Gray Valley

s i x t y - t w o

I DID NOT MOVE AWAY FROM HIM. Or rather, I couldn't.

I couldn't leave him.

Anna struggled to comprehend what I had told her.

"He's a Hybrid Wolf?"

"His mother was a Gray Wolf... A Gray Wolf from the Blood Moon Pack."

"The Blood Moon Pack?" she repeated. "But, how?"

"His mother's Soulmate was a Brown Wolf."

"No..." I met her gaze. "That's not what I was asking... The Blood Moon Pack, is known for hating; absolutely loathing Brown Wolves. She was fated to fall in love with a Brown Wolf... And gave birth to a Hybrid Wolf. There's no way she had any support from the others in her Pack. So, how? How did she endure it?"

"She didn't endure it alone," I murmured. "She wasn't alone. She had her son... Blayze."

The entire cave fell silent.

"And... What happened to his father... The Brown Wolf?"

"He..." I hesitated. "He was sentenced to death."

"Sentenced to death?" she asked. "By the... Blood Moon Pack?"

I didn't answer. I didn't need to answer. She already knew the answer.

"BRYAN!"

On the other side of the cave, Martyn was standing near where Bryan had been unconscious.

Had been...

Not anymore.

Within moments, Anna and I were at his side. "Bryan?"

He only stared back at us in silence... Almost as if, he couldn't recognise us.

My heart stopped.

What if... He couldn't?

If Mary had attacked Bryan with her venom... He could be suffering from the symptoms...

Fever. Memory loss. Pain. Hallucinations.

Death.

"Does he have a fever?" I asked.

It was the most noticeable symptom of a Brown Wolf fighting against the venom of Gray Wolf.

Anna hesitantly touched his forehead with her palm. "Bryan..." Tears began to trickle from her eyes. "You d-don't have a fever."

"Why would I have a fever, Anna?"

"You don't have a fever," she whispered through her tears. "You don't..."

"Anna..." He continued to stare at her in confusion. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, Bryan. I just..." She gently hugged his frame. "I love you."

"I love you, too... Anna."

And for the first time in days... A smile appeared on Anna's face.

"Bryan's awake..." I was startled by the sound of Liam's voice. "Isn't he?"

"He is."

"I can sense it from our Blood Exchange... Is he alright?"

I watched, as Martyn pulled Bryan into a hug, his face stained with tears.

As far as I could tell, he was not suffering from any of the symptoms.

And there was only one possible reason for it.

"Mary didn't use her venom when she attacked him..."

"She didn't?" he asked. "Why?"

Why... Why didn't she use her venom?
And if there were a reason for it, why did she use her venom when she attacked Blayze?

An uncomfortable silence fell between us.

"What about... Blayze?"

I let out a breath.

"Blayze is a Hybrid."

"A Hybrid?" Liam repeated.

"He's half-Gray Wolf; half-Brown Wolf."

"So, he's..."

"He's still unconscious."

The silence fell, again.

"But Blayze... He's healing, isn't he?"

"You can sense it from the Blood Exchange... Can't you?"

"No, I can't sense it. The venom in his blood is interfering with what I can sense from him..." He hesitated. "But I know."

"How?"

"It was years ago, but... I read a book on Hybrids," he told me. "A book in Latin... Ibrida Lupus."

Ibrida Lupus... An unfamiliar book written in an unfamiliar language.

"The blood of a Hybrid has the power to heal. To heal almost any type of wound on themselves and others... Including wounds inflicted by a Gray Wolf, but... "

"Liam... What aren't you telling me?"

"They may die."

My breath hitched.

"If their Brown Wolf half is stronger than their Gray Wolf half... And they heal themselves... Heal a wound inflicted by a Gray Wolf. They may die. And Blayze-"

"Liam... Don't speak. "

I knew it would pain me... I knew it was the truth. I knew...

Blayze was more of a Brown Wolf than a Gray Wolf.

"But my blood - the blood of a Gray Wolf - runs through his veins... And my bloodlines: Moonstone and Lachowski, are strong Gray Wolf bloodlines." Liam paused. "It was years ago when I read it... But I know that book has something that can save Blayze."

"I thought you hated Blayze, Liam... So, why? "

There was silence, again, before five words resonated in my mind.

"Because... I love you, Lyn."