Chapter 115 115

Chapter 115 115

Leah

“Your mate?” Penny’s voice yanks me back to the present. She bursts out laughing so hard that tears spring to her eyes. Wiping them away, she grins. “Oh, you poor little fawn... to think the Moon Goddess hates you so much she’d give you such a useless piece of trash for a mate! I feel so sorry for you.”

I flinch but take a deep breath. This isn’t the kind teenager who once comforted me. No—this is a rogue starving for revenge. A pack wolf driven to madness by years of exile. The Penny I knew is long gone.

“What are you going to do? Let the Beta wolf loose on me so you can save him?” Penny smirks darkly, her eyes flashing with wild fury. “Over my dead body... you’ll never save that bstrd.”

In a flash, she lunges, but Carmen meets her halfway.

“Go assess the damage! I’ll hold her off!” Carmen shouts, already engaged with Penny.

I freeze—but only for a moment. Then I run into the cave, grimacing at the sharp, metallic scent of blood… Tristian’sblood.

The farther I go, the stronger the scent becomes, making me feel lightheaded. Eventually, my feet stop. There he is—hanging from the wall, filthy and covered in bloodied wounds. He’s unconscious, as far as I can tell from where I stand, frozen in place.

‘Hurry!’ Eden’s sudden voice startles me. ‘Go to him now! Tristian needs you even more than Silas needs me.’

She’s right. I have to pull myself together—or I’ll be no help to anyone.

With that in mind, I force myself forward, breathing deeply to steady my nerves.

“Forget that he’s your mate, Leah,” I whisper. “He’s a patient in need of care. He’s hurt, and you’re a healer. Do your job and ignore personal ties.”

Betty’s words from my very first lesson echo in my mind.

I reach up to untie his wrists, struggling a bit, and do my best to catch Tristian as he falls like dead weight. I puff out some air and quickly assess the damage. First things first—I need to stop the bleeding.

As I work, I avoid looking at his face. I’m afraid that if I do, I’ll lose focus. But, of course, things never go according to plan.

I sense movement and blink. “Hey, it’s—”

Before I can finish, I’m pinned on my back, face to face with my snarling mate.

Tristian glares down at me, his eyes just as wild as Penny’s. I tense. He hasn’t been a rogue that long... how is he already this far gone?

I lift a shaky hand, and he growls louder—but all I do is rest my hand gently on his cheek.

“Tristian... it’s me. Leah. Please... come back to me.”

We stare at each other, and it takes everything in me not to tremble. Slowly, the wildness in his eyes fades, and he blinks several times.

“L-Leah...?” he whispers, confused. “W-What are you...?”

He releases me and stumbles back. “I-I’m sorry... I...”

I shake my head and dust myself off.

“Don’t sweat it. You’re in pain—you’ve been tortured. Right now, I need to treat your wounds.”

I gather the scattered supplies, frowning at how many of my herb mixtures were thrown everywhere.

As I start cleaning his wounds, Tristian just stares at me. I catch myself noticing his shirtless state. Even bloodied and battered, his abs are still defined, and I feel an almost involuntary urge to trace them.

Blushing, I scold myself internally and continue working.

“W-Where’s Penelope?” Tristian suddenly asks, tensing. “How did you get here? It’s not safe!”

Panic flashes in his eyes as he grabs my shoulders.

“I came with my Beta,” I say, going back to work. “She’s fighting Penny to keep her away from us. Once I patch you up, we’ll need to run.”

I look up. “I hope you can run... but if not, Carmen probably won’t mind carrying you.”

Tristian’s confused expression throws me off, but I press on.

After a pause, he speaks again. “You... talk like you know her.”

He hesitates when I falter slightly but moves on. “How did you find me?”

I shrug. “Eden is with Silas now. She guided us here.” I wrap a couple of deeper wounds that will need better treatment once we’re home. “And yes, I do know her—just as I knew you before.”

I tighten the wraps, making him wince slightly, then stand.

“Think you can stand and walk?” I offer a hand.

Tristian stares at me, wide-eyed and confused. I stifle a laugh, wondering how little I must have meant to him back then—but now isn’t the time for old wounds.

“Yeah... I think so.” He takes my hand, and I suppress a shiver at the sparks between us as I help him up.

“If you need to lean on me, don’t feel embarrassed,” I say as we move toward the cave entrance.

Tristian tenses more and more as Penny’s scent grows stronger, but I push us forward.

“Carmen’s not weak. She’s from a powerful Beta line, after all.”

Tristian swallows hard and nods. “T-That’s not... what I’m scared of,” he mutters through clenched teeth.

I glance up at him, sympathetic. He must hate appearing vulnerable in front of me.

“I-I just... I don’t want you to hear things that’ll make you see me in an even worse light...”

I tilt my head, humming softly.

“Just so you know... I didn’t come looking for you to reject you.”

His shocked gaze practically burns into me, but I keep my eyes forward.

“I want closure... but I already know what I’ve decided. So for now, let’s focus on surviving.”

Tristian holds my hand tighter. He seems to have so much to say—but nothing comes out. He swallows and nods.

“Right... survival first. Future stuff later.”

I squeeze his hand gently and offer a small smile.

“Exactly.”

As we emerge from the cave, I see Carmen and Penny still fighting. Both look worn down, but Carmen clearly has the upper hand.

The moment Penny locks eyes with me, I know what’s coming.

We won’t be getting out of here without a real fight.