Chapter 50 - A Sister's Sacrifice

*“A sister is both your mirror—and your opposite.” —Elizabeth Fishel*

***Third Person POV***

Kiya sat in a lone chair in the hospital waiting room, staring off into the distance. Colorful blurs of medical personnel and families of patients whizzed in her field of vision, but her eyes couldn’t catch them all. An inordinate ringing, high-pitched and musical, sounded non-stop since she stepped foot in the hospital. No doubt it came from the hospital phones. They were joined by several smaller beeps from pagers and personal cell phones.

An attic chill held her hostage, slowly drawing her consciousness from her body as the world faded into a melting pot of muddled sound and indescribable smells. She didn’t want to be here. Her mind didn’t want to be here. In fact, all she wanted to do was run and cry, but the will in her body couldn’t get her to move nor focus.

"**Kiya**?" Artemis asked her in a worried tone, followed by a gentle whimper. "**Talk to me, please**.** I need you to say something**."

What was there to say? What she had seen, what she had felt, how does one talk about that? The battle was won, but at what cost?

A pair of weights pressed against her thighs. She didn’t need to look down to see what they were. They were an extension of herself, but more than ever, Kiya wanted to detach them from her body.

Warmth sank into her shoulder in the shape of a gentle hand. When she looked up, she saw a beautiful fair-skinned woman with a brunette pixie cut in magenta scrubs looking down at her with gentle hazels as warm as melted honey. Yet, it wasn’t powerful enough to dissipate her chill.

"Is that your blood?"

"No, it’s not."

"I have some wipes that should do the trick." The nurse responded. "Having that much blood on your hands isn’t a good thing."

She knew. Her hands weren’t heavy because of her exhaustion, but because of the blood that had worn over them like gloves. Kiya’s gaze dropped to her lap. She turned them over to examine the damage done to the back, her palm, and her digits.

Her fingertips and nail beds were completely dyed crimson. Rivers of red swam down her digits toward the back of her hand and the palm, smeared and thick until they reached the heel of her hand. The sight poked her stomach and forced the arrival of nausea.

Kiya pursed her lips together and released a sharp exhale through her nose. "I’m not sure if wipes would get rid of it all, Nurse Raye." She replied in a monotonous, deadpanned tone, unlike her normal.

Nurse Raye tried her best to give the woman a reassuring smile, even though she didn’t return it. "It wouldn’t hurt to try. After you get some of it off, I can take you to a room to get examined."

"I don’t need an examination."

"We’re under Alpha Neron’s orders to examine everyone who took part in the battle. He specifically requested that you get examined as well."

Kiya wanted to argue, but her energy dissipated like smoke. The adrenaline from the fight faded as the world grew in color. Heaving out a sigh carrying her inner anguish, she followed Nurse Raye to an empty examination room.

She sat on the bed and allowed the nurse to test her range of motion, inspect her skin, and listen to her heart and lungs for any abnormal sounds. Through the whole examination, Kiya was like a robot; following orders without much resistance. 

When asked to stretch out her arms, she did. When asked to bend her knees, she did. She did everything while her mind was occupied with the person whose blood marred her hands.

After five minutes, Nurse Raye smiled and draped her purple stethoscope over her neck. "Well, Kiya, everything looks normal. Your lungs are clear, your heart is strong, and your muscle strength is at its best." She walked to the sink and opened the top cabinets to pull out several wipes. "These should take care of your hands."

"When will I get news about the surgery?" Kiya blurted out.

The nurse paused. The sigh that left her lips didn’t do anything but make Kiya’s insides stir with her worry. "She’s being operated on as we speak. I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I know now."

"Will she be okay?"

"It’s too early to tell." Nurse Raye handed her the wipes. "We’re remaining optimistic. The damage done was extensive and, coupled with the poison in her bloodstream, only time will tell."

"She can’t die. She can’t…"

"Hey, don’t think that Kiya. You must keep hope as well."

"She didn’t want me to heal her. We could’ve avoided all of this." Nurse Raye looked into Kiya’s eyes and, for the first time since they’d been together, her browns weren’t void and empty, but filled with light, exposing the war within. Her lips quivered. "Why? Why wouldn't she let me heal her?"

—

***One Hour Earlier***

When evil is bested, it will try to strike back harder to compensate for its loss. No matter the casualties of the battle or the puppets to do its bidding, the taste of victory is coveted more than the finest treasure trove filled with gold and precious jewels.

