Chapter 71: A Proposition and a Decision
(Elara's POV)
The antiseptic smell of the pack hospital had become a strange comfort over the past twenty-four hours. I'd barely left my mother's bedside, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, counting each breath like a prayer.
A soft knock interrupted my vigil. The door opened to reveal Lucian, his imposing frame filling the doorway. He'd abandoned his usual formal Alpha attire for dark jeans and a simple gray Henley, though nothing could diminish his overwhelming presence.
"How is she?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.
I straightened in my chair, smoothing my wrinkled clothes. "Stable for now. The moon-blessed herbs seem to be helping."
Lucian nodded, his steel-gray eyes assessing both my mother and me with equ
