CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6

VIOLET’S POV

The pain in my back flared as Damian's car pulled through the gates of his pack lands. I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out.

"We're here," Damian said softly, glancing at me with concern.

I looked out the window and my breath caught. The packhouse before me was nothing like Kian's. Where Kian's territory was all practical buildings and training grounds, Damian's lands were beautiful. Gardens stretched across the grounds, and the main house looked more like a mansion than a packhouse.

Before I could process it all, pack members began gathering. But instead of the whispers and judgment I was used to, they were smiling. Welcoming.

A tall man with kind eyes approached as Damian helped me out of the car. I winced as my feet hit the ground, my back screaming in protest.

"Alpha," the man nodded to Damian before turning to me. "Luna Violet, I'm Julius, the Beta. Welcome home."

Home. The word sounded foreign.

"Thank you," I managed, though my voice came out smaller than I intended.

Julius' eyes dropped to my prosthetic arm, then to the way I was holding myself stiffly. His expression shifted to concern. "Alpha, she needs a healer. Now."

"Already arranged," Damian said, his hand steady on my lower back. "Let's get her inside first."

As we walked toward the house, pack members lined the pathway. They bowed their heads respectfully. Some smiled. Others looked at me with genuine warmth. It was overwhelming after years of being invisible in Kian's pack.

A young girl, maybe sixteen, rushed forward with a bouquet of wildflowers. "Welcome, Luna! We're so happy you're here!"

I took the flowers with my remaining hand, tears threatening to spill. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

Damian guided me through the front entrance and I nearly stopped breathing. The inside was even more stunning. High ceilings, warm lighting, comfortable furniture that actually looked used and loved. Nothing like the cold, barely furnished space Kian kept me in.

"This is too much," I whispered.

"This is what you deserve," Damian corrected gently. "What you should have always had."

Guilt twisted in my stomach. Was I just running from one man to another? Using Damian as an escape because I was too broken to stand alone?

"Come, the healer is waiting in your room," Julius said, leading us up a grand staircase.

My room. Not our room. My own space.

But climbing the stairs was agony. Each step sent lightning through my spine. By the time we reached the top, I was sweating and my vision was blurring at the edges.

"Violet?" Damian's voice sounded distant.

My knees buckled. Strong arms caught me before I hit the floor, and then I was being carried. The movement jostled my back and I couldn't hold back the cry of pain.

"Get the healer! Now!" Damian's command echoed through the hall.

He laid me carefully on a bed so soft I could sink into it. Through the haze of pain, I saw an older woman rushing in with a medical bag.

"Alpha, I need to examine her. Give me space to work."

I felt Damian's hand squeeze mine before he stepped back. The healer's hands were gentle as she helped me sit up, but even that slight movement made the world tilt.

"When did you injure your back?" she asked, her fingers pressing carefully along my spine.

"A few days ago. I fell down the stairs." The memory flashed through my mind. Blindly searching for help while Kian ignored my allergic reaction. The tumble. The crack as I landed.

The healer's hands stilled. When she spoke again, her voice was tight with controlled anger. "Alpha, we have a serious problem."

Damian moved closer immediately. "What is it?"

"The damage to her spine is severe. Much worse than the injury to her arm was." She looked at me with sympathy. "Luna, without immediate treatment, you could lose mobility in your legs. The impact has caused significant trauma to your lower vertebrae."

The room went silent.

"What kind of treatment?" Damian asked, his voice dangerously calm.

"Surgery. Tonight, if possible. And specific medication to reduce the swelling before permanent damage sets in." The healer pulled out her phone. "I'll contact the specialist now. We'll need to …"

"Do whatever it takes," Damian interrupted. "Money is not an issue. Get the best surgeon, the best medication, whatever she needs."

I wanted to protest. Tell him it was too much, too expensive. But the fear clawing at my chest wouldn't let me speak. I could lose my legs. After already losing my arm.

"I'll make the arrangements," the healer said, already dialing. She left the room quickly, her voice urgent as she spoke to someone on the phone.

Julius stepped forward. "Alpha, I'll prepare the medical wing and contact …"

"Elena's here," a new voice announced from the doorway.

I turned to see a beautiful woman entering the room. She was tall, graceful, with long dark hair and striking features. Everything about her screamed confidence and belonging.

"Damian!" She moved toward him with familiar ease, her smile bright. "I heard you finally brought her home. I had to come welcome our new Luna personally."

There was something in the way she said "our new Luna" that made my skin prickle.

"Elena," Damian acknowledged, though his attention remained on me. "This isn't a good time."

"Oh?" Her eyes landed on me, and for just a second, something flickered across her face. But then she was smiling again, warm and welcoming. "I'm Elena. Damian and I grew up together. I help manage pack relations."

She walked closer to the bed, her movements graceful and sure. Everything I wasn't right now.

"Welcome to Silver Moon Pack, Violet. We've heard so much about you." Her voice was kind, her smile genuine. But something about the way she positioned herself between Damian and me felt deliberate.

"Thank you," I managed.

"I brought some things to help you settle in," Elena continued, placing a basket on the bedside table. "Healing teas, comfortable clothes, some books I thought you might enjoy." She glanced at Damian. "I remembered what you said she might like."

Damian had been talking to Elena about me before?

"That's thoughtful of you," I said, though uncertainty crept through me.

Elena's smile widened. "Of course. Damian's happiness is important to all of us. And if you make him happy, then we'll make sure you feel at home here."

The way she emphasized "Damian's happiness" sent a chill down my spine— not the best place currently—despite her warm demeanor.

The healer returned, her expression grave. "The surgeon can be here within the hour. But Luna needs to rest and remain as still as possible until then. The next few hours are critical."

"Everyone out," Damian ordered. "Let her rest."

Julius left immediately. Elena hesitated, her eyes lingering on Damian before she nodded. "Of course. Rest well, Violet. I'm sure we'll become great friends."

As she reached the door, she glanced back one more time. Her smile was still in place, but her eyes were calculating. Assessing.

Then she was gone.

Damian sat beside the bed, taking my hand. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

A sharp pain shot through my lower back, radiating down my legs. I gasped, my body going rigid.

"The surgeon needs to hurry," I heard Damian say urgently to someone.

Through the pain, one thought kept circling my mind. Elena's calculating smile. The way she watched Damian. The subtle possessiveness in her voice.

I had barely escaped one nightmare.

What if I had just walked into another?