Valeska's eyes fluttered open, her gaze settling on the unfamiliar ceiling. Confusion clouded her mind as she struggled to recall what had happened. Then it hit her—she had been infected with a vampire's venom.
Her breath hitched as she glanced down at her arm. The wound was still there, darkened and unnatural, the blood nearly black. She should be dead.
She tried to lift it but immediately winched in pain.
"You're awake." She jolted almost immediately when she heard that voice.
Nevian was standing at the door with a shocked expression. In his hands were a bowl of water and a clean cloth. He noticed her questionable gaze and he said, "I wanted to come clean your injury."
Valeska didn't reply though, her gaze still focused on him.
Sighing, Nevian stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. As he moved closer, he inhaled deeply, catching the intoxicating scent that filled the air. Valeska met his gaze for only a moment before realization struck—her pheromones were spreading again.
"Where is this place?" She asked as Nevian took a seat near the bed.
"You're in one of my healer's chambers," he replied.
Valeska's eyes flashed with frustration. "So, this is your pack's territory?" she demanded, her voice sharp. He nodded, his expression unreadable. "Then why bring me here? Didn't you reject me last night? Why would you want a wolfless, weakling like me in your pack?"
Her anger surged as she turned to face him, her voice a low growl.
However, he didn't respond to her as he attempted to hold her arm and clean off the oozing dark blood. However, his gaze caught on something on her collarbone. It was a mark, and it looked familiar.
"You needed to get treated, so I brought you here," he replied, averting his gaze from the mark as he met Valeska's grey eyes. His attention then shifted to the blood, a reminder of how serious the situation was. He had suggested bandaging the wound, but the healer had advised against it, explaining that they needed the venom to drain out naturally. If the injury had been sealed, it could have caused further complications.
"Then you can have your healers do it. I don't want you near me and believe me, I'm not afraid of yelling at you even though this is your territory," she threatened.
Nevian couldn't afford her yelling and drawing attention, especially from his parents. Only a few knew about her—the members at the gate, whom he had already dealt with, Adris, and the healer. If his pack members started talking about her, it would alert his parents, and they would begin questioning him, especially when he still had no idea what to do with Valeska.
"Fine, I'll get you the healer," he said, dropping the cloth back into the bowl and getting back up on his two feet, obviously irritated by her attitude. His gaze went back to the cut with concern flashing in his eyes for the briefest second before he left the room.
Valeska wondered why he would be concerned. He didn't want anything to do with her anyway.
All of a sudden, her head throbbed as if a boulder had crashed onto it, and the images from her dream began flashing back in vivid detail, overwhelming her mind.
"That wolf…could it be my wolf?" She wondered. Valeska tried to think more about what those dreams meant.
'He's searching for you, and he will soon find you.' The words of the white wolf played once again in her head. There was only one person who was searching for her, and that was Kieran Rutherford. However, being unable to see the faces of the two people battling against the beast in her dreams, she couldn't make sense of anything that the wolf had shown to her.
Valeska was lost in her thoughts when a sudden knock at the door broke her focus. The door opened, revealing a middle-aged man. Despite his appearance, she could tell by his age in werewolf years that he was much older than he seemed. His pale white garment and the lack of hair on his head gave away his profession—he was the healer.
"I've come to clean your injury, my dear." He had a firm yet tender tone for a man his age.
Outside, Nevian was pacing around, unable to forget the mark he'd seen on Valeska's collarbone a moment ago. It looked familiar like he'd seen it somewhere.
"I have to remind you, you can't just stay here pacing around all day," Adris said, his tone calm and nonchalant. "You have other duties to attend to as our alpha."
Nevian ignored Adris' words and asked, "Do you remember the ancient prophecy that was revealed several years ago?"
Adris frowned, wondering why Nevian was suddenly talking about some forgotten prophecy.
"You mean the prophecy of the Erethian stones and that there was only one key that opened the doors where the Erethian stones were kept for ages?" He asked.
"Exact—"
"Nevian!" He suddenly heard his name being called by a familiar voice. "What are you doing here?" Alora, his fiancée, questioned as she walked up to him. Then she touched him all over. "Are you hurt anywhere? Why are you standing in front of the healer's chamber?"
Nevian's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw Alora. This was the consequence of ignoring his duties towards her, spending all his time waiting for Valeska to wake up.
"I'm not hurt at all. What are you doing here? You should go back to the main house immediately."
Alora's gaze suddenly went to the entrance of the chamber, her eyebrows furrowing.
Just when she was about to take a step, Nevian immediately blocked her path.
"Who are you hiding in there?" She questioned.