Chapter 3: I Can Heal you
1416 Words
Chapter 3: I Can Heal you
(Grace’s POV)
My phone buzzed in my hand, Zara’s name glowing on the screen, far too familiar for comfort. It felt heavier than it should—a connection I didn’t want to answer.
But I didn’t have the luxury to ignore her. Not after everything she’d already done, not after her threats about my grandmother. With a tight breath, I slid my thumb across the screen.
“Grace,” came Zara’s voice, oozing false warmth that made my stomach tighten. “I heard the wonderful news. Lucian is awake. You’ve done well.”
I remained silent. Her voice grated more than it soothed. I could feel her calculating through the phone. There was no world where this call would end in anything good.
“Though...” she dragged out the word, leaving a pause so deliberate it almost felt staged, “it’s unfortunate, isn’t it? About his condition.”
“What do you mean?” I asked sharply, though my heart clenched, already knowing her angle.
“The word is spreading,” she said with mock concern. “That he might not be able to… shift. Such a shame for an Alpha King.”
My jaw tightened, and my wolf growled low in my chest. She was wrong. She had to be wrong. I’d felt his presence—raw, commanding, alive. Whatever weakness they claimed he had, it wasn’t complete.
“What do you want, Zara?” My voice was curt, hard. There was no point to niceties with her.
“Straight to the point. I always appreciated that about you.” Her false sweetness dropped, revealing cold steel beneath. “The Sacred Moon Valley territory. Convince Lucian to cede it to Blake Storm.”
I froze. My heart skipped a beat in shock.
Blake Storm was Lucian's cousin. He was the second heir to the Alpha King, Lucian's main rival, and Scarlett's new fiancé.
The Sacred Moon Valley wasn’t just any land—it was sacred to most packs, renowned for its moonstone deposits and ancient power. Giving it to Blake would bolster his power in unimaginable ways.
“You’re mad,” I spat.
“Watch your tone,” she snapped back, her voice losing a sliver of composure. “Think, Grace. It’s wasted on someone who can’t even shift, someone who—”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice was laced with unfiltered anger. My hands shook where they gripped the phone.
“Oh, I know exactly what I’m talking about,” she cut in, her tone icy but self-assured. “Blake and Scarlett would put it to better use. And you can make it happen.”
“You overestimate me, Zara,” I said bitterly. “I’m just a political pawn to them. I have no influence over anything.”
She chuckled dryly, a sound that made every nerve in my body tense. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You triggered his awakening, after all. That means something. It means a lot.”
I laughed bitterly, humorless and sharp. “I won’t manipulate him for you. Or for Blake. Find someone else.”
The silence on the other end of the line was deafening, suffocating. Then came her voice, quiet, deliberate, like a blade slipping between ribs.
“Your grandmother is with us now.”
My breath left me in a rush. I gripped the phone tighter, my pulse kicking hard in my throat. “What have you done?”
Her voice didn’t c***k, not even a little. “Nothing. Not yet. But you know how fragile her condition is. How much she relies on her herbs.”
I felt my knees go weak as her words sank in. My wolf, Cora, growled furiously within me. I dug my nails into my palm to keep from letting my claws emerge. “You’re threatening her life.”
“Don’t twist my words,” Zara replied, her false calm infuriating. “None of this is my fault. I’m just making sure you understand the stakes here. We’ll take care of her. We’ll give her what she needs. But only if you do what’s necessary.”
My grip on the phone was so tight my fingers hurt. “You’re her daughter,” I said, my voice broken and low. “How could you—?”
“I’m ensuring the future of our pack,” she cut me off, her tone turning sharp again. “The future of your life as well, Grace.”
I nearly laughed at the bitterness in her words. My life? She didn’t care about my life. She never had.
The silver moonstone bracelet on my wrist felt like lead. A reminder of what was at stake. A reminder of what I was supposed to be, whatever that was.
“Think about it,” Zara said calmly, as if her cruelty wasn’t ripping me apart. Then the line went dead.
I stared at my phone for a long moment, unable to move.
“Luna,” a firm voice snapped me out of my haze.
I spun, my heart in my throat, and found Quinn Foster standing there, her expression cold yet undeniably commanding. Her presence filled the hallway like a specter, solid yet silent.
“The Alpha’s chambers,” she said briskly. “Now.”
I shoved the phone into my pocket and followed. My mind raced with Zara’s words as Quinn led me through the stone corridors. By the time we reached the door, my hands were clammy and shaking.
Inside, Diana Storm stood beside Lucian’s bed. Her expression softened when she saw me, her relief clear.
“Come,” she beckoned. “We need to discuss the bond.”
I didn’t have time to question her before I felt it again. That presence. Powerful. Overwhelming. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless, uncertain—until my gaze landed on Lucian.
He was awake. His piercing green eyes locked on mine, sharp as ever. Even in his supposed weakness, he controlled the room effortlessly. He leaned back against the pillows casually, as if the medical equipment had never been there at all.
“Mother,” he said, his voice cold, clipped. “What bond?”
Diana stiffened but didn’t falter. “The partial mate bond we performed while you were unconscious. It was necessary. It was to protect you, Lucian.”
The room went silent. The tension crackled like a live wire.
Lucian’s jaw clenched. His eyes darkened, and his aura rippled through the space. Even with his power dampened, I could feel the raw dominance just beneath his control.
“Sever it,” he said at last, his words low but filled with authority. They weren’t a request. They were a command.
Diana flinched, but she quickly squared her shoulders. “Absolutely not!” she exclaimed, her voice unyielding. “Grace’s omega healing abilities could be the key to your recovery!”
My heart twisted painfully. I should’ve spoken then. I should’ve said something. But the words stuck in my throat.
Lucian’s gaze snapped to me, sharp and unforgiving. “And your silence?” he said, his tone colder than ice. “Is that agreement?”
I sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. There was no mistaking the disgust in his eyes.
“No,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. My pulse raced, and my voice shook, but I forced myself to continue. “I won’t agree to breaking the bond.”
Even if it hurt. Even if it ripped me apart.
“I’ll live as an unclaimed mate if I have to,” I added, standing my ground despite how small I felt under his gaze.
The room hovered in stunned silence. Then, before I could stop the words, they escaped me entirely. “I can heal you.”
Lucian’s cold mask cracked just slightly, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. I could see it in his expression—he didn’t believe me. Not even for a second.
I swallowed hard, but my hands moved on their own. I stepped forward, gripping the blanket that covered him. My fingers glowed faintly, the light of a rare omega healer spilling into the room for the first time.
His power spiked.
A roar erupted from his chest, loud and primal, shaking the very walls around us. His alpha aura exploded all at once, forcing me to stagger under its crushing weight. I gasped and nearly collapsed to the ground.
- Writer
