Chapter 180
Fiona
“You’ll wear a hole in the floor if you keep going like this,” Mr. Denton says while taking a sip of his coffee.
Turning, I pace back in the other direction, my feet carrying me more than my mind. I can’t stop, though. It’s the only thing that keeps me from exploding from the worry.
“I should’ve trusted him,” I mutter, twisting my fingers in the hem of my shirt. “If I hadn’t left him, he would have been more focused on the fights. And now, I’m not sure if I can even do anything to help. What if I make things worse? What if he dies because I’m not smart enough to learn about the healing process for a Lycan?”
“Fiona, honey, stop.”
Arms wrap around me, stopping me in my tracks, but I can still feel my body shaking.
“I-I can’t,” I mutter, rubbing at my temples. There are so many questions and what if scenarios running through my head that I can’t think straight. “I was so stupid—”
“From what you’ve said so far, that isn’t necessarily true,” Mr. Denton speaks up, pulling my attention. “If anything, you’re the least at fault here. Ethan is a good man, but his past has put him in situations where it’s hard for him to fully trust someone. That said, he still shouldn’t have kidnapped you and kept you captive in his house.”
“I—”
“Right,” Mrs. Denton says, smacking her fist down on her palm. “Once he’s better, I’ll give that boy a good thrash upside the head for doing that to you. It’s not right.”
She shakes her head, glaring at the air in front of her, and honestly, her joking tone lessens some of the worry in me. She trusts that Ethan will get better. I should too.
“Beta Ryan is back,” Mr. Denton announces, interrupting.
“He is?” I spin toward the door, expecting to see Ryan standing there, but it takes a few minutes before he walks in. Right. Lycan hearing. He comes straight to my side, his hand touching my elbow as his eyes run down my body.
“Did you rest?”
Mrs. Denton laughs before I can respond, which spikes a bit of annoyance in me.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Ryan mutters, then sighs. “Well, I’m sure the healers wouldn’t mind if you rest at the hospital. At least you’d be near Ethan there.”
“Are we going now?” I ask, grabbing his arm. My heart jumps at the thought of seeing Ethan. I feel like I’ve been waiting for years when, in reality, it’s only been a handful of hours since Ryan dropped me off.
“Yes, I have the car waiting,” Ryan says then turns to the Dentons. “She’ll probably stay at the hospital for a few days, so I’ll let you know before I bring her back.”
Three women stare at me, their eyes narrowed in assessment, but I can’t decide if it’s a good stare or a bad one. They’re older ladies, probably over sixty with their gray and white hair styled in different updos.
“This is Healer Sarina, Sophie’s grandmother,” Ryan introduces, pointing to the woman with a neat bun curled on top of her head. Then, he motions to the woman on the right with a long white braided ponytail, “And this is Healer Asha.”
“And I’m healer Farah,” the woman with the French twist updo says, smiling widely.
“H-hi.” I wave, unsure what else to do. I’ve never had anyone stare so openly at me, and they’re standing between me and the door, so I can’t just ignore them.
Everything in me screams to push them aside and go to Ethan, but I don’t want to anger them. They’re the only ones able to teach me and help Ethan. Getting on their bad sides is out of the question.
“Can I see—”
“The Alpha is right in here. Please excuse our rudeness,” the woman on the far right says while moving aside. The moment I have an opening, I dart forward, push the door open, and move to Ethan’s bedside.
I swallow the bile that rises in my throat at the sight of him. His skin is pale other than the dark circles under his eyes, and the purple cracking veins that stretch out from the claw mark injury. They look almost like a spider web that’s reaching for his heart.
Reaching out, I run my finger over the markings and shiver as my fingers touch Ethan’s cold skin.
“The toxin is spreading slowly right now, but if it reaches his heart, it will kill him,” one of the healers says, making me look up. She lays a gentle hand on my shoulder, but it does nothing to stop the tension from spreading through my body.
“Have you found a way to save him yet?”
The healer with the bun on top of her head moves to my side and leans over Ethan, pressing a cool cloth to his forehead. “Not yet, but we’re doing our best to search. It would be helpful if you brought the book my granddaughter gave you,” she says. Healer Sarina, I remind myself.
“I did.”
Dropping my bag into my lap, I unzip it and reach inside. Sophie said her grandmother might need the book, so I packed it. I pull the book out, and the three women smile. Healer Sarina takes the book from me and opens it, flipping through pages.
Will they ask me to leave now that they’ve got the book? I’m new to Lycan healing, and know next to nothing, so they don’t really have a use for me. I’ll probably just be in the way, but I don’t want to leave Ethan. He’s my mate.
“I… what can I do to help?”
Healer Farah, the one with the pretty twist updo, smiles at me, answering, “We’ll figure out a way for you to help. I hear you’re getting experience making your own remedies, so there’s more than one way you can assist us, and we’ll be able to explain any process you don’t understand or need help with while learning.”
“You won’t be in the way, and you won’t be a burden. This is part of what we do, and it doesn’t matter if you’re human. Anyone with concentration and the desire to learn can Lycan herbalism and healing,” Healer Asha says, patting my shoulder. I look between the three women, studying their soft features and smiles.
However, I find no hesitation or annoyance. Their clear eyes and calm demeanors settle the nerves in my body as their words send a pang of acceptance through me.
I can’t help but smile.
“Let’s get started,” Healer Sarina says, clapping.
