The Broken Wolf
Chapter 81

I wake up, but this time I’m not in a meadow, nor my home, or even the tent. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place before. My head hurts and my whole body is aching. I turn my head to see Seth in a chair next to the bed I’m in that’s a bit too small for him, his legs outstretched and his head tilted to the side as he sleeps, but his hand is holding mine.

He looks so tired, even while sleeping. He’s wearing dark jeans and a black button-down shirt, but he didn’t bother to tuck it in. He’s not wearing any shoes, and that seems so odd for him. His hair is down and a bit of a mess, and it looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days. He always looks so put together, this seems so very strange from him. How long have I been asleep?

I look at my arms and there’s an IV hooked to one and something clamped on my finger. As I look around, I realize I’m in some kind of medical ward, but this isn’t the Lunar Falls ward. This place doesn’t look familiar at all. An older woman walks into the room and smiles as she sees me.

“You’re awake, Princess” she says kindly and walks over to Seth.

“Don’t wake him up,” I tell her and she turns to me. “He looks so tired.”

“Sorry, Princess. I have to. He may execute me if I don’t wake him,” she says and I want to laugh at her response, but I realize that she’s being quite serious, so I just nod as she reaches out and gently shakes his arm.

He doesn’t wake up so she shakes him a little harder. He squirms, but still doesn’t wake up. “Prince Seth, she’s awake”, she says quietly, and his eyes snap open immediately.

“Molly,” he says, sitting up and leaning over, cupping my face with his hand. “I’ve been so worried.”

“Is Benjamin OK?” I ask him, quickly. “Did it work?”

Seth pushes my hair behind my ear and leans over, kissing me on the forehead. “It did. He’s awake and recovering in the room next to you. You were amazing, Love.”

I can’t help the tears that start to fall at hearing that Benjamin is OK. “Hey,” Seth whispers as he wipes tears away. “It’s alright. Everyone is alright now.” I nod, trying to calm myself. “I do need to tell you something, though.”

“Is everyone alright?” I ask him, looking up through my tears.

“Everyone is fine, but you weren’t,” he begins, pushing my hair back again. “You’ve been out for quite a few days. We weren’t sure what to do, so we brought you to the palace for our doctors to check you.”

“This is the palace?” I ask him, looking around again and he nods. “You said Benjamin is here.”

“He is. He needed quite a bit of care after you did… whatever that was. Lily agreed to move him here as well. And the doctor from Lunar Falls came with us to watch over you both.”

“What about your dad?” I ask him, unsure if I even want to know the answer.

Seth smiles at me. “It was his idea, Love. He’s been in a few times to check on you, but he’s giving Benjamin and Lily their space. They’re welcome here as long as they need.”

“Thank you,” I tell him with a smile. “And tell your dad thank you, as well. It really means a lot.”

“I’m not going to lie,” he says with a small smile. “I think everyone just wants to see how he does, after you healed him like that. I’m pretty sure his heart had stopped, and you somehow brought him back. You’re so incredible, Love.”

He k****s my forehead and the nurse leans forward, taking my arm. She places a b***d pressure cuff on me and squeezes the end, writing down the results in a file as well as some something from the monitor hooked to me. “Your numbers look good. How are you feeling?”

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. And my head is killing me,” I complain, squinting my eyes from the pain.

“OK, we can get some medicine for you,” she says with a nod. “Other than your head, is there any pain that stands out more than the rest?”

“No,” I tell her, my voice feeling hoarse. “It just all hurts.”

“Can you get some water for her?” Seth asks her and she nods.

“I’ll be back in just a moment with that and I’ll alert Dr. Sofia,” she says and turns to leave.

Seth moves to sit next to me on the bed, still holding my hand, now placing it in his lap.

“I was so worried about you,” he tells me. “Please, never do that again.”

“I wish I could tell you that I won’t,” I begin to tell him. “I’m not even sure what I did, though. I tried, but I didn’t think it was working.”

Seth looks at me shocked. “You somehow repaired the wound. Like, it grew back together. And I’m almost sure his heart had stopped beating, but you made it start again.”

“It had,” I whisper. “I felt his pulse stop.”

“Love,” Seth tells me, gently squeezing my hand. “There’s something else that I need to tell you.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask him, realizing how concerned he appears to be.

“Nothing is wrong, but Molly,” he says, looking at me like I could break. “You’ve been out for a few days now. Tonight is the full moon.”