Chapter 24 Haven Requests a Meeting with You
Rue’s POV
For a minute, I just stared at the blue vial gleaming in my hand. Today, the hope had arrived, and not just the hypotheses form, the real one. Months and months of watching the infection ravaging our pack and my friends, the cure was finally here.
No more waiting, no more waiting. We had it, and I wasn’t about to waste another second.
“Prepare the treatment rooms,” I ordered, my voice high with urgency.” Bring in everyone that is infected first, to separate them from the healthy ones.”
Meanwhile, the pack’s hall was temporarily made into a treatment facility to accommodate everyone. The ones who were seriously ill were prioritized in the first beds..
The nurses and helpers scrambled to move. Fear still hung in the air, but beneath it, hope was budding. The despair that had been hanging around was starting to disperse like smoke.
We were just preparing the first round of injections when my phone buzzed. I almost didn’t answer but when I saw the name flash across the screen, I accepted it.
“Rue?” Vicky’s voice came through, light and excited “It works, the medicine worked. I’m on my feet again.
I heaved a sigh of relief.” That’s great to hear.”
She chuckled softly, “I owe you my life.”
“Don’t mention it.” I smiled ” let me call you later Vicky. Bye.”
After the call ended, my focus was entirely on administering the cure. A permanent smile found its way onto my face as I watched light flicker back into their eyes. It wasn’t instantaneous but the fast progress was exciting.
Hours gave birth to more hours until we had finished administering to the infected. My father found me leaning against the doorframe of the hall, exhausted begging me to go to sleep.
He looked at me, face full of pride.
“You did it, Rue” he said ” your skills, research…it has saved lives. We are lucky to have you with us.”
“It was a team effort.” I smiled.
“Well…you trail-blazed it.” He shrugged.
“Thank you. The shaman is currently scaling up the production. I was thinking we could send it out to other packs – free?”
“Yes, you can’t put a price on life.” He replied proudly.
But then his face shifted, a sadness creeping in. “We still lost one of our own, my friend. Arlo.”
My smile faded ” Not Arlo.”
He was the werewolf in charge of training warriors in the pack. He was one of Blood Claw strongest and fiercest men, and my dad’s close friend for decades.
“Succumbed to the infection earlier this morning before the cure arrived.” My father said quietly “We’ll bury him after the virus chaos quietens down.”
1/3
Washing wh
+25 Bonus
My heart ached for the soul I couldn’t save. And just like that I felt disappointed that we hadn’t developed the cure sooner, and now the pack had lost a prominent figure.
His loss was a wound.
“Further from that,” my father did a perfect job of masking his grief “Half Moon Pack are really in the worst times. Half of their population are down with severe infections, and they are numbering casualties on a weekly basis.”
My heart dropped for them.
“Aiden and his family are hoarding up the little pain medicine they have left. Selling it at high prices that the regular person can’t afford.” He continued
With his pack drowning, Aiden’s family still found a way to profit. Undoubtedly, Veronica was the mastermind of this tragic strategy.
“You are lucky you left him, Rue,” my father said as though he could read my mind “Veronica would have left you for dead had you been infected.”
He was right.
I recalled the day I came from the hospital, tired from bringing Iris into the world. Veronica had told me to cook for Aiden, that he was hungry. As if the pain that I was still feeling was worthless and inconsequential.
Some nights, I burned with pain but they didn’t even think of tending to me. And yet, everytime Aiden could catch a cold, I would be there tending to him, just to ease his discomfort.
Our conversation was interrupted by Percy.
“I was just looking for you” he approached us, my dad excusing himself.
“I wanted to thank you for the cure. You have saved me and my pack.” he said
“Consider us even.” I smiled faintly ” you saved me once, consider this my repayment. We are even now.
Before I could say more, my mother walked into the hall, her aura lighter and more energetic. Percy’s expression softened instantly as he went in to hug her, like an overenthusiastic nephew.
“Look at you, more beautiful than my mother…”
I nearly choked. Did he tell everyone’s mothers that line?
My mother chuckled, patting his arm lightly. “When did you become so smooth-tongued, Percy?”
“Not smooth,” he said innocently, though his gaze flicked to me “Just honest.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I was sure he noticed.
Just then, a guard rushed in.” Rue, Haven is here to see you.
My mother stiffened. “Now? No”
“I’ll be quick,” I reassured her, already heading toward the door.
She frowned, but Percy’s voice floated after her, light and teasing. “What do you think of her new look?”
My mother sighed but didn’t respond.
2/3
24 Haven Requests a Meeting with You’
“She’ll be fine,” Percy said.
“You weren’t here,” she said quietly, “so you don’t understand how the divorce was hard on her.”
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” I heard Percy say.
Comments
Support
Share
+25 Bonus
+25 Bonus
