Maria.

The very moment Galen saw me, she severed the mind link without hesitation. One second her presence brushed against my thoughts, and the next it was gone, cut cleanly, almost too abruptly. She didn’t look away or pretend nothing had happened. Instead, she lifted her head and looked straight at me, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made it impossible to read what she was thinking.

I was certain she was already rehearsing answers in her head, preparing explanations for whatever questions she assumed I would ask. I could almost see it written on her face, the careful calculations, the guarded expressions, the quiet readiness to defend herself if necessary. But to her surprise, and even to mine, no questions came.

I didn’t have the strength for it.

Without saying a word, I turned away from her and walked toward my bed. Every step felt heavier than the last, as though my body was fighting me, resisting even this small effort. When I finally reached the bed, I lowered myself onto it slowly and lay down, staring blankly at the ceiling. The room was quiet, thick with unspoken words, but I didn’t break the silence.

I was far too weak to entertain any form of drama.

My head throbbed relentlessly, a deep, pounding ache that refused to ease no matter how still I lay. It felt as though something inside my skull was being struck over and over again, each beat worse than the last. Thinking requires too much effort. Talking was out of the question. In that moment, there was only one thing my body demanded, one thing it was capable of doing.

Sleep.

I let my eyes close, surrendering to the exhaustion dragging me under. The world faded quickly, the pain blurring as darkness wrapped around me.

I didn’t know how long I slept, minutes or hours, but it couldn’t have been very long when a sudden chill pulled me back toward consciousness. Something cool and damp rested against my forehead. I stirred slightly, a faint groan slipping past my lips as I shifted my head against the pillow.

Slowly, painfully, I forced my eyes open.

They burned immediately, hot and heavy, as if they had been weighed down by lead. Blinking felt like too much work, and I could barely keep them open. My vision was blurry at first, shadows and shapes swimming together until they gradually sharpened.

Galen stood beside my bed.

She was staring down at me, her face drawn tight with worry. The usual calm she carried so easily was nowhere to be found. Instead, concern was etched across her features, deep and unmistakable.

"Maria," she said softly, relief flooding her voice the moment she realized I was awake. "You’re finally awake."

She moved closer, her hand reaching out to turn the towel, pressing the cooler side gently against my forehead again. Her touch was careful, almost afraid she might hurt me if she wasn’t gentle enough.

"You scared me," she continued, her voice quieter now, edged with guilt. "You suddenly started shaking. What happened to you?"

I lifted a weak hand and touched my neck. The heat radiating from my skin startled me, even through my own fingers. I was burning up, far hotter than I should have been. My breath came out uneven as the realization settled in.

Damn you, Davian.

I cursed under my breath, the name tasting bitter on my tongue. This was definitely his doing. The memory of the cold water he had poured over me surfaced instantly, sharp and unwelcome. My body had already been pushed too far, and that had been the final blow.

My wolf was far too weak to initiate any healing process. Normally, she would have taken over by now, repairing the damage before it ever reached this point. But she was drained, barely present, unable to respond when I needed her most.

And now my body had to suffer for it.

The fever raging through me was the price I was paying, a cruel reminder of how fragile I truly was without her strength to lean on. My body burned from the inside out, heat pooling beneath my skin while chills chased each other down my spine. It felt like my own blood had turned against me, leaving me weak, trembling, and painfully aware of every shallow breath I took.

I closed my eyes again, unable to keep them open any longer. Exhaustion pressed down on me like a crushing weight, heavy and suffocating, dragging me deeper into it no matter how hard I tried to resist. Even breathing felt like effort now. I didn’t have the strength to speak, to explain, or even to think clearly.

Galen stayed by my side.

I could sense her there even without looking, her presence steady and unyielding. The room was quiet, but the silence wasn’t empty. It was filled with her worry, thick, tense, and unspoken, hanging in the air where my voice should have been. I no longer had the energy to break it.

"Maria," Galen said again.

Her voice cut through the haze, sharper this time, threaded with urgency that made my chest tighten. "What exactly happened?"

I tried to answer, but the words refused to come. I hesitated, my lips parting only slightly before closing again. The silence stretched on, growing heavier with each passing second, until it felt louder than any scream.

Galen’s eyes narrowed as she watched me. She stepped closer, her gaze sweeping over me carefully, clinically, as if she were trying to read the truth written across my skin. I felt exposed under her scrutiny, small and defenseless.

Finally, she sighed and shook her head slowly, the sound filled with concern and something dangerously close to fear.

"Your back has a lot of scars," she continued, her tone turning grim. "Some of them had reopened. I had to carefully stitch them up with the help of my wolf." She looked at me more seriously then, the softness in her expression fading into something close to fear. "You need to go see the pack’s healer. This isn’t something to ignore. You could be having internal bleeding without even knowing it."

Her words settled heavily in the air.

"Your wolf isn’t responding," she added quietly. "She should have healed you by now."

I froze.

I hadn’t thought about that, not really. I had been too focused on pushing through the pain, on surviving one moment at a time, to consider what it might actually mean. But now the thought crept in, cold and unwelcome, wrapping around my chest and tightening with every breath.

Internal bleeding.

The realization sent a shiver racing down my spine, and my stomach twisted painfully. My thoughts spiraled out of control, tumbling over one another.

If I really had internal bleeding... does that mean I could die?

The question echoed in my head, loud and relentless. I swallowed hard, suddenly acutely aware of every ache, every weakness in my body. My heart pounded as if it were trying to escape my chest, and for a moment, I felt dizzy, unsteady, like the ground beneath me might give way.

I was still lost in my thoughts, my mind battling itself, when a sharp knock sounded at the door.

The sound jolted me back to reality.

Galen stiffened beside me and turned toward the door, her movements tense. She walked over and pulled it open, her expression already guarded.

"Is Rogue 456 in the room?" a voice asked from the other side.

My breath caught.

"Yes, she is," Galen replied quickly. "Is there a problem?"

The person didn’t hesitate. "She is being summoned by Alpha Aidan. He asks her to report to his room immediately."

There was no explanation. No room for questions.

Before Galen could say anything else, the messenger turned and walked away, their footsteps fading down the hallway.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Galen whirled around, her face flushed with anger. "You are not going anywhere, Maria," she snapped. "You are sick. And your health comes first."

Her voice echoed in the room, filled with frustration and helpless rage.

Seeing her react like this, seeing someone actually stand up for me, did something to me. Something inside my chest cracked open. I tried to hold it back, but I couldn’t.

The tears came anyway.

They spilled freely down my cheeks, hot and unstoppable. I didn’t bother wiping them away. I didn’t even try to hide them. I had never learned how.

I had never been someone’s priority.

Never in my life had I been put first. I had never received love so openly, never been cared for so fiercely. Pain, neglect, and obedience had always come before my own needs. That was all I knew.

So standing there, watching Galen defend me without hesitation, felt overwhelming, almost unbearable.

But reality was cruel, and it didn’t bend for feelings.

No matter how strongly Galen reacted, no matter how much she wanted to protect me, the truth remained the same. We were both powerless in this situation.

When an Alpha summoned you, there was no refusal.

There was no delay.

And no matter how afraid I was, no matter how weak my body felt, it was only wise to obey when you were being called.

I wiped my tears slowly, forcing myself to breathe, even as fear coiled tightly in my chest.

Because whether I was ready or not, Alpha Aidan was waiting.

And I had no choice but to go.