[Third Person].
Then her claws began to slowly and deliberately sink in. The cat whimpered, its body trembling with desperation, filling the room.
But just when all hope was lost for Xamira, the front door of her bedroom slamd open.
"redith!" Draven stood frozen in the doorway. The sight before him stole the breath from his lungs. His wife—No. He looked again.
The woman standing there wasn’t his wife. Her presence felt different. Cold power radiated from her in suffocating waves. Her eyes burned violet. The air itself seed to bow to her will.
’Valmora,’ he realized instantly that her wolf had taken over her again.
But—Why was she strangling a cat?
The answer ca a second later. The cat’s body convulsed violently in Valmora’s grasp, light rippling over its form as it twisted, reshaped, and transford back into Xamira.
Draven’s blood ran cold at the sight he had just witnessed. Xamira was a shapeshifter. Not a human. Not a werewolf. Not a fae. Not a vampire, but a damn shapeshifter!
Draven’s shock lasted for an entire heartbeat. But watching Valmora hell-bent on killing Xamira, he couldn’t let that happen, at least for now.
Imdiately, his instinct and the bond took over.
"redith," He called as he reached for her through the bond.
The next second, the mate bond flared, sharp and undeniable, cutting straight through Valmora’s dominance. His presence wrapped around her—anchor, command, and certainty.
"Enough," he pushed through the bond. "She is here. I’m here now."
Valmora froze. For the first ti since she had taken control, her claws hesitated.
The cat—no, Xamira—struggled weakly in her grip, a broken sound clawing its way out of her throat.
Valmora snarled low, her eyes still burning violet. "This thing is a threat."
"I know," Draven replied aloud now, his voice steady but iron-hard. "And she is alive. That’s an order."
Silence stretched for a mont. Then slowly, Valmora loosened her grip. Her claws receded, and redith gasped as her control snapped back into place.
Her eyes dulled from glowing violet to their natural shade as awareness crashed over her. The mont she saw what she was holding—who she was holding, her breath caught in horror.
Xamira collapsed to the floor the instant she was released.
redith dropped to her knees imdiately. "No—no, no..."
Blood stained her fingers. Marks ringed Xamira’s neck—angry, deep, and already swelling. The girl tried to speak, her mouth opening, but no sound ca out—only a weak, broken gasp.
Guilt slamd into redith with brutal force as she thought, ’I almost killed her.’
Draven moved instantly. The shock of seeing the transformation—the impossible reality of it—vanished beneath urgency. He crossed the room in two strides and knelt beside Xamira.
"Xamira," he said sharply, checking her pulse, his hands already working to assess the damage. "Stay with . Look at ."
Her eyes fluttered. She tried to answer, but no words ca out of her lips.
redith moved closer, her voice tight. "Is she—?"
"She needs dical attention now." Draven cut in, already lifting Xamira carefully. "Her throat—"
"I can handle it," redith said imdiately, forcing herself into focus despite the tremor in her hands. "I know how. Just hold the bleeding."
Draven didn’t argue. He applied pressure exactly where she indicated, his jaw clenched as redith stood abruptly, blood still slick on her fingers.
"I will be right back," she said, already turning toward the door. "Don’t let her lose consciousness."
She rushed out of the room, her blood-stained fingers clenched tight as the weight of what had almost happened settled heavily on her chest.
Behind her, Draven stayed with Xamira, his expression grim. The danger wasn’t over, but the worst had been stopped by a bond stronger than fury.
---
redith returned quickly.
By the ti she pushed the door open again, her breathing was steady, her expression composed—calm in the way one beca calm after deciding there was no room left for panic.
In her hands were crushed herbs, a small vial, and a clean cloth.
Draven looked up at once. "She is still breathing," he said quietly.
redith nodded and knelt beside Xamira. The girl lay weak and silent, her eyes half-open, throat bruised and raw.
redith swallowed once, then pushed the guilt aside. There would be ti for that later.
"This might work faster than the herbs," redith said softly, glancing at Draven. "I’ve never done it on soone else before... but I will try."
Then she placed one hand just above Xamira’s collarbone, and the air shifted. A faint, cool pressure spread outward as redith let her fae magic flow slowly, guided with care.
The glow was subtle, barely visible, like moonlight under water. Xamira’s breathing steadied almost imdiately, the tight, panicked rise and fall of her chest easing.
Draven also felt his mate’s controlled fae powers through the bond.
Finally, redith withdrew her hand and imdiately applied the crushed herbs around Xamira’s neck, careful not to press too hard. Next, she wrapped the cloth gently, securing it with practised movents.
"Lift her just a little," redith murmured.
Draven did, careful as if Xamira were made of glass, and redith slid the pillow beneath her head. Once settled, Draven eased her fully onto the bed and pulled the duvet up to cover her lightly.
Only then did redith lean back on her heels. "She’s stable," she said quietly. "But... I almost damaged her vocal cords." Her voice tightened just a fraction. "She won’t be able to speak for now. By tomorrow, she should be fine."
Xamira made no sound at all. Her eyes fluttered, then slowly closed.
Draven adjusted the duvet once more, then stood and moved to redith’s side. "This wasn’t you," he said firmly. "It was Valmora, so don’t bla yourself."
At that, sothing surged inside redith—hot, furious and unrepentant. Valmora did not regret a thing.
redith stiffened, recognizing the warning signs imdiately. Her jaw clenched, her breath going shallow for half a second.
"Valmora is angry," redith said under her breath. "Very angry."
Draven nodded. "I can feel it."
redith imdiately turned to gather the remaining herbs and cloth. "I need to leave. If I stay, Valmora—"
"I know," Draven said, already moving with her.
They both glanced once more at Xamira, who was finally still. Then together, they left the room, closing the door softly behind them.
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