Tessa’s POV
Kane and Seth settled quietly into the two visitor chairs by the window, the low creak of the leather cushions the only sound in the
stillness. The soft murmur of machines hummed on, keeping time with Sasha’s shallow breaths. A steady reminder that life still pulsed
through her, even if only just.
Erin and I remained at her bedside.
I moved first, sinking slowly to my knees and reaching for Sasha’s hand–wary, gentle- wrapping my fingers around hers. The moment
our skin touched, I paused.
She was warm.
Clammy, yes, but warm.
Relief expanded in my chest so quickly that it nearly took the breath from me. I had been bracing for cold- expecting something icy and
lifeless- but instead there was heat. Life. Weak and flickering, but real.
“She’s burning up a little,” I whispered, glancing toward the monitors to see if that was a bad sign, but they all remained steady and calm. Her body was just working hard- fighting to reject the infections.
She was healing.
Erin leaned in on the opposite side, adjusting the folded corner of the blanket near Sasha’s shoulder. Her eyes trailed over every visible mark, her throat bobbing when she spotted a small scar on Sasha’s neck.
“They did so much to her…” she whispered, voice tight and trembling. “She didn’t deserve any of it. None of them did.”
I swallowed, blinking fast as I took in the girl who had once been nothing more than a flicker of kindness in a dark and dangerous place.
Now she lay here, stripped of everything, barely clinging on.
“She had a family,” I said, my voice soft and broken. “Remember? She told us that- right before…” I trailed off, unable to finish the
sentence.
Erin nodded quickly, swiping at her cheek where a tear had slipped free. “She was taken from them. Just like we had been taken back home… only she was, much younger when they took her – that’s what she said!” Her jaw trembled with the words.
Dimitri was sick. But he was gone now.
We have to remember the positive outcome to all of this amongst the darkness…
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The thought of Sasha’s parents- wherever they were aching for a daughter they had no way to find, made my stomach twist.
And then Kane’s voice came, low and reassuring from across the room. “If her family’s still out there, then Kion will be sure to find
them.”
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I turned toward him. He hadn’t moved from his chair, but the weight of his words filled the room with something that almost felt like
hope.
“He has a team dedicated to locating displaced humans,” Kane continued. “Those who’ve gone missing. Those trafficked or lost during the
war. They’ve already started making contact to other packs to reunite several families since we arrived back. If Sasha’s people are still
alive, then they’ll be found. And once they are, Kion will give them shelter here. Safety.”
I nodded slowly, a lump forming in my throat.
Kion would do the right thing. I knew that already.
He’d proven that again and again, even standing against his own blood- his brother, Dimitri- for the sake of justice. It had cost him, I
could tell, but he hadn’t wavered.
He reminded me of Kane in so many ways.
A real Alpha.
The kind who understood power wasn’t about cruelty or fear, but responsibility. Balance. Strength and compassion.
My eyes drifted back to Sasha. Her breathing was steady, her chest rising and falling beneath the blanket in a slow rhythm.
Then, suddenly—
Click.
The soft sound of the door opening behind us drew everyone’s attention. Erin stiffened. I turned to glance over my shoulder, tightening
my grip slightly on Sasha’s hand.
A tall man stepped inside, the crisp blue of his scrubs catching the light from the hallway behind him. He wore a matching surgical cap-
neatly tucked- and a clipboard in one hand. His presence filled the room not with alarm, but with an air of precision. Purpose.
He was a doctor. Or perhaps a surgeon? But someone of importance here anyway…
“Dobryy vecher vsem!” (Good evening everyone!) He announced as he stepped inside, but going by our silence, he quickly cleared his
throat.
“Ah, our foreign guests? Good evening! I am Doctor Eli, head of this medical wing under Alpha Kion’s instruction.” He nods, his English
quite impressive as he adapts quickly in order for us to understand him fully.
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Kane was already on his feet, moving to shake his hand, “Alpha Kane, pleasure. So, how’s she doing?” He states firmly before the question
follows.
His gaze swept over us all, pausing on Sasha, then moving back to Kane.
“You are the one who saved her? Who got her here?” He looks to him.
Kane nodded. “We are, yes.”
The doctor stepped further into the room, eyes scanning the monitors as he adjusted his clipboard from under his arm. “Well you managed to do so just in the nick of time… hyperthermia nearly got her! She was lucky.” He nods, sighing gently as I watched Kane
swallow hard at his words.
“She is stable now,” he confirmed. “But she is in what we call a restorative coma. It’s not a condition we induce- rather, the body chooses
- it. A self–preservation mechanism. Her vitals have improved, but the trauma was… extensive. Both mentally and physically.”
Erin stepped closer, hesitant. “B–But… how long until she wakes up?”
Eli looked up, his expression careful. “That depends. A few days maybe, possibly longer. Her brain shows no signs of permanent damage,
which is a miracle. But she’s malnourished, injured, and emotionally- she will need time.”
He turned back toward Sasha, adjusting her IV line gently. “Her hearing may return before her voice. If she stirs, speak softly. She will
recognise your voices before her eyes open.”
Then he turned back toward Kane. “I have another round to check, but I will be back in an hour to pump more fluids in to her system
along with some protein. For now- be welcome to stay for as long as you like. It does them all good to have visitors.”
With that, he left- closing the door quietly behind him.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding.
“I didn’t think I’d care so much,” Erin said suddenly, still staring at Sasha. “I mean… we didn’t even know her that long. But it’s like-”
“Like we’ve known her our whole lives…” I conclude as she nods in agreement.
“We certainly owe her our whole lives… just think of what could’ve happened if she didn’t help us out… the extra beatings we would’ve
taken.” Erin bubbles, her lip trembling now.
I began running my thumb gently over the back of Sasha’s hand before I reached out to gently tuck the loose strand back behind her ear,
“We’re going to be here when you wake up,” I whispered. “You’re not alone anymore.”
And somehow, I believed she already knew that.
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Even if she couldn’t open her eyes to say it yet.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
