chapter 2
1429 Words
Gwen got to the hospital fast, heart hammering like she had been running even though she took the bus.
The nurse was already at reception waiting for her.
“This way,” she said, soft like she already knew the news was bad.
Gwen just nodded and followed. She knew the hallway too well. The antiseptic smell made her stomach turn. Hospitals felt more like home than her apartment did lately. Every shift she picked up, every meal she skipped, every dollar she saved, it all went to this place.
The nurse stopped outside the doctor’s office. “The doctor will explain everything.”
Gwen’s palms were sweating. She wiped them on her jeans and went in.
The doctor didn’t waste time. “I’m sorry, Gwen. Your mother’s condition got worse, faster than we thought.”
Gwen’s throat went tight. “How bad are we talking?”
“She needs surgery.”
For half a second Gwen felt relief. Surgery meant a chance. “Okay. Surgery. She’ll get better, right?”
“It would give her a much better shot, yes.”
“Then do it.”
The doctor looked down. “The procedure is expensive.”
Gwen’s stomach dropped. “How expensive?”
The doctor slid a paper across the desk.
Gwen stared at the number and her vision went blurry. Eighty thousand. More than she made in a whole year working doubles.
“There has to be another way,” she said, voice coming out rough.
The doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry. Without the surgery, her condition will keep getting worse.”
Gwen gripped the paper until her knuckles went white. Eviction notice at home. Tuition she couldn’t pay. And now this?
“How long does she have?”
“A few weeks. Maybe.”
A few weeks. Gwen just stared at the floor. How the hell was she supposed to get that kind of money in a few weeks?
“Do what you can,” she mumbled, standing up too fast. Her chair scraped loud against the floor.
The hallway felt colder when she walked out. She stood there for a second, staring at nothing, trying to shove the panic down. She couldn’t fall apart here. Not now.
She took a shaky breath and headed to her mom’s room. Her mom couldn’t see her like this.
Her mom was awake when she came in, and her face lit up the second she saw her.
“Gwen. There you are.”
She forced a smile and dragged a chair over. “Sorry I’m late. Work was a mess.”
Her mom reached out and touched her cheek. Her hand was thin and cold. Her smile faded.
“Have you been eating?”
Gwen laughed, but it sounded fake even to her. “Yeah, of course.”
“You’re lying,” her mom said right away. No hesitation.
Gwen looked away. Her mom’s eyes missed nothing. She had lost weight. Her clothes hung loose. The dark circles under her eyes were worse.
“Gwen…”
“I’m fine, Mom. Stop.”
“No, you’re not.” Her mom’s voice cracked. “Look at you. You’re killing yourself.”
“I’m okay,” she snapped, then immediately regretted it. She rubbed her face, tired. “I’m okay, alright? I just got a lot going on.”
Her mom was quiet for a while. Then said, softly. “You shouldn’t have to give up your whole life for me.”
“Don’t say that.” Gwen’s voice went hard. “Don’t you dare.”
“But it’s true…”
“No.” She cut her off, and her voice broke in the middle. She pressed her hands together so they wouldn’t shake. “If I have to work ten jobs I will. If I have to never sleep again, fine. Just don’t talk like you’re some burden. You’re not.”
Her mom’s eyes filled with tears. Gwen looked down fast because if she saw her cry she was gonna lose it too.
After a while her mom reached for her hand and squeezed. “You’re so strong, baby. Too strong.”
Maybe she was. But who else was there?
She sat there listening to the beep of her mom’s monitor, the paper with $80,000 burning a hole in her pocket, and thought the same thing over and over.
How was she supposed to save her?
*. *. *
Gwen got fired before lunch.
“You’re late again,” the manager said without looking up. “You’re done with this job.”
“My mom had an episode,” Gwen tried. Her voice came out weak. “I can cover doubles… Please.”
“I don’t care.” He tossed her apron. “We need someone who shows up. You’re not it.”
That was job number two gone. She walked out with three crumpled twenties and the $80,000 paper folded tight in her pocket.
School was worse.
The hallway was empty after the last period. She had stayed late trying to pick up a shift at the campus diner. Now she was walking fast, head down, keys in her fist.
“Gwen!”
That was Mason's voice. Then Trent. Then Kade.
She didn’t turn. She knew what they wanted. They had been saying it for months. Ever since her dad went to prison. Ever since her mom got sick.
“Where are you running to?” Trent grabbed her backpack and yanked her back.
Gwen stumbled. Her books hit the floor. “Let go.”
“Why?” Mason blocked her path, grinning. “We heard your mom’s dying. That sucks. We can help.”
“I don’t need your help.”
Kade laughed. “Sure you do. Eighty grand, right? We saw the paper.”
Gwen went cold. She thought she had dropped the paper in the hallway somehow and thought she had picked it up.
“You wanna make money?” Mason stepped closer. “Just be nice to us. Be a w***e for us, Gwen. We’ll pay.”
“f**k you,” she said, and her voice shook.
Trent shoved her into the lockers. Her head hit the metal. Pain exploded behind her eyes.
“You think you’re too good?” He twisted her arm. “Nobody’s coming for you. Your dad’s in jail. Your mom’s dying. You’re nothing.”
Gwen fought. She kicked. She screamed. But they were stronger and bigger. They threw her down and her elbow cracked on the tile.
Her lips split, blood filled her mouth. She tasted copper.
Kade’s shoe came down near her ribs. Not hard enough to break, just enough to make her gasp.
She curled up, arms over her head, and cried. Gasping, snot and blood smeared on her face. Because she was tired. Because she was broke. Because no one was coming.
They kept going for what felt like forever. Then they got bored.
“Pathetic,” Mason spat. He dropped her backpack and kicked it down the hall.
They walked away laughing. Their footsteps faded.
Gwen stayed on the floor, shaking, waiting for the pain to stop. Waiting for someone to show up. No one did.
No footsteps. No voice. Nothing.
When she finally forced herself up, wiping blood on her sleeve with shaking hands, the hallway was empty. Just the buzz of the fluorescent lights and her own breathing.
She limped out of the school alone, shoulders hunched, expecting another hit that never came. She didn’t know a man had been there the whole time.
High above, crouched on the roof where no human could climb, Lucien Quin watched through the glass.
Three millennia of curse. Three millennia of loneliness because he went feral and tore through his own pack.
The bond in his chest pulled toward her, confused. Not his mate. Not Gwen Brooks. But this girl was drowning too.
He saw every hit. Saw the blood on her lip. Saw her hands shake as she picked up her books.
His claws dug into the stone. The beast snarled.
Kill them, save mate, end this now.
Lucien didn’t move. Didn’t make a sound. Didn’t even breathe too loud.
The Moon Goddess had cursed him.
He had learned that lesson in ash. So he stayed hidden, silent. A shadow no one saw.
He watched her stand up on wobbly legs. Watched her walk out alone.
“Interesting.” he muttered, and the word tasted like blood.
The Goddess gave him a mate to lose. Now she was showing him a girl about to break.
- Writer
