Hybrid Lena

Chapter 8

-Kane-

The closer I go to the nurse’s room, the stronger the pull became. It wrapped around my chest tight and insistent, drawing me forward whether I wanted it or not. Apollo stirred restlessly inside me, his excitement building until it was nearly impossible to ignore.

He needed to be near her.

I clenched my jaw and slowed my pace, forcing control back into my limbs. I had never felt like this over a woman before. Never lost this much command over myself. I shouldn’t feel like this.

As we reached the door, I stopped abruptly and turned to Alex. He studied me with a confused frown, clearly sensing the shift in my mood. I gave him a brief nod, then raised my hand and knocked lightly.

“Come in.”

Nurse Sara’s faint voice carried through the door. I pushed it open and stepped inside with Alex close behind me.

“How is the patient?” I asked, as I crossed the room. Nurse Sara was finishing up at the side of the bed; her attention fixed on the deep wound across the woman’s stomach. The other injuries had already healed, her skin looked smooth where there had been gashes before, but the stomach wound remained open, angry and red.

Apollo growled low in my head.

He didn’t like seeing her hurt. He pushed forward instinctively, urging me to get closer, to lie beside her, to fix her.

I forced him back.

“The healing on the rest of her body is nearly complete,” Sara said, removing her gloves. “That’s expected for a wolf. But the wound on her stomach isn’t responding the same way.” My hands curled into fists at my sides.

“I’m concerned about infection,” she continued. “It’s not closing properly.” Apollo whined softly, frustration bleeding through the bond. I kept him contained, refusing to let the sound escape. I stepped closer to the bed despite myself.

She lay peacefully, her breathing slow and even. Her scent, warm, familiar washed over me again, and my chest tightened in response. It was the same scent from the orb. From the moment I’d found her.

I studied her face more carefully this time.

Her skin was light, touched with a golden warmth, Black strands framed her face at the front of her hair, the rest falling long and white across the pillow. I wondered briefly if the white had been dyed or if it meant something more.

Her features were soft but striking. A delicate nose. Full lips, perfectly shaped. I caught myself wondering what colour her eyes were.

I forced my gaze away. This wasn’t the time.

Still, the pull didn’t ease. If anything, it intensified.

‘A goddess…’ Apollo murmured with quiet reverence. I swallowed hard.

Who is she? And why had we been pushed together like this, bound before a single word had passed between us? She might not even like me when she wakes. We could be enemies. And yet all I wanted was to be near her.

“Kane.” Alex’s voice cut through my thoughts, I hadn’t realised how long I’d been staring.

“Who is she?” he asked gently.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

The silence stretched between us. Then, slowly, I stepped closer to the bed and reached for her hand. The moment our skin touched, power surged.

Electricity raced through me, sharp, overwhelming, intoxicating. Apollo cried out in my head, desperate and elated. The nurse gasped softly. I barely registered it.

I laid down beside her carefully, keeping my movements slow, deliberate. Sara stared in shock, then looked at Alex for explanation. He only lifted his shoulders helplessly.

“Kane?” Sara whispered.

I took a steady breath and relaxed my grip on control, just enough. Apollo surged forward, not fully unleashed, but close enough to reach her. My eyes burned as they shifted to gold.

Warmth flooded my chest, then flowed outward, through my arm out my hand and into her. It wasn’t painful. It felt…right. Like something long dormant, finally waking.

A faint white glow shimmered around us. Nurse Sara stumbled back, her eyes wide. Alex didn’t move at all. I didn’t fight it.

Whatever this was, Apollo trusted it. And for once, so did I. Minutes passed in complete silence. Then Nurse Sara rushed forward, scanning the wound. Her breath caught.

“It’s closing,” she said in disbelief. “You’re helping her heal. I’ve never seen anything like this.” I looked down at the woman beside me, at the faint colour returning to her skin.

“Whatever this is,” I murmured, “It’s extraordinary.” Eventually, I withdrew my hand and forced Apollo back, the glow fading slowly. Sweat clung to my skin.

I needed distance.

By the time I stepped off the treadmill, sweat was pouring down my face, my vest soaked through, I gulped water desperately, then moved straight to the weights.

Alex didn’t say a word.

He knew me too well. Training was how I cleared my head, how I buried what I couldn’t yet to face.

Pain. Focus. Nothing else existed.

When we finished and both showered, I followed the tunnel back toward my room. Instead of stopping, I continued past it, Alex was close behind me. We headed downstairs into the kitchen.

I walked straight to the fridge and pulled out two protein shakes. Turning, I handed one to Alex he took it, he raised his brow but didn’t drink. He waited until I downed mine before speaking.

“Alright,” I said. “Go on. Ask away. I know you have questions.” He stepped closer and set his bottle down on the island between us.

“What happened in there, Kane? Since when do you have healing abilities? And why is there an unknown young woman in the nurse’s room? Who is she?”

Concern edged his voice as confusion tightened his expression.

“I told you back there, I don’t know who she is,” I said. Before I could continue, he pressed on. “Then where did you find her? Did she try to kidnap you?”

“Alex,” I cut him off, “Let me explain.”

He stopped before more questions rolled of his tongue, he swallowed while he straightened his shoulders. “I’m listening.”

I exhaled slowly. “Like I said before, I don’t know who she is. I don’t really know much at all, to be honest. All I know is that Apollo and I were drawn to her. Called to her. And I’m glad we were.”

I met his gaze.

“If I hadn’t gone, she wouldn’t be here. She would have been dead.”

Alex frowned. “So instead of coming back and getting reinforcements, getting me. You risked your life for a complete stranger. Someone who could be our enemy.” He pointed towards the ceiling. “She’s up there right now, receiving treatment.”

He stepped closer, tension raising. “how do you know this isn’t a trap? How do you know this isn’t their plan, to infiltrate our kingdom and tear us apart from the inside out? Kane, this is reckless.”

I could hear it now, the strain beneath his restraint. He knew better than to speak to me this way. But he was my best friend. One of the few who could.

“I didn’t go looking for her,” I said quietly, tapping the side of my head. “Someone else reached out to me. Another woman, she sounded much older and she begged for my help.”

Alex stilled.

“Apollo and I didn’t sense an enemy,” I continued. “I don’t know what all of this means yet. But I do know the woman upstairs is here for a reason.” I held his gaze. “A reason that ties her to our future.”

“My future.”

He took another step forward, shock breaking through his anger. “Who do you think she is, Kane?,” he asked softly. I turned and tossed the empty bottle into the bin, then walked back to him. I placed my hand firmly on his shoulder.

“I believe she is my fated mate,” I said. “Your future Queen of Athas.” The words landedhard.