Moments after Neron was freed from the dark curse, he knew the struggle refused to surrender when he threw his body over his girlfriend and sister to protect them from the projectiles slicing through the air. Sharp whistles were the calling cards of the infiltrators, daring to taint the air with their presence. Windows, once strong and sturdy, shattered from the might of violent, long-shafted projectiles marred by red. Reflective glass flew outward as they were joined by the many other shards from other windows, falling with the grace of snow onto the summer glass.

Asim managed to shield Violetta and Phoebe with his body, protecting their heads from the rain of danger. Sounds of alarm, not from them but from the pack, melted with the deep rumbling of the earth shaking beneath their bodies. Gusts of harsh wind flogged their cheeks just as tendrils of black mapped out the concaves of the dirt, like snakes in the grass. The setting sun seemed to have taken its warmth and gone into hiding from the evil that stepped foot on a land once pure.

Once the rain of glass stopped, the alpha pushed himself off of the women and turned to the trees. Their sweet maple smell was soured by the presence of hatred. Asim raised himself off his fellow avatars and offered them his hands, pulling them upright. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple while Phoebe’s body quaked and Violetta dropped her lips in a half-frown, half-scowl.

"I thought it was over. I thought this was *fucking* over." Nuria’s whispered words carried her frustration from her lips.

"With him, it never ends." Neron muttered as he turned around to help his sister and girlfriend on their feet. The air grew dense. He craned his neck around them to check for bruising and injuries, but found none. "You two look alright."

"We are." Kiya confirmed, nodding her head towards the trees. "They’re coming fast and they’re coming hot. We can push them out, but you and Nuria can—"

"If my father wants to fight me, then I’ll give him a fight." Neron interrupted with a headshake. "I’ll teach him a lesson for bringing his filthy ass onto my land."

"He has company. A lot of it." Phoebe called out, expelling a shaky breath. "What are you going to do, Neron? They’ll trash your lands if nothing is done."

Neron closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. A beat went by. Two beats. Shuffling was heard around and behind the pack house. Seconds later, it went still. The alpha shot his eyes open, his blues aglow with a mix of anger and determination. "Defense protocols are in place. Through experience, I've learned that it is to be prepared for anything."

Nuria crossed her arms over her chest. "Since you’re fighting, I am too, and don’t either of you say shit about it."

Kiya exhaled through her nose. "Fine. It’s not like I can talk you out of anything you set your mind toward."

"And that is how Phoebe and I ended up in bed last night."

"Nuria!" Phoebe gasped, blushing bright pink.

"Gosh, even in danger, she doesn’t stop flirting." Violetta gasped, turning to the alpha female. "Don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?"

"Not after four o’clock."

Before the banter could continue, a massive sphere filled with forbidden energy hurdled toward them. A translucent, violet wall stretched above the group, forcing the sphere to bounce off the magic barrier with a crash, exploding into dozens of electric beams upon impact against the tainted earth.

The hairs on the back of Asim’s neck stood in full salute. His throat went dry. A familiar sensation, teetering on the edge of nostalgia, swallowed his senses whole. It couldn’t be from the darkness, right? He swallowed a lump in his throat after failing to pinpoint exactly where it came from.

"*No, that doesn’t matter now*," He thought to himself, shaking the thoughts from his head. What mattered was defeating the impending doom coming toward them with menacing enthusiasm.

The dark army spouted from the trees with blackened bodies and outwardly features that one would think had sprung from the darkest recesses of children’s nightmares. Their knife-like claws and hunger, combined with their pointed teeth, gave them the appearance of demons crawling from the lowest pits of hell.

Just like the demon army Apophis was known for unleashing on the gods and mortals of the living world.

Except Apophis was Jonathan, and from the moment he showed his face, he was met with the blinding fury of the son he once loved.

*Or was it ever love*?

Neron stepped forward, ready to confront his father, until a hand on his wrist stopped him. "Neron, wait." He turned back to see Kiya looking up at him with concern flashing across her gaze. "I know you want to fight your dad, but he might kill you this time. Wouldn’t it be best for you to stay inside?"

"No. Hiding is what he wants. I won’t give him that power. " It wasn’t difficult to notice the power differential between Neron and Jonathan, for he was aware of it every minute of every day. But, he had to be in the battle. He wasn’t just a wolf—he was the alpha, and alphas don’t run. Neron turned around fully and brought a hand up to cup Kiya’s cheek before planting a kiss on her forehead, as if he hoped to lend her some of his confidence. "I’ll be fine, love. In fact, I’m itching for a fight."

