Chapter 47: He’s Awake

Orion’s groan sliced through the heavy silence of the medical facility, the sound rumbling low and rough.

The dim lantern light flickered over his cot, casting jagged shadows across the stone walls as Ronan, Tobias, and Lysander froze mid-conversation. Their breaths hitched, eyes locked on him, waiting and hoping for him to stir awake.

His broad chest heaved, a twitch running through his arm, and for a heartbeat, it felt like he’d wake up. But nothing happened. The moment passed, and their faces fell, sullen and tight, as they turned back to their hushed talk about Skylur fangs and the enclave’s betrayal.

Ronan opened his mouth to speak again, probably to drag the mood back from the edge, when Orion’s voice cut through again, gruff, disoriented. "Why the fuck are you all gathered here?" The words slurred out, raw and edged with pain, but they were his.

Ronan whipped around first, his face lighting up like a teenage girl spotting her crush. He lunged toward the cot, throwing his arms around Orion in a bear hug that made the alpha groan louder, a mix of annoyance and discomfort. "You’re awake, you bastard!" Ronan whooped, planting a sloppy kiss on Orion’s cheek.

Orion’s eyes fluttered open, those brownish hazel depths narrowing as he swatted weakly at Ronan. "What the hell’s wrong with you? Get off me!" His voice cracked.

Lysander chuckled, a sound that broke the tension, while Tobias raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall. Ronan pulled back, grinning like a fool, and turned to the others. "It’s not a dream, you two! He’s really awake!"

Lysander’s laugh deepened, and Tobias chimed in, his dry rasp cutting through. "Was the kiss and hug really necessary, Ronan? You’re acting like he’s a long-lost lover."

Ronan shot back, hands on his hips. "How else was I supposed to know he’s real and not some ghost? You try waking up after two days and see if you don’t get a proper welcome!"

Orion groaned again, trying to push himself up, but a sharp stab of pain made him collapse back, his face twisting.

Lysander was on him in an instant, hands gentle but firm as he pressed Orion down. "Relax, you stubborn mule. Let me check you." His fingers moved deftly, probing Orion’s pulse, inspecting the faded black veins, his eyes scanning for any sign of trouble.

"He’s alright," Lysander announced after a moment, stepping back with a nod. "Pulse is steady, venom’s receding. You’ll live..."

"He’s already living." Ronan pointed out and Lysander glared at him.

"Shut up, I know that. I’m saying he’s okay." Lysander said pointedly.

Orion grumbled, his voice a low rumble. "Why’re you all acting like I just woke up from the dead? I feel like shit, but I’m not a corpse."

Lysander’s expression hardened, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "You may as well have been. Two full days and you’ve been out cold. Trihydra venom doesn’t mess around. We thought we’d lost you."

The room settled into a tense quiet, the weight of those days pressing down. Then Lysander’s eyes narrowed, a storm brewing behind them. Ronan’s grin vanished, and he bolted from the cot, grabbing Tobias by the arm and dragging him to a corner like a kid dodging a scolding.

Orion, catching the shift, looked to Ronan for backup, but Ronan just shook his head, muttering, "You’re on your own, man."

Tobias turned away, pretending to inspect a shelf of herbs, leaving Orion to face the music alone.

Lysander loomed over the cot, his voice rising from a whisper to a sharp lecture. "Why the hell didn’t you tell us about that injury, Orion? You hid it, you don’t! Keeping it to yourself like some damn martyr!" His hands gestured wildly, his frustration boiling over. "You’re an alpha, not someone invincible. That venom spread because you didn’t let me treat it early, black veins eating you alive while you played tough guy. Stop this nonsense! You can ask for help, you know. Being alpha doesn’t make you a ghost that can shrug off death. It makes you the one who holds us together, and you can’t do that if you’re dead!"

Orion flinched, the words hitting harder than the pain in his side. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t snap back, the lecture sinking in. Lysander’s voice softened, but the edge remained. "I’ve seen too many die because of the lack of help and now we have the help you need but you keep on keeping things to yourself. You are not omnipotent, Orion. You can’t carry things on your own, Orion. Let us carry some of that weight. Next time, you tell me, or I swear I’ll tie you down and dose you with bitterroot until you beg for mercy."

The room held its breath again, the tension thick enough to cut. Ronan and Tobias exchanged a glance, the corner offering no escape from the raw truth spilling out. Orion’s groan had shifted the night, but Lysander’s words reshaped it, peeling back the alpha’s armor. The medical facility, with its clutter of herbs and the cot’s creak, felt smaller, the lantern’s light pooling around them like a spotlight on a stage.

Outside, the wind howled, but inside, the focus was on Orion. His collapse two days ago had left the pack reeling, Ronan stepping up in his place as leader since he was indisposed.

Lysander’s hands, steady from years of healing, trembled slightly as he recalled the sight, veins pulsing like they had a mind, a magic beyond his herbs.

Orion shifted, wincing, his voice rough. "Alright, alright. I get it. I just didn’t think it was that bad." He admitted.

Lysander’s eyes softened, but his tone stayed firm. "Bad doesn’t cover it. You’re lucky the venom burned out. Next time, you don’t decide what’s ’bad’, I do. Alpha or not, you’re human, Orion. Lean on us." He stepped back, giving Orion space, but the lecture lingered, a lesson etched in the air.

Ronan crept back, a sheepish grin on his face. "Since we are done with the lecture...can we move on? My best bud just came back so can we stop with the lectures? We should be celebrating instead."

Tobias snorted, rejoining them. "Um...you do know he’s my brother too?" Tobias asked him.

"We are all brothers but he’s my best friend even if I hate him." Ronan said.

Orion groaned. "Can we stop with the lies? I just came back from the dead."