The Lycan King's Cursed Healer (Book One: The Rejected Healer)

Chapter 13: The First Victim

The scream had come from the infirmary.

Elara's stomach dropped as they ran down the hall. The infirmary. Where the wounded from the battle were being kept. Where healers were working around the clock.

What had happened?

They burst through the doors.

And Elara froze.

There was blood everywhere.

On the floor. On the walls. On the beds.

A healer was on the ground, dead. Her throat torn out. Her eyes wide with terror.

And standing over her...

Was a wolf.

But not a normal wolf.

This one was big. Too big. With matted black fur and red eyes that glowed with dark magic. Just like the rogues from the battle.

But this one was different.

This one was... familiar.

Elara's blood ran cold.

She knew that wolf.

She'd seen it before.

In the infirmary.

Just yesterday.

It was one of the wounded warriors.

He'd been healing. Getting better.

But now...

Now he was... this.

A monster.

The wolf turned toward them. Its red eyes blazed. It snarled, showing teeth stained with blood.

And then it lunged.

Kairos stepped in front of Elara, his body tense, his power rolling off him in waves.

"Elara, get back," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

But Elara didn't get back.

She stepped forward.

Because she recognized that look in the wolf's eyes.

It wasn't just rage. It wasn't just feral.

It was pain.

Suffering.

He was in there. Somewhere. Trapped inside his own body.

And she could help him.

She knew she could.

"Wait," she said, putting a hand on Kairos's arm. "Don't kill him."

"Elara, he's dangerous—"

"I know. But he's still in there. I can feel it. Let me try to help him."

Kairos stared at her. "Are you insane? He could kill you."

"He won't." Elara looked at him, her silver eyes steady. "Trust me."

Kairos hesitated. And then he sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm right here. If he so much as looks at you wrong—"

"I know. You'll kill him. I get it."

Elara turned back to the wolf. It was still snarling, still pacing, still ready to attack. But it was also... confused. Like it didn't know where it was. Like it didn't know what it was doing.

"Hey," Elara said, soft, taking a step forward. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

The wolf snarled. But it didn't lunge. It tilted its head, like it was trying to place her voice. Like it recognized her.

Elara took another step. And another. Slow. Careful. Like she was approaching a scared animal.

"I know you're in there," she said, soft. "I know you're scared. I know it hurts. But I can help you. I can make the pain go away. Just... let me."

She was close now. Close enough to touch.

The wolf growled. But it didn't move away.

Elara reached out, slow. Careful.

And she pressed her hand to its head.

Her power flowed into it—warm, silver, healing. But it wasn't just healing the body. It was reaching for the mind. For the man trapped inside.

The wolf whimpered. Its red eyes flickered. For a second, they were normal. Brown. Human.

And then they were red again.

But Elara didn't give up.

She kept going. Pushing harder. Pouring more of her power into him.

It was hard. Harder than anything she'd ever done. This wasn't just healing a wound. This was fighting dark magic. Fighting a curse. Fighting something that was trying to turn him into a monster.

But Elara was stronger.

She had to be.

Slowly. Painfully slowly. The wolf started to change.

Its fur got lighter. Its red eyes faded back to brown. Its body shrank, turning back into human form.

And then there was a man on the floor. Naked. Breathing hard. Shaking.

Alive.

Human.

Elara pulled her hand back, breathing hard. She was tired. So tired. Her head was spinning. Her whole body ached.

But she'd done it.

She'd saved him.

"Elara?" Kairos's voice was soft, disbelieving. "You... you cured him."

Elara smiled, weak. "Told you I could."

Kairos stared at her. And then he laughed—a shocked, amazed laugh.

"You're incredible," he said. "You know that?"

"I've been told."

But Elara's smile faded as she looked at the dead healer on the floor.

She'd saved him. But she'd been too late for her.

Too late by far.

"What happened here?" she asked, quiet.

Kairos's jaw tightened. "I don't know. But we're going to find out."

He turned to the guards who'd just run in. "Secure the area. Get the healers in here. And find out everything you can about this warrior. Where he came from. Who he was with. Everything."

The guards nodded and got to work.

Kairos turned back to Elara. His expression was soft. Worried.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "That looked like it took a lot out of you."

"I'm fine." Elara smiled, small. "Just tired. That was... harder than I expected."

"Harder?"

