The Judas In White
978 Words
Cassian’s POV
The silence in the medical wing was louder than the screams at the gala forty-eight hours ago.
I paced the length of the room, my boots clicking loudly against the polished marble. Every instinct in my body was screaming to shift, to tear through the walls, but there was nothing to fight. There was only the rhythmic beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor connected to Aria.
She looked fragile. Her skin was pale and dull, especially the faint outline of where her golden mark used to be. Now, it was just bruised, sensitive-looking skin.
"Stop pacing, Cassian," Noah said from the corner. He sat in a high-backed leather chair, his shirt buttoned to the chin to hide the purple, thumb-shaped bruises Aria had left on his throat. He looked like a king who had lost his crown. "You’re going to wear a hole in the floor."
"She hasn't moved in two days, Noah. The world is burning outside, and she’s just… sleeping."
"She’s not sleeping," a calm voice interrupted.
Dr. Aris stepped into the light, adjusting his designer glasses. He was the best physician the Northern Sector had ever seen. He didn’t just treat the elite; he was the only one allowed to touch our staff. His presence was always welcomed.
"Her wolf is silent," Aris continued, tapping a tablet. "It’s as if she’s been hollowed out. I cannot diagnose her with the equipment here. I need to move her to my private facility, the clinic in the city. I have specialized blood-scrubbers and neuro-scanners that aren't available in this estate."
Noah stood up, his jaw tight. "I don’t like moving her. We shouldn't take her out of the estate; we can bring the equipment here."
"And if she stays here, she may die," Aris said, his tone devoid of emotion. "Besides, we don't know how much time she has left, so we need to act fast. You chose her for her power, didn't you? If you want that power back, let me do my job."
I looked at Aria, then at my brother. "Do it," I growled. "Noah, we have to. If she doesn't wake up, we're nothing but two men who bet on a broken horse."
Noah exhaled, his shoulders slumping. "Fine. Take her. But she’s under guard the second she hits your clinic."
Aris bowed his head respectfully. "Of course, Alpha."
I stayed behind to watch the nurses prep the stretcher, but I felt a sudden itch at the base of my neck. I didn't know why.
Aris walked with a strange, jittery precision, constantly looking around in a way that didn't sit right with me. He knew this estate very well, so what could he possibly be looking for?
I watched him pause by the supply cart, his hands hovering over a tray of specialized syringes. He didn't pick up the standard silver-alloy injectors we used for pack members. Instead, he pulled a small, unmarked vial of violet liquid from his inner pocket. He slipped it into his coat, his expression twisting into a look of cold disgust as he glanced at Aria.
I followed Aris out into the dimly lit corridor. He walked toward the exit, his stride purposeful. I stayed in the shadows, intending to ask him one last question about the medication he was using.
He stopped near the service elevator, pulling a sleek, matte-black burner phone from his lab coat. He didn't look back.
"She’s in the ambulance," Aris whispered into the phone, his voice cold and sharp. "Tell Julian that everything is working according to plan."
I froze. My lungs felt like they had been filled with lead. Dr. Aris, the man who had kept our pack healthy for a decade, had just stabbed us in the back.
As he turned to walk toward the ambulance, I didn't move. I waited until I could no longer see his retreating back.
I reached for my phone. I had to tell Noah. But as I watched the ambulance doors slide shut, I realized something else: if Julian knew she was vulnerable, the estate was already compromised.
I called Noah; it kept ringing, but he didn't pick up. "Bastard," I muttered. "He never answers when he's needed."
I didn't wait for the elevator. I didn't even care about being seen. I vaulted over the marble railing and landed in a crouch ten feet behind Noah, who was still staring at the medical monitors.
Noah didn't flinch as I approached. "Aris is prepping the transport," he said, his voice clipped. "We follow in the armored sedan. Keep your temper, Cassian. We need that doctor."
"He’s not a doctor," I spat, slamming my hand onto the metal table, rattling the vials of sedatives.
Noah’s head snapped toward me, his eyes flashing a dangerous, Alpha gold. "Explain."
"I followed him," I said, my voice dropping. "I heard him, Noah. He’s working for Julian. He’s taking her to the clinic, but not to help her. He’s there to kill her."
Noah’s face went unnaturally still. The silence in the room stretched until it felt like a wire pulled to the point of snapping. He walked toward me, stopping only inches from my face.
"You're sure?" Noah whispered.
"I heard the words come out of his mouth," I hissed, my fingers digging into my own palms until the skin tore.
Noah looked toward the door, where the sirens of the departing ambulance were already fading into the distance. ”We will burn that clinic to the ground."
A little smirk formed at the corner of my mouth as I gripped Noah’s wrist, my knuckles white. "Then let's go start a war.”
- Writer
