A Favor
1083 Words
Chapter 4: A Favor
Seraphina's POV
As soon as I woke up, I noticed the softness under me. Not the cold concrete of the warehouse, not the thin cot in the hospital wing, but a real bed, thick blankets around me, sunlight gently filtering through a curtained window.
I could see nothing in the light, I was disoriented, and I turned my head to see an older woman sitting quietly in a chair beside the bed with her hands folded in her lap.
"Where am I?" I had a hoarse voice.
"You're safe, dear." The way she spoke was soothing and kind. “You were saved from being sold to a man who would use your gifts for his own use.”
"Rescued." I lay my head against the pillows. "By who?"
The woman's face was expressionless, cautious, guarded. “You’ll know soon.”
“Please, I need to know now—“
Without a word, she stood up and walked towards the door.
"Wait." I stretched out to touch her, but she was too far away. “Don't walk away yet, I have questions—“
The door made a click sound as it closed.
There was a moment of silence after that, and I was sitting there with a frustrated feeling in my chest, as though the door was going to choke me. Even if it was a clean sheet and gentle voices, as long as I didn't know whose hands I was in. I had thought that once I was in a palace with a mate who promised me protection, I was safe, and here's where it got me.
I didn't know when the door opened again, but before I sat there.
This time two men came in. The first was dressed in white healer's robes, a leather satchel hanging over one shoulder and a calm, professional expression. The second man walked half a step behind him, and even though he didn't say a word, I felt him the instant he walked in, as if he was pushing against the air, something I knew was there, but I didn't hear it. An Alpha.
The healer went to the bed first, and he bowed.
“I'm Healer Doran," he said. “If you don't mind, I'll have to check up on you.”
"Go ahead," I said.
He worked quickly and gently, feeling my pulse at my wrist, pressing gently at my ribs, looking into my eyes in the light.
How do you feel? he asked. Have you experienced any pain, dizziness, weakness?
"Tired," I admitted. “My head hurts a little and there's a little pain in my tummy, but not as painful as before.”
“That's what happens,” he said, making some notes. "Any nausea? Trouble breathing?"
"No. Just tired." I replied.
He nodded, pleased, and examined silently for several minutes. But the Alpha didn't say anything, he just stood there, arms crossed, eyes never leaving me, watching me as I did as much as he was being watched.
Healer Doran's work was done, and he neatly stored his tools and gave him another small bow. “Things are going well, I'll follow up with you tonight.”
He walked away and the door closed behind him and I was left alone with the Alpha for the first time.
He paused for a while before he spoke, as if giving the silence its due.
He stated that he was "Alpha Ronan Varkos. The leader of the Varkos Pack.”
He took a glance at me. "What are your feelings about it?
I said “I was OK,”and then, since I couldn't help myself, I said, "What happened?
“During the raid on the auction house, I found you," he said. “I hate rogues; I hate the black market more. When I heard what they were running under that city, I came with my pack to demolish it.”
“So it was a lucky thing,” I said quietly. “You didn’t go there for me in particular.”
"No," he admitted. “But I wasn't going to leave anybody behind when we were in there.”
I gazed down at the blankets in my lap. “What next?”
“Once you’re fully recovered, you are free to go home, if that is where you want to go.” His tone was steady and there was no pressure, either up or down. “If you've nowhere else, you are welcome to stay here in my pack as long as you need.”
That was when something in my chest released, some little thing of fear I'd been carrying since the warehouse. “Thank you,” I said, and i meant it.
He studied me for a little while more. “What happened to you?”
I said nothing.
I didn't want to give him that information. Not yet. I didn't find out the answer until I got to know him better as a person and where he was from.
Rather, I asked him a question. “What did your healers find out?”
Ronan's face changed expression, now with caution. “They found out that you are a rare nine-tailed wolf.”
“I knew that," I replied. “How many do I have remaining?”
"Four."
The word was mispronounced and for a brief instant I wondered if I had heard him wrong. "Four," I repeated.
“Yeah… you lost one lately… we also found out you suffered a miscarriage. I am sorry.” He said, with a small smile.
I didn't hear the apology very well. I was already thinking in reverse, counting, recounting, not letting the numbers fall into place.
After that miscarriage I had been told by the royal healer in the Lucan Kingdom that I had lost two tails. Two.
If I had four tails left, after everything, the warehouse, the auction, whatever had been done to me since, then the math prior to that would have to mean one thing.
I had lost one tail. Not two.
The math was not adding up!
I was lied to! Someone lied about the number of my lost tails.
The royal healer. The council. Maybe even Kael himself, but I wasn't ready to settle on that thought just yet. Someone in the Kingdom had miscounted my losses on purpose.
I lifted my eyes to Ronan, rage slowly replacing the sadness in me.
“I need a favor from you.”
- Writer
