Chapter 42

Lucas POV

I stood beside Shana's hospital bed, my gaze fixed on her motionless form. The flurry of medical professionals moving quickly around her only added to my growing unease. I felt a mix of worry and helplessness, desperately seeking answers for her mysterious condition.

I told James to go home since it was getting later and later by the second. He almost refused me, but finally decided it would be best if I just stayed here with Shana.

It was overwhelming enough with the medical staff constantly running around the room.

One doctor approached me, a furrowed brow betraying their own confusion. "We've conducted thorough examinations, but we were unable to find any physical injuries or ailments that could explain her current state. It's quite.... perplexing."

"You've never seen anything like this before?" I asked, trying to get some answers out of him. "I'm sure she's not the first wolfless patient you've had."

He looked down for a brief moment, then glanced back up at me. "As I said, it's very perplexing. We aren't exactly sure what is going on."

I couldn't hide my frustration, my hands clenching in frustration. "Isn't there anything else you can do? Any tests or treatments we can explore to help her wake up?"

The doctor let out a sigh, their voice carrying a tinge of regret. "We've exhausted our options for now. All we can do is monitor her and hope for a breakthrough. We've already reached out to her family, and they should be on their way."

As the doctor left, I picked up Shana's phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I dialed her father's number.

"Hello?" her father's gravelly voice answered the phone. His voice sounded a little more strained than usual.

The urgency in my voice conveyed the gravity of the situation. "This is Lucas."

Her father let out a long sigh. "Lucas, what's going on? Where's Shana? I just got a call that she's in the hospital."

"She's right here," I said, looking over to Shana who was still unconscious on the bed. "The doctors are unable to determine what's wrong... They said her condition isn't something they have seen before. Please come as quickly as you can."

Her father's voice crackled with concern, assuring me that he would be there as soon as possible. I hung up the phone, my thoughts swirling with worry and fear.

In the midst of waiting for Shana's father to arrive, I observed the chaotic scene unfolding among the medical team.

My mind wandered to the intense training sessions that Shana and I had undergone in recent weeks. Her progress had been remarkable, surpassing even those who had already shifted into werewolves.

Coaches and trainers were astounded by her growth and strength, but my mind kept wandering back to the strangeness—the glowing red eyes, the haunting howls—it made no sense to me.

What did it mean? Was she injected with something? Does it have anything to do with her lacking a wolf?

Doubts crept into my mind. Did Shana have other secrets beyond not being a werewolf? Could her rapid development have unintended consequences? Had I unintentionally opened a door to a realm we weren't fully prepared for?

I started to think it was a mistake to start training her. Maybe I unlocked something that was hidden beneath the surface... That seemed to be the only explanation.

Lost in thought, I left Shana's room and marched toward the computer room in the hospital. Maybe I would be able to find some answers online. I needed to immerse myself in research to possibly try to understand what was going on.

I went to the search bar and typed "history of the wolfless" and over a million hits came through.

I started to explore the histories and communities of people without a wolf. It opened my eyes to a hidden world, one filled with unknown strengths and lurking dangers.

A lot of websites were pure myths, stating obscure and random facts that I believed were made up. Other websites led me to dead ends.

It seems that there isn't too much information out there about wolfless, except that they possessed bad luck. Some websites even warned people with wolves to stay far away from the wolfless because they were unpredictable and evil-spirited.

This was no surprise for me, considering this is something I've been taught from a young age. Everyone is taught that wolfless are no good, even though I know now that it's a complete lie.

I've been with Shana for weeks and I haven't experienced any bad luck. If anything, Shana draws all the bad luck to herself with Jessica constantly bullying her.

But even that wasn't Shana's fault. That was all Jessica's fault. It's Jessica's fault that Shana is lying in a hospital bed right now, unresponsive and hurting.

An hour passed as I delved deeper, trying to seek answers to the questions that haunted me. Uncertainty gnawed at my core. The same question kept repeating in my mind over and over.

Was I responsible for awakening something within Shana that she couldn't handle? Were her transformations a result of her training or something far more profound?

If this was all my fault--if Shana's current state was the cause of our training--I didn't know what I would do.

The thought made me sick to my stomach.

My research was interrupted by a phone call, jolting me from my contemplation. It was Shana's father, his voice laced with concern. "Lucas, I'm almost at the hospital. How is she?"

I took a deep breath, attempting to steady myself. "I believe she's still unconscious. The doctors are baffled. We're all waiting for answers. I went to take a break, but I'm heading back to her room now."

"Okay, okay. I hope she's okay. What am I going to do if she isn't okay? " Shana's father said the words in a hurry.

"She'll be okay," I said tersely, wanting to believe the words myself. "Shana's strong. She's a fighter. She'll make it out of this. We just have to wait and let her body rest and heal."

Her father reassured me that he would arrive soon, and we ended the call. I stood from my chair and made my return to Shana's room on the opposite side of the hospital.

When I got back into Shana's room, there was a solemn silence as I went to her side.

Sitting there, a sense of uncertainty lingered in the air, like a fog obscuring the path ahead. Questions swirled in my mind, each one more haunting than the last. Did Shana harbor secrets beyond her non-werewolf nature? Had I made a mistake by pushing her boundaries and encouraging her to train?

I gently squeezed Shana's hand, my voice barely above a whisper. "Stay strong, Shana. I'm here for you, no matter what. Together, we'll find a way through this."

The room remained hushed, the rhythmic beeping of monitors a steady reminder of Shana's fragile state. Determination burned within me. I vowed to uncover the truth, to find the answers that could save her and unravel the mysteries surrounding her existence.

In the face of uncertainty, I would be Shana's unwavering support.

We would figure all of this out and find all the answers.