Chapter 191

Fiona

“You don’t need to coddle me,” I huff. Healer Sarina, Asha, and Farah have been watching me like hawks since Ryan brought me in last night, and even though I slept through the night with no problems and woke up without morning sickness, they won’t let me out of bed.

“You went through a stressful situation,” Healer Farah says, pulling my cover back over my legs.

“And there may be some lasting effects,” Healer Asha adds while pressing a mug of Moon Moss tea into my hands. I do admit that the tea seems to have a good affect on the morning sickness, so I accept it easily.

Rolling my eyes, I sip on the tea. I was too exhausted last night to fight their ministrations, but not today. I’ve got too much to do and worry about to laze around in bed.

“Take these too. They’re prenatal vitamins we made for you yesterday. They’re good for growth and hormones,” Healer Sarina says before dropping two chalky pink pills into my hand.

“I’m only one month along. Why are you acting like I’m about to go into labor?” I ask, taking the vitamins to please them. I don’t even feel like I’m pregnant yet, but here they are acting like I’m going to pop if I move the wrong way.

If they had their way, I’d be confined to the bed, doing nothing but drinking tea and gossiping. Not this girl, though. I have a Moonlight Fire Lily to find and an antidote to make.

Speaking of the antidote, I set my tea aside and turn to face the women.

“Have you heard back from the Council’s healers? Are they coming? Do they have a Moonlight Fire Lily?” I ask. If they do, I won’t have to go trapsing through the forest in the night again. I also wouldn’t have to bother Laxus again.

Healer Asha shakes her head with a sigh, “They’ve responded that they don’t have the Lily, and we’re waiting for confirmation on whether they are coming or not. Beta Ryan told them we needed higher level Healers urgently, but the type of Healers that we need have to be approved by the Council and the King.”

I can feel my nose wrinkle as I huff in annoyance. Don’t they care that Ethan is dying? Does the King care?

“Is it always this slow? I feel like they’d have a least a bit of urgency in their response,” I tell them.

“No,” Healer Farah says, making me look at her. She’s mixing something together that smells fruity as she speaks, “Not always, but there is a lot going on right now with the end of the Challenges and the continuation of the evaluations for the Selection of the King.”

Right. I’d completely forgotten about the King thing. It’s still so strange that there’s a whole big process to elect a King when there are so many countries that elect a President instead. The West is a little different, which I’m learning, and is one of the few countries to still have a King Elect. Though, from what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem to be a full Kingship position.

It seems more like a fixed position that an Alpha takes over while still running their own pack. I’m not sure how that works, but I should ask Ethan about it when he’s better.

I don’t know how I forgot about the event since it’s the reason Ethan is hurt, which also has me wondering about the results. Would Ethan be disqualified after being poisoned?

This is something he’s prepared his entire life for, so I hope not. I feel like he’ll be incredibly disappointed if he gets eliminated, especially since it wasn’t exactly his fault.

“Hey, does this- Laxus.”

He steps into the room just as I turn to ask the healers about my thoughts. A small smile tilts his lips up and a moment later, he stops by my bed and bows slightly, something I’m realizing Lycans do to show respect to their leaders. It still feels a bit odd, but I don’t want to be rude, so I smile.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, his eyes jumping to Ethan as well.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired, and Ethan is… okay, I guess. The toxin’s movement has slowed down thanks to the detoxification elixirs we’ve made, but they’re not a cure,” I answer, looking over at Ethan. He’s asleep, as he has been since he passed out last night. Thankfully, though, he’s breathing steadily and not in immediate danger.

When I turn back to Laxus, I notice the claw marks down his arm and a bite mark on his wrist.

“You should let me look at those,” I tell him, sliding off my bed. He nearly jumps with surprise when I grab his hand and pull him over to the little table of potions. I sift through the bottles until I find the paste Healer Sarina and I made that’s good for external injuries.

“You don’t have to—”

“Nope. You got these while protecting me,” I say, pushing him down on a chair. If he didn’t want to go, I would never be able to actually move him, so I know he’s doing as I ask. “You got hurt for me, so I will make sure you’re okay until you heal.”

Guilt eats at my insides as I apply the medicine to Laxus’s injuries. One in particular looks extremely deep, so I apply medicine and wrap it for him.

“I’m honored that my Luna would care about my heal so much,” he says, and I detect a hint of adoration in his tone. Leaning around his arm, I study his face and note the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes along with the small smile he’s trying to hide.

I smile in return.

“Care about you?” I laugh. “I freaking love you, Laxus. You saved my life. Doctoring you up is nothing compared to that.”

A growl from behind me catches my attention, and I jump, spinning. Ethan’s elbows are beneath him as he lifts himself up enough to send a glare at Laxus while the rumble in his chest filling the room.

“That’s my mate, Gamma,” Ethan growls threateningly. “Maybe I should assign her a different guard.” The threat in Ethan’s tone makes Laxus stand to his feet and move several paces away from me. He’s practically on the other side of the room before I can blink.

“Ethan!” I gasp, turning to my mate. I can’t contain the laugh as I lean over and press a kiss to his lips. Even then, he doesn’t take his glare off Laxus. I softly smack his arm because he’s being ridiculous.

“I’m not after your mate, Alpha. I swear it,” Laxus says and bows. I can tell Laxus is completely serious, but he shouldn’t have to be so stiff and stressed right now.

Ethan stares at Laxus, a mixture of acceptance and annoyance shining in his eyes, until he pins them on me.

“And you,” he huffs. “You are not allowed to tell another man you love him.”

I hadn’t even said it to Ethan, but there was no serious love in what I said to Laxus. Yes, I’m grateful for his protection, but Ethan is my man. Not Laxus.

Leaning in, I kiss Ethan, letting him feel my acceptance and love through the touch.

“Ooh, you better watch out, boy,” Laxus’s grandmother says as she ruffles his hair.

Laxus groans and scrubs a hand over his face, grumbling, “This isn’t what I came here for. I came to tell Fiona that we can go out tonight to look for the Moonlight Fire Lily if she’s up for it.”

“I am!” Everyone cringes from how loud I shouted, so I lower my voice and repeat myself. “I am up for it.”