"Dark magic." Elara nodded toward the man on the floor. "Whatever turned him into that... it's not natural. It's dark. Evil. And it's strong. Stronger than anything I've ever felt."

Kairos's jaw tightened. "Valerius."

"What?"

"Valerius." Kairos's voice was cold, angry. "He was working with dark magic. Before he died, he must have... infected some of the warriors. Turned them into those feral wolf things. Like a virus."

Elara's stomach dropped.

A virus.

That meant...

That meant there could be more.

More warriors. More wolves. More monsters.

All hiding in plain sight.

All waiting to turn.

"How many?" she asked, quiet. "How many could there be?"

Kairos shook his head. "I don't know. But we're going to find out. And we're going to stop it. Before more people die."

Elara nodded. But she was scared.

So scared.

Because if this was a virus... if it could spread...

Then no one was safe.

Not the warriors. Not the healers.

Not even her.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day investigating.

Kairos had all the wounded warriors checked out. All two hundred of them.

And they found more.

Three more warriors with the same dark magic inside them. Dormant. Waiting. Ready to turn.

Elara healed them. All three. It took everything she had. By the end of the day, she could barely stand.

But she'd saved them.

Four lives saved.

One lost.

It was a start.

But it wasn't enough.

Because they still didn't know how many more there were. How many had been infected. How many were hiding in the city. In the palace.

Waiting.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kairos asked, for the tenth time that day.

They were back in Elara's suite. It was late. Elara was sitting on the bed, her head in her hands. She was exhausted. Drained.

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice was weak. "Just tired."

Kairos sat down next to her. He reached out, like he wanted to touch her, but then he stopped. Like he was scared. Like he thought he might break her.

Elara took his hand and placed it on her cheek.

"You can touch me, you know," she said, soft. "I'm not going to break."

Kairos's breath caught. "Elara—"

"I mean it." She looked him in the eye, her silver eyes steady. "The curse hasn't hurt me yet. And I don't think it will. I'm different. I'm the Blessed Healer. Remember?"

Kairos stared at her. And then he leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers.

"You're going to be the death of me," he whispered.

"Good," she whispered back. "It's about time someone was."

And then he kissed her.

Slowly. Gently. Like she was something precious. Something fragile.

Elara melted into him, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer.

This was right.

This was real.

And she wasn't going to let the curse take it away.

Not without a fight.

They kissed for a long time. Slow. Sweet. Perfect.

And then Elara pulled back, her forehead resting against his.

"Kairos?" she said, quiet.

"Yeah?"

"Stay with me tonight. Please."

Kairos hesitated. His golden eyes were dark with conflict.

"Elara... I don't know if that's a good idea. What if I... what if I hurt you in my sleep? What if—"

"You won't." She kissed him again. Soft. Gentle. "I trust you. And I'm not scared. Please. Stay."

Kairos stared at her. And then he sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But if anything happens—if I so much as growl in my sleep—you wake me up. Immediately. Promise?"

"Promise."

Elara smiled and pulled him down on the bed with her. She curled up against his chest, her head on his shoulder, her arm around his waist.

Kairos wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight. Like he was afraid she'd disappear.

"Elara?" he whispered, after a long silence.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here."

Elara smiled, her eyes closed.

"Me too," she said.

And for a moment, everything was perfect.

Peaceful.

Quiet.

But it couldn't last.

It never did.

Because in the middle of the night, Elara woke up screaming.

The pain was back.

Worse than ever.

Like her blood was on fire. Like her bones were breaking. Like something was trying to tear her apart from the inside out.

And she knew.

She knew what it was.

The curse.

It was inside her.

Spreading.

Growing.

And she had no idea how to stop it.

Kairos woke up immediately. He sat up, his eyes wide with worry.

"Elara? What's wrong? What is it?"

Elara couldn't answer. She was in too much pain. She could only gasp and cry and hold her chest.

"Elara!" Kairos's voice was sharp with panic. "I'm getting the healers—"

"No!" Elara grabbed his arm, her grip tight. "No healers. Please. Just... just hold me. Please."

Kairos stared at her. And then he pulled her close, holding her tight, rocking her like a child.

"I'm here," he whispered, over and over. "I'm here. I've got you. You're going to be okay."

But Elara wasn't so sure.

Because the pain was getting worse.

And she could feel it.

The curse.

Inside her.

Growing.

Spreading.

Killing her.

Slowly.

Painfully.

And she had no idea how to stop it.

Or if she even could.