Chapter 53 I Touched You
Phoenix
How long was I supposed to wander around like this?
In this state, I had no idea how much time had passed. The clock on the wall in my hospital room looked blurry—just like every other clock in this damn hospital. Lucky me. While werewolves could usually count their age with precision, I was stuck in the dark about it.
All I could do was roam the halls. I saw human patients, most of them covered in blood from car accidents—maybe kind of like how I looked yesterday, except, well, I was a werewolf. I also saw families collapsing in grief after getting bad news about loved ones who didn’t make it. It was the kind of tragedy that happened every day around here.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care. The truth was—I couldn’t feel anything at all. But this place, it gave me just enough clarity to think. Being here could mess up a teenage guy's head, but also helped me understand life a bit better. The human side of me still felt some empathy for everything going on.
But my wolf side—who the hell knew where that part of me had gone? I didn’t understand it. Was this my punishment? Probably. I’d been too hard on my sister. Phoebe… she was just trying to be herself. She was never going to turn into the perfectionist I wanted her to be—she wasn’t me.
If I could just feel the warm water Mom was using to wipe me down, I might’ve actually felt happy. She did this every afternoon. I remembered her cooking lunch for us, too—so when Phoebe and I got home from school, we’d end up fighting over her sweet and sour beef liver.
“Oh, Mom. I freaking adore you.”
But I couldn’t hug her. I could only stand behind her like I was waiting in line at that burger spot on De Lumiere—bright lights and all—just standing there, invisible.
“I got a call from Phoebe,” Mom said while gently wiping my head. “She said she’s coming to visit—with a friend.”
Phoebe’s coming? Well, that was something.
A couple months ago, I overheard Dad talking to Phoebe about how she wanted to take my place. That had me curious. Like, how was she planning to be me?
She was a total mess.
But with the way things were now, I felt… empty. Annoyed and angry as she used to make me, those feelings weren’t there anymore.
Truth be told—I missed her. My chaotic little sister who always ended up with my thick-soled shoes flying at her head. She’d hide them at night so I couldn’t find them in the morning and would end up late to school. Once, I found my damn shoes in the attic.
But we always made up. Usually when she bribed me by taking over my shift at the pack. I was supposed to help Dad check the warrior training list—which I absolutely hated. I always had a thousand excuses to skip that job. Phoebe would cover for me, no questions asked.
Yeah, I missed our fights. And the making-up part, too.
Then the hospital room door slid open.
There she was—my little sister with her short brown hair, walking in with another girl and… Hayden Grey?
What the hell?! Why was Hayden Grey here? With my sister?!
I’d been about to visit a kid—another he-wolf—who’d just had surgery for a stomach tumor. The kid had dreams of becoming a pro e-sports player, and I liked his fiery energy. But screw that for now, ‘cause Hayden freaking Grey showing up was way more interesting.
He was the weirdest, stiffest, most arrogant he-wolf I’d ever met in all of Livingstone. Even before I applied to his team, I had to prep myself just to deal with the guy—bracing for whatever snobby thing he might say to remind me I was just a Beta’s kid.
And now here he was, with my sister… visiting me.
“Hey, Mom!” Phoebe walked up and gave her a big hug.
“Oh, Phoebe. I missed you,” Mom said, kissing her cheek. “I’m sorry I haven’t visited your dorm.”
“No worries, Mom. That’s why I came. Let me introduce you—this is Tyra Baker, and this is my team captain… and my boyfriend, Hayden Grey.”
WHAT?!
Thank the Moon Goddess my hearing still worked, because that sentence hit me like a damn truck. My disaster of a sister was dating Hayden Grey?!
I looked at Hayden—and he was staring at her like she hung the stars. Couldn’t believe it. My clumsy, loud, annoying sister was dating him? They had to be mates or something, right?
Whatever. I’d deal with that later.
Then I noticed the other girl with them—the one with the pink hair. It clashed a bit with her tan skin, but hey, she pulled it off with confidence. She looked familiar, like I’d seen her somewhere before.
“I’m Karina. I’ll grab some chairs for you all,” Mom said, glancing at Hayden. “Didn’t expect Phoebe to bring her boyfriend.”
“It was a last-minute idea,” Phoebe replied. “I just wanted Hayden to meet the werewolf who should’ve been on his team.”
“And her boyfriend,” the pink-haired girl threw in with a smirk.
“Well, I’ll give you guys some space. I need to pick up some meds from the pharmacy anyway,” Mom said, stepping out.
Phoebe walked over to my bed and pulled Hayden with her. She started introducing him to me—though I obviously already knew who he was. I watched her, trying to reach out and pat her head, like I used to.
And then… something strange happened.
I touched her. Barely, and just for a second—but I felt the warmth of her body. I actually touched Phoebe.
But when I tried again, the feeling disappeared.
“Phoenix…” she looked right at me. “Was that you?”
Yeah, genius. That was my hand on your head.
“What’s going on?” Hayden asked, his eyes following hers—to where I stood.
Tyra looked my way too.
I glanced down at my hand. It was pale. Almost gray.
“I felt something touch my head,” Phoebe said softly. “It was just like when Phoenix used to pat my hair…”
“Maybe it was him,” Tyra said. “This could be a good sign. Twins sometimes have these deep connections. My cousins are twins, and when one of them goes through something, the other always feels it—doesn’t matter how far apart they are.”
“I felt like I couldn’t breathe the night he left,” Phoebe whispered. “Like something heavy was crushing me in my sleep… it was right after we fought.”
Her words hit me like a sucker punch.
“I’m sorry, Phoenix,” she said. “If I could turn back time, I would’ve watched my words. Maybe you wouldn’t have left. Maybe you’d still be—”
Hayden wrapped his arms around her. Then he looked straight at me, his wolf eyes glowing bright yellow. His Alpha vision was on—no doubt about it.
“I’ll make sure Phoebe becomes someone you’d be proud to call your sister, Phoenix,” he said. “You’ll see.”