She could feel his and Onyx’s anticipation of repaying the bastard for the days of torment he inflicted on them both. Kiya knew Neron would survive, but that didn’t make it easier for her to let him go. But, in the end, she knew the only way for Neron to move on from his dad was to destroy him. She turned and looked at Nuria, who nodded once at her.

She was ready to fight her father as well.

Shaking her head in resignation, Kiya rose on the tips of her toes and planted firm kisses on Neron’s cheeks. "You better have all your fingers and toes after this."

"You can count on me. I wouldn’t want to disappoint the love of my life." He shot her a wink, and she blushed immediately. Nuria made an exaggerated gag.

*It was time*.

When Phoebe lowered her shield, the dark army sprung themselves on the group without hesitation. Jonathan didn’t have to utter a single sound for the attack to commence. He simply had to stand and point ahead. However, he should’ve expected that his son had the opposition ready under his command. Neron raised an arm up toward the sky and shot it down. His blues glazed over, opening the doors of his mind-links to announce a solid, unified message meant for all.

"*Show no mercy*!"

Soldiers from all corners of the territory sprung out of their hiding spots and clashed with the army as wolves and with their weapons. The vulnerable pack members remained in underground buckers connected to their homes. Along with the soldiers, they included the ranked wolves of Onyx Moon, adding firepower to their side.

Kiya blinked once and noticed Neron had shot forward in a flash of white light. *That has never happened before*. If she blinked again, she would’ve missed it. However, her confusion was compounded with another flash, this time of an orange-red color, this time coming from Nuria.

She furrowed her eyebrows and shared a look with Phoebe, who was equally confused.

*What the hell was that*?

Their confusion crashed and burned when they saw Violetta tossed toward the ground by a harsh gust of wind. The air whipped and spiraled around her and hit her again when she tried to stand. She raised her eyes to be met with the face of her mother, Katalina, contorted with fury and disgust. Violetta didn’t have time to try to talk her mother out of attacking her, not when her eyes were bleeding red and her scleras were darkened with black. Zips of lightning rose from her fingertips, conjoining into a large thunderbolt, and like Zeus, she struck.

Phoebe jumped out of the way when her twin sister attacked with dark energy rising from her palms. It was an energy she knew too well, and the type that would push witches who dared to tap into it further into damnation and condemnation. Necromancy. Spirit energy. Rhea grinned when she saw Phoebe’s frown, knowing full well that using this magic was both a spit in the face to Hekate and a smack in the face to her.

"Time to play, sweet sister." Rhea taunted before leaping forward like a hungry lion.

Although she no longer carried a scent, Kiya knew she was coming from a mile away. Whistles zipped past her ears as she leaped out of the line of danger. Odessa came rushing in and tackled the woman to the ground, summoned an arrow into her palms, and plunged it toward her face. Unfortunately, she stabbed the ground and was repaid for her efforts with a hard, silver-humming punch to the face. Before Kiya could push her off, the ground vibrated under her back like it was threatening to split.

Odessa grinned as her bleeding eyes glittered with malice. "You and the rest of your sewer rats aren’t the only ones with fancy powers."

"Good. That means your punk-ass will be an actual challenge this time!"

Juvenile shouts tickled Asim’s ears. Twisting his head behind him, he noticed a group of black-speckled demons advancing towards the homes of innocent wolves and their children. Pressure built in his hands and launched from his fingertips in the form of a gold ball of pure sunlight. And with sunlight comes heat, and with burning. The hit demons squealed in agony before exploding into dust. Jogging up to the family, he guided them inside of their home for safety.

Yet, as he continued to help the innocent, that nostalgic sensation had yet to leave him. In fact, it was as if it wanted to stay. To help him The hairs on the back of Asim’s neck rose to their full height once again.

*Did he know who or what this sensation came from*?

The area continued to darken as the sun sank lower and lower beneath the horizon. The struggle for dominance between the sides of good and evil greeted the splitting of skin and the spikes of adrenaline with enthusiasm. No one was willing to settle or to rest. If they stopped to take a breath, that equated to being sent to death’s door. Punch to punch. Kick for kick. Growl against growl. Claw to claw. Power against power.

How much longer will the battle go on?

