Page 38 of Destined Bear
“There was a fire.” His voice is flat, emotionless. “Seline got out.”
The air rushes from my lungs. “Dammit! How much damage was done?”
“A lot. But there were no injuries.” He draws a breath over the phone. “Some of the pack members got a glimpse of the attackers. They think it’s a rebel group from Stonecrest.”
“How can they tell?” I ask.
“Nothing about them screamed official pack business, but one of my enforcers recognized one of the attackers.”
I sit with this information for a moment.
“Viv, are you still there?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah. I was just thinking. We could reach out to Alpha Roman and try to talk about this?—”
“I’m the Alpha, Viv, so I need to handle this.”
I grit my teeth. Of course. How stupid of me to have an opinion.
He changes the subject. “How’s your mom doing?”
I tense. There he goes, dismissing me again, like I hadn’t offered anything at all. I suck in a mouthful of air to steady my nerves. “No change. The healers are working on her still.”
“Is Isodore with them? She’s the best.”
“The tall healer with the Tree of Life tattoo? Yeah, she’s here.”
“Good. Keep them there until Circe improves. I’ll be home as soon as I can. Stay strong.”
“I’ll try.”
“You’re the strongest female I know, Viv. You have to be because you’re everyone else’s rock.”
The compliment brings an unexpected flush to my face, but I remember that he just shot me down. Again. The kindness only highlights the contradiction.
“Be safe,” I choke out, my confusion bringing me to a sitting position on the settee. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
I’m exhausted. Physically, mentally, spiritually. Every part of me is drained. My eyes close, and I let my body fall into a much-needed slumber. There’s nothing else I can do but sleep right now.
When my eyelids part, one of the healers stares down at me, unblinking. I sputter and sit upright, startled by her closeness. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to my mother?”
“No change. We’re bringing in more healers.”
My shoulders relax slightly, but the healer does not stop gazing intently at my face.
“Why are you staring at me?” I finally ask, half in exasperation.
She stands back. “I’m trying to understand how you escaped your mate bond for so many years.”
I snort at the oversimplification. “I didn’t escape anything. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“So you are.” She turns away, and I sit up more, smoothing down the wrinkles in my shirt.
As she leaves, I stand and look for my phone. It fell to the floor during my nap on the settee, and darkness settled fully outside.
There are no new messages from anyone.
A deep melancholy washes over me as I recognize how alone I’ll be if something happens to Mom. It’s not the first time I’ve had the dismal thought, but it’s closer to the surface than ever before.
