Chapter 29 Betrayal
Sara sat alone in the nurse's quarters, her hands trembling as she clutched the small, secret phone. The hospital was quiet during lunch, and most of the staff had gone to the café, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Her heart raced as she glanced at the unfamiliar number on the screen, a number she’d seen enough times to have memorized by now.
With a deep breath, she answered, struggling to keep her voice steady.
“We will be coming in tonight. You know what to do,” said the familiar cold voice on the other end.
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur, before the call ended abruptly with a click. She released a shaky breath, her fingers loosening on the phone as she sank back into her chair. After all these months, she still couldn’t shake the chilling effect of those calls.
“Ella… I’m so sorry,” she whispered, guilt piercing her heart.
Ever since she discovered what Ella was, she’d been injecting her friend with a special fluid—a substance created by top medics in the vampire clan, meant to suppress a werewolf’s powers and keep their wolves dormant. As a nurse, Sara had been assigned the mission to test it on werewolves without raising suspicions to the vampires. Ella had been slowly healing from her injuries, but her wolf hadn’t stirred, and Sara knew the fluid was the reason why.
Despite her mission, she couldn’t help but feel a bond with Ella. Ella was different from any other creature she’d met—kind, genuine, and with a strength that had impressed Sara from the start. Ella never looked down on her for being human or saw her as lesser. Instead, she’d shown Sara respect, a rare thing in a world where humans were often seen as weak and insignificant.
But Sara’s family was her priority. They were only human, unable to protect themselves against creatures with supernatural powers, and at the mercy of the vampire lord who held them hostage after being sold by their uncle in exchange for power from the vampires. Completing this mission was her only chance to secure their freedom.
“If this last mission will free my family,” she whispered to herself, swallowing the lump in her throat, “then I have no choice.”
Taking a steadying breath, she glanced at the time. Nightfall was hours away, but she needed to make preparations before the other nurses returned. She was grateful that Ella hadn’t been kept in the regular ward. As a Luna, Ella had been placed in a special, isolated room under strict watch by guards to ensure her safety. The precautions would make tonight’s plan challenging, but at least they kept her separated from the rest of the hospital’s patients, limiting the risk of chaos.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and Sara quickly tucked her phone away as her colleagues returned from their break.
“Sara, you didn’t go for lunch?” asked Stella, one of the nurses, her tone laced with concern.
Putting on a tired smile, Sara replied, “Actually, I’m not feeling too well. Do you mind covering for me today?”
Stella studied her, noting the shadows beneath her eyes. “Of course! Just make sure you rest and take care of yourself, alright?”
“Thank you, I will,” Sara replied, relief washing over her. With a glance at the clock, she watched the minutes tick by, the time inching closer to the plan she wished she could escape.
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Meanwhile, in her dimly lit room, as night fall approaches, Ella lay awake, the lingering sense of loneliness pressing down on her. She hadn’t been able to contact Derek since he left, and her mind felt hollow in Lila’s silence. Without her wolf, she felt incomplete, a shadow of her true self.
“Lila… please,” she murmured softly, closing her eyes as she reached deep within, searching for the familiar warmth of her wolf. “You can’t leave me too.”
The silence in her mind was painful, empty, and unfamiliar. The strange sense of dread that had been gnawing at her intensified. She hugged her knees, her gaze drifting toward the window, where the last rays of sunlight barely touched the edges of the room. Something felt wrong, a warning pulsing in her gut that she couldn’t ignore.
“I need to get out of here,” she whispered to herself, the urge to escape growing with each passing second.
Her thoughts drifted to Moore, the loyal warrior. An Alpha who had risked so much for her. She knew he was still healing from the effect of the plague that affected him when trying to save her, and she couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt again. It was unfair that he would suffer for her sake, and as much as she trusted Derek, she hadn’t seen or heard from him since the rogue attack. The uncertainty left her feeling trapped, vulnerable, and more alone than ever.
“Where are you, Derek?” she thought, her fingers clenching the edge of the bed. The overwhelming sense of doom weighed on her, making the room feel colder, darker.
Just then, the lights flickered, and she froze, watching as the shadows in the room seemed to lengthen. A shiver ran down her spine, the feeling of danger creeping closer.
Outside in the hall, Sara walked calmly, her expression blank. She nodded at the guards on duty as she approached Ella’s room.
“The patient requested some medication to help her sleep,” Sara explained, holding up a syringe filled with a harmless sedative. The guards nodded, recognizing her as one of Ella’s regular nurses, and stepped aside without question.
Inside the room, Ella watched the door open, her heart racing. She relaxed slightly when she saw Sara, thinking the nurse was simply checking in.
But as Sara approached, a flicker of guilt crossed her eyes. Ella noticed the tension in her shoulders, the way she avoided eye contact.
“Sara, is everything alright?” Ella asked, her voice soft.
Sara bit her lip, forcing a tight smile. “Everything’s fine, Ella. Just here to help.”
She placed a hand on Ella’s arm, steadying her as she injected the sedative. Ella felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, her vision blurring. The last thing she saw before darkness took her was the glistening tears that slipped down Sara’s cheek.