The Bear's Redemption

Chapter 11

Makini

The Med Wing feels too small for all the tension in the air. I try to push the weight off my chest, but it’s heavy, suffocating. Sasha’s condition is worse than I can process, and Kitari is still unconscious, though she’s stable. But the weight of what’s happening is pressing down on all of us.

The door to the Med Wing swings open. Dael walks in, his brows furrowed, eyes scanning the room with that quiet intensity of his. Kuma follows behind him, both of them tense, their faces hard as stone.

Dorgan steps to the center of the room. He nods to his leaders and me to join him. His gaze flicks to where they took Sasha for scans, as if that distance is too far. Then he looks back at the group.

“Report,” Dorgan orders.

Dael’s jaw ticks, but he replies right away. “Perimeter secured by Tivani, Myan, and San. No movement outside so far. Entry points are fortified. We also have guards at the Med wing entrance. Jax and Cho are supervising shifts. Reserve’s on full lockdown protocol."

“Internal sweep?” the alpha asks.

“Ongoing,” Dael replies, arms crossed over his chest. “No signs of further breach. As far as we can tell Lionel acted alone. But we assume nothing,” he finishes grimly.

Dorgan nods. “Good.”

I nod, absorbing the words. Dael is thorough and efficient, exactly what Dorgan needs right now. The area is locked down tight. Still, the way Dael’s eyes keep flicking toward Kitari gives him away. His heart isn’t really in the report; it’s with her, lying too still on that medical cot. The shifter he took as his little sister, was poisoned and shot.

Bellamy is there, next to Kitari, like a silent sentinel. And Koda, ancients, Koda is glaring at her from the wall, as if sheer willpower alone could command her to wake up.

Kate is busy working, her hands glowing faintly as she pushes healing energy into Kitari’s body. Gwen is right beside her. Cleaning the gunshot wound with calm, precise movements, her face set in a tight, worried frown.

Through all the movement and stress, I catch a glimpse of something at the door.

Gin.

She’s hovering awkwardly in the hallway, sneaking glances at me when she thinks I’m not looking. I almost laugh, because it’s so obvious who sent her. Overbearing, stubborn, wonderful Jax. Still, my chest warms at the thought. Overbearing or not, I’m lucky to have him.

He sent Gin to guard me. He’s worried, especially after my little moment. Stars, did I have to fall apart in his arms? I can’t even deny how it instantly soothed me; he grounded me. Ugh. Stupid angry bear.

I stay quiet, watching the group as they work through the problem. My mind is still too wrapped up in Sasha’s condition to focus on strategy, but I know it’s important. We can’t let emotions cloud what needs to be done.

Kuma cracks his knuckles, then leans in slightly, speaking even quietly. “I’ve got Lionel cooling off in the cages. I’ll pull the information out of him, one way or another. He said it was the General’s order.” His mouth twists with disgust. “And they used nightshade poison.”

My heart sinks further. Nightshade. I have heard about it during my stay here at the reserve. That’s why Sasha’s dragon spirit can’t heal her, it's the poison.

“That's his plan then,” Dael adds, his voice tight. “The General wants the Reserve broken from the inside.”

Kuma growls low under his breath, the sound vibrating in his chest like a warning.”

“We won’t give him that, then,” I add firmly.

They all nod, quiet, dangerous energy building between us.

Dael’s eyes flick towards Kitari again. She’s still unconscious but breathing steadily. Gwen gives him a subtle thumbs-up across the room. Relief flashes across his face, and he takes a deep breath.

“What’s next?” I ask.

Dorgan exhales slowly. “We find out if Lionel acted alone or if he had help. Double security on the Med wing and Sasha’s room in particular. Get the patrols rotating; no one stays in one spot too long. Keep moving, keep unpredictable.”

“And Lionel?”

“You break him,” Dorgan says. No mercy.

A slow, savage grin spreads across Kuma’s face. Dael nods tightly behind him.

Dorgan’s gaze turns to Sasha’s empty bed.

“We owe her that much,” he says, his voice low and full of steel.

We all do.

Kuma

Dr. Shaun pushes through the Med wing doors. The look on his face makes my stomach twist into a knot. He’s rubbing the back of his neck like the weight of the world has just landed there. Behind him, Pan trails in slowly, eyes hollow, expression shattered. Kelsie walks in next, looking as grim as the others.

I already know it’s going to be bad.

“Dorgan,” Dr Shaun starts, his voice low and grim. “Alpha… I've finished looking at the scans.”

Dorgan steps forward, stiff. Bracing.

“It’s not good,” the doctor continues. “The bullet is lodged right next to T7 and T8 discs in her thoracic spine. Too close. Kelsie says that her healing isn’t doing much either. It’s like her body is fighting, but the magic isn’t getting past the interference.”

