Chapter 600: When the Past Refuses to Stay Buried

Chapter 599: When the Past Refuses to Stay Buried

Sophia’s eyes widened.

For a moment, her mind refused to catch up with what she was seeing.

She helped to cushion his fall, but she still couldn’t process what had just happened.

"Orion!"

Her voice came out sharper than she expected.

Her hands moved quickly—one at his shoulder, the other brushing against his face.

He was burning up too. She wasn’t an expert when it came to this, but she knew his temperature was beyond the normal range.

"What...?"

Her fingers hovered for a second before pressing more firmly against his cheek, as though confirming it would somehow change the truth.

It didn’t.

Her heart began to pound.

"Fuck!" she muttered.

She tried to think of any reason why he would collapse. Maybe this was similar to that time he had been bitten by a Trihydra, but then there had been no attack recently. He hadn’t fought anyone, and she also knew that there was no injury on his body.

It didn’t make sense.

Her hands shook as different thoughts went through her mind. Could it be poison? she asked herself.

Then she shook her head. If it was, then she doubted his chest would still be rising and falling. He was breathing steadily. Except for the fever, everything was okay—or at least she hoped so.

She took a deep breath that did nothing to calm her nerves down and stood up. Rather than contemplating what was wrong, it would be easier to just get help to move him so they could take him to the medical facility.

Everyone was focused on the celebration, so they were at the square, and she and Orion had chosen a secluded part to speak. She turned around, searching for anyone at all, but there wasn’t. Not one person passed by.

She had to go back to the square to get help.

"I... I’ll be right back," she said to Orion, not that he could hear her.

Her legs felt unsteady for half a second—but she didn’t allow herself to hesitate.

She turned and ran.

The sound of the celebration grew louder with each step.

The sound of drums, laughter, people singing, and talking over each other.

Ronan had been walking at a slower pace, hands tucked loosely behind his head as he strolled beside Annabeth.

He had decided to leave the square so he could speak better with her.

"This is better," he said casually. "Less noise. Easier to actually talk."

Annabeth glanced at him, still not entirely used to his presence beside her.

"What exactly is there to talk about?" she asked him.

Ronan smiled at her. "My awesomeness."

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond when someone ran past them.

Ronan paused, his hands now at his side.

"Was that..."

"My sister-in-law?" Ronan asked. "Yes."

He didn’t hesitate.

"Sophia!" he called out.

Sophia stopped immediately and turned back, her eyes wide with relief as she approached him.

"Ronan—"

Her words stumbled over themselves as she reached him, breath uneven.

"I need— I need—Orion—he—help—"

"What’s wrong?" Ronan asked, already alert.

"Orion—"

Her voice broke slightly.

She pointed back toward the path she had come from.

"He—he collapsed."

Immediately she said those words, Ronan moved.

He started running towards the path she pointed. Sophia and Annabeth followed behind him.

The moment Ronan saw Orion lying in the snow, he picked up his pace. His pulse quickened as he reached him.

"Orion."

He dropped to a crouch beside him, his expression tightening as he reached out, pressing a hand against Orion’s forehead.

His jaw clenched.

"...He’s burning up."

"I know," Sophia said quickly. "I don’t understand—he was fine—we were just talking and then he held his head and—"

Her words rushed out, uneven.

"I don’t know what happened, Ronan. There were no injuries, nothing happened—he just—"

"Hey."

Ronan’s voice cut through her panic.

"Sis, I need you to breathe," he said softly.

Sophia forced herself to breathe as Ronan instructed.

"I’ll take him to the medical facility," Ronan told her.

He slipped an arm under Orion’s shoulders, then he lifted him onto his back.

Orion didn’t stir.

That alone made something in Ronan’s chest tighten.

"...It’s probably exhaustion," Ronan added, though the words felt thin even to him.

Sophia nodded quickly.

"Yeah," she said. "Maybe."

But her eyes didn’t match her words.

Neither did his.

Snow crunched sharply beneath their feet as Ronan moved without slowing.

Sophia stayed close.

Annabeth just behind them as they made their way to the medical facility.

Ronan didn’t even bother knocking when they reached. He just pushed the door open.

"We need help!" he announced.

—

For all the panic going on, Orion had no idea. He was in a different place. He noticed it wasn’t the pack. He had been speaking to Sophia when he realized he had met her before—hence why her eyes had looked so familiar when he first met her.

The pain in his head was a dull throb.

And he watched, standing still, taking in where he was.

He knew where he was too.

It was a place he couldn’t forget.

He had sneaked in when he was younger.

As if he had summoned the memory, he watched a young boy sneak into the garden where he was.

The boy wasn’t alone. He was with his friends, and they were all quiet.

Orion’s gaze locked on the boy who was the leader.

He knew those eyes. He knew the hair colour.

He was staring at his younger self before the attack by the enclave on his pack.

He watched as he told his friends to split up. Brynhild still had her sight then, and Raina was with them. Ronan too, because Ronan was always involved. He didn’t like to skip out on a good mission. He had been the first Orion had told too.

They split up, and Orion went a different way as his friends did.

Orion watched his younger self pick herbs without thinking and watched as he slipped and fell face flat on the ground.

He groaned but paused when he heard a light chuckle—one he had come to love.

And he watched as his younger self locked eyes with blue eyes he saw every day...Sophia.