Page 78 of Ruined Wolfsbane

“Is that safe?” I inquire skeptically. Wolves and mages keep their distance from each other. I’ve never seen anyone perform magic in person. It’s hard to trust something I don’t really understand.

Emmy gives me a droll look. “Yes, it is. I’ve been doing this for a while. I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing.”

She looks like she’s around the same age as Briar. Mages come into their power at sixteen, so she likely hasn’t practiced for that long. “How old are you even?”

“Anyone ever tell you it’s rude to ask a lady her age?” Emmy gently opens Briar’s mouth wider as she sidesteps my question. She carefully pours her potion into Briar’s mouth, and Briar reflexively swallows the concoction.

I open my mouth to press the mage on how old she is when I see Briar’s fingers begin to straighten out. The bone poking out of her forearm disappears under her skin with a snap. Briar’s legs also realign with a series of pops.

My mouth hangs open as I stare at the mage in surprise. “Told ya I’m good at this.” Emmy flashes me a smug smile as she starts packing up her bag.

Familiar self-loathing tries to creep in at Emmy being the one to help Briar, while I’m helpless to do anything other than watch.

What do I have to offer her if someone can heal her better?

Fuck. I’m the worst sort of person, getting angry over Briar receiving the help she needs. My mate deserves so much better than me. I just have to hope I’m strong enough to step aside when the time comes.

Kai reaches for Briar’s healed hand. Emmy’s voice lashes out like a whip. “Don’t!” Kai’s hand freezes in midair. “She’s not finished healing internally. Moving her hand will make her bones heal incorrectly.”

With a horrified look, Kai returns his hand to her upper arm. Bastian and I keep our hands on the soft skin of Briar’s other bicep. Emmy’s potion helped Briar enormously, but our touch can speed up the rest of the healing she has to do. No one knows why a mate’s touch helps healing. I, for one, am immensely grateful for it right now.

“Is there a spell you can do to see what bones have been broken?” I wonder out loud.

Emmy gives me a curious look. Her gray eyes squint like she’s trying to see into my soul. I gulp. Hopefully she’s not the soul-stealing type of mage. “Like what bones are currently broken?”

I shake my head. “No. I wanted to know if you can see healed breaks to determine which bones have been broken before.” Briar handled her broken ribs almost too well. I have a sinking feeling that she’s had quite a few of her bones broken before. She’s very tight-lipped about her past, so I can’t exactly ask her.

I absolutely should respect her privacy and let her tell us when she’s ready, but I’m a nosy asshole. My need to know what Briar’s been through overrides any concern for her privacy.

“I can,” she says slowly. “Are you asking me to check Bri for prior fractures?”

I nod.

“Why?”

“Just a hunch I have.”

Emmy assesses me for a beat longer. “Fine, I’ll do it.” Turning back to Briar, Emmy’s eyes go unfocused while she chants softly. A deep-blue glow envelops Briar. After a minute or two of being in a trance, Emmy returns to herself. Her hazel eyes fill with anguish before she leans over and vomits. She’s careful to move far enough away to keep Briar clean.

Blake stands behind the mage, and his face twists in a disgusted sneer. I don’t know what his problem is, but he needs to cut it out.

Dad has the same idea as he barks, “Blake. Leave now.” The enforcer looks up at my dad in shock. He complies with the alpha’s order immediately, not having any other choice. The look of pure hatred he sends Emmy chills me to my core.

Once she’s heaved until nothing else comes up, Emmy sits up and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Locking eyes with me, Emmy rasps, “She has hundreds of healed breaks. Almost every bone in her body has been broken at least once. Most of the fractures are concentrated on her fingers, wrists, collarbones, and ribs.”

Tears run down Emmy’s face as she grieves for the pain her cousin has suffered. She makes no move to wipe them away, instead running both of her hands tenderly through Briar’s hair.

I sit back on my haunches in shock. This is so much worse than I feared. I thought Briar dealt with fractures maybe a dozen times before, not hundreds of times.

Hanging my head as shame washes over me, Briar’s terrified face from when Kai yelled at her flashes through my mind. Is that what she looked like as Patrick broke every one of her bones over the years?

The thought of little Briar cowering away from a fully grown wolf shifter breaks something in me.

Where the fuck was I when my mate needed me?

Not there for her, as fucking usual.

“Who did this?” Emmy whispers. When no one answers her, she screams, “Who fucking did this to Bri?”

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