Blood for the Immortals

“She’s no better at all?”

I asked as I searched the pack doctor’s face, desperate for even a flicker of good news. 

Instead, Dr. Astor pressed his lips together and shook his head grimly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “I wish I had better news for you.”

“No,” I exhaled heavily, the sound shaky in my own ears. “I understand. I knew she might not be. I guess I’d just been… hoping.”

Davorin, who’d been standing quietly at my side, rubbed his warm hand over my upper arm. The pressure was meant to comfort, but it did nothing to soothe the knot in my chest.

My mom’s mental health had been spiraling these last five weeks, and no matter how many visits to the doctor or how much rest she got, it wasn’t changing just because I wanted it to.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” Davorin murmured in my ear, his voice low enough for only me to hear. But we both knew that was a lie. Guilt had its claws hooked deep in my throat.

“She’s been getting worse ever since I pressed her about my father,” I admitted quietly. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

“You had no choice,” he says gently. “Finding out your father’s true identity is your best chance of silencing the council.”

“Screw the council!” The words burst out before I could stop them.

Doctor Astor’s eyes flickered in my direction, but he pretended to be too busy flipping through a worn leather case file to acknowledge my outburst. Davorin, on the other hand, rumbled a soft chuckle against my temple.

“I should have found another way,” I insisted, shaking my head. “Something gentler. What if she doesn’t recover from this?”

“Enough of that.” His tone shifted, firm but not unkind, and he reached out, curling one finger under my chin. He tilted my head until I had no choice but to meet his storm-gray eyes. 

“You had no way of knowing this would happen, so stop blaming yourself.” His thumb brushed my jaw in a rare, almost tender gesture. “She’s in the best possible place. The doc will help her through this, you just have to give them time.”

“I hope so.” My voice cracked despite me trying to keep it steady.

“Come on,” he said, glancing toward the door. “Let’s leave the doc to work. My father will want an update on your shifting progress, and if we don’t go to him soon, he’s going to come in search of us.”

I swallowed. There was no part of that statement I liked the sound of.

Davorin’s father, Alpha Cole, he had disliked me from the moment he discovered I was his only son’s fated mate. 

My being human had been enough of a disappointment. You’d think that my unexpected… incident, turning my arm into a wolf leg, complete with razor-sharp claws, would’ve earned me some approval. 

But no. If anything, it had made things worse. Now, I wasn’t just human, I was something unknown. Something the whole pack agreed didn’t smell like a shifter.

And the worst part? There had been no progress since. 

For all I knew, I’d imagined the whole damn thing. I hadn’t been able to trigger it again, no matter how hard I tried. 

And I was in no hurry to tell Alpha Cole that I’d stalled. He didn’t need more fuel for his dislike.

No, what I needed was an excuse. A delay. Anything to keep from walking straight into his glare without something solid to show for the last six weeks.

“There. That’s her.”

The voice cut through my thoughts like a blade.

I spun on my heel. Cole himself stood in the doorway, flanked by three heavyset men in black uniforms, enforcers for the council. 

Even if the matching armbands hadn’t given them away, the callous expressions would have.

Shit. Definitely not the kind of excuse I’d had in mind.

“What do you want with my mate?” Davorin demanded, stepping forward until his broad shoulders blocked me from their view. His voice had that Alpha edge to it, sharp, dangerous.

The dark-haired enforcer in front, a jagged scar running the length of his forearm, jerked his chin toward me. 

“This is Council business. Step aside.”

I touched Davorin’s bicep before he could lunge into something that would land us both in trouble. We’d known this moment was coming, even if we’d hoped it would never arrive.

“It’s okay,” I told him, keeping my voice calm. “Doctor Astor said they’d be coming, remember?” I directed the last part at the scarred enforcer.

He grunted. “The council keeps its own schedule. It’s not for the likes of you to question their decisions.”

My jaw tightened. “The likes of—” I cut myself off before my temper could finish that sentence. I forced a smile instead. “Never mind. I forgot I was talking to a messenger boy for a moment there.”

The flicker of irritation in his eyes was immensely satisfying, even if it was petty. His jaw clenched, and then he gave a sharp nod to the other two men. 

“Take her. Bind her hands.”

“You’ve got no grounds to arrest her,” Davorin snapped, his voice low and dangerous. 

His eyes had gone almost silver, a sure sign his wolf was close to the surface.

“She’s not under arrest, boy,” the enforcer said with a smirk. “But she will be if she refuses the summons of the council.”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’ll answer their questions and be back in no time. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“That’s not what I hear,” the enforcer said, his smirk widening into something cruel.

The other two approached, moving slowly, eyes fixed on Davorin like they were ready for him to snap at any moment. When they reached me, one of them took my wrists and snapped cold, heavy cuffs into place. 

They weren’t standard metal, the faint sting against my skin told me they were spelled, probably to keep me from pulling any supernatural tricks I didn’t even know I had yet.

“I’m coming with her,” Davorin said.

“Sorry, pup, the invite’s for one.”

“She’s my mate,” he growled, “and you have no right to refuse me.”

“Intended mate, I hear,” the scarred enforcer said. “Unless you’ve sealed the mate bond in the last hour?”

My gaze snapped to Cain, because it must have been him who’d told them, and he didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. But then, why would he? He’d made it clear what he thought of me.

“Fuck that,” Davorin snapped, starting towards us. “She is my mate, claimed or not, and……”

Davorin shifted to follow, but Alpha Cole’s low voice cut him off. “Stand down, son.”

“I’m not letting them……”

“You’ll do as I say,” his father interrupted, his tone carrying that undeniable Alpha command. Davorin’s jaw locked, but his body stilled.

I met his eyes over my shoulder, trying to reassure him through the bond we shared. I wasn’t sure it reached him. My own heart was thudding too hard.

The scarred enforcer gave a sharp tug, forcing me toward the door. “Bring her. We’ve been here long enough.”

Cole maybe the pack’s Alpha but the council of elders makes the most important decision. 

The air outside was colder than it had any right to be for early autumn, sharp enough to burn my lungs with each breath. Two black SUVs waited at the edge of the pack grounds. 

They walked me to the closest one, one man gripping my elbow just tightly enough to make it clear he’d enjoy it if I resisted. I didn’t. 

There was no point, not here, not with Alpha Cole watching, not with Davorin restrained by his father’s authority.

Still, as they pushed me into the back seat and the door slammed shut, I caught Davorin’s gaze one last time.

And I promised him, silently, fiercely, that whatever this was, whatever the council wanted… I’d come back.

Even if I had to tear my way through every single one of them to do it.