There was one person who seemed to be fighting harder than she’d ever before. What was her underlining motivation? She fought and pushed back any impending attackers that dared to blindside Kiya in her battle against Odessa, narrowly avoiding the attempts of the earth trying to swallow her. Her heart burned with an amalgamation of shame and determination. She wanted to help Kiya, but how could she fight against Odessa, who was a dozen times stronger than her?

That was when she saw it.

The earth shot up from the ground and launched Kiya into the air, gravity pulling her down without a shred of clemency. The back of her head collided hard with the ground, plunging her into a world of hazy colors and immense pain. Kiya’s ears rung, and the voices around her garbled, as if the words were battling against an underwater torrent. She used her hands, delineated in moonlight, to push herself off the uneven ground.

Odessa summoned two arrows in her hand and pulled back the string of her bow, aiming the tips at her target. "An eye for an eye, isn’t it, bitch?!"

A pair of horrified brown eyes lined the trajectory between the tipped projectiles and Kiya’s form. *She couldn’t let her get hurt*! Regret from the distant past filled her veins as memories replayed in her mind. It was her job to protect Kiya. She was supposed to be the main person to defend her from her enemies, and she became one. Despite her forgiving her, she still felt like she didn’t deserve it.

What has she truly done to earn her forgiveness? She couldn’t compare to Neron. She didn’t deserve to have Kiya’s smiles. Despite speaking with Andreas, the pack therapist Neron brought in, there was nothing in her spirit that told her that she had earned Kiya’s forgiveness.

Yet, she refused to fail. She wouldn’t fail her sister again.

Raina’s adrenaline spiked to an all-new high, propelling her legs and her entire body forward toward a rising Kiya. The dark army around her didn’t matter—her vision honed in on her baby sister, the one person she loved most in the world. She screamed out her name, threw her hands forward, and once she was close enough, used all the force in her body to shove herself out of the line of danger.

Kiya screamed and was propelled many feet away toward the dusty ground.

Raina felt an unbelievable thrust of pain enter her chest. Twice. With a painful shout, she collapsed onto the ground on her side, gasping softly.

Valerian’s anguished howl rippled through the battlefield.

Odessa’s grin was wicked. "See what happens when you don’t mind your fucking business? Now, you’re going to suffer before you die. That’s for betraying me, best friend."

"Raina?" Kiya hopped on her feet again, and as her vision cleared, more and more bolts of fear struck her heart. Once focused, a horrified scream tore from her throat. She pushed her legs toward her fallen sister, falling on her knees once she got close enough. "No, oh goddess, no! Raina! Why?!"

Raina moaned as her body trembled. Two arrows pierced her chest, one over her right breast and the other above her heart. Coughing once, blood sprayed out of her lips. "K-K-Ki…"

"No, don’t talk. Stay with me, please!" She begged. Wolfsbane and silver burned her nostrils. Kiya knew what she was about to do was counterproductive, but she couldn’t let the double poisons sit over Raina’s chest wall. She gripped the bodies of the arrows and yanked them out, her sister’s blood now gushing out of her wounds, staining her clothes and staining the ground. "I’ll heal you. Just let me—"

"No."

Kiya gaped at her in shock. "Raina, please let me—!"

"Don't... heal...d-don't... heal me..."She croaked out, shaking her head. "No. L-let me…feel this."

Blood continued to rush out into the world. Kiya felt her lungs constrict. Without much thought, she gripped the hem of her blouse, tore out long strips, and plugged in both wounds in an effort to slow the bleeding. She held her fingers in place over the wound above her heart. Kiya could feel Raina’s heart throb against the tips of her fingers. Tears burned her eyes when Raina lifted her hand up. She grasped it and squeezed. "Why Raina? Why won’t you let me heal you?"

All Raina did was smile and squeeze her hand as tight as she could. "I love you."

"No, don’t you dare!" Kiya cried out. "What about your family? What about Donny and Orchid?"

"I’ll s-see them again." She coughed again, spraying her blood on Kiya’s face. "I had to protect you…l-like a b-big sister should…"

"Raina? Raina!" Raina's eyes fluttered closed as Kiya pressed her free hand down on the wounds. "Stay with me, please! We’re going to get you help!"

