(Elena's POV)
The Alpha power flooding the room became unbearable, pressing down on my chest like a physical weight. I couldn't breathe. Black spots danced in my vision as my face turned purple from the effort of drawing air into my burning lungs.
He's going to kill us! Gina whimpered inside me. The stories about Damien's violent episodes flashed through my mind – how he'd allegedly torn apart a guard during one of his frenzied awakenings. Was I about to become another casualty of the cursed heir's madness?
I tried to fight back, to summon any scrap of wolf strength I possessed. But I was an Omega, my powers centered on healing rather than combat. Against an Alpha heir's raw dominance, I might as well have been trying to stop a tsunami with my bare hands.
The edges of my vision grew dark. I'm sorry, Grandma, I thought as consciousness began to fade. I tried...
Then, as suddenly as it started, the crushing pressure vanished. Damien's eyes slid shut, his face returning to that deceptively peaceful mask of unconsciousness. I collapsed forward, gulping air into my starved lungs, my whole body trembling.
When I could finally move again, I scrambled off the bed and retreated to the small sofa in the corner, pulling my knees to my chest. Every shadow in the room seemed threatening now. How often would he wake like this? Would I survive the next time?
We can't stay here, Gina urged. He'll kill us.
But what choice did I have? Without Moon's Tears, Grandma would die. There had to be another way...
My healer's instincts returned to what I'd sensed before his awakening. The darkness in his blood hadn't felt like a curse at all, but rather like systematic poisoning. If I could prove this to Alani, maybe offer to help cure him... would she give me the herb without requiring an heir?
I spent the rest of the night huddled on that sofa, jumping at every small sound, watching the rise and fall of Damien's chest and praying he wouldn't wake again.
Dawn came too soon, bringing with it a sharp knock at the door. A petite blonde maid entered, her Stone Pack uniform pristinely pressed.
"Good morning, Lady," she said with a small curtsy. "I'm Rae. I'm here to assist you with Lord Damien's morning care."
I blinked at her. "Morning... care?"
"Yes, Lady. Lord Damien needs to be bathed and changed." She gestured to the basin of warm water she'd brought. "Lady Alani has assigned these duties to you, as his mate."
My mouth went dry. "Surely there are nurses..."
"Lady Alani was very specific." Rae's expression remained professionally neutral, but I sensed she wouldn't leave until the task was completed. "She feels it's important for mates to maintain... physical intimacy, even in these circumstances."
Heat flooded my cheeks. After last night's near-death experience, the thought of touching him again made my hands shake. But Rae showed no signs of leaving, and I needed to stay in Alani's good graces if I wanted that herb.
Taking a deep breath, I approached the bed like I was approaching a sleeping bear. My fingers trembled as I began unbuttoning his shirt, revealing inch after inch of perfectly sculpted muscle.
I forced myself to focus on the task clinically, as I would with any patient. But it was hard to ignore the power radiating from him, the way his skin seemed to burn against my fingers as I ran the damp cloth across his chest.
"The lower half needs cleaning too, Luna," Rae prompted when I hesitated.
I closed my eyes, steeling myself. Just pretend he's any other patient, I told myself, reaching for his pants.
A iron grip suddenly closed around my wrist.
My eyes flew open to meet Damien's very alert, very awake gaze. This time, there was no violent madness in those dark depths – only calculated intelligence and something that made my wolf want to bare her throat in submission.
He said softly. "Enjoying yourself?"
"No!" I jerked back so violently I nearly stumbled, my face burning hot enough to rival a fever. "Lady Alani just asked me to help clean you—"
"Did she?" Damien's voice was silky smooth, nothing like the savage growls from last night. His grip remained firm on my wrist, thumb pressing against my racing pulse. "And is that *all* you were trying to do... wife? No other interesting activities planned for your comatose husband?"
The knowing gleam in his dark eyes made my blood freeze in my veins. That wasn't the gaze of someone who'd just awakened. No, those eyes held memories – of Leo's midnight visit, of the herbs I'd burned, of my desperate attempt to...
Gina whimpered inside me. He knows. He was awake the whole time!
