FIFTY FOUR

FIFTY FOUR
CIARA'S POV

We walked to the receiving chamber, my heart beating faster with each step. I kept picturing Sarah's face—not as I'd last seen her, clueless and soft on that final night, but as she'd been in our academy days: bright-eyed and fierce.

The doors swung open, and there she was.

Sarah Morgan stood beside her mother, hair neatly pulled back into a perfect braid. She wore a simple dress, dark blue and modest, nothing like the bold colors she'd favored in my memories. Her posture was rigid, hands folded neatly in front of her.

"Luna Jade," Sarah's mother stepped forward with a practiced smile. "So lovely to see you again."

My mother returned the greeting warmly. "Maggie, it's been too long."

I barely heard them. My eyes were fixed on Sarah. She looked the same but different. Her face held the same features but lacked the confidence I remembered. Her eyes darted around the room, never settling on one spot for long.

Something tugged inside me—a mixture of joy and sorrow. This wasn't my Sarah, not really. But she could be. She would be.

Before I could stop myself, I walked straight to her and pulled her into a hug.

Her body stiffened immediately. I felt her hands hang awkwardly at her sides.

"It's so good to see you, Sarah," I said, pulling back but keeping my hands on her shoulders. "How have you been?"

Sarah blinked rapidly, confusion written across her face. "I... fine, thank you."

I heard Luna Margaret's delighted laugh behind me. "Well! It seems we had nothing to worry about, Jade."

My mother nodded, her smile wide. "They're getting along wonderfully already."

"Perhaps we should let the girls talk while we catch up," Luna Margaret suggested. "It's been ages."

Mother turned to me. "Will you be all right, Ciara?"

"Of course," I said, not taking my eyes off Sarah.

The mothers exchanged pleased looks before leaving us alone in the receiving chamber. The door clicked shut behind them.

The moment they were gone, Sarah pulled away from me, her expression shifting from confusion to something harder.

"You don't have to pretend to be nice now that my mother's gone," she said, her voice flat.

I stepped back, startled. "What?"

Sarah crossed her arms. "You must be petrified with my mother forcing a friendship between our families."

"I'm not—"

"She does that a lot," she continued, moving toward the window. "Anyway, I don't believe you could actually like me."

Her words hit me like a physical blow. My gut feeling had been right. This wasn't the Sarah I remembered. My Sarah had been confident to the point of cockiness. This girl seemed to expect rejection at every turn.

"Of course I do," I said gently. "I don't have many friends myself. I'm happy to make new ones."

Sarah scoffed. "The Luna blood of Blackthorne doesn't have friends? I find that hard to believe." She turned to face me, eyes narrowed. "Is that the kind of person you are? Do you pity those lesser than you?"

"Of course not," I said, my voice rising slightly. "You aren't lesser than me, Sarah."

"Then quit doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Talking to me like we've been BFFs since day one." She glared at me. "I don't know you. You don't know me. Your kindness... It is too much. It creeps me out."

I swallowed hard. "Ouch. Okay. What do you want me to be then? Mean?"

Sarah stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the grounds. "Your pack territory is gigantic. Much bigger than ours." She pressed her palm against the glass. "I hear your sentinel military is one of the best as well. Must be nice."

"Don't you want to talk about the academy?" I tried.

She turned back to me with a bitter smile. "What do you know about the academy? You'll be a new face there. Just like I am." She sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "Though, with your pack's strength, you'll be just fine. I hear you got mated to the Alpha blood of Moonveil as well. A bonus to the good life you'll have at the academy. So perhaps that makes you think you can give me advice."

I stood up abruptly. "Excuse me?"

Sarah looked surprised by my reaction. "What?"

"Apart from you acting like a raging bitch?!" I snapped. "Who even are you?"

Something flickered in her eyes—surprise, maybe fear. She quickly composed her face.

"I apologize if I went too far," she said, her voice softer now. "It's just... my mother made it seem like coming here was important if the academy was going to benefit me." She looked down at her hands. "It feels depressing and degrading to be reliant on others, and I guess I was taking it out on you."

I shook my head, disappointment washing over me. "Well, if me wanting to be your friend is degrading and depressing, then I'll make it easy for you. I'll get your mother. Have a good day."

I turned to leave, but Sarah called out, "Wait, wait!"

I heard quick footsteps behind me, then a sharp cry that cut off suddenly. I spun around to see Sarah sprawled on the floor, her leg bent at an unnatural angle. She had her hand stuffed against her mouth, biting down hard to muffle her scream.

I rushed to her side. "Oh my goddess!"

She looked terrible, her face pale and sweaty. I knew this was bad. In my past life, Sarah didn't awaken her wolf until she was twenty-two. It never stopped her from being deadly with guns and blades, but it meant her healing was human-slow, her body fragile compared to other werewolves.

"I'll go get the healer," I said, starting to rise.

Sarah grabbed my wrist, her grip surprisingly strong. "No... no," she gasped. "I cannot cause a scene. My mother wouldn't approve."

"You are in fucking pain right now. What are you talking about?"

I stared at her in disbelief, but something in her eyes made me pause. Fear—real fear. I never knew Sarah's mother well in my past life, but I started to wonder if there was something more happening in the Morgan household. Something ugly.

I sighed and knelt beside her again. "Let me try something."

I placed my hand on Sarah's leg, directly over the break. The blue glow started weak, flickering like a candle about to go out. I closed my eyes and focused, feeling the warmth build in my palm. The light strengthened, spreading out across her leg.

I felt the bone shift beneath my touch, felt the fragments pulling together, knitting into place. The light moved through her muscles, repairing torn tissue, soothing inflammation.

When I opened my eyes, Sarah was staring at me, her mouth open in shock.

"Are you a healer?" she whispered.

"Apparently," I said, removing my hand. "How does it feel?"

She flexed her foot cautiously, then bent her knee. "It's... it's perfect. Like nothing happened."

For the first time since she'd arrived, she looked at me without that wall of bitterness. Her eyes were wide, almost childlike in their wonder.

"My mother doesn't know I haven't shifted yet," she said quietly. "If she found out I got injured from just tripping..."

"Your secret's safe with me," I promised.

Sarah looked down at her leg again, then back at me. "Why did you help me? After I was so horrible to you?"

"Because that's what friends do," I said simply.

Something complicated passed over her face—disbelief, suspicion, and beneath it all, a desperate kind of hope.

"We aren't friends," she said, but her voice lacked the edge from before.

I smiled. "Not yet. But we could be."

Sarah's mouth twitched, almost a smile but not quite. "You're strange."

"So I've been told." I stood and offered her my hand. "Come on."

She hesitated, then took my hand, letting me pull her to her feet.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, like the words were unfamiliar in her mouth.

"You're welcome." I paused, then added, "For what it's worth, Sarah, I think you're going to be amazing at the academy."

She didn't respond, but I noticed she stayed closer to me as we walked back to the seating area. It wasn't much, but it was a start.