Chapter 38 Recovery and Resolve
The threat hung between us like smoke.
My hands clenched. Pain shot through the stitches. I didn’t care. “Who would send this?”
“Someone who wants you to quit.” Lycian’s voice was ice. “Someone who thinks threats will work better than humiliation.”
“They’re wrong.”
“I know.” He set the phone down. Turned to face me fully. “But we need to take this seriously. This isn’t just pack politics anymore. This is a direct threat to your safety.”
I felt his fear with the bond. Real and sharp. His wolf was pacing. Wanting to hunt. To protect. To destroy anyone who dared threaten his mate.
“What do you want to do?” I asked quietly.
“Lock you in this penthouse until the trials are over. Station guards at every entrance. Never let you out of my sight.” His hand cupped my face. Thumb brushing my cheek. “But I know you won’t agree to that.”
“You’re right. I won’t.”
“So instead, we compromise. You don’t go anywhere alone. Not training. Not class. Nowhere.” His eyes were serious. “And we tell my father. Get pack security involved.”
“That’ll make me look weak. Like I need constant protection.”
“I don’t care how it looks. I care about keeping you alive.” His voice cracked slightly. “Please. Let me protect you. At least this much.”
The desperation in his voice broke something in me. Made the fear real. Someone wanted to hurt me. Maybe kill me. This wasn’t paranoia. It was survival.
“Okay,” I whispered. “We'll tell your father. We get security. But I’m not quitting. I’m not letting them win.”
Relief flooded through the bond. “Thank you.”
He called Thaddeus immediately. Put it on speaker.
“This better be important,” Thaddeus answered. Background noise suggested he was in a meeting.
“Someone threatened Elowen. Directly. Told her to drop out or the second trial would be her last.”
Silence. Then, “Forward me the message. I’ll have it traced. And increase security at the penthouse immediately.”
“Already done. But she’ll need protection during the day too. When she’s training. Moving around.”
“I’ll assign Cade. He’s skilled and trusted.” Papers rustled on Thaddeus’s end. “This changes things. If someone’s willing to threaten her openly, they might be planning something for the second trial.”
“Can we postpone it?” Lycian asked. “Give us time to find who’s behind this?”
“No. That would look like we’re caving to threats. Shows weakness.” Thaddeus paused. “But we can modify it. Make it more controlled. Fewer opportunities for sabotage.”
“What about the trial itself?” I asked. Finding my voice. “What is it?”
“Mental challenge. Pack history and law. Usually, a written exam is followed by an oral examination before the council.” Thaddeus’s tone softened slightly. “It’s designed to test knowledge. Not physical endurance. You’ll be safe in a controlled environment.”
“Unless someone poisons my food before. Or attacks me on the way there. Or sabotages the exam itself.” My voice was steadier than I felt. “They have two weeks to plan.”
“Which is why we plan better.” Thaddeus’s Alpha voice came through clearly. “You focus on healing and studying. Let us handle security. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Lycian, my office. Tomorrow morning. We need to discuss protection protocols.” He hung up without waiting for a response.
Lycian pulled me close. His face was buried in my hair. Through the bond, I felt everything. Fear. Rage. Love. Determination.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said. Fierce. Final.
“I know.” I held him as tight as my injured hands allowed. “But I’m scared.”
“Me too.”
We lay down together. Neither of us slept much. Every sound made us tense. Every notification on our phones sent adrenaline spiking.
By morning, I was exhausted. My hands throbbed. My ankle ached. And my mind wouldn’t stop circling the threat. The possibilities. The danger.
Lycian made breakfast. Insisted I eat. Fed me pieces of toast because my bandaged hands made gripping difficult.
“I feel useless,” I said. Frustrated. “I can’t even butter my own toast.”
“You jumped through fire yesterday. You’re allowed to need help today.” He kissed my temple. “Besides, I like taking care of you.”
“Even when I’m being difficult?”
“Especially then.”
After breakfast, he left for his meeting with Thaddeus. Cade arrived five minutes later. Stationed himself in the living room. Professional. Alert.
“I’ll be right here,” he said. “You won’t even know I’m around.”
But I did know. Felt the weight of his presence. The constant reminder that someone wanted to hurt me.
