Chapter 91 A Cold Truth
Lyra sat propped up on the narrow clinic bed, wrapped tightly in fluffy blue blankets that smelled faintly of antiseptic and mountain herbs.
The room was warm, almost stifling, but she still felt cold deep in her bones.
Rex sat on the edge of the bed beside her, one hand resting gently over Lyra’s. Her touch was warm and steady and it made her feel safe.
“You’ll be fine,” Rex said softly. “The physician will be here any minute. He’ll run a few tests and tell us exactly what’s wrong.”
Lyra shook her head slowly. “You don’t get it. There’s nothing wrong.”
Rex frowned. “Lyra, we've been over this so many times already—”
“It’s the summoning,” Lyra said, her voice quiet but firm. “That’s what it is.”
Ryker, who had been standing near the wall with his arms crossed, lifted his head sharply. “Can we please stop talking about this?” he said. “It doesn’t make sense. You’re saying you’re being summoned by some immortal demon we haven’t heard from in over a hundred years. The Blood King is folklore.”
“I’m not crazy,” Lyra snapped, looking straight at him. “I know what I feel. He speaks to me.”
Ryker opened his mouth to cut her off again, but Dax spoke first.
“Hey,” Dax cut in from where he leaned against the doorframe. “Could you let her breathe for one damn second? She might be telling the truth, and you’re trying to silence her.”
Ryker turned on him. “Stay out of this. She’s my wife.”
“And she's been gone for months,” Dax shot back. “You come back, and suddenly you know everything she’s been dealing with?”
Ryker’s jaw tightened. “If she was going through something like this, don’t you think she would’ve told me?”
Dax scoffed. “Or maybe she didn’t tell you because you’ve been acting more like our father than her husband. You’re too protective and you’re trying to cage her.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Is it?” Dax pressed. “Maybe that’s why she couldn’t tell any of us. Maybe that’s why she felt so trapped she ended up on that bridge.”
Lyra sat up straighter. “Stop.”
Both men froze.
“I did not try to throw myself off the bridge,” she said, her voice trembling with restrained anger. “I fumbled because of the pain and I lost control. And when I came back to myself, I swam toward the bank. None of this is anyone’s fault.”
The room fell into a tense silence.
“I’m the one who’s been hiding the truth,” Lyra continued. “Not because I wanted to hurt anyone, but because I didn’t understand it myself.”
Rex squeezed her hand. “Lyra, listen. You’ve been through so much. It’s completely understandable if you’re overwhelmed.”
Lyra shook her head again. “No. I would never do something like that. I’ve lived a shitty life before, and I didn’t end it then. This wouldn’t be the first hard thing I’ve survived.”
Her voice wavered, but she pushed on. “I know I have a family. Even if the entire pack doesn’t accept me, I know everyone in this room does. I would never leave you all alone without sharing my troubles.”
Dax went quiet after that, his expression hard to read.
Ryker exhaled sharply. “You don’t have to explain yourself to him. He’s just a jealous little child who throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.”
Dax straightened. “Say that again—”
“Stop,” Lyra snapped. “Both of you. Or I’ll ask you to leave. I don’t need this right now.”
Rex nodded quickly. “You heard her. Cut it out. This is not the time for you two to measure the size of your balls.”
That made them go silent.
Rex glanced at the door. “The physician should be here any second. Let’s just wait.”
As if summoned by her words, the door opened and a nurse walked in first, followed by the pack’s physician.
Rex sighed in relief. “Speak of the devil. Took you long enough.”
The physician offered a brief nod. “Apologies. I was reviewing her records.”
Rex gestured toward Lyra. “The drugs are kicking in. Some of the pain has eased. She’s not coughing up water anymore, so we assumed—”
“The water shouldn't be what you're bothered about,” the physician warned.
“Really?” Ryker asked.
The physician hesitated.
“What do you mean?” Rex asked.
The physician adjusted his glasses. “Based on her symptoms, being in the river is the least of our worries.”
The room stiffened.
“Explain,” Ryker said, his tone dangerously calm.
The physician flipped a page on the file he held. “I found something in her bloodstream. Something quite unusual.”
Before he could continue, Ryker snapped, “I’ve had enough of people calling my wife a half-breed. I already know that, and I love her exactly the way she is.”
The physician blinked. “Alpha, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then what did you mean?” Dax demanded.
The physician cleared his throat. “We ran multiple blood analyses and her samples don’t match any known vampire blood profiles we have on record.”
Lyra’s fingers tightened in the blankets.
“We tested for anomalies,” the physician continued. “Fever responses, pain triggers and regeneration delays. None of it aligns with standard werewolf or vampire physiology.”
“And yet,” Lyra sighed and turned to Ryker, “you still think this has nothing to do with the Blood King.”
Ryker rubbed his temples. “Lyra, please. Let the doctor talk.”
The physician raised a hand. “Actually, let her speak.”
Everyone looked at him.
“If what she’s experiencing isn’t physical in origin,” he said slowly, “then her interpretation may be the missing variable.”
Lyra swallowed and nodded. “When it happens, it’s like my body freezes and I feel this crushing pain. And then I hear him clearly in my mind.”
The physician’s eyes widened.
“He doesn’t whisper,” Lyra continued. “He commands me and I can't make it stop.”
The room felt suddenly smaller.
“If this is true,” the physician said carefully, “then I am not the right person to treat her.”
Rex stiffened. “What are you saying? There’s nothing you can do?”
“No,” the physician admitted. “This may not be an illness.”
“Then what is it?” Ryker demanded.
The physician said stiffly. “If the Blood King is involved, then this goes beyond medicine. You’ll need the priestess.”
“Priestess?" Dax asked in shock.
The physician took a breath. “She may be under a blood curse.”