The healers had finally left Xander’s room after what felt like an eternity. Claire sat beside the bed, her hand gently resting on his uninjured arm, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. The gashes on his ribs and shoulder were beginning to close, but they still looked raw and painful. She had stayed by his side the entire night, refusing to leave even when Luna Kiera gently suggested she get some rest.
Victoria had not left either.
The dark-haired she-wolf hovered near the doorway, her presence like a shadow that refused to fade. She had returned twice already under the pretense of “offering support,” each time trying to insert herself into Xander’s care. The first time, she had brought fresh herbs and attempted to adjust his bandages herself. The second, she had suggested a
