Chapter 27 The Heavy Weight of Truth
AVRIELLE'S POV
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The sound was a rhythmic, metallic hammer pounding against the inside of my skull.
It felt like I was drifting in a sea of thick, gray fog, my body anchored to something heavy and cold. Every time I tried to reach the surface, the weight pulled me back down into the darkness. But the sound wouldn't stop. It was persistent, annoying, and increasingly loud.
Slowly, painfully, I forced my eyelids to move. A searing, white-hot light instantly flooded my vision, blinding me. I let out a low groan and squeezed my eyes shut again, my head throbbed with a dull, echoing ache.
Xavier.
The memory of him was the only thing that gave me the strength to try again. I blinked several times, my vision blurry and swimming.
At first, I could only make out a tall, dark silhouette standing near the foot of my bed. My heart gave a hopeful little stutter.
Was he there?
As the blurriness faded and the room came into focus, the disappointment hit me like a splash of ice water.
It wasn’t Xavier.
The man was dressed in white surgical scrubs. He was slumped in a chair, his head thrown back against the wall, eyes closed as if he were deep in a trance—or perhaps just utterly exhausted.
I tried to speak, but my throat felt like it had been scraped with sandpaper. I swallowed hard, the simple movement sending a flicker of pain through my chest.
"You're... my doctor, right?" I managed to rasp out, my voice sounding thin and foreign to my own ears.
The man didn't move.
He didn't even flinch.
I stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was even breathing.
Was the pack doctor deaf?
Or had the stress of whatever happened to me finally broken him?
I looked around the room, taking in the IV bag dripping clear fluid into my vein and the scratchy, oversized hospital gown I was wearing.
I needed answers.
I needed to know why I felt like I had been trampled by a stampede.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up. My muscles screamed in protest, a sharp, heavy pressure blooming in the center of my chest. I felt lightheaded, the room tilting dangerously to the left.
I reached out a trembling hand, trying to bridge the gap between the bed and the doctor's chair. I leaned too far, nearly rolling off the mattress, my fingers finally grazing his shoulder.
The man jolted upright as if I had shocked him with a live wire. His eyes snapped open, wide and wild with shock.
"Sorry," I mumbled, pulling my hand back and clutching the duvet to my chest. "I didn't mean to startle you, but..."
"You're awake!" he squealed. I blinked, momentarily stunned.
I had lived in this pack long enough to hear the rumors about the pack doctor. He was supposed to be the most dangerous, ruthless medical mind in the territories—a man who handled Lycan surgeries and Alpha wounds without blinking an eye. Yet here he was, grinning at me like a schoolboy who had just won a prize.
"Um... yes?" I gave him a questioning look, my brow furrowing. "Aren't doctors supposed to be... professional? Quiet?"
He cleared his throat, his grin fading into a slightly embarrassed smile as he straightened his scrubs.
"Sorry, Mistress. Please, don't mind me. It’s just... it’s been a very long night. A very long, stressful night."
"Okay," I muttered, still unconvinced. "Where am I? What happened?"
"You're in the Alpha's private infirmary," he said, his tone shifting into something more clinical as he reached for a clipboard. "You were attacked on the road. Silver-tipped blade. It was a very close call, but you're stable now. Do you feel pain anywhere?"
I took a breath, feeling the restriction in my lungs. "My chest. It feels... heavy. Like there’s a stone sitting on my heart."
His face went instantly stoic.
The playful energy vanished, replaced by a sharp, focused intensity that matched the rumors. He moved quickly, grabbing his stethoscope and a small penlight. He checked my vitals, his hands efficient and steady, though I noticed a faint tremor in his fingers.
After a moment, he helped me lie back down on the pillows and stepped toward the window, staring out into the darkness. I saw his eyes glaze over for a second—the telltale sign of a wolf mindlinking.
"Where's..." I started, the name catching in my throat. I wasn't sure what to call him anymore.
My Alpha?
My mate?
Xavier?
"Where is the Alpha?" I finally settled.
"I just contacted him," He replied without turning around. "He’s on his way. He hasn't left the grounds since you were brought in, except for... a brief errand."
"He didn't have to," I whispered, looking down at my bandaged hand. "He has a pack to run."
Suddenly, the door to the infirmary was snapped open---was thrown wide. Xavier rushed in, his presence so massive and overwhelming that it seemed to suck the oxygen out of the room. He was still wearing the same dark clothes from the night of the attack, though they were wrinkled and stained. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were rimmed with exhaustion.
He didn't say a word as he crossed the room in three long strides. He pulled a chair so close to the bed that it screeched against the floor, and he immediately caught my hand in his. His grip was firm, almost desperate, his thumb tracing the line of my knuckles.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. He was looking at me with an intensity so raw it made my breath hitch. I saw relief there, yes, but also a simmering, dark fury that he was trying—and failing—to hide.
"I'm okay," I said softly, my fingers instinctively curling around his. "The doctor said I’m stable. Just... the pain in my chest. It’s a bit much."
Xavier’s head snapped toward the doctor. His expression shifted in a heartbeat, his features hardening into a mask of pure Alpha authority.
I could feel the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
"Why is she in pain Aris?" he snarled, his voice vibrating with a dangerous edge. "I told you to make her comfortable. Fix it! Now!"
I recoiled slightly, my eyes widening. I hadn't expected him to shout, especially not at the man who had just saved my life.
Aris actually stuttered backwards, his face paling as he began to fumble with a bottle of medication.
Xavier immediately turned back to me, his expression softening so quickly it was jarring. He flashed me a gentle, reassuring smile that reached his eyes, though the fire remained behind them.
"Did I scare you? I’m sorry, Avrielle. I’m just... I’ve been worried."
I shook my head slowly. "No, I just... you don't have to yell at him."
He leaned forward, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. His skin was hot against mine, and for a moment, the heaviness in my chest felt a little lighter. "I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure you’re okay."
The moment was shattered by the sound of heavy boots echoing in the hallway and almost immediately, Kaiden appeared in the doorway, his face grim and set in a hard line.
He didn't enter the room, standing at the threshold as if he didn't want to intrude on the space.
"Alpha," Kaiden said, his voice level cold. "It’s done. I’ve gotten Adrian thrown in the darkest cell in the dungeon, just as you ordered."
My heart constricted.
My blood ran cold, and the heart monitor began to beep faster, echoing the sudden, frantic thudding in my ribs.
"Adrian?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "The cell? Xavier, what is he talking about?"
Xavier didn't let go of my hand. If anything, his grip tightened, his gaze remaining fixed on me. But the look in his eyes... it wasn't the look of a protector anymore. It was the look of a judge.
"He is believed to have orchestrated the ambush, Avrielle," Xavier said, his voice devoid of emotion. "And in this pack, we do not let traitors breathe the same air as the Luna."
I stared at him, my mind spinning.
Adrian?
My ex-husband?
He was a coward, a cheater, and a fool—but a murderer?
I felt the heavy weight in my chest turn into a cold, hard knot of dread.