Hours seemed to stretch into eternity as I paced the infirmary’s corridors, the sound of my footsteps echoing like a relentless clock ticking down my sanity. Every passing minute felt like a lifetime as I waited for news on Lyra’s condition.
The rest of the pack had gathered outside, yet there was one face noticeably absent—Aiden’s. I had been told he had an urgent errand in a nearby pack and wasn’t returning anytime soon. Perhaps it was for the best. If he were here, I feared my anger might drive me to do something irreparable.
Lyra lay unconscious on a hospital bed, surrounded by the hum of medical machines and the steady beep of monitors. Her face, normally so full of life, was pale and still, a heartbreaking reminder of the attack's brutality. I clenched my fists, steeling myself against the tide of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
Finally, Jacobs emerged, his face drawn and weary. He approached me with the kind of solemnity that made my heart sink.
"Luna Mira, I have some news about Lyra's condition," he said, glancing at the clipboard in his hands. "It's not good. The venom coursing through her veins is rare and potent. We've identified it as Shadowbane, a toxin that targets the nervous system."
My stomach twisted at his words.
"Shadowbane?" I repeated, the name sounding ominous and foreign on my tongue. "Can you do something?
"Our resources are limited. This is beyond our current capabilities."
"But there is a cure, right?"
As long as there's a cure.
Jacobs hesitated, then nodded slowly. "There is an antidote, but it's incredibly rare. Only the Healers of the Blood Coven know how to make it. The medicine is stored in a secure vault, and it requires someone with significant experience in handling ancient poisons. We need someone with more experience in rare toxins... like Maria.”
The name dropped like a stone into the still waters of my mind.
Maria. As in Maria Raven, Aiden's ex-lover and Head of Blood Coven?
The very thought of asking Maria for help felt like a betrayal of everything I stood for. She was the reason for the growing distance between Aiden and me—the invisible wedge that had driven us apart. How could I possibly warm to her, knowing there was still a place in Aiden's heart that would always remain hers? Yet, what choice did I have?
I knew what had to be done.