Kiya didn’t see Odessa summoning more arrows aimed at her. She didn’t see Valerian’s wolf, Judas, tackle Odessa to the ground. In fact, she didn’t see how the battle ended with the four forces of the sun, the moon, the sea, and the flame melded together and banished the dark army from the lands. She knew her powers jumped out of her but didn’t bother to understand how. The battle was nothing but a faded memory for her, even when she felt the warmth of her sister leave her body and Neron help her to stand up.

All she remembered was the blood dripping from her fingertips.

—

***At The Current Moment***

Her hands and face were clean of blood. Nurse Raye gave her a paper blue scrub shirt as her blouse was too bloody and damaged to salvage. She was right back in her seat in the waiting room, awaiting news about Raina’s condition. Kiya leaned forward, sliding her hands over her face as she tried to make sense of what happened and why Raina took the arrows meant for her.

"*I can’t have another person die on me like this*." She thought. "*Why did she push me away*? *Why did she do this*?"

"**You want to know what I think**?" Artemis asked. "**Raina still feels guilty for what she did to you years ago**. **I think this was her way of proving to you and herself that your forgiveness wasn’t misplaced**."

"*She has a family, Art*! *Two little kids and a husband*! *They could lose her mother and Val could lose his wife because she decided to play hero*! *She was careless*!"

"**You’re her family, too**. **Do you think it would have been better if you were the one in surgery now**?"

"*I would've survived*. *What if she doesn’t*? *I*…" Kiya blew a sigh from her lips, smoothening her hair back. "*I forgave her, Artemis*. *That should’ve been the end of it*. *She didn’t have to take it this far to show me that…that she deserved it*."

"**That doesn’t matter**. **What matters is if she believed it or not, and I don’t believe she ever did**."

"*Unfortunately, the only person who can explain herself is under the fucking scalpel*."

"Auntie!" The pitter patter of feet made their way to Kiya. She spread her arms wide for her niece and nephew to collide into her chest. Little Orchid wrapped her arms around her waist while Adonis propped his head on her shoulder. Valerian ambled behind after them, and Kiya felt her soul recoil when she caught the angry look on his face.

"Where’s Mommy?" Orchid asked.

Kiya sighed, rubbing her back. "She is being taken care of by doctors. They’re a little busy, but we should hear something soon."

"Mom is going to be okay, right?" Adonis asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "She can heal fast and be back with us soon, right?"

How does one explain to two small children that the likelihood of their mother returning home for the night was little to none? Kiya didn’t know how. All she could do was kiss her nephew on the forehead and muster up the most genuine smile she could muster. "We just have to wait a little while, okay?"

"I'm scared, Auntie." Adonis muttered, hiding his face in her hair. "Grandma and Grandpa died in the hospital beds. I don’t want Mom to die, too."

Kiya felt her heart plummet into concrete, shattering into a million pieces. *Ashley and Steven died in the hospital*?

Valerian cleared his throat. "Donny, Princess, I need to talk with your aunt for a minute."

"Do we have to, Daddy?" Orchid asked, looking up at her father.

"I’m afraid so, baby love. It’s time for the adults to talk. But there is a room here you can play in with toys and video games." He called for one of the nurses to take his children to the hospital to the indoor play space near the pediatric unit. With great reluctance, the brother and sister released their aunt and followed the nurse assigned to the task. After they turned the corner, it was just the beta wolves.

Kiya huffed, pushing herself out of her seat and heading toward the window. The moon hadn’t risen yet, but it was dark enough for the outlines of the trees to fade with the night. "I’m sorry, Val. I don’t know if there is anything more I can say about the situation."

"Why didn’t you heal her?"

The bluntness of the question caught her off guard. She turned her head to face the deepening scowl of her brother-in-law. "Um, she told me not to."

"She told you—" Valerian inhaled through his nose. "Why? That doesn’t make any fucking sense."

"I know that. I’ve been trying to make sense of it too, but that’s what she said before she passed out. She also said something about wanting to feel ‘this’."

"You should’ve healed her anyway. Did you want her to suffer like she is now? You could’ve stopped this from happening, Kiya."

Like a flame to a match, Kiya’s anger sparked, replacing the worry building in her chest. "Valerian, I don’t think I like what you’re insinuating. Raina said no to healing. Believe me, I wanted to, but in the end, it was her decision. I don’t like forcing my powers over someone against their advice."

Valerian scoffed, running his hand through his hair. "Kiya, sometimes I don’t understand you. You’ve revived and healed people left and right. With people like you, there’s no need for hospitals. But the one time you could’ve used your blessed abilities to heal your sister, you decided not to, and you want me to believe that Raina, while bleeding out, rejected your offer? Does that make any sense to you?"

