Mara
Lacy slipped away to be with Martha. The rest of us—Lucian, Darian, and I—headed toward Alpha Vander’s room. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sedation had knocked him flat earlier, but when we entered, he was upright on the hospital bed, hands folded, posture too still. Calm, but not natural. Sedated, but watching.
“How is she?” he asked Lucian immediately, voice raspy but focused.
Lucian’s jaw tightened.
“She’s alive,” he said simply.
It was all he could offer without risking another storm. He was treading carefully—managing truth like it was a volatile substance.
“Have you seen her?” Vander asked, eyes sharp now.
Lucian hesitated.
“No. Lacy’s with her.”
A scowl twisted Vander’s face the second he heard her name. Anger flickered behind his eyes, deep and bitter. I saw it and kn
