Chapter 29 029
~LYKA~
“Oh, girl! You look horrible!”
Amanda’s voice rang through the room the moment her eyes landed on me. She froze for half a second, her mouth falling open in shock before she hurried over, dropping the clean cloth she was holding onto the bedside table. Her hands were already reaching for me, careful but urgent, as she helped me sit up properly so she could dress my wounds.
I sighed, exhaustion weighing heavily on my chest.
I knew Amanda was dramatic....she always had been....but even I couldn’t deny how bad I must have looked. My body felt stiff, sore, and weak, like it had been dragged through a battlefield and forgotten there overnight.
“I told you not to shout,” I muttered weakly as she inspected the cuts and bruises littering my arms and shoulders.
She clicked her tongue in disapproval. “How can I not shout? Lyka, you look like you barely escaped death.”
Barely wasn’t even the word for it.
Still, despite the pain, I hadn’t let Derrick’s maid touch me. No matter how polite she appeared, no matter how gentle her tone was, I couldn’t trust her. Not now. Not after everything.
What if she was Zuri’s ally?
The thought alone made my skin crawl.
Too many strange things had been happening in this pack....whispers in the hallways, looks that lingered too long, smiles that felt forced. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. One wrong move, one careless decision, and I might not wake up the next time.
“There have been too many crazy things going on,” I murmured, more to myself than to Amanda. “I can’t afford to be careless.”
She glanced at me sharply but said nothing, focusing instead on cleaning the wound on my forearm.
“Stop blabbing and please be quick,” I mumbled when the sting intensified, and she hissed at me in response.
“You’re impossible,” she snapped. Then, after a pause, her brows furrowed in confusion. “But don’t you think it’s strange? Your wounds should’ve healed by now. Why are they still this fresh?”
Her words made me go still.
I looked down at my arm.
She was right.
The gashes looked angry and red, as though they had just been inflicted. No sign of rapid healing. No faint scars sealing themselves like they normally would.
As a shapeshifter, accelerated healing was one of our most basic attributes. And someone like me....someone who healed even faster than the average wolf....should’ve been fine by now.
Yet here I was.
“That’s true…” I murmured slowly. “They should’ve healed already.”
A knot formed in my stomach.
“I think it might be because of the poison still lingering in my system,” I added with a sharp hiss. “What a hassle.”
Amanda frowned deeply but didn’t argue.
Before she could respond, the door creaked open.
Selina stepped in, holding a bundle of freshly gathered herbs in her hands. Dirt clung to her fingers, and the faint scent of earth and leaves filled the room instantly.
My nose scrunched in disgust.
“What are those?” I asked, already turning my face away.
She blinked at me, clearly unimpressed by my reaction. “These are herbs.”
I sighed. “I know what herbs are, Selina. I meant why you’re bringing them into this room.”
The sight of her dirty fingers alone made my skin itch. It was obvious she had shifted recently, which meant she’d gone out of her way to get them. I knew I should be appreciative.
Still… herbs.
Amanda slapped my shoulder lightly. “Don’t mind her,” she said, though her tone carried warning. I winced from the impact. “I’ll help her brew it and make sure she drinks it. She always runs away from herbal medicine.”
“I do not,” I protested weakly.
“You absolutely do.”
Selina shook her head with a small smile. “Okay, let me place it here.”
She walked toward the vanity table, carefully laying the herbs down. But before she could say anything else, she tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mischief.
“So…” she began slowly, dragging the word out. “How was the seduction yesterday?”
For a second, my brain completely shut down.
Then my mind violently replayed everything.
The tension. The closeness. The way I’d nearly gotten myself killed because of her ridiculous plan.
I burst out laughing.
It wasn’t graceful laughter. It was wild, uncontrollable, hysterical laughter that had me clutching my stomach and nearly falling off the bed.
Amanda stared at me like I’d lost my mind.
Selina looked offended.
“It didn’t work,” I said breathlessly once I could speak.
They exchanged glances like I’d cracked some private joke.
“What do you mean it didn’t work?” Amanda exclaimed. “But I can smell him!”
“That’s not what you think,” I said quickly.
There was no way....absolutely no way....I was telling them the truth. No one needed to know that Derrick and I had kissed. That we’d nearly crossed a line neither of us was ready for.
The embarrassment alone could kill me.
Selina crossed her arms. “What I asked you to do was enough to make any man act like he’s in heat.”
Amanda and I burst into laughter again.
“Did you have to be so extra, Selina?” Amanda managed between laughs. “It was just a trick that didn’t work.”
Selina pouted, clearly offended.
Poor girl. She must’ve really believed her plan would succeed. Too bad the man it was meant for didn’t fall for it.
Someone else did.
“You don’t have to feel so down,” I said gently. “The trick actually worked… just not on the person you expected.”
Both of them froze.
“What do you mean?” Amanda leaned forward eagerly. “Did it work on another man? Who?”
Selina’s eyes widened with interest.
I smiled but shook my head. “It was Derrick....but not Derrick.”
They hissed in unison.
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Amanda snapped. “How can it be Derrick and not Derrick?”
I waved it off. “Forget it.”
Changing the subject felt safer.
“How are the members coping?” I asked instead. “They’re not being bullied, right?”
They both shook their heads.
“No,” Selina said softly. “But I wish we could live freely like we did back in our pack.”
Amanda cut her off immediately. “Don’t get greedy. It’s already a miracle we’re alive.”
I sighed.
“I know it’s hard, but maybe we can....”
The door slammed open.
Phoebe rushed in, her face pale, her breath uneven.
“There is trouble!” she shouted.
I stood up abruptly, pain shooting through my legs as dizziness nearly took me down.
“What’s going on?” My heart hammered. “Who’s causing trouble?”
My mind raced to my members immediately.
“It’s the Alpha,” Phoebe gasped.
My eyes twitched.
“What is he planning now?”
“He wants to test the abilities of your pack members… in a duel.”
My blood ran cold.
“What do you mean ‘test’?” I demanded, already knowing.
“There’s a condition,” Phoebe whispered, stepping closer.
My chest tightened.
“Anyone who loses…” her voice cracked. “Loses their life.”
The room went silent.
My breath ceased entirely.
What kind of damn rule was that?
And was this his way of warning me?