"...Still, you knew she couldn't take it, and you let him put her through it."
"I just wanted—"
The voices are distant and familiar, but I can make out each individual word, and it's almost like I can feel the emotions behind them.
One sounds pained...the other sounds guilty...or indifferent, I can't exactly pinpoint.
"You wanted what? To know if a human is capable of bringing Goldencrest down?"
Silence stretches between the voices, thick and tense.
"Don't get too comfortable, Cass," the male voice says, cold and cutting. "I'm still your prince."
A scoff follows.
My eyelids flutter open, heavy and reluctant. The light overhead stings my eyes, and I wince. Everything aches—every muscle, every joint, even my bones feel sore.
Shivers rack my body as if I'm lying on ice, but I'm too weak to move.
When my vision clears, I see Caspian towering over Cassidy, glaring down at her.
Cassidy is holding my hand, her grip firm, defiant as she stares back at him with unyielding determination.
Their words hit me in fragments, but their tension is thick in the air.
I try to speak, but my throat is scratchy and dry. "Water," I croak, the word barely audible.
Both of them whirl toward me as if forgetting their argument the moment I utter the word.
Cassidy throws herself on me with a gasp. "You're finally awake!" she exclaims, her voice shrill with relief. The sound pierces my skull, and I wince again. She pulls back instantly, her expression shifting to guilt. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
I shake my head slightly, though the motion sends a dull throb through my temples.
"I'll get you water," she says quickly, already moving. "Hold on for me, and please don't close your eyes again."
She rushes out, leaving me alone with Caspian.
He stands there, awkwardly leaning against the wall, his hands tucked into his pockets. His sharp gaze flickers over me, bare and bored. For a long moment, he doesn't speak.
Then, finally, he breaks the silence. "Why didn't you speak up? Why didn't you tell anyone that the workload was too much for you?" His voice isn't harsh or accusing like I expect. Instead, it's low, almost...tender.
I muster a weak reply. "Because it wasn't."
He scoffs, shaking his head. "You've been out cold for three days, Delilah. You have a fever and three torn muscles." His gaze sharpens as he leans back against the wall. "It clearly was."
I want to roll my eyes, but even the thought of moving sends an explosive pain through my skull. I let out a small hiss, and his brows crease in concern.
"The council has made a decision," he says after a beat.
I rasp a chuckle, though it comes out broken and dry. "Let me guess—they're going to execute me anyway?"
"They never thought you were capable of helping the rogues breach the fence," he replies evenly. "They just wanted to be sure. To not judge a book by its cover."
Great...so they admit that I'm too weak to break the hedge.
I raise a brow at him...or at least, I think I do. "Really." My voice drips with sarcasm.
"And don't worry," he continues, ignoring my tone. "Ethan will be out of your hair for a while. He's...overly cautious about rogues, but he now understands that you're not really one."
"Encouraging," I mutter dryly.
The door swings open, and Cassidy hurries in, a glass of water clutched in her hands. She hands it to me with a bright smile. "Here, drink this. Slowly, though. You don't want to choke."
I gulp it down greedily, ignoring her warning. The cool liquid soothes my throat, but as I gobble it down, it goes the wrong way and I begin to choke.
The water burns as it goes down the wrong way, and I cough violently. The intensity of it sends sharp jolts of pain to my head.
"Lilah! Oh my God, I told you to slow down!" Cassidy panics, hovering uselessly. She gives me light pats on my chest, but it does nothing to soothe the pain or the coughs.
She gives up, making to call the doctor until Caspian strides over, in quick steps. He seems to cross the room in two steps.
He pats my back, hard and firm, three times. The coughing subsides, and I'm finally able to breathe again.
Cassidy mumbles a "thank you," then pointedly pulls his lingering hand away from my back.
He straightens, his usual composed demeanor sliding back into place. He glances at me briefly before making his way to the door. "Your duties will be revised," he says over his shoulder. "We'll come up with something before the week ends."
And with that, he strolls out the door. The room seems bigger now with him gone, and it feels pointedly easier to draw in breaths without his scent, though I can still perceive fragments of him in the air.
Cassidy huffs, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "I gave Ethan a piece of my mind," she says, tilling her nose sassily in the air.
I shake my head faintly. "Don't blame him. He didn't know—"
"I don't care what he did or didn't know!" she snaps, her face flushing with anger. "He's a pompous, overzealous dumb twat, and he deserves to be knocked down a peg."
Her words catch me off guard, and a laugh bubbles out of me before I can stop it. It's weak and raspy, but it's genuine.
I've never seen her this upset. And it's funny that she would be upset at the one man that rules her thoughts.
Her eyes soften as she looks at me. "You scared me, you know," she says quietly, her voice trembling. "When you didn't wake up for three days...I thought—" She cuts herself off, shaking her head as tears well in her eyes. "I thought I you weren't going to...ever."
My throat tightens, but this time, it's not from dryness. "I'm okay, I'm not that fragile," I whisper, though I don't feel okay. My body aches, my mind is weary, and I'm so tired of always having to prove myself.
"Why didn't you tell anyone the work was too much for you?" she sounds like she's scolding, and I almost feel scolded.
I hesitate, then let out a shaky breath. "Because I can't afford to be seen as weak here. Not in Goldencrest."
Her brows knit together. "Why? Lilah, no one here would—"
"They would," I cut her off. My voice is firmer now, though it cracks under the weight of my emotions. "I know what it's like to be looked down on. To be bullied. To be treated like nothing because you can't measure up."
She stares at me, her mouth slightly open in shock.
I swallow hard, the memories rushing back, unbidden. "In Moonhaven, I was the pack's punching bag. I was too weak to fight back, too human to be worth anything. And then—" My voice catches, but I push through. "Then my mate rejected me. He looked me in the eyes and said I wasn't good enough for him."
She gasps, her hands flying to her mouth.
"It's why I left," I admit, my voice trembling. "It's why I ran away. I couldn't stay there, not after—" I break off, shaking my head.
Her eyes glisten with tears, and she leans forward, gripping my hand tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispers. "I can't believe anyone could do that to you."
I shrug weakly, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. "Maybe it's because I don't have a wolf," I muse. "Maybe that's why the bond didn't hurt me as much as it should have."
She shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "It doesn't matter," she says fiercely. "You deserve so much more than what they gave you. And as for Ethan—he's an idiot. A pompous, dumb twat," she repeats with conviction.
I laugh again, softer this time. "Don't be too hard on him," I tell her. Though I know she'd probably forget her anger with him the next time she sees him.
Love works in mysterious ways...or so they say.
The door opens, and a doctor steps in, his expression stern. "Visiting hours are over," he announces.
Cassidy sighs but leans forward, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Get some rest, okay?"
I nod, tears prickling my eyes. As she leaves, a warmth fills my chest. For the first time in a long time, I've found a real friend.