Chapter 6: First Aid
Liana threw herself backward, falling off the bed as the red eyes moved closer. Her back hit the cold wall, heart beating wildly in her chest.
"Stay away from !" she whispered fiercely, looking for anything to use as a weapon.
The eyes blinked once, then disappeared totally. Had she dread it? Was her mind playing tricks after such a difficult day?
Liana didn’t sleep the rest of the night. Every shadow seed to hide those bright red eyes. She kept talking to her wolf, begging for any answer, but the silence inside her was complete.
By morning, she was tired but too afraid to close her eyes.
A loud horn blew outside, making her jump. Pack mbers were gathering in the yard below her tiny window. When she peeked out, she saw dogs in human form dressed for running in the woods.
Soone knocked on her door. It was Elder Mira.
"Good morning, child," the old woman said kindly. "The pack is going for a run today. Will you join them?"
Liana bit her lip. "I can’t. My wolf... she won’t respond to ."
Elder Mira’s face softened with understanding. "The bond is still new and confusing. Sotis our wolves retreat to process changes."
"But what if sothing’s wrong with ? What if I’m not really ant to be anyone’s mate?"
"Ti will tell," Elder Mira patted her hand. "You can stay here while they run. I need to visit the archive hut anyway. Use this ti to rest."
After Elder Mira left, Liana road the suddenly quiet mansion. Most pack mbers had started the run. Even the maids were gone. She found herself in a big kitchen stocked with more food than she’d ever seen in one place.
Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten much at dinner last night. Maybe she could make herself sothing simple without bothering anyone.
She had just finished making a lunch when she heard it—a pained growl from outside, followed by heavy footsteps on the porch.
Cautiously, Liana moved toward the sound. Through the window, she saw a big gray wolf stumbling up the steps. Blood covered its fur along one side. As it reached the top step, the wolf collapsed, its body shimring as it changed back to human form.
It was Rowan.
Liana ran outside without thought. "Rowan! What happened?"
His blue eyes flickered open, clouded with pain. A deep gash ran from his shoulder down his side. Blood seeped from the cut, staining the wooden porch.
"Rogue wolf," he gasped. "Caught by surprise... along the north border."
Liana helped him stand, letting him lean on her shoulder. "We need to get you inside. Can you walk?"
Together, they stumbled into the kitchen. Rowan was much heavier than he looked, all lean muscle beneath his torn shirt. She helped him onto a bench by the table.
"Where is everyone?" she asked, looking around for help.
"Still running," Rowan winced as he tried to sit up straighter. "I ca back early to check on... sothing."
Liana grabbed a clean kitchen towel and pressed it against his wound. "We need to clean this. Stay here."
She filled a bowl with warm water and found a first aid kit in a cupboard. When she returned, Rowan was paler than before, his eyes half-closed.
"Hey, stay awake," she said strongly, touching his face. His skin burned hot under her fingers. "Tell what happened with the rogue."
Rowan hissed as she started cleaning the blood from his skin. "I was scouting ahead. My brothers went west with the main group. The rogue ca from nowhere... like he was waiting for soone."
"Waiting? For who?"
"Don’t know," Rowan answered through gritted teeth. "He attacked, we fought, I got away. But he wasn’t normal."
"What do you an?"
"His eyes..." Rowan looked directly at her now. "They were red."
Liana’s hand froze. Red eyes. Like the ones in her room last night.
"Liana? What’s wrong?"
She shook her head, focusing on the cut again. "Nothing. Just worried about you."
The cut was deep, but clean. If Rowan had been human, he would need stitches. But werewolves healed fast.
"This might hurt," she warned, applying ointnt from the kit.
Rowan grabbed her wrist suddenly, his fingers tight around her skin. For a mont, his eyes flashed blue—his wolf rising close to the surface from the pain.
"I’m sorry," he said, releasing her instantly. "I didn’t an to."
"It’s okay," she told him, wrapping a bandage around his torso. His skin was hot beneath her fingers.
As she worked, Rowan watched her face carefully. "You’re good at this."
"I used to help patch up ogas after training accidents," she revealed. "No one else would bother."
Anger flashed across his face. "That’s not right."
"It’s just how things are," she said with a shrug. "I’m used to it."
"Well, it shouldn’t be that way." Rowan’s voice was strong. "You’re worth more than that, Liana."
The simple words made her throat tight. No one had ever told her she was worth anything before.
"There," she said, tying off the bandage. "All done."
"Thank you." Rowan took a deep breath, seeming stronger already. "You should have been there for the run today. Your first pack run as a potential Luna would have been important."
"My wolf still isn’t talking to ," Liana revealed. "I can feel her, but she’s hiding."
Rowan was quiet for a mont. Then: "Can I tell you sothing? Sothing I haven’t told anyone else?"
Liana nodded.
"I have dreams sotis," he said quietly. "I’m running through the forest at night, but I’m not alone. There’s another wolf with , a white wolf with silver eyes. We run together like we’ve known each other forever."
Liana’s heart skipped a beat. "Silver eyes? Like—"
"Like yours are becoming," he finished. "I’ve had these dreams for years, long before you ca. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when Elder Mira talked about the prophecy."
"What does it an?"
"I don’t know," Rowan revealed. "But I think our eting was ant to happen."
Before Liana could reply, the kitchen door burst open. Kael stood there, his face darkening when he saw them sitting close together.
"What’s going on?" he asked, eyes fixed on Rowan’s bare chest and the bandage around it.
"Rowan was attacked by a rogue wolf," Liana explained quickly. "I was helping—"
"Where?" Kael cut her off, addressing his brother.
"North border," Rowan answered. "He ca from nowhere, Kael. Red eyes. Not normal."
Sothing passed between the brothers—so silent exchange Liana couldn’t understand.
"I’ll send a patrol," Kael decided. He looked at Liana. "You should go back to your room."
"But I was just—"
"Now," Kael urged, his voice all Alpha.
Anger flashed through Liana. "I’m not one of your pack mbers to order around."
Kael’s eyes widened slightly, shocked by her defiance. Even Rowan looked shocked.
"Please," Kael added, his tone quieter. "It’s not safe right now."
Still furious, Liana left the kitchen. As she reached the hallway, she heard Kael speaking quickly to Rowan:
"Did you tell her about—"
"No," Rowan interrupted. "But Kael, I think she’s the one from my dreams."
"We agreed not to ntion those to anyone," Kael hissed. "Elder Mira said your dreams could be connected to the—"
Their voices faded as Liana walked away. What were they hiding from her?
Back in her tiny room, she tried once more to reach her wolf.
"Please," she begged. "I need you. Things are happening, dangerous things. Red eyes in the darkness. Rogues attacking. Secret dreams. What does it all an?"
To her shock, she felt sothing stir inside—like a sleeping beast slowly waking.
"He found us," her wolf whispered, voice faint but clear.
"Who? Who found us?"
"The one who killed us before," her wolf answered. "He’s coming to finish what he started. The brothers must not be separated again."
"I don’t understand," Liana pressed. "Who are you? Why do you talk like you’ve lived before?"
For a long mont, there was only silence. Then:
"Because I have. We have. And so have they."
"The triplets?"
"Yes. We’ve all been here before. The curse is repeating."
"What curse?" Liana asked.
But her wolf had gone silent again.
Outside her window, a howl rose in the distance—wild and dangerous. Not a pack wolf. Not a normal wolf at all.
As the eerie sound faded, Liana spotted sothing on her arm that made her blood freeze. The skin where Rowan had grabbed her wrist was changing—dark lines spreading slowly up her arm like poison.
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