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Chapter 283
Ellie’s POV
My room was warm and dry, a stark contrast from the raging storm outside. Lucas laid me down on the bed, wet clothes and all, and carefully removed my boot and sock to get a better look at my ankle.
He hissed through his teeth again when he saw the damage.
“How bad is it?” I asked, looking up at the ceiling. I didn’t want to see it.
“Bad,” he said, standing. “But I think it’s just twisted, not broken.”
I nodded, pushing myself up further against my pillows, as he retreated into the bathroom. A few moments later, he returned
with a small bowl of warm water, a cloth, and the first aid kit.
Lucas was careful and efficient as he tended to my ankle. I watched as he gently washed the rainwater and mud away from the skin, then dried it and applied some icy-hot ointment to help with the pain.
My jaw clenched, teeth grinding as he tightly wrapped the whole thing in bandages.
“Sorry,” Lucas said, “but it has to be tight.”
“It’s fine.”
He fastened off the whole thing, then reached for the glass of water on my bedside table and handed it to me along with two painkillers. I took them in one swallow.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. I kept looking at the ceiling, but I could feel Lucas staring at me. Waiting.
Finally, I said, “I’ll find a way out. I promise.”
He exhaled. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Ellie.”
“I know.” I looked at him and felt my chest loosen a little at the concern in my friend’s eyes. Putting my hand over his, I said quietly, “I looked into my past death. I think the wolfsbane toxin really was applied after the injury.”
“Who do you think did it?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Could have been anyone.”
“Two names come to mind,” he muttered.
I looked at my lap. Vivian and Dominic. That much was obvious. Considering the way that Vivian had come to me right before my death, it seemed likely that one or both of them had conspired to put me down so Vivian could be installed as Luna.
It didn’t exactly take a genius to figure that much out.
Lucas sighed. “Listen,” he said, voice low. “What’s done is done. You should keep looking into your death, so the responsible party-or parties-can be held accountable. But in the meantime, you also need to find a way out of this marriage.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I muttered.
His expression softened a little. “I was going to give this to you earlier,” he said, reaching into his pocket, “but, obviously things got in the way. Here.”
He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small, folded up pamphlet. The shiny paper was wet and crinkled trom the rain. I had to peel it apart so I could read it.
“The World Healer Organization,” I read out loud. “What’s this?”
“It’s a new organization,” Lucas explained. “Dedicated to bringing together healers from all across the packs. We’re working
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on creating a coalition of healers that aren’t bound to territories. We’re still working on funding and recruiting people, but I think you’d be a shoe-in.”
I looked at the pamphlet. It showed a picture of a healer holding a stethoscope to a child’s chest, both smiling. The mission statement mentioned something about healing for all, regardless of pack affiliation, although the rain had smudged many of the letters.
“I know things have been chaotic,” Lucas said, tapping the pamphlet with one finger, “but Ellie, healing is your calling. You and I both know that.” He paused. “Don’t let Dominic-”
“Don’t let Dominic what?”
We both looked up to see that, at some point, Dominic had entered the room. He was standing in the doorway, still dripping water onto the floor. His expression was positively thunderous.
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