"No." Kiya replied in a harsh tone. "It doesn’t make *any* fucking sense, but that’s what happened. I get it; Raina is your wife and not knowing the status of her condition is—"

"Kiya, don’t fucking psychoanalyze me." He retorted, pointing a finger toward her. "That is the last thing I want from you right now. You literally have all the power in the world to save the mother of your niece and nephew, and if she dies, it'll be your fault for not doing anything!"

"Raina won’t die." She corrected. "Whether you know it or not, there are a lot of things keeping her alive right now, and that includes you. I’m sorry I can’t go around healing people whenever you want me to. The circumstances would’ve been different if Raina hadn’t told me anything. Do you think I don’t care about her?"

"Well, how should I know?" Valerian shrugged his shoulders. "You rarely spend any time with her. You spent all your time with Neron, and you brought him back to life when he was a damn corpse!"

"You want to know what I think?" Kiya asked, arching an eyebrow and propping her fists on her hips. "I don’t think this has to do with Raina or Neron. You have a personal issue with me. I don’t know if it’s from when I hurt you three years ago when I was batshit crazy, or its probably something else I have no clue about. But, if you have something you really want to say to me, say it to my fucking face."

The tension burrowing between them was as thick as butter. Valerian clenched and unclenched his fists, inhaling deeply through his nose as if he was trying to control the pressure building in his chest. "If only you’d shown as much love to Raina as you do to Neron. Why else would you leave your own sister to die, just like your own parents?"

Kiya was taken aback again, her jaw dropping to the ground. Artemis rumbled deep in her chest. Suddenly, the argument they were having progressed into a screaming match right in the middle of the waiting room. The doctors and nurses didn’t know how to calm them down due to the differences in their rank and it made for an awkward audience surrounding the beta wolves.

Luckily, none of them had to do anything, because an overwhelming and enraged aura filled the air faster than heat. It forced them all to stand back and bear their necks in silent submission.

Neron marched in from behind and shoved his brother-in-arms against the wall, forcing the paintings to rattle. Kiya felt her words die at the base of her throat, shuffling backward from the scene.

"The audacity you have to raise your voice at my mate, knowing damn well you don’t have the balls to raise your voice at me." Neron growled low, holding Valerian in the air by the front of his shirt. "Have you lost your goddamn mind?!"

Valerian huffed through his nose, slamming his eyes shut and bending his neck to the side to show his surrender. His eyes flashed between green and blue, wolf and human fighting against the alpha might before settling back on green. Kiya saw Neron’s body relax a bit through blowing out a breath, loosening his grip on his shirt but not letting go. "Neron—"

"Wait just a moment, Kiya." Neron answered in a soft tone before turning his attention back to his beta. "You’re going through a lot, I understand. Your wife is in the operating room, and you’re stressed. I can’t begin to think what you’re feeling through the bond. But none of that is an excuse for yelling at Kiya or *insulting* her."

"Yes, Alpha." He answered in a low, defeated whisper.

"She has done nothing to warrant your disrespect." Neron spoke again. "You’re my friend and my brother, but if you ever cross this line with her again, it’ll be the last time you’ll ever speak another word. I will cut your tongue out and shove it down your throat. Do I make myself clear?"

Valerian nodded in resignation, releasing a shaky breath once Neron released him. Kiya pivoted on her heels, biting her bottom lip and averting her eyes away from the men. This was way too much for anyone to handle. Assuming the coast was clear, one of the doctors working on Raina came into the room to deliver the news.

Raina was alive but in critical condition. She had been put into a medically induced coma, and an antidote against the wolfsbane and silver had been implemented in hopes of speeding up the healing process. That also meant her wolf, Cyra, was unable to heal her as she was unresponsive. Valerian’s entire body deflated like a balloon, but he tried his best to hold firm as he thanked the doctor for the update.

Neron believed it was best to leave him alone to see his wife. Once Adonis and Orchid came back from the play area, they departed to see Raina. Both he and Kiya took that as their signal to leave the hospital for the night.

They stepped foot into the woodsy air, but the silence between them crackled with tautness.

"Do you want to talk?" Neron asked as they walked back to the pack house.

Kiya inhaled through her nose, ticked her jaw, and shook her head. "No, I don’t."

The sting hit him in the heart as he watched Kiya speed walk toward the house without looking back.