Chapter 8

~ RONAN ~

I can swear waiting has never felt this long for me. I can't count how many hours I've paced, looked at the ceiling, run my hands through my hair, or even engaged Kael in a long argument about why he should've kept his emotions to himself.

Nikolai is already back to doing his Beta job.

Finally, the long-awaited moment comes when Elias walks outside, closing the door quietly behind him. Trust me, if there's anything I hate, it's the look doctors carry when they're coming out from a patient… over the years, I've come to read meaning from his facial expressions, the ones he wears when something drains him, or when he's about to announce that another one of my wives didn't make it… I hate that look.

"Don't tell me anything negative, you said she's going to be fine."

He exhales slowly, glancing briefly at the chair right beside me and pointing there for me to sit.

I'm anxious, and fuck… I don't have time to give it a full thought. I sit, and he sits right next to me.

Another exhale. "I'll start with the most immediate concerns and work outward." He clasps his hands in front of him. "The injuries on her wrists and forearms are a mix of healing and fresh wounds. Some of those injuries should have been treated days ago. The fact that they weren't means they've had time to develop early signs of infection, which we've cleaned and dressed. They'll heal, but it's going to take time, and she'll need the dressings changed regularly for the next two weeks."

I can't say a word, not because I don't want to, but because it's the only thing I can trust myself to do right now.

"Her weight is significantly below what it should be for her age and height. She's eighteen, Alpha. Her body should be at its strongest developmental point right now." He pauses. "It isn't, and the malnutrition isn't recent, this isn't a week without food, It's been prolonged. Months, possibly longer, of inadequate nutrition. Her body has been running on reserves that ran out a long time ago, and it's been compensating ever since."

He gives me a moment to process that before continuing.

"Her bones are showing early signs of deterioration as a result. Density loss. In a shifter her age, that's not something that should be possible. Our wolves are supposed to protect against that. But without a wolf actively present to support the healing process, her body has been functioning closer to a human's than a shifter's."

"I'm going to kill Warren, but before then, I need her to open up and tell me everything that went wrong and why she was being tortured…"

"Also, her dentition has taken a significant hit from the malnutrition. Enamel erosion, some sensitivity, one molar on the lower left that's going to need attention within the next few weeks before it becomes a bigger problem. Again, it's fixable, but it speaks to how long this has been going on." He clears his throat. "She's going to need a very structured nutritional plan. Small meals, frequently, nothing too heavy too soon or her stomach won't handle it. We need to reintroduce food gradually and build her back up properly. It's going to take a minimum of three months before her body starts showing real recovery, possibly longer."

I drag a hand down my jaw.

"And why does she look so pale?"

"That's partly the malnutrition and partly other factors, her iron levels are critically low. We're talking about a level of anemia that should have had her unconscious weeks ago. The fact that she's still upright and functional is… frankly, remarkable." He says it as though it's some big miracle. "She's stronger than she looks. Whatever she's been through, she's been fighting it without anyone helping her fight it."

The hallway goes very quiet. With all these revelations, I can only think one thing, she's strong, and the fact that she's still alive is nothing short of a miracle.

Elias meets my eyes, and then he drops a bomb that nearly stops my heart.

"She wasn't born mute."

"What the fuck?"

"Her vocal anatomy is completely intact. There is nothing physically wrong with her throat, her larynx, her vocal cords, which means structurally, she is entirely capable of speech. What's preventing however is psychological."

Honestly, it's hard to believe one person could go through that much. Physically and psychologically… it explains everything, why she flinches, why fear lives so deeply in her, why trust doesn't come easily to her. And the more I learn, the angrier I get. I need to know everything they did to her.

"From my years of practice what she has is consistent with trauma-induced mutism. It's the mind's response to something, an event, or more likely a sustained period of events, so overwhelming that the brain essentially pulls the emergency brake on verbal communication. It's a protection mechanism. It was forced on her through whatever she experienced, until her own mind decided silence was the only safe response."

The wall across from me suddenly becomes very interesting. I stare at it.

I can already picture myself ripping apart whoever made her go through this, bit by bit until all that's left are their carcasses, which I'll leave behind to be fed to vultures.

"Can it be reversed?" I ask. My voice comes out even, not gruff.

"Yes," Elias says, and something in my chest loosens just slightly. "But not quickly, and not by force. The worst thing anyone can do is pressure her to speak. Any kind of urgency or expectation around her voice will reinforce the association between speaking and danger." He holds my gaze pointedly. I get the message. "What she needs is therapy. Consistent, patient, trauma-informed therapy with someone she can build trust with over time. The voice will come back when her brain decides it's safe enough to let it. That timeline is different for everyone. It could be weeks. It could be months. It could be longer."

"But it will come back?"

"With the right support and the right environment, yes. The prognosis is good." He tilts his head slightly. "The environment matters enormously, Alpha. She needs to feel safe. Consistently, reliably safe, in a way she can predict. Not safe one day and uncertain the next. The brain needs proof, repeated proof, before it starts to undo what it built to protect her."

"She's resting now," Elias adds. "She was exhausted before we even started. I'd recommend letting her sleep through to morning without disturbance. Her body needs it more than it needs anything else right now."

"Sure, I'll let her have her rest," I say, knowing I need to make necessary arrangements. I need to get her clothes, and in as much as I want her to stay in my room, she'll need her own space first to get accustomed to our pack.

He nods, satisfied, and turns to go back inside.

"Elias." I call, needing to tell him something more.

He stops right in his tracks, directing his gaze at me.

"I need your help again, with finding me the best therapist that'll help her. I don't care what it costs or where they're from, I need the best one."

He nods, his smile brightening, showing the wrinkles at the sides of his eyes. "Already on my list, Alpha."