We reached Winterwood territory with the culprits, Leah and Freya, in tow. Lucian was rushed to the emergency room immediately.
Based on everything I’d seen in the car, Lucian was strong. If he wasn’t, he would have been in far worse shape than this. He was a strong, evolved wolf. No doubt about that.
But my wonder still remained ... why had Lucian let a bear hit him because of me? I was just a captive breeder taken by a ruthless alpha. I never knew he had it in him to do something like that.
As we climbed down from the car, Tessa stood there frowning at me. What the hell is wrong with this wolf, I asked myself.
I didn’t even know who to follow ... Leah and Freya, or Lucian. My friends had been captured again. They looked at me like they’d already given up hope, like there was nothing left to hope for. Maybe there wasn’t.
I chose to follow Lucian to the ER. The doctors started compressions and bound his wounds. They brought in the territory’s best doctor. He was in a critical state, and I just stood there, watching, wondering if there was anything I could do to help.
Lucian had lost consciousness the moment they dragged him into the car, and he’d been unconscious ever since. There was nothing we could do until we reached the territory, where the doctors could finally attend to him.
He was barely responding to basic medical treatment, and the tension in the room kept climbing. Even the pack elders showed up to witness what was happening.
"Selene, you have to get out of here," Tessa said.
I looked at her, then glanced around to see if she was joking. She wasn’t.
"Didn’t you hear me, Selene? Or are you deaf?" she snapped, stepping toward me like she wanted to pounce.
"Tessa, you need to calm down," Kael said, because I hadn’t moved.
"What do you mean, calm down? This slave girl just got the king nearly killed, and you’re telling me to calm down?" she yelled.
Everyone in the room turned to look at me like I was a devil, a walking omen of bad luck.
"You really need to calm down, Tessa. The doctors are working on him," Kael said again.
"And who is she, to ignore me when I speak? Does she even know who I am?" Tessa said, staring Kael dead in the eye.
I took a step back. That’s when it happened ... the words that burst the bubble.
"You’re just the king’s mate. You’re not his Luna yet, so stay in your lane."
My eyes went wide with shock. What a claim. A revelation, honestly.
Tessa was Lucian’s mate. Wow. That was really something. So why hadn’t he marked her? Why was he leaving her hanging like unclaimed baggage? Then again, I wasn’t surprised. I’d always known Lucian to be a user.
Tessa cooled down like ice water the second she heard Kael say it. Then she found the nerve to mutter, "Lucian shouldn’t have jumped in front of that bear to save this bitch."
"Enough, Tessa. All that matters right now is that the Alpha is safe. Let’s hope for the best," Kael said.
Twenty minutes later, the doctor stepped out, and we all rushed toward him.
"Doctor, what’s the update?" Tessa asked, at the same time as Kael.
"He has bleeding in the brain. The impact and the bite were severe ... it put him into shock. We need to transfer him to the ICU immediately."
They moved Lucian to the ICU right in front of us. It wasn’t a good moment for any of us. Frowns everywhere. Nobody knew when ... or if ... Lucian would be back on his feet.
Tessa was respected, but she wasn’t Luna. Now I knew who she was, but there were still so many unanswered questions. I wanted those answers. Maybe when Lucian wakes up, I told myself.
"It’s because of those rogue wolves that this happened!" Tessa yelled.
"I hope they’re in custody," Kael asked one of the guards. The guard nodded.
"I want to see them," Tessa said. The guard immediately led her toward the prison where Leah and Freya were being held.
"Don’t do anything stupid, Tessa," Kael warned. She didn’t answer. She just kept walking.
We followed ... me, Kael, and the guard. Kael tried to stop me from tagging along, but I told him I needed to see this through to the end.
We reached the prison. Leah and Freya were bound in heavy chains.
What the fuck, I thought. What made anyone believe chains would stop them from escaping a second time?
Tessa stormed through the prison doors and slapped the daylight out of both of them, one resounding slap after another. The guards tried to hold her back, but Kael told them to stand down.
She grabbed a stick and flogged Leah and Freya until it snapped in half. They screamed in agonizing pain, and I couldn’t do a damn thing ... not then, anyway.
"So you were able to trap a bear and use it as bait in the woods, huh?" Tessa asked. Leah spat blood from her mouth before answering, "We did what we could to survive." Tessa punched her in the face for it.
"Please, Luna, stop," Freya begged. She’d called her Luna ... practically handed Tessa the title herself.
Tessa turned to her. "You’re the real culprit here. And because of what the two of you did, Lucian is on the brink of death. You’ll both pay for this."
I could see the fear written all over their faces.
"One more question before I do what’s on my mind ... who helped you two escape?"
Fear flashed across their faces, and I panicked, terrified they’d spill my name. I readied myself to step into the reckoning right alongside them if it came to that.
Silence. Tessa kept repeating the question.
They exchanged a look. Then Freya opened her mouth, and I swore my life was over ... dragged all the way from Bloodmoon to Winterwood just to die here like nothing.
"We escaped on our own," Freya said slowly, carefully.
I let out a quiet gasp of relief, one I made sure nobody noticed. My secret was safe.
"You’re lying. You don’t know me ... but you will. Guards, release them and take them to the death platform," Tessa said.
That hit me hard. I wasn’t sure I’d heard her right. Take them where?
"What are you saying, Tessa?" Kael asked.
"Don’t interfere in this. We’re talking about the king here. I’m only doing what he would do if he were in my place," she answered.
The guards had no choice but to drag them both away.
I didn’t even realize when I started crying. Leah and Freya begged ... pleaded with Tessa ... but she wouldn’t listen. They were dragged out of the prison.
They never saw me crying. I’d slipped into a corner to weep quietly, alone.
I still found it hard to believe. Was Freya really about to be executed while the Alpha lay dying, in his absence?