Martha’s arms trembled as she and Ragnar carried Lily’s unconscious body through the packhouse doors. Rage and grief burned in her chest.
“In here,” Martha directed, voice breaking as they entered Lily’s room.
They laid her gently on the bed. Martha’s fingers shakily hovered over the marks on Lily’s neck—angry red welts where chains had dug into her flesh. Silver burns. Her shoulder bore a fresh, savage bite mark.
“I can’t believe this,” Martha whispered, tears streaming down her weathered face. “I thought things were getting better...”
Ragnar stood at the foot of the bed, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. “We’ve been fooled. This is Alpha Zayn’s doing. I can smell his scent all over her.”
Martha shook her head vehemently, refusing to believe it. “Maybe someone else attacked her. Maybe—”
“Stop it,” Ragnar cut in, his voice tight with barely contained fury. “You know exactly who did this. His Alpha scent is unmistakable.”
Martha collapsed on her knees. Guilt formed a lump in her throat. She felt as though she had failed to protect Lily. Her face hardened as she filled her heart with determination and a mission.
She straightened up, “I’m going to confront him. This cannot stand.”
She marched toward the door but jerked to a stop when it swung open. Ezra stood in the doorway, his imposing frame blocking their exit.
“Move aside, Beta Ezra,” Martha said coldly.
“Are you going to look for Alpha Zayn?” He asked, arching a brow. free\we,bnovel.c o(m)
Before she could say another word, Ezra grabbed Martha by the arm and pulled her back into the room. He closed the door behind him before turning to face them with cold eyes.
“What are you doing? I want to see Alpha-”
“Alpha Zayn has issued new orders,” Ezra announced, his voice devoid of emotion. “Neither Luna Lily, nor you, nor Ragnar are to seek him out unless specifically summoned.”
Martha grabbed Ezra by the arm, mouth agape.
“Are you serious, Beta Ezra? Do you know what happened?”
Ezra didn’t reply. His expression remained the same, cold. Martha clenched her jaw, tightening her grip on his arm.
“It doesn’t matter what happened. The Alpha’s word is law, you should know that,” He replied coldly.
“Have you gone mad?! Look at her!” Martha dragged Ezra to Lily’s bedside.
“Look at what he did to her!”
Ezra’s gaze fell on Lily’s battered form. He watched her shallow breathing, the wounds that littered her body. The dried blood on her shoulder where Zayn had bitten her. The unmistakable scent of sex lingered around her.
“I’ve seen worse,” He muttered, turning to Martha, “I’ve endured worse.”
“How... how can you say something like that?” Martha said, voice shaking. free we\bnove(l).com
“Have you forgotten what Alpha Grayson did to us?” Ezra’s voice grew louder as anger bubbled to the surface. “The years of torture? The humiliation? The deaths of our loved ones while we watched helplessly?”
Martha took a step back, stung by his words.
“I haven’t forgotten,” he continued. “None of us has. So don’t expect sympathy from me for the daughter of the monster who destroyed our lives.”
Martha opened her mouth to argue further when Ragnar placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Lily needs us now,” He reminded her, “She needs us.”
Martha glanced back at Lily’s still form, nodding reluctantly.
Ezra took a final glance at Lily before heading towards the door. He left without saying anything else, his silence was his answer.
As the door closed behind him, Martha returned to Lily’s side. Ragnar’s words echoed in her mind. Lily was all that mattered. Everything else didn’t. She placed a hand on Lily’s forehead and tensed.
“She’s burning up,” she said, panic rising in her voice. “Ragnar, she has a fever.”
Ragnar cursed under his breath. “Her body’s fighting, but without a wolf’s healing...”
Martha nodded grimly. “I’ll go get Talia. She’ll know what to do.”
“Go,” Ragnar said. “I’ll stay with her.”
Martha hurried out of the room, her heart pounding with each step she took toward the infirmary. When she pushed open the doors, her eyes frantically searched for Talia among the healers.
“Martha?” Kael looked up from bandaging a young wolf’s arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Talia?” Martha demanded. “I need her urgently.”
Kael’s brow furrowed. “She left the packgrounds earlier today. Some emergency with—”
“When will she be back?” Martha interrupted.
“I don’t know,” Kael admitted. “Could be days... or more. She didn’t say, only that she had something important to attend to. What’s happened?”
Martha’s shoulders slumped. “It’s Lily. She’s hurt badly and running a fever.”
Kael’s expression softened. He set down his supplies. “Let me finish here and I can—”
“Kael,” a silky voice called from across the room. “Your patient requires your full attention.”
Victoria stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Her lips curved into a smirk.
“Martha,” Victoria purred, stepping closer. “What brings you here looking so... distressed?”
Martha swallowed her hatred, reminding herself why she was here. “Lily needs medical attention.”
Victoria’s false smile widened. fre ewebno(v)e\l.(c)om
“Oh dear. Is she unwell?” She turned to Kael. “Don’t let us distract you. That wound needs proper cleaning.”
Kael hesitated, glancing between Victoria and Martha.
Victoria glared at him, that sickening smirk still sewn on her facade. A cold shiver ran down Kael’s spine. His feet were rooted to the ground.
“Your patient needs you, Kael. I’ll handle this,” She repeated, not giving him any chance to protest further.
Without any other choice, Kael returned to his work, but kept a listening ear on the situation. Victoria turned back to face Martha. The smirk she had on was now wider than before.
“Unfortunately,” Victoria continued, her voice dripping with mock sympathy, “all our healers are occupied at the moment.” She gestured around the infirmary.
Martha looked around the room. There were at least three other healers present, none appearing particularly busy.
“Surely one of them could—”
“Are you accusing me of lying, Martha?” Victoria gasped, feigning as if she took offence.
“As much as we would love to help our Luna. You’ll have to figure something out for her. You’ve done it before, haven’t you? I’m sure you have your ways.”
Martha bit her tongue. Victoria knew what happened to Lily. This was her revenge. Her way of getting back at Lily. She considered begging her for Lily’s sake, but Martha stopped herself.
She knew Victoria would do everything in her power to ensure help would never come.
Without another word, Martha turned and left the infirmary, her steps quickening as she hurried back to Lily’s room. When she burst through the door, Ragnar looked up expectantly.
“No one will help us,” Martha said, her voice hollow. “Talia’s gone, and Victoria is preventing anyone else from helping.”
Rage flashed across Ragnar’s features. “That fucking viper!”
Martha sank onto the edge of Lily’s bed, watching the shallow rise and fall of her chest. As much as she hated to admit it, Victoria was right. She had always found ways to help Lily, even when they had less.
“We need supplies,” she said methodically, “Fever reducers, healing salves, clean bandages. Ask around quietly. There must be someone willing to help.”
“I’ll find what we need.” He glanced at Lily’s pale face. “She’s stronger than they think.”
As the door closed behind him, Martha turned back to Lily. She gently took her hand, shocked at how hot her skin felt.
“Stay with me, child,” she whispered, wiping away her own tears with her free hand. “You’ve survived far worse. Don’t you dare give up now.”