Chapter 12: Spreading Sickness
1112 Words
Maya's POV:
I woke to the slow rise and fall of Kai’s chest under my cheek, his breathing steady and warm. Heat from his skin seeped into mine, and the air between us still smelled faintly of the night — sweat, pine, and something I couldn’t name.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains, outlining his bare shoulder in silver.
For a moment, I didn’t move. Didn’t want to. The bond we made last night still clung to me — touches, whispers, that sudden spark of connection, like it had always been waiting under my ribs.
When I looked up, he was already watching me. His eyes glowed gold in the dim light, soft in a way that made my chest ache.
“I can feel you,” I whispered, pressing my hand over his heart. “Your emotions. Your thoughts. It’s like having another sense.”
“The bond will get stronger,” he said, his voice low against my hair. “We’ll be able to speak without words. Share strength. Find each other anywhere.”
“That’s… actually useful,” I said without thinking.
He laughed quietly. “Of course you’d think of the tactical advantage in soul bonding.”
“I’m practical.” I tried to smile, but my throat felt tight. “Still… Kai? You feel right.”
“So do you.” His eyes softened even more. “Like home.”
A sharp knock broke the moment.
“Alpha?” Danny’s voice was tight. “We have a problem.”
Kai kissed my temple and sat up. “What kind of problem?”
“Jessie’s sick. Really sick. And she’s not the only one.”
My stomach dropped. Elena’s warning about an attack echoed in my head.
“How many?” Kai was already pulling a shirt on.
“Five. All on patrol yesterday.”
Our eyes met. Someone had targeted our guards.
---
The infirmary was tense — quiet voices, fast footsteps, and the sting of antiseptic in the air.
Five wolves lay in beds, pale and sweating. Jessie was the worst — barely breathing, her body too still.
“When did it start?” I asked Marie.
“Two hours ago. Nausea, dizziness, fever… it’s like silver poisoning, but—”
“But?” Kai asked.
“No silver in the blood. The tests can’t find anything.”
I stepped closer to Jessie. Something about her stillness felt wrong. “Marie, UV light.”
Marie hesitated, then fetched one. Under the glow, faint black veins spread from puncture marks on Jessie’s neck and wrists.
“Shadow poison,” Kai said.
“But not from Wraith claws,” I added. “This was injected.”
Cold settled in my stomach. Only someone trusted could have gotten this close.
“Elena,” we said together.
Her walk along the perimeter yesterday. That easy smile. She’d been planting the poison while pretending to help.
“Can it be cured?” I asked.
“Not easily,” Marie said. “Without an antidote, they have forty-eight hours.”
Jessie stirred, mumbling about wolves in the trees.
“She’s making blind spots in our patrols,” I said.
“And passing them to someone else,” Kai finished.
A long, distorted howl cut through the air.
“How many?” Kai asked.
“At least six,” Danny called from the doorway.
The scent hit me — wild, foreign, aggressive. Mercenary wolves.
Kai’s voice turned hard. “Everyone still standing, to the main hall!”
The house erupted — weapons clattering, bullets passed out, children rushed to the basement.
“Maya,” Kai caught my arm, his eyes fierce. “Stay with the sick. Your healing might be their only chance.”
“I’ve never healed poison—”
“Then learn. Now.” His hands framed my face. “If they die, we lose a quarter of our fighters.”
Through the bond, I felt his fear — sharp and heavy.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“If I tell you to run—”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You will if it means you live. Promise me.”
“I promise,” I lied.
He searched my face — he knew I was lying — but before he could speak, Sarah’s voice came from the hall.
“Alpha, they’re getting closer. Marcus says ten minutes before they attack.”
“I’ll be right there.” Kai squeezed my hands. “Save them, Maya. Use everything you have.”
---
When he left, I stood in the infirmary with five dying wolves and no idea how to heal supernatural poison.
“No pressure,” I muttered, rolling up my sleeves.
I started with Jessie. Her skin burned under my hands. I reached for the energy I’d felt when I healed Kai—
Nothing.
The harness. I was still wearing the power-dampening harness.
I yanked it off, gasping as my abilities rushed back like water through a broken dam. Silver light flickered to life around my fingers.
This time, when I touched Jessie’s forehead, I felt it — the cold crawl of shadow poison in her veins. Wrong. Unnatural.
But beneath it, her wolf fought back.
I couldn’t rip the poison out, but maybe I could help her fight it.
I pushed my power into her, feeding her wolf’s healing. Light poured from my hands, and the dark veins began to fade.
Her breathing steadied. Her fever broke. She opened her eyes.
“Maya?” she whispered.
“Hey. How do you feel?”
“Better. Much better.”
“Good. Can you help me with the others?”
“Of course.”
We moved from bed to bed. Each healing went faster as I learned.
We’d just finished with Marcus when the first explosion shook the walls.
“They’re attacking,” Jessie said.
Through the bond, I felt Kai’s adrenaline spike — then pain. Sharp. Disorienting.
“I have to go,” I said, moving toward the door.
“Maya, wait.” Jessie grabbed my arm. “Look first.”
I pulled the curtain back — and froze.
The pack house was surrounded by at least thirty wolves. And walking among them, calm as ever, was Elena.
Not hiding. Leading.
“She’s not just with them,” I whispered. “She’s in charge.”
Another explosion, closer. Kai’s fear hit me through the bond.
They were losing.
“Jessie, get everyone who can’t fight to the basement. Don’t open the door unless it’s Kai or me.”
“What about you?”
I glanced at my glowing hands.
“I’m going to save my pack,” I said.
- Writer
