Chapter 583

The waking world returned to me in tiny fragments. My eyes were still closed, my mind half awake, but I felt fingers intertwined in both of my hands on either side of me. I felt my fingers twitch, and both hands tightened on mine.

“Baby?” Rowan’s words were a soft siren call, pulling me from the depths of the darkness that held me. I felt the tendrils of blackness slowly slipping from my body as I swam to the surface of my conscience. “Baby? Are you there?”

I tried to talk. I’m here, I called out, but my mouth refused to move. I was still fighting the hold of exhaustion that ate away at the edges of my mind. I’m here, I tried again, but my body still refused to listen.

I kept fighting because I needed to reach Rowan, and my dad.

That thought was like a bomb going off in my mind. Everything came rushing back. The cave-in, my magic failing, Ry’s words, my dad’s last goodbye. I felt the burn behind my closed eyes as tears trailed down my cheeks.

“Baby?” Rowan’s fingers trailed over my face, wiping away my tears.

I felt my lips tremble and finally my words broke free. “My dad’s dead.” The sob that broke free from my chest held everything I couldn’t say. My eyelids fluttered open, and I saw Rowan’s face leaning close on my left. But I couldn’t look into his love-filled eyes when everything in my soul was crying out. I knew he would want to take that pain away, but it was something I needed to face because I was the reason he was dead.

I closed my eyes and turned away, but a soft tug at my right hand had my eyes peeking open. A haggard, blood-coated man stared back at me with golden eyes. “Who said I was dead, pup?” I leapt off the cot and dove into his arms.

“You’re alive?” I pulled away fast enough to catch the wince, and I jerked back. “How? Why aren’t you healing?” I looked around. “Why isn’t anyone healing?”

The doctor, who was a few cots away, stood up and wiped his face. “Wolfsbane. Everyone here has wolfsbane in their bloodstream, and we don’t have enough lupine extract to combat it.” He turned to face me. “Everyone will have to heal slowly if we can’t find more.” He looked down at my father, who started coughing, blood splattering his cheek. “And for some…that isn’t an option.”

I pushed up. “How much do we have left here?” I looked back down at my father, and I knew I was still on the clock.

The doctor nodded towards a cart of saline bags. “About twenty bags.” He sighed. “But we need almost triple or four times that to clear the wolfsbane out of everyone.”

I pushed off my father’s bed, and my vision wavered. Rowan’s arms caught me and steadied me. “How much do you need to clear the wolfsbane out of the ones that are critical?”

The doctor looked around. “I don’t know.”

I walked closer to him. “We don’t need their systems fully purged, just enough that their healing can kick in enough to save their lives.”

He spun in a circle. “I don’t know. It will be different for everyone.” He looked a little manic. “I, I, I don’t know.” He threw his hands up, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

“Where can we get the closest supply?” I looked between my father and the doctor. One of them would know.

The doctor sighed. “I tried to get more this morning. The council denied the request.” I snapped my head toward Rowan, and I watched his face darken. “They said that Silvermoon was eradicated years ago, and now trying to fill out an order for that pack is not only fraudulent, but anyone being on this land will be arrested, by order of the King.” The doctor cut a look at my mate. “They said they were heading here at the end of the call.”

“When was the call made?” Rowan’s voice was low, almost threatening.

The doctor pulled out his phone. “I made it three hours ago.”

Rowan nodded. “That means we have four hours tops until they are at our door.” He looked between the doctor and my dad. “I need you to prioritize Gavin. Get him close enough to heal most of his wounds. Put the others on one bag. That will give Amy and me enough time to get more.” He held out a hand to me. “Don’t let anyone die.”

The doctor nodded. “We will need the fresh bags within the hour.”

I nodded once. “Okay.” I got to my feet and looked at my father. “Stay alive.” He gave a tiny nod as I turned away. “Where is Ronnie?” The doctor pointed to another cot. Rowan and I headed that way. “Uncle Ronnie.” He jumped up from the bed and wrapped me in a big hug.

“You did it, pup. You saved him.” He pulled back with tears streaming down his face.

“Not yet. We need meds.” Ronnie nodded once and opened his mouth, but I stopped him. “I needed to talk to you.”

“Sure.” He settled back on top of his cot, and I joined him. “What’s up?”

“You are in charge until I get back or my dad improves enough.” He nodded again. “I need you to do one more thing for me.”

“Anything for you, ladybug.”

I smiled. “I need you to watch the pack and see if anyone is acting suspiciously.”

“Why?” He looked around the tent.

“Because someone doused the pack with wolfsbane. And to the world, you all are still dead. So it had to be someone in the pack that had access to the food or water.”

Ronnie looked surprised. “We would have noticed.”

I shrugged. “Not if it was hidden in something that covered the burn.” I stood and patted his shoulder. “No one is safe right now. We will be fast.” I walked away, looking back only once. Ronnie was still on his cot, looking a little lost.

“Is he okay?” Rowan looked back at where I was looking.

“I don’t know. But that’s something we will have to deal with later.”

“Betrayal cuts deep when it isn’t expected.”

I laughed. “I don’t think it counts as betrayal if it was expected.”