Chapter 62

"One small step at a time," the head healer encouraged as I gripped the parallel bars with white-knuckled determination.

A week had passed since I'd awakened in the sanctuary, and today marked my first attempt at physical therapy. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I shifted my weight, testing my damaged leg.

Pain shot through me like lightning, stealing my breath and buckling my knee. I would have collapsed if not for Kane's impossible reflexes—one moment he was observing from the sidelines, the next he was beside me, strong arms supporting my weight.

"Patience, Aurora," he said, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard it. "Your body needs time to heal."

Frustration burned in my chest. "How much time?"

The head healer's expression was sympathetic but honest. "The bone was shattered in twelve places. Recovery will take months, not days."

Months. The word felt like a prison sentence. Each day away from Blood Moon Pack weakened my position as Luna, leaving Raymond and Giana free to consolidate their influence.

"Can't we accelerate the process?" I asked, desperation edging my voice. "There must be something—herbs, rituals, anything."

The healer shook her head. "Even werewolf healing has limits. Push too hard and you risk permanent damage."

"She's right," Kane said quietly. "I've seen wolves try to rush recovery. It never ends well."

During my third therapy session, pain and frustration finally boiled over. Kane stood nearby, offering what he clearly thought was encouraging advice, and something inside me snapped.

"You don't understand what this is like!" I snarled, anger masking my fear and helplessness. "To be trapped in a broken body, feeling weaker with each passing day while they steal everything I've worked for!"

Kane went still, his expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he bent down and rolled up his right pant leg, revealing a mass of twisted scar tissue that ran from ankle to knee.

"Rogue attack, six years ago," he said quietly. "They used wolfsbane-tipped weapons. The healers told me I'd never walk normally again."

I stared at the evidence of his suffering, feeling ashamed of my outburst. This wasn't the carefree playboy image he projected to the world. This was something real, something painful he'd chosen to share with me.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

"I spent eight months rebuilding the strength in my leg. Every day was agony." His eyes met mine, no pity in them, only understanding. "I know exactly what it's like to feel your body betray you."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He shrugged, rolling his pant leg back down. "Don't be. Just know you're not alone in this fight."

That afternoon, a commotion in the sanctuary's main hall drew our attention. Three Blood Moon wolves had arrived—Raymond's Beta and two senior warriors, their expressions grim as they demanded to see me.

Kane intercepted them before they could reach my room.

"The Luna is recovering from injuries sustained when your Alpha chose another over her safety," I heard him state coldly. "She'll decide if and when she wishes to receive you."

"We have official business from Alpha Raymond," the Beta replied, his tone formal but uncomfortable. "It cannot wait."

Despite Kane's objections, I agreed to meet with them, insisting on his presence despite their clear disapproval.

The Beta—a wolf I'd known since childhood—looked uncomfortable as he delivered his message. "Raymond has appointed Giana as Acting Luna during your recovery leave."

Though I'd expected something like this, the formal replacement still stung more than I'd anticipated. My position, my identity—everything I'd trained for since childhood—officially handed to Giana.

"Under what authority?" Kane demanded before I could respond. "Pack law requires Luna disability to be verified by the council of elders."

The Beta shifted uncomfortably. "Alpha Raymond invoked emergency provisions due to the... unusual circumstances."

"You mean due to his mate's ambition," Kane countered coldly.

I raised a hand, silencing Kane's protest. "What else, Beta Wilson? I sense there's more to your visit."

The Beta's next words hit even harder.

"Alpha Marcus has relapsed severely," he said, his voice dropping. "The healers believe he was poisoned over the course of months. The damage may be irreversible."

Kane and I exchanged glances, confirmation of our suspicions about Giana passing silently between us.

"Poisoned?" I repeated carefully. "Has this been confirmed?"

"Tests found traces of wolfsbane derivatives in his system," the Beta admitted reluctantly. "The same substance was discovered in several personal items in his quarters."

"And who had access to those quarters?" Kane asked pointedly.

The Beta's silence was answer enough.

After the delegation departed, I opened the personal letter Luna Elena had sent. Her elegant handwriting was less steady than usual, betraying her stress.

"Raymond is entirely under her control," she wrote. "Marcus weakens daily. Return only when you're strong enough to fight. Trust no one from the pack except me. Even your father has aligned with Giana's supporters."

"My father?" I whispered, the betrayal cutting deeper than I'd expected. "That can't be right."

"It makes a certain kind of sense," Kane said carefully. "Your father has always prioritized position and power."

As if summoned by those words, a second message arrived that evening—from my father. His cold words struck like physical blows.

"Your mother's treatment depends on pack resources," he wrote. "Resources controlled by those you've abandoned with your selfish absence. Consider carefully how your choices affect those who depend on you."

The implied threat was unmistakable—return or your mother's treatment stops. A tactic he'd used for years to keep me compliant, now deployed by Giana's allies.

Kane found me sobbing after reading the letter, the weight of my mother's fate crushing me.

"He's threatening to stop my mother's treatments if I don't return," I confessed, showing him the letter with trembling hands.

Something dangerous flashed in Kane's eyes as he read my father's thinly veiled threat. When he looked up, his expression held a cold determination I'd never seen before.

"Then we'll ensure her treatments continue without his interference," he promised, his tone making it clear this wasn't empty reassurance.

"How?" I asked, wiping away tears. "My father controls access to specialized care. Without his authorization—"

"You forget who I am," Kane interrupted, a hint of his old arrogance returning. "My family has connections to every major medical facility in werewolf territory. One call, and your mother will have better care than Blood Moon could ever provide."

The absolute certainty in his voice gave me something I'd been missing—hope.

Later that night, restlessness drove me to attempt standing alone. My stubbornness cost me as my damaged leg buckled, sending me crashing to the floor with a cry of pain.

Kane appeared in my doorway almost instantly, as if he'd been waiting nearby. Instead of the lecture I expected, he simply helped me back to bed, his hands gentle despite the concern etched on his face.

"You don't have to face this alone anymore, Aurora," he said after a long silence. "Let me help you."

Something in his voice, in the genuine concern reflected in his eyes, broke through the walls I'd built around my heart. For years, I'd navigated pack politics alone, weathered Raymond's growing indifference alone, faced Giana's machinations alone. The idea of having a true ally—someone who chose to stand with me rather than being obligated by duty or tradition—was almost too much to comprehend.

"I need to return to Blood Moon territory," I said finally, the decision crystallizing in my mind. "But on my terms, not theirs."

Kane studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Then we'll make sure you're ready."

The unspoken promise in those simple words felt more binding than any formal oath. Whatever came next, I wouldn't be facing it alone.

For the first time since the crash, I felt something beyond pain and loss—the first flicker of determination replacing the hollow emptiness that had consumed me.

Raymond and Giana might believe they had won, that I would either return broken or stay away in defeat. They would soon discover they were wrong on both counts.

I would return. But not as the dutiful, compliant Luna they expected.