settled beside the bed. And Thane— Thane lowered himself silently near the foot of the mattress with his back resting against the bedframe, arms loosely crossed over his knees while dawn light painted pale silver across the scars covering his skin. They surrounded me completely. And somehow still kept their distance at the same time. Like they were trying very hard not to scare me further. That realization settled weirdly inside my chest. I hated that too. Sleep dragged at me hard and fast after that. Exhaustion finally winning. My eyes slipped shut slowly while the room blurred softly around the edges. And just before darkness pulled me fully under— I could’ve sworn I heard Thane’s rough voice murmur quietly into the silence. “Sleep well, babygirl.”