Elena arrived around noon. Bought study materials. Pack history books. Copies of the pack law.
“Thought you could use some help preparing,” she said. Setting everything on the coffee table. “The mental trial covers a lot. Better to start early.”
“Thank you.” I meant it. Her presence made things feel less heavy. Less scary.
We spent the afternoon studying. She explained the pack hierarchy. The founding of Valor Pack. Important historical events. My brain absorbed it slowly. Fighting exhaustion and lingering fear.
“You’re doing great,” Elena said. After I correctly recited the names of the founding families. “Most people take weeks to learn this stuff.”
“I’m motivated.” I flipped through another book. Winced when the pages stuck to my bandages. “Someone wants me gone. I’m going to prove I belong here instead.”
“That’s the spirit.” She squeezed my shoulder gently. “You’re stronger than they think. Stronger than you think, probably.”
Damien stopped by after Elena left. Bought dinner. Thai food from a place near campus.
“Heard you needed cheering up,” he said. Unpacking containers. “Nothing says ‘screw you’ to threats like pad thai.”
Despite everything, I smiled. “That’s your solution? Noodles?”
“Noodles solve everything. It’s science.” He served me a plate. “Plus, I brought spring rolls. Those definitely solve threats.”
We ate together. Talked about nothing important. Classes. Campus gossip. His latest terrible date. Normal things that made the fear recede slightly.
“Thanks,” I said. When he was leaving. “For this. For treating me like I’m normal.”
“You are normal. You just happen to be mated to my brother and going through insane pack trials.” He ruffled my hair. “But yeah, mostly normal.”
After he left, the apartment felt too quiet. Cade was still in the living room. Silent. Watchful. Aunt Clara had gone to bed early. And Lycian was still in meetings.
I picked up my phone. Scrolled through messages. More support. More cruelty. The photos had spread even further. Someone had made memes. Turned my pain into jokes.
I put the phone down. Picked up Lycian’s mother’s journal instead. Read more entries.
Day fifteen. Second trial today. I’m terrified. Not of the test itself. Of failing in front of everyone. Of proving them right. That humans don’t belong here.
But Thaddeus believes in me. And that has to be enough.
Her words felt personal. Like she’d written them knowing I’d need to hear them someday.
I kept reading until Lycian came home around ten. He looked exhausted. Stressed. But his eyes found mine immediately. The bond settled between us. Calmer now.
“How was the meeting?” I asked.
“Long. Detailed. Your security schedule is intense.” He sat beside me. Pulled me into his arms. “But necessary. We’re not taking chances.”
“Did they trace the message?”
“Dead end. Burner phone. Untraceable.” His jaw clenched. “But we’ll find them. Eventually. And when we do…”
He didn’t finish. Didn’t need to. Through the bond, I felt his promise. His wolf’s need for vengeance.
“I started studying,” I said. Changing the subject. “Pack history. Elena helped. I think I’m getting it.”
“You’ll do great on the mental trial. You’re smart. Focused. This is your strength.” He kissed my hair. “How are the hands?”
“Healing. Slowly. Still hurt.”
“Let me see.”
I held them out. He unwrapped the bandages carefully. The stitches looked better. Less angry. The burns were starting to scab.
“Dr. Rivera wants to check you tomorrow,” he said. Rewrapping them gently. “Make sure everything’s healing right.”
“Okay.”
We got ready for bed. Normal routine. But nothing felt normal anymore. Every shadow seemed darker. Every sound is louder. Every moment felt borrowed. Temporary.
In bed, Lycian held me close. His heartbeat was steady against my back. The bond wrapped around us like armor.
“I love you,” he whispered. “No matter what happens. No matter who tries to stop us. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I laced my fingers through his. “We’re going to get through this.”
“Yes. We are.”
I closed my eyes. Tried to sleep. But my mind kept circling back to the threat. The second trial. What might go wrong?
Then my phone buzzed.
Another message. Unknown number.
My heart stopped.
Lycian grabbed the phone before I could. Read it. His whole body went rigid.
“What?” I asked. Voice shaking. “What does it say?”
He showed me the screen.
Your mate can’t protect you forever. Neither can his father. You’re alone when it counts. Remember that.