His tears had soaked into my hair as he rocked me gently,
“You’re all I have left,” he’d whispered, his voice raw, “If something happens to you, I don’t know how I’ll go on living. I’d be all alone in the world.”
Those tearful, loving eyes gradually transformed in my mind, morphing, into that cold, disgusted glare from later years. The brother who’d once sworn to protect me had become someone who couldn’t bear the sight of me.
His final words to me replayed in an endless loop,
“Why don’t you just die?”
Brother, I’m dying now. Are you happy? Will this finally free you from the burden I’ve become?
But wait–why does it seem like my brother is crying? That can’t be right.
I felt as if I were dreaming, like my soul had detached from my body and was floating somewhere near the ceiling. The scene below seemed both vivid and distant, like watching a movie about strangers.
I could see myself lying on the hospital bed, deathly pale, tubes and wires connecting me to machines that beeped with decreasing regularity. My brother sat beside me, clutching my limp hand, his shoulders shaking with sobs that seemed to tear through his entire body.
“The patient’s condition is extremely critical,” the Pack healer was saying, her face grim as she checked my vitals. “The silver has reached her heart. We’re doing everything we can to save her, but her survival now depends entirely on her will to live. I must warn you–even if she survives, there’s a high probability of brain death.”
My brother’s expression was blank with shock, as though he couldn’t comprehend her words. “There’s nothing more you can do? How is this possible?” His voice cracked. “She just turned eighteen! She’s still a pup! How could she die?”
15e pounded his fist against the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster. “She’s strong! She’s a fighter! There must be something–anything–you can do!”
The healer’s face softened with sympathy “I understand your distress, Alpha. But you need to understand her condition. Although the silver dagger didn’t penetrate deeply, the patient has suffered years of permanent damage from the rehabilitation center. The silver they administered has accumulated in her system She’s lost her wolf completely, which means she has no self–healing abilities whatsoever. She’s a vulnerable Omega now, perhaps the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen. This level of injury is enough to kill her. We’ve done everything medically possible.”
“No, that’s impossible!” my brother shouted, his voice breaking, as tears streamed down his face. “This is my fault. All my fault. I did this to
+25 Bonus
her.”
He collapsed into the chair beside my bed, burying his face in his hands. “Skye, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please don’t leave me. Not like this.”
The door opened, and Selene slipped into the room, her face a perfect mask of concern. She placed her hand on my brother’s trembling shoulder.
“Ethan, don’t be sad,” she said, her voice honey–sweet as she took his hand and placed it on her stomach. “This was her choice, not your fault. You still have me and the baby. We’ll be your family now.”
My brother looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, his grief momentarily interrupted by confusion. He pulled his hand away from her stomach. “Wasn’t your stomach hurting? Why did you come here when you should be resting?”
Something flickered in Selene’s eyes–a brief flash of calculation before her expression softened again.
“I heard what happened to her, and I was worried about you.” She lowered her voice to a sympathetic whisper. “Skye is so thoughtless–you only scolded her a little, and she went and did something this drastic. She’s always been unstable, Ethan. You’ve done everything you could.”
Selene’s words seemed to hang in the air between them. She tried to continue stirring up more trouble, but my brother’s expression suddenly hardened.
“Eth
“Ethan, you’re not angry with me, are you?” Selene’s voice took on a defensive edge. “I was just trying to comfort her earlier. She accused me of taking her necklace and attacked me. I had no idea she would try to kill herself. How could I have known?”
“You really didn’t take the necklace?” he asked quietly, his voice dangerously low. “Are you absolutely certain about that, Selene?”
The monitor tracking my heartbeat skipped and slowed.
“Of course not!” Selene’s hand flew to her chest in feigned indignation. “Don’t you believe me? After everything we’ve been through together?”
My brother stared at her, his thoughts unreadable.
“Go home and rest,” he said, his voice suddenly mechanical. “Think of the baby.”
Selene hesitated, clearly unsatisfied with his response, but something in his expression made her decide against pushing further. She nodded and left the room, throwing one last glance at my unconscious form.
I thought my brother believed Selene, but after he convinced her to leave, a transformation came over him. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, finding a number.
“It’s Ethan,” he said when the person answered, his voice hard with determination. “I need you to investigate something for me. It’s urgent.”
2
