Chapter 96
Kane’s POV*
The day had passed in a haze after regrouping back at Kion’s pack.
I couldn’t remember half of it. Not properly, anyway. Only fragments due to the overwhelming exhaustion I was facing but continued to push through.
The chill of the Russian wind was still clinging to my skin and clothes despite being in the warm pack house.
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My thoughts had blurred under the strain of it all- under the relief of getting her back, of ending Dimitri’s wild reign here in Russia, of
surviving a war like no other I had ever faced back home…
Sasha had been taken inside immediately, rushed down the corridor toward the private infirmary wing on a stretcher. Her body had gone
limp, her face nearly grey, eyes fluttering like something broken inside her was still fighting to hold on.
They didn’t let
anyone go with her, even when Tessa had begged, but we understood why – it would only be a distraction for them.
Erin had been clutching Seth like she might dissolve if she let go, and I… I had just held on to Tessa since getting her back too.
For both of our sakes.
The most important amongst the rescued were tended to in order of urgency. Most of us were dismissed by one medic or another with
nothing more than a tired grunt and a promise we’d be “seen to shortly.” Which was fine by me.
I would have happily left receiving treatment today had Tessa not completely detested the idea when I had said it – informing me that it
was stupid and that I needed stitches on my face before we could go to bed.
I didn’t need any attention or coddling, I never did.
I just needed her.
But if that’s what she needed me to do in order to remain grounded, then so be it, I’d wait all damn night for a stitch if I had to.
If it would make her happy.
I kept her beside me the entire time since I’d gotten back – every room I entered, she did too.
She was there when I ate the food they shoved on the table in front of me. There when I went to our bedroom to take a shower. There to check in on me as I hissed and cursed through my teeth as the hot water ran over every gash and burn and bruise left on my skin from
battle.
18:34 Inu, Jan 29
Chapter 96
Tessa waited just beyond the glass pane for me to finish up, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, silent but very much still there…
Always there.
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The only thing that kept my wolf from losing its shit entirely.
He was too raw, too wired. The scent of blood still in his nostrils. The sight of her terror burned behind his eyes. The hunt, the rage, the kill- it hadn’t all settled in him yet. Not even close. Only her presence could ease him down, and even then, it was barely working… we needed rest, we all did.
Eventually, after I dressed and headed back downstairs, we were called into one of the smaller exam rooms just off the main hallway. One of Kion’s on–site nurses stout, middle–aged, no–nonsense was already setting up her supplies, threading a curved needle with surgical thread that gleamed faintly under the fluorescent lighting.
The scar on my face, the one that still pulsed with heat and pain, stretched from the corner of my mouth, over my cheek, past the edge of my eye, and nearly to my hairline. It felt like it had been carved by fire. And judging by the look the nurse gave it, I could tell I was in for something slow and ugly…
Great.
Tessa curled herself up in a corner chair. Her knees were drawn to her chest, thin arms looped around them protectively, her cheek resting against the top. Her eyes didn’t look right- too dull, too hollow. I stared at her longer than I should have, taking in the sharpness of her shoulder blades under the oversized sweater she’d been given. The softness of her face had thinned out. She looked fragile.
Breakable.
I didn’t like that.
“You need to eat, Tessa.” My voice came rougher than I intended, but I didn’t soften it. I meant what I said.
The nurse didn’t look up, busying herself with a tray of antiseptics and gauze as she knew better than to intervene in a wolf’s business with his partner…
Tessa sighed, her head barely lifting as she muttered, “I know.”
That tone–half tired, half petulant- ignited something instinctive in me. My jaw clenched as my eyes narrowed, but I didn’t snap. Not today. I couldn’t snap at her.
“I mean it,” I warned, quieter this time. “Don’t make me chase you down over this.”
She didn’t respond. Just tightened her arms around her knees like she wanted to fall asleep right there.
I hated seeing her like this. Worn thin. Half–here.
18:54 Thu, Jan 29
Chapter 96
But I didn’t press.
:
I knew this whole journey had been hell for us both but I couldn’t bear to see her deteriorate any further…
The nurse finally approached, wiping the side of my face clean before bringing the needle close.
“This will sting,” she warned, but I barely shrugged.
My eyes remained locked on Tessa. Even as the first prick of the stitch tugged.
“She’s going to be okay, you know,” I said after a long moment of silence.
Tessa blinked at me.
“Sasha,” I clarified. “I don’t know how, but she will be. She’s a fighter.”
Her lips quivered, and I caught the flicker of guilt again behind her eyes. She still blamed herself. Still thought Sasha’s pain was on her
hands.
I didn’t know how to fix that. Not yet. But I’d find a way.
The nurse worked quietly, stitching me back together one slow knot at a time, and I let the silence fall again, only broken by Tessa’s
breath and the subtle scrape of thread through flesh.
By the time she was done, my face felt like it had been stapled together.
“You’ll scar,” the nurse said, peeling off her gloves.
“Good,” I muttered. “Let them all see what happens when someone touches what’s mine.”
The nurse blinked but didn’t comment. She packed her things and exited, leaving us alone in the sterile room.
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I stood carefully, my ribs stiff with pain, and walked over to where Tessa sat. She looked up as I crouched in front of her, every movement
aching but worth it to be closer to her.
“I’m sorry if I sounded harsh,” I said, brushing her hair back from her cheek. “You’re not going to fade away on me. You need to eat. Sleep.
Heal.”
She nodded faintly, but it wasn’t convincing.
So I leaned in and kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger there for a second longer than necessary. Her scent, even now, steadied me.
“Come on,” I murmured. “Let’s get some rest.”
18:54 Thu, Jan 29
Chapter 96
She stood without speaking, slipping her hand into mine as we left the room together as one.
Comments
GurlThatReads2025
1 Comments >
lol where is Anthony!!! lol the author has fully forgotten about him. he came to Russia and was at Kions house when the girls arrived and then boom he has not been mentioned since!!
7 days ago
4
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.
