Chapter 130

Ava

It was just after two in the morning when the nurse came in to gently inform us that visiting hours were over. Chris and I had been keeping a silent vigil by Degas’s bedside for hours, neither of us willing to leave the frail Elder’s side—but neither of us able to speak to each other, either.

“I understand,” Chris said, rising stiffly from his chair. His tuxedo was rumpled from spending the night sitting in a folding chair, his jacket long since discarded and his top few buttons undone. His tie was nowhere to be found. “But would it be possible for us to remain here tonight? Elder Degas is... well, he’s family.”

The nurse nodded with a sigh. “Very well, Alpha Chris. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

Once the nurse left, a heavy silence fell over the room once more. I turned my attention back to Degas, unable to tear my eyes away from his withered features—those deep lines etched into his face, the paper-thin skin stretched taut over his protruding bones. It was so bizarre seeing the once proud, powerful Elder brought so low.

Unconsciously, my fingers found their way to a lock of my hair—which had long since come loose from its updo—and began worrying it. An old habit, one that I had never cared to kick.

“Hey.” The sound of Chris’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. I glanced over to find him studying me with a concerned frown. “Do you wanna talk?”

I pursed my lips, wanting to tell him about everything that was on my mind but also unable to find the strength. We sat like that for several moments, just watching each other, before I shook my head and looked away.

“Not now.”

I heard Chris sigh. “You left with someone else tonight,” he whispered. “Have you really moved on already, or are you trying to force yourself to move on?”

Frowning, I snapped my gaze over to him and shot him a withering glare over my shoulder. “I thought I said I didn’t want to talk,” I said, maybe more harshly than I intended.

Chris opened and closed his mouth a few times before shutting it one last time. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m sorry to snap at you.” I paused, my gaze sliding over Degas’s sleeping form once more. Obviously he wasn’t going to wake up any time soon, nor were Chris and I going to get any sleep, so I stood and stretched. “I’m going to get us some coffee from the vending machine,” I said. “Sound good?”

He shrugged and nodded at the same time. “Sure. Coffee sounds good.”

With that, I crossed to the door, pulling it open with a soft creak. I paused briefly in the hallway, shooting one last glance over my shoulder at Chris. The dim lighting cast his face in shadow, his expression somber as he kept his gaze fixed on Degas.

As I wandered down the dimly lit corridor toward the vending area, my mind began to wander. What would we do if Degas...? No, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the thought. Degas had been such a constant fixture in my life for as long as I could remember, and he was the most ancient Elder in Moonstone history.

I refused to entertain the possibility of him leaving us. Maybe I was just in denial, but I didn’t care at that moment.

Upon reaching the vending area, I realized with a start that I wasn’t alone. A familiar figure was hunched in front of the snack machine, dressed in light blue scrubs. It was the same Omega I had rescued from Olivia, the one who had lost an ear.

“Evening,” I called out hesitantly.

The slight young girl jumped at the sound of my voice, whirling around with wide eyes. When she saw me, however, her shoulders immediately relaxed and she offered a friendly smile. Her ear was no longer bandaged, now allowing the clipped and jagged portion where it had been sliced to be seen.

“Luna Ava,” she said, dipping her head politely. “It’s good to see you.”

“Acting Lu—Nevermind.” I crossed the room, unable to stop myself from pulling the shorter woman into a hug. “I’m so sorry about your friend,” I murmured into her hair. “I know you two were close.”

The girl stiffened momentarily in my embrace at the mention of the girl we had found dead in the woods before relaxing again with a sad sigh. When we finally pulled apart, her eyes were slightly misty. “Yeah, well... I can't say I’m too surprised, to be honest. She was going downhill for a while.”

My brow furrowed at her words. “What do you mean?”

Shaking her head, the girl swiped at the corners of her eyes. “We were roommates, you see. I noticed she had been sneaking out late at night recently, practically every evening. One time I decided to follow her and…”

She trailed off, chewing her lower lip.

“And what?” I prompted gently.

“And I saw her meeting with some hooded stranger near the edge of the forest,” she admitted in a hushed voice. “I couldn’t see their face or anything, but it looked like she was taking a small baggie from them. I figured... you know, drugs or something.”

My heart clenched painfully in my chest. Drugs? Was that really what all this was about?

“I’m so sorry,” I said again. “When did this happen? Did you see any defining details about the stranger?”

She shook her head morosely. “No, just that they were slightly hunched over and wearing a long cloak or coat of some kind. This all went down maybe a week ago? I should have said something sooner but... I don’t know, I just figured she would smarten up eventually. But now it’s too late, and she…” Her voice was lost in a sudden choked sob that wracked her petite frame.

A lump formed in my throat as I regarded the distraught Omega. Acting on impulse, I pulled her into another hug, stroking her hair soothingly. “Hey, it’s not your fault,” I murmured. “None of this is on you, okay? Just... if you notice anything else strange going on, let me know immediately. Promise?”

The girl nodded against my shoulder. “I promise. Thank you, Luna Ava. For everything.”

I didn’t have the heart to correct her. So, with one last parting squeeze, I released her and stepped back, offering her a watery smile. “Stay strong,” I said. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

The girl shot me another nod, this one more firm. Then, with a final wave, she turned and disappeared back down the hallway, leaving me alone once more.

Letting out a deep breath, I turned my attention back to the coffee machine and fed in a few wrinkled bills from my purse. As the machine whirred and gurgled, filling two flimsy paper cups with the dark brown liquid, my mind was racing.

Drugs… Was that really what it was?

Who could this mysterious hooded stranger be? And what sort of substances were they supplying to our pack? How many others were possibly at risk? The thought made me shudder—we had enough problems as it was without deadly narcotics being thrown into the mix.

Unless…

No. I couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Whatever was going on, one thing was certain: I needed to get to the bottom of it before anyone else got hurt.

Scooping up the coffee cups, I turned and hurried back down the hallway toward Degas’s room, my heart pounding in my chest in preparation to tell Chris what I had just learned. As I neared the door, however, I slowed down—voices were drifting out from the other side, soft and hushed.

I pushed the door open a crack and peered inside.

Degas was sitting up in bed, his eyes open and a smile on his face.