Before I could stammer out any defense, a high-pitched squeal pierced the air. Rae stood frozen by the door, hands clasped over her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
"Lord Damien!" She swayed on her feet, face pale with disbelief. "You're... you're awake! LADY ALANI! COME QUICKLY! IT'S A MIRACLE! THE HEIR HAS AWAKENED!"
The thundering of footsteps echoed through the halls. Moments later, Alani burst through the door with none of her usual grace, her silver hair flying wild around her face. She stopped dead at the sight of Damien sitting up in bed, his hand still wrapped around my wrist.
"My boy," she whispered, tears already streaming down her lined face. "After all this time..."
I tried to step back, to give them privacy, but Damien's grip tightened imperceptibly. Trapped, I watched Alani rush forward, her trembling hands reaching for her grandson's face.
"The Moon Goddess has answered our prayers," she sobbed, touching his cheek as if afraid he might disappear. "Three years... three long years we've waited..."
Damien remained perfectly still under her attention, his face a masterpiece of careful neutrality. But something in his stillness reminded me of a wolf sizing up its prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"This is all thanks to your new wife," Alani said suddenly, turning to me with such fierce joy that I flinched. "Elena, precious girl, come closer. The Moon Goddess truly blessed us when she brought you to our Damien."
I had no choice but to step forward, Damien's grip guiding me closer. His grandmother didn't seem to notice how his fingers were still locked around my wrist, or how my pulse fluttered like a trapped bird beneath his touch.
"How do you feel, darling?" Alani's hands fluttered anxiously over him. "Any pain? Dizziness?"
"My legs," Damien said, his voice roughened as if from disuse, though I was beginning to doubt everything about him. "They're completely numb. I can barely feel them."
The color drained from Alani's face. "DOCTOR!" she screamed, making me jump. "WE NEED THE PACK DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!"
The therapy session that followed was excruciating. I watched the pack's medical team grow increasingly flustered as they examined Damien's legs, their confusion obvious. Through it all, Damien maintained his act perfectly – wincing at the right moments, answering questions with just the right amount of confusion and concern.
"I... I can't determine the exact cause," the lead therapist finally admitted, sweat beading his brow. "The prolonged unconsciousness might be a factor, but these symptoms are unusual. If only Dr. Gregory were here..."
"Dr. Gregory?" Damien's voice carried a sharp note of interest that made my wolf's ears prick up.
Alani's face fell, aged lines deepening with old pain. "He left Stone Pack seven years ago." She turned to the therapist with sudden determination. "Show them his photograph. I want a reward posted immediately – one million dollars for information leading to his location."
The moment I saw the photo, my world tilted on its axis. The man in the image was younger, his hair darker and without gray, his posture prouder. But those kind eyes, that subtle, knowing smile...
Noah?
My mind reeled. My teacher, the simple healer who'd taken me under his wing in Silver Creek Pack, couldn't possibly be the legendary Dr. Gregory Stone. The most renowned healer in werewolf history, whose skills were sought after by every pack in the territory...
But then I remembered all the advanced techniques he'd taught me, far beyond what a small pack's healer should know. The way he'd warned me to hide my special healing abilities. The mysterious herbs he always seemed to have access to...
"Elena." Alani's voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. She was holding something that made my heart stop – the delicate, crystalline leaves of Moon's Tears herb, glowing faintly in the morning light.
"But..." I stared at her in disbelief, my free hand shaking as I reached for it. "The contract... I haven't... we haven't..."
"You've given me back my grandson," she said softly, pressing the precious herb into my palm. Her eyes shone with tears and gratitude. "Save your grandmother, child. You've more than earned this."
My fingers trembled around the precious herb, overwhelmed by Alani's unexpected generosity.
The weight of the Moon's Tears in my palm filled me with both gratitude and purpose. As I looked at Damien, my healer's instincts stirred, remembering what I'd sensed in his blood last night.
That toxin... Something about it nagged at my memory. The way it flowed through his system, how it had wrapped around his core - it felt strangely familiar, like a case study Noah had once shown me, or perhaps one of his advanced lessons. Though I couldn't pinpoint exactly what type of poison it was yet, my healer's intuition told me I could help him.
With regular treatments, I thought. A year, maybe less with my special healing abilities...
I opened my mouth, ready to share my discovery with Alani and Damien, but his cold voice cut through the air before I could speak:
"I want to end the marriage."