Chapter 102 Distance and Divine Light
Jolie POV
Seraphina doesn't leave.
I find this out two days later when I see her sitting in the common area, talking quietly with Phoenix as my stomach drops.
"I thought she was leaving." I pull Ryder aside.
"She was supposed to." His jaw tightens. "But Phoenix asked her to stay. Said she's family, and we don't turn away family."
"Even family that was hired to destroy us?" My voice is sharper than intended.
"He doesn't believe that." Ryder runs a hand through his hair. "He thinks we misunderstood her intentions."
"Or she's manipulating him too." I watch Phoenix laugh at something she says. "She's his cousin, she knows exactly which buttons to push."
"I know." Ryder's frustration bleeds through the bond. "But I can't force her out without proof. Not when a pack member is vouching for her."
The unfairness of it burns. She admitted to being hired, but only to us. In private, without witnesses.
Now she's playing the victim, and Phoenix—sweet, traumatized Phoenix who still grieves his murdered family—is falling for it.
"So we just let her stay?" I'm trying not to sound bitter. "Let her keep working to break us?"
"We stay alert." Ryder's voice is firm. "We don't give her openings. And we trust that our bond is stronger than her manipulation."
I want to believe him. But watching Seraphina smile and charm and integrate herself deeper into pack life makes my chest tight with anxiety.
I throw myself into healing work to distract from the situation. There's always someone who needs help. Warriors with training injuries, wolves struggling with old trauma, pack members dealing with chronic pain. I move from one healing session to the next, pouring my energy into broken bodies and damaged souls.
"You need to rest." Doc catches me after I heal my sixth patient of the day. "You're burning yourself out."
"I'm fine." But I have to lean against the wall to stay upright.
"You're exhausted." Doc's voice is gentle but firm. "Jolie, your divine power isn't infinite, you need recovery time between healings."
"People need me." I straighten up despite the dizziness. "I can't just stop helping because I'm tired."
"You're not helping if you collapse." Doc crosses his arms. "What happens when someone has a real emergency and you're too drained to respond?"
He's right, but I can't stop. Because when I'm healing, I don't have to think about Seraphina, I don’t have to watch her carefully plant seeds of doubt in every conversation. Don't have to feel the anxiety constantly churning in my gut.
The physical exhaustion is easier than the emotional turmoil.
"One more." I push past him. "There's a wolf from the neighboring pack who traveled here specifically requesting healing. I can't turn him away."
Doc sighs but doesn't argue further.
The wolf is waiting in the medical bay. Middle-aged, scarred from what looks like silver burns that never healed properly. The kind of injury that causes constant pain.
"Luna." He bows his head respectfully. "Thank you for seeing me."
"Of course." I gesture for him to sit. "Tell me about your injury."
He explains the attack that left him burned, the years of pain, the medications that barely help. I listen while gathering my power, feeling the light build beneath my skin.
"This will hurt at first." I warn him. "The healing always does when it's old damage."
He nods, bracing himself. I place my hands on the worst of the scars and let the moonfire flow. He gasps as divine energy burns through old wounds, breaking down scar tissue and regenerating healthy skin.
The healing takes longer than usual. My power feels sluggish, harder to control. But I push through, determined to finish what I started.
Finally, the last scar fades. The wolf stands, moving without pain for the first time in years, tears streaming down his face.
"Thank you." His voice breaks. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." I try to smile, but the room is spinning.
"Jolie?" Doc's voice sounds far away.
I reach for the exam table to steady myself, but my legs give out. Strong arms catch me before I hit the floor.
"I've got you." Ryder's voice, tight with worry. "You're okay, baby. I've got you."
"Just tired." The words slur together. "I'm just tired."
"You're more than tired." He lifts me easily. "You're running yourself into the ground."
I want to argue, but consciousness is slipping away. The last thing I hear is Ryder's voice, rough with emotion.
"No more healing sessions, not until she recovers properly."
I wake up in our bed, wrapped in blankets that smell like Ryder. Afternoon sunlight streams through the windows.
My head pounds, my body aches, and my divine power feels like an empty well.
"Hey." Ryder appears in the doorway with a tray of food. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a truck." I struggle to sit up. "How long was I out?"
"Eight hours." He sets the tray on the nightstand and helps me adjust the pillows. "Doc said you completely drained yourself. Your divine energy was at critical levels."
"I healed people." I reach for the water glass. "That's what I'm supposed to do."
"Not at the cost of your own health." Ryder sits on the edge of the bed. "Baby, you healed six wolves today. Back to back, without breaks."
"They needed help." I take a sip of water. "I couldn't turn them away."
"Why?" His voice is gentle. "Why are you pushing yourself so hard?"
Because when I'm healing, I don't have to think. Don't have to feel. Don't have to watch Seraphina slowly poison my pack against me. But I can't say that out loud.
"People are counting on me." I set the glass down carefully. "I can't let them down."
"You're letting yourself down." Ryder takes my hand. "Jolie, this isn't sustainable. You can't heal everyone who asks without taking care of yourself first."
"I'm divine." I say. "I'm supposed to be able to handle this."
"Being divine doesn't make you invincible." He squeezes my hand. "It just gives you more ways to hurt yourself."
The truth of his words settles heavily. I have been hurting myself. Using my gift as a weapon against my own wellbeing.
"I need to be useful." The admission comes out small. "I need to prove I belong here."
"You belong here because you're my mate." Ryder's voice is firm. "Not because of what you can do for others, you could lose your divine powers tomorrow and you'd still belong here."
"Would I?" The question escapes before I can stop it. "Or would I just be the weak wolf everyone pitied again?"
Ryder goes very still. "Is that what you think? That we only value you for your power?"