Salves And Potions
Chapter 90:
They stood in silence until a young healer pushed through the crowd, breathless. Her robes were streaked with blood. Lucien’s, by the smell of it. “You’re the ones who came with the Alpha?” she asked, looking between them.
“Yes,” Aria said quickly. “Is he okay?”
“Alive. Barely.” The healer’s gaze flicked toward the building. “We’re trying to stabilize him, but the burns are extensive. Whatever caused them… it’s not normal fire. It resists healing.”
Aria’s throat tightened. “Damien’s fire.”
The healer frowned. “Then we’ll have to fight it another way. He’s strong, but he’s losing strength faster than he should.”
“I want to see him,” Aria said.
“Not yet,” the healer replied. “Our matron's inside with him. She doesn’t want anyone near the Alpha until he’s stable.”
She didn’t listen and pushed past her, entering rhe infirmary. She immediately noticed the amount of healers that were swarming around him. The air was thick with the scent of herbs and blood. Someone was shouting orders, two people rushed past them, carrying cloth and a bucket of water. Aria tried to push through, but Kael caught her arm, his voice low but firm.
“Let them work.”
She didn’t listen. “He’s my mate!”
“And that’s why you’ll wait,” Kael said, stepping in front of her. His tone softened, just slightly. “If they can save him, they will. Don’t get in their way.”
Her chest heaved with restrained fury, but she forced herself to stop fighting. The healers worked in silence now, their movements practiced, methodical. One pressed glowing salve into Lucien’s wounds while another chanted softly under her breath.
The healers finally drove Aria and Kael out of the room, needing space to work, it was already late in the evening. The courtyard beyond the main hall was empty, save for the flickering torches. Aria sat on the steps just outside, her hands still shaking. Her palms were streaked faintly with Lucien’s blood, half-dried and dark against her skin.
Kael leaned against one of the stone pillars, eyes scanning the compound efficiently. He’d already taken the measure of every patrol and guard rotation since they’d arrived, an instinct that was never really turned off.
Finally after what could have been minutes or hours, another healer approached them, her hands shaking slightly from exhaustion. “The worst of it’s passed,” she said. “He’ll live.”
Aria exhaled, the sound breaking in her throat. “When can I see him?”
“Soon,” the healer said carefully. “He needs to rest. The Alpha nearly burned out his strength. He's only alive because of his blood.”
Kael nodded, though his expression stayed grim. “You heard her. He’s alive and recovering.”
Aria looked through the open doorway. “Then I’ll wait.”
She waited the entire night.
The pack had offered her and Kael a room, a small one, with a single bed and a single window overlooking the training yard. She didn’t sleep. Couldn't close her eyes and rest while Lucien suffered.
When dawn finally broke, the packgrounds came alive again with the sound of drills, orders, and the thud of boots against dirt. Kael was gone, likely gathering information as he always did. She wandered the halls instead, the hallway hadn't changed, still cut-out from the same rough stone, still smelled like cedar and iron. It was as though she had never left.
Every now and then, she came across pack members, they would look up meet her eyes and quickly look away again, moving out of her way with polite silence.
They knew her, but their eyes no longer met hers the same way. Some glanced away quickly, others lingered with open wariness. Others didn’t bother hiding the contempt that had never really left their faces.
Everywhere she turned, eyes followed her, wolves with curious, cautious, or openly hostile expressions. She caught snatches of whispers that stopped as soon as she turned.
“Defied the Goddess…”
“She killed an Alpha…with her bare hands…”
“Why bring her here?…If she stays, she’ll curse the pack too…”
Kael placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer comfort. “Ignore them,” he said quietly.
“I’m trying.” Her voice came out sharper than intended. She lowered it. “Feels like we just walked into another trap.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “It’s not a trap. I promise.”
By midmorning, she couldn’t stand waiting anymore. They walked until they reached the infirmary, where two guards stood rigid before the infirmary doors. Both dipped their heads but avoided her gaze. “I need to see him.”
One of them, a tall male with scars running down his jaw, shifted slightly. “Beta’s orders were clear. No visitors.”
“Then take me to him,” Aria replied, her patience thinning with each delay. Before either guard could respond, a low voice came from behind her. “Let her through.”
The guards stiffened and stepped aside.
Aria turned to stare at the newcomer. Tall, broad-shouldered, his brown hair streaked with gray. He carried the quiet authority of someone used to being obeyed. His golden eyes flicked over Aria briefly before he spoke. “You’re the one they call Vale.”
She straightened. “You are?”
“Ryn,” he said simply. “Lucien’s Beta. His second.”
She studied him carefully. His stance was neutral, but his gaze was sharp, assessing her the way Kael usually did before a fight.
“How is he?” she asked.
“Alive,” Ryn replied. “But his body’s weak. Whatever happened out there nearly tore him apart.”
Her chest tightened. “I told your healers everything I could.” He nodded once. “I know. And they told me what you did to protect him.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then he gestured towards the door, speaking quietly. “You can see him, but, only for a moment.”
Lucien lay still against the sheets, he looked smaller there, his skin pale, his breathing shallow but steady. The healers had washed away the blood, though faint burns still traced his ribs where Damien’s fire had marked him.
Aria sank in the chair beside him, her chest aching at the sight. “Lucien,” she whispered, brushing hair from his forehead. “You’re home. We made it.”
He didn’t stir.
Kael entered quietly a few moments later, leaning against the doorframe. “He’s stable,” he said. “And we have a bit of good news, Ryn says the scouts haven’t been seen near the borders since dawn. Whatever was following us stopped at the walls.”
Aria nodded absently. “Good.”
But even as she said it, something in her gut twisted. “You’re supposed to be stronger than this,” she whispered to him. “You’re supposed to tell me it’s fine. That we’ll figure it out like we always do.”
Her fingers brushed his hand. His skin was cold.
She leaned closer to Lucien. “I need you to wake up,” she whispered. “I can’t hold all of this without you.”
She brished his hair back and his eyes snapped open.