Chapter 22

Mira

I woke up feeling cold.

It was like a weighted blanket had been draped over my back, and then suddenly it was stripped away from me.

A shiver ran through me, and I curled in on myself wishing I could return to the safety of sleep.

Judging from the light at the curtains, the sun was just beginning to rise on a new day, a day that could turn me into a criminal.

I turned to see Dominic on the other side of the best, facing away from me.

The sudden urge to curl up next to him swept over me, surprising me. I shook off the feeling, knowing that cuddling in bed was definitely not part of our contract agreement.

An agreement that could be ending today.

Today was the day.

Knowing I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, I carefully slid out of bed trying not to ruffle the sheets and disturb Dominic.

I looked over my desk, the small bottles catching early morning light. I knew I was close to solving the problem in my head, and coming up with a salve that would heal and protect against whatever poison had caused Gareth’s ailment.

I stared for a while, going through a mental checklist of plant properties and combinations. There was something I was missing, and it was just on the edges of my awareness.

I stood up and reached for my running clothes, feeling the need to get out of the room and into the woods. It had been many days since I’d gone for a run, and maybe while in the woods the final solution would reveal itself to me.

The clock told me that I had a few hours before the council would begin the voting process. It might just be enough time to accomplish everything I needed.

I wrote a brief note to Dominic telling him that I would see him at the meeting. I knew he would want to be early and didn’t want him to worry about finding me.

And, truthfully, I didn’t want to be there to watch too many people vote against me.

I gathered some supplies into a small belt bag, laced up my sneakers and was off.

I let myself run aimlessly for a while, trying to tune out the noise in my head and dissociate from my uncertain reality.

The sun rose slowly, peeking through the trees and illuminating the dew drops like crystals on the forest floor. I could only hope that I had more mornings like this in my future, and wouldn't be waking up in a cell anytime soon.

My body told me to pause and catch my breath. It was only once I had stopped that I realized I was almost exactly in the spot where I had first met Dominic. Looking around me, I noticed a disturbed area of undergrowth where his hulking body had fallen when his injuries overtook him.

I touched the ground, as if I could once again touch and heal his bleeding body. Maybe I could summon up some of the energy I’d had that night to face today, instead of the fear that was threatening to take over my body.

Funny, it was hardly a week ago that I’d found him, and yet it seemed like a different lifetime. And by the end of today, I would either spend the rest of this lifetime by his side, or I might never see him again.

My heart took an irregular beat as I thought about him. I had once feared being close to him, feared what it would mean to even pretend to be his Mate. I just wanted to be in charge of my own life.

And now I wanted… him.

I had to close my eyes as the realization rushed through me, and behind my eyelids I saw him as I saw him in my dream: dark, handsome, powerful, and protective.

Instinctively I brought my fingers to my lips, feeling them tingle as they remembered the way it felt when he kissed me.

I shook off this daydream and realized my lips were still tingling.

Looking at my hand, I noticed a bit of redness from where I touched the ground. I was confused, since it wasn’t that cold out and I hadn’t banged into anything that would cause swelling.

And then I smelled it.

And a lightbulb turned on in my brain.

The missing ingredient was right in front of me, growing peacefully in the forest where I met my fate.

“Stinging nettles.”

I could save my patients, and save myself too.

Dominic

The last person I wanted to see this morning was waiting for me in my office.

Irene.

“Did you sleep well, dear?” she said without kindness.

“Fine,” I responded. “And there is no need to infantilize me, Irene.”

She seemed affronted, but I went on.

“Is there something you want? This is not exactly a casual day for me, or any of us.”

“Of course,” she sat down without being asked. “What a mess that doctor has caused, continuously. I am so sorry if she led you astray, thinking you could trust her.”

I said nothing, feeling the muscles in my jaw tighten.

“But women can be fickle,” my step-mother continued, “and we never know how members of another Pack may act.”

“Do you have a point to make, Irene?”

“Just that you shouldn't feel ashamed for making a mistake,” she cooed. “Mira is beautiful, and seems so intelligent, and none of us could really know what malice she was hiding.”

“Mira has no malice in her, it is against her nature.”

“So it would seem!” Irene said with fake sincerity. “But perhaps this whole mess can teach you something, about trust, and loyalty. And choosing a Luna who fits in with the Pack.”

I didn’t like where this was going.

“Lila, for instance,” she offered, “has always harbored affection for you. Such a sweet girl, like another daughter to me. And training to be a doctor, since you seem so interested in providing for the Pack in that way.”

She was grinning now, thinking she was winning.

“Need I remind you,” I said slowly, “that Lila is on leave from the hospital because of her mistakes while assisting Mira?”

“Oh, that was blown totally out of proportion—“

“A man could’ve died!” I bellowed at her.

“And sometimes we learn most from our gravest mistakes!” she answered.

I decided not to dignify her delusions with an answer. I began organizing random papers on my desk, hoping she would take the hint and leave.

“You must think of the Pack, Dominic,” Irene’s voice was maternal now. “Choose a Luna who knows us, knows you— your strengths and your weaknesses.”

“Thank you for your concerns, Irene, but I am fine with my choice.”

“Well I wouldn’t want you to regret that choice,” she said coolly, “if something were to happen to you again.”

My ears perked up at that. My wolf stirred inside me.

“It may seem like a secret,” she went on, “but your condition does’t only affect you. If you were to have an episode and escape again, you’d want the right Luna to look after and protect you.”

I met her eyes. They were like grey stones, not admitting any light to shine in them.

What does she know?

Something about her words didn’t sit right with me. But I couldn’t exactly accuse her of something I didn’t yet understand.

“I appreciate your concern, step-mother,” I said in a low voice. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

“Of course, son. I will see you at the meeting.”

She stood calmly, and walked out with a straight spine.

I stared at the door she’d gone out for a while, wondering about that night I woke in the woods, injured beyond comprehension.

“Sir?”

I looked up to see Lucas in the doorway.

“It’s time for the meeting.”