The Silver Creek infirmary had never been so quiet.
The air smelled of herbs, blood, and bandages. Healers hurried from one bed to another, their faces filled with exhaustion. Every cupboard had already been searched three times, every cabinet left standing open in the desperate hope that a forgotten vial might somehow appear.
"His fever is climbing!" a young healer stumbled back from one of the beds, panic clear on her face.
"We’ve changed the dressing twice. The infection is spreading."
The elderly chief healer hurried over, placing trembling fingers against the warrior’s neck.
The wound across his abdomen had darkened into an angry shade of black, thin veins creeping away from it like poison spreading beneath his skin.
"...No." Her voice cracked. "It shouldn’t have progressed this quickly."
The warrior suddenly arched off the bed.
His scream echoed throughout the infirmary before his entire body began convulsing violently.
"Hold him!"
Four healers rushed forward, struggling to restrain him as his wolf fought against the poison consuming his body.
"Prepare another fever tonic!"
"We’re out!"
"What about the moonroot extract?"
"We used the last bottle yesterday!"
The chief healer closed her eyes for a brief second.
Lady Evelyn would have known what to do.
No... Lady Evelyn had prepared for this months ago.
There had once been an antidote specifically designed for venom infections sustained during war. She had spent nearly three years perfecting it after dozens of warriors had nearly died in the previous conflict.
"We have to do something!" a young healer cried.
The chief healer ran out of the ward.
Within seconds, she reached the Alpha’s study. Without waiting for a reply, she pushed the doors open and barged inside.
"Alpha! Please call Lady Evelyn. We cannot manage on our own. Our warriors are dying! Please do something!" the healer cried.
Kael sprang to his feet.
"What? What happened?" he demanded.
"The venom has spread through his bloodstream. Nothing we have is slowing it down. Lady Evelyn always prepared a specialised antidote for cases like this. We... we have nothing left."
Kael’s expression darkened.
"There has to be an alternative."
"There isn’t."
The old healer lowered her head.
"Lady Evelyn was the one who developed the antidote after the Black Ridge Campaign. We only know how to administer it... not recreate it."
Sophia stepped forward, her voice calm.
"Then let me see him."
The chief healer blinked.
"My Lady?"
"I trained in the healer’s hall too. I can do just as much healing as Evelyn."
"Perhaps not for as long as Evelyn, but I haven’t forgotten everything I learned."
She turned to Kael with a reassuring smile.
"There’s no need to call Evelyn. She’ll only feel too important."
Kael nodded.
"Do whatever you have to."
The chief healer hesitated.
"But, Alpha—"
"Did you not hear me?" Kael’s voice hardened. "Lady Sophia said she can treat him."
"...Yes, Alpha."
By the time they arrived, the warrior’s condition had worsened. His body shook uncontrollably while two healers struggled to keep him from falling off the bed.
Sophia walked straight to his bedside.
"Everyone step back."
The healers obeyed, making room for her.
She examined the wound briefly before reaching for the remaining herbs on the preparation table.
"Bring me silverleaf, crushed moonroot, and spirit moss."
The herbs were placed into her hands immediately.
The chief healer watched in silence as Sophia began grinding them together.
Her brows furrowed.
"Those herbs shouldn’t be mixed."
"I know what I’m doing," Sophia argued.
She finished grinding the herbs into a thick green paste before pouring in a measure of distilled moonwater.
"This should neutralise the poison."
She lifted the warrior’s head.
"Open his mouth."
One of the healers hesitated before obeying.
Sophia poured the medicine down his throat.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Sophia smiled faintly.
"There. His breathing should steady in a moment."
Suddenly, the warrior’s body jerked so violently that the bedframe trembled.
His eyes flew open, and blood poured from his mouth.
"He’s rejecting it!" one healer cried.
His convulsions became even more violent than before. Black veins spread rapidly from the wound across his chest, crawling towards his neck.
"No!" the chief healer shouted, rushing forward.
She shoved Sophia aside and immediately pressed both hands over the warrior’s wound.
"His heartbeat is dropping!"
The chief healer’s face had turned deathly pale.
"This... this accelerated the poison."
A young healer looked from the dying warrior to the bowl still sitting on the table.
"...Lady Evelyn warned us never to combine silverleaf with moonroot in venom cases."
Sophia’s face darkened.
"So you’re saying this is my fault?"
No one answered.
"You keep comparing me to Evelyn!" Sophia snapped.
A young healer gathered her courage.
"My Lady... we aren’t comparing you. We’re only saying Lady Evelyn never endangered a patient’s life."
Before she could finish speaking, Sophia raised her hand and slapped her so hard she staggered backwards.
"Know your place!" Sophia shouted.
"How dare you question me?"
The room froze.
No one had expected Sophia to strike one of their own.
Sophia’s chest heaved with anger.
"Do you think that because Evelyn taught you a few tricks, you now have the right to question me?"
The healer lowered her head, trembling.
"I... I wasn’t questioning you, my Lady."
"You were."
Sophia took another step forward.
"Every word out of your mouth has been ’Lady Evelyn this’ and ’Lady Evelyn that.’"
She raised her hand again, ready to strike the healer once more, but before she could—
"Lady Sophia."
A deep voice cut through the ward.
She paused.
It was Beta Tristan.
"That’s enough, Lady Sophia. This is a healing ward. You cannot disturb the wounded warriors."
Sophia lowered her hand, her eyes blazing with anger.
"You heard what she said!" she cried, pointing accusingly at the young healer.
"Every single one of them keeps praising Evelyn."
"Where is your precious Lady Evelyn now? She abandoned this pack! She abandoned every wounded warrior lying in these beds!"
Sophia laughed bitterly.
"At least I’m here trying to save them."
She pointed at the bowl containing the failed medicine.
"If Evelyn hadn’t selfishly taken all of her research papers, I would’ve known what she had changed over the years."
"She hid everything! How was I supposed to know she’d altered the original formula?"
"Lady Sophia, this isn’t right. You can’t just strike a healer and also—"
"You’re taking their side?" Sophia asked.
"They’ve insulted your Luna, and you’re taking their side?"
Tristan’s jaw hardened.
"Luna Evelyn is my Luna. She still remains the Luna of Silver Creek, Lady Sophia."
Sophia looked shocked, as though she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
"You too. You’re in cahoots with them! All of you are Evelyn’s minions," she snarled.
"You almost killed a warrior, Lady Sophia. You endangered his life, and now you can’t even accept what you’ve done. Hitting a healer, screaming in the healing ward..."
He shook his head.
"What’s going on here?"