Kelsie steps up beside him, jaw tight, voice steady but low, “The bullet is poisoned, Alpha. Laced with Nightshade too, probably. Nasty stuff, lingering in the tissues. The healing’s keeping it from spreading, but it’s not enough. We’re buying time, not winning.”

Shaun lets out a breath. “I’m no surgeon, Alpha. Maybe I could manage a standard extraction, but this? This close to the spinal cord? We need a specialist. One slip, and she’s paralyzed.”

His voice drops further, almost afraid to say it. “And in her case, if her spine is damaged… her dragon may never fly again.”

Dorgan’s knees buckle.

I lunge forward and catch him before he hits the floor. I sink down with him, arms tight around his shoulders as he shudders in my grip. I can feel his heart pounding; I feel him fighting the despair.

“So what are you saying?” I ask, my voice harsh and sharper than I mean it to be.

Kelsie answers, quiet but firm. “If Shaun tries, he might hurt her. But if we leave the bullet in… she won’t survive the poison.”

Dorgan doesn’t speak. He leans against me, eyes locked on the far wall like he’s staring into some nightmare he can’t wake up from.

And I hold him tighter, because it’s all I can do.

I want to punch a wall. I want to tear someone apart. But right now, all I can do is hold my Alpha, my friend, and listen to the clock ticking down on someone we can’t afford to lose. Before I can even say anything, a raw, broken sound pulls my attention across the room.

Pan.

He falls to his knees. He shakes his head, a helpless little movement that tears straight through my heart.

“I can’t," his voice breaks. “I can’t heal her; I promised her she’ll be safe; I’ll always keep her safe.”

Kelsie puts a gentle hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off, tears starting to streak his face. “I’m her brother. I’m supposed to keep her safe. I failed.” His fists clench against the floor. “She was home, our own home, and I still couldn’t protect her.”

The weight of his grief fills the room like smoke, thick and choking.

No one tries to stop him. No one can.

Even Dael, who usually keeps everyone moving forward, looks frozen for a moment watching Pan fall apart. Maybe because he feels it too, the guilt, the failure, the powerlessness.

I move closer, slowly, carefully. Kelsie meets my eyes, silent, asking without words what we should do.

“We’re not giving up on her,” I say quietly, firmly. “You hear me, Pan? You didn’t fail her. You fought for her. You’re still fighting. And so are we.”

Pan doesn’t look up, but his shoulders shudder once. “But you heard Doc, I can’t heal her, and he can’t heal her.”

"Then we’ll have to find someone who can,” I hear Makini’s voice behind me, confident and strong. She had her moment; she broke down. Now she’s up again, ready to fight. What an incredible woman.

Dr Shaun looks unsure, “With the world as it is right now, I wouldn’t even know where to start."

“I think I do,” she counters. I turn around to look at her, confident and strong, but then I see the uncertainty creep in: guilt.

Makini’s eyes flick to mine for the briefest second, searching. I don’t know what she’s looking for, but something in her gaze twists in my chest. Then she clears her throat and steps forward, voice steady.

"When we were at Base Zero, before we defected and knew the truth,” she begins. Her tone is clipped and professional, but guilt weighs heavily on her. She's scared that I’d judge we judge her. That I judge her, and stars I put that fear there through my actions. I nod at her to continue, hoping that my eyes convey trust. “We used to hear whispers. About a surgeon, not just any medic. A super surgeon.” She continues, “They worked for the General. Fixed up people, shifters… I don’t know if they were there by choice, but…”

She hesitates, then adds, “I saw a guy once. He was shredded. Should’ve been dead. Saw him walking around like nothing happened two weeks later. Because of her.”

Bellamy steps forward then, silent until now, face unreadable. “Super Surg,” he says, confirming. “That’s what they call him in intercepted comms. I've heard it a few times. High-clearance assignments. No face, no rank. Ghost.”

The moment the words are out, Dorgan surges to his feet like something sparked back to life. The hopelessness is gone in an instant, burned away by purpose.

Even Pan, who has been nothing but a shell of himself, starts pacing, eyes fierce. “Where do I find him?” he growls.

“Bells, get on it,” Dorgan snaps. “Omari, help him. Anything you can find, locations, movements, chatter. I don’t care how buried it is.”

Bellamy nods once, already moving to the door, “On it.”

Makini moves without hesitation, following him out.

“We find him,” Dorgan says, voice iron. “We bring him here. Willing or not.”

I feel it like a jolt in my bones, the shift. The mission is forming.

“He’s gonna get that bullet out,” Dorgan finishes. “No matter what it takes.”

He doesn’t wait for us to agree. Instead, he turns on his heel and storms toward the Med wing, heading back to Sasha. Dr. Shaun blinks, nods rapidly, and scurries after him, mumbling something.

The room’s buzzing now. That broken silence from before? Gone. Replaced by something sharper. Focused.

Dael lifts his chin. “Now we plan.”

And just like that, it’s on. That ghost of a surgeon?

We are coming for him.

Like it or not.