Chapter 2

Rainey's POV

Three days in hell.

Every second dragged on forever while the wolfsbane kept doing its brutal work. My wolf's howls faded to whimpers, then to nothing at all. Sometimes I wondered if she'd already left me behind.

The medical room became my prison. I burned from the inside out.

Mason showed up sometimes.

He'd sit by my bed for a few minutes, hold my hand, tell me the scouts were still out there looking. Then he'd leave and I'd hear his footsteps heading toward the recovery room where Yvonne was resting, completely fine now.

"Any news?" I managed to whisper during one of his visits.

"Not yet." He wouldn't look at me. "But they're searching. They'll find it."

On the second night, I heard voices outside my door.

"Alpha spends more time with that omega than his own mate," someone muttered.

"Can you blame him? Luna's barely hanging on. It's painful to watch."

"Still, she's his fated mate though."

"Was his fated mate, you mean. If she dies..."

I closed my eyes and let their words wash over me.

The third day brought Dr. Morrison and two nurses I didn't recognize. Their faces told me everything before they even opened their mouths.

"Luna," Dr. Morrison's voice had that gentle tone. "Your vitals are declining rapidly. If we don't find more Moonflower by tonight..."

He trailed off because we both knew how that sentence ended.

"I understand," I whispered.

You're giving up on us too, my wolf said weakly.

I wasn't giving up, not exactly. But I was so tired of fighting this alone, so unbearably exhausted that even breathing felt like too much effort.

Night came and the room went dark except for the monitor lights. Each breath got harder than the one before. My wolf's presence kept flickering in and out, weaker every time.

Hold on, I told her. Please, just a little longer.

But I didn't even know what I was holding on for anymore.

Dawn broke with the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

They weren't Mason's.

The door opened and I saw a tall figure outlined against the morning light. He was holding something.

"Professor Stewart."

That voice crashed through my foggy brain and dragged up memories I'd almost forgotten. Young, concerned, achingly familiar.

I forced my eyes to focus properly. A young alpha stood next to my bed with these intense gray eyes that were full of worry.

"You are...?" My voice barely worked.

"Griffin." He knelt down beside the bed so we were eye to eye. "Three years ago. Advanced Tactical Training. You probably don't remember me."

But I did remember. The pieces started falling into place slowly. A brilliant student who never stopped asking questions, who pushed himself harder than anyone else.

"I remember you," I managed to say.

Relief flooded across his face. He held up the glowing vial. "I brought Moonflower. Let me help you."

"How did you even get this?"

"My father sent me." His jaw went tight. "When we heard BirchCreek's Luna was dying because her mate couldn't find the antidote."

I caught the edge in his voice, the unspoken criticism.

Griffin moved fast and efficient, preparing the injection himself instead of waiting for Dr. Morrison. His hands stayed steady as he found the vein in my arm.

"This is going to hurt at first," he warned me. "The antidote has to fight the wolfsbane. But then it gets better, I promise."

The needle went in and fire followed the liquid straight into my bloodstream. Worse than the poison itself. I bit down hard to keep from screaming.

Griffin grabbed my hand and squeezed. "Breathe through it, Professor. You're strong enough for this."

Strong. But this time the word didn't feel like an insult or an excuse.

Slowly, impossibly, the burning started to ease up. The crushing weight on my lungs lifted. My wolf stirred and her presence got stronger in my mind.

We're alive, she whispered, sounding amazed. We're actually going to live.

Tears ran down the sides of my face, but not from pain this time. From pure relief that maybe I wasn't going to die after all.

"Thank you," I breathed out. "Griffin, I don't know how to—"

"You don't need to thank me." His thumb brushed across my knuckles. "You taught me that real strength isn't about power. It's about knowing when someone needs help and actually doing something about it."

Dr. Morrison burst through the door with his eyes huge with shock. He started checking my vitals immediately and his expression went from disbelief to careful hope.

Then his face fell and my stomach dropped with it.

"Luna." He put down his stethoscope carefully, "The antidote saved your life. But..."

"But what?" I already knew this wasn't going to be good news.

"Your wolf took too much damage. The wolfsbane was in your system too long." He met my eyes. "She'll survive, but she won't ever be as strong as before. The damage is permanent."

My wolf whimpered and I felt the truth of it deep in my bones. Where she used to be this powerful presence ready to surge forward whenever I needed her, now she felt diminished. Like someone had turned down her volume and I'd never get it back.

"How weak are we talking?"

Dr. Morrison hesitated. "You'll still be able to shift. But your strength, your speed, your endurance, all of it will be significantly reduced. You'll be vulnerable in ways you never were before."

Griffin's hand tightened around mine. "You're alive, Professor. That's what matters."

Was it though? I'd built everything I was on being strong, on being an alpha who could lead and fight and protect. Now I was what exactly?

---

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again, I could hear voices coming from the hallway. Mason's voice, sharp. And Griffin's, cool and measured.

"Why would you even have Moonflower?" Mason demanded. "That's one of the rarest medicinal herbs that exists."

"My father keeps a supply for emergencies." Griffin sounded detached. "When he heard BirchCreek's Luna was dying and her mate couldn't find the cure, he sent me with it."

There was a pause and I could practically see Mason's jaw clenching the way it did when someone challenged him.

"I appreciate the gesture," Mason said, the words coming out stiff and forced. "I'll make sure to thank His Majesty personally."

"Will you though?" Something shifted in Griffin's tone, got sharper. "Will you thank him for saving your mate's life when you couldn't? When you chose to save someone else first?"

"You don't understand the situation."

"I understand it perfectly." Griffin's voice dropped but I could still hear every single word. "I understand you had one dose of antidote and two poisoned wolves. I understand you chose the omega over your fated mate. I understand Luna Rainey almost died because you decided she was strong enough to wait."

"She is strong. She's an alpha."

"Being strong doesn't mean she should have to suffer because of the choices you made."

The silence after that felt crushing, like all the air had been sucked out of the hallway.

"I did what I thought was right," Mason said finally, but even from here I could hear how defensive he sounded.

"Did you?" Griffin's footsteps moved toward the door. "Or did you just do what was easiest for you?"

I heard him stop in the doorway and when he spoke again, his voice went soft.

"Take care, Professor."

The door closed. Mason's footsteps went in the opposite direction.

I stared up at the ceiling while Griffin's words kept replaying in my head.

Did you just do what was easiest for you?