Salt to Her Sea ✔️

16. taste of betrayal

AKESIS

Jack lifted me out of the puddle that was partially frozen over. The blood from my nose had frozen to my face in a fine line down to my lip. Fingertips were purple from sitting in the wet cold without any motion. I could still see the red tail lights disappearing into the morning haze of half-frozen rain, they would be permanently stained to the insides of my eyelids. 

"Come on, female. Let's warm you up." His voice was so calm and soothing, a nurturer's voice. He was a wolf that had seen a lot in his years and still knew how to be gentle and kind.

I shook and stared off, legs unyielding to my wants. He had to carry me into the house. Eve cleared the living room of the packhouse and brought me fresh clothing. The fire roared to life in its massive encasement, the blanket went over my shoulders, and slowly the shivers subsided.

When I looked up, John, Evelyn, and Jack stood before me. Each had variations of subdued concern and curiosity. 

John was wondering if I had been the cause of the War of my tribe, where they all disappeared and I was taken in by Romanov.

Jack was wondering if I was part Luna.

Eve was simply concerned, she held my hand without question. She was there for me when he was not. Always.

"Will you answer our questions, Akesis?" Jack had asked the question as I noticed Blu standing by the doorway looking on. His scarred, haunted face looked beautifully tragic.

"Yes," I looked to the Alpha.

"Does it always affect you like that? Healing others, I mean."

"Yes, it weakens me depending on how severe the injury is." My eyes turned to the fire, staring at the flickering coals, drawing the blanket close. I wanted to shield my secrets, hide back in the safety of the unknown. I wished I could control myself.

"How long have you been able to do that?"

"Since as long as I can remember." It was true, one day I just began healing things. One day, I was just taken by the Lab. One day, all my family was gone and it was just me.

"How does it work?" John asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't really know. I put the blood straight into the wound and it heals the wound, but people also drink it and it does... Weird things."

There was a moment of silence, "weird things?" It was Eve who spoke.

"It shows properties that it accelerates healing in general, no matter what. Even diseases I suppose."

"But?"

"It's not strong enough by itself. Alpha Romanov was trying to find ways to strengthen it but he never could."

"So the Labs he started..." John began, slowly trailing off. He wanted me to finish his sentence, looking somewhat unnerved by the idea. He held his mouth with one beefy hand in a gesture that was so utterly Thadal it made my heart clench.

"Mostly because of my blood. He was always looking for some sort of cause for allure."

"Oh, hell," Jack muttered. He stood and paced by the window, his shadow large and hunched against the massive windows.

Blu disappeared as Eve sat forward and rubbed my back soothingly. John stood and dismissed himself with a grumbling about needing to do some research.

"The female you saved, her name was Kaiala." She told me gently, "she told me how grateful she was. Sometime when you're feeling better she wants to meet with you."