Chapter 58

Elora’s POV

“Poison.” The healers’ verdict hit me square in the chest, no warning.

My world spun a little. I swear, the floor tried to pull me under. There lay Dominic...Alpha, husband, my north star, white as the damn sheets. Breathing like it hurt, making these awful sounds that carved up my insides. The man was always larger than everything, all bite and energy, and to see him knocked flat like this… it was like watching the sun just blink out.

“No,” I whispered, knuckling bone-white on the mattress, as if sheer will might summon him back. Or at least keep the bed from flying apart. “No way, you’re wrong. He’s not...he isn’t...”

Healers just ducked their heads and bailed, leaving a handful of potions like that was gonna help. The cowards didn’t even glance at me on the way out.

I dragged up a chair till it scraped, parked myself right there, grabbed his hand, it was freezing, and I tried to pour every bit of heat I had into him. “You don’t get to leave yet, Dominic,” I murmured, my voice rasping. “Not when the world’s already falling apart.”

Nada. No answer, just that shallow, awful rise-and-fall of his ribcage, like the tide. Slow, stubborn. But still there.

So I sat my ass down and didn’t budge.

I didn't have a clue about the time. It all smeared together. Healers swept in and out, bringing more failed cures. The air just reeked of boiled roots. Every so often, his fingers would twitch, and I had nearly lost it thinking maybe he was coming back.

I did what I could, spooned broth into him, wiped sweat off his brow, whispered all the junk I was too proud to say when he was strong enough to roll his eyes at me.

“You piss me off, you know that?” I told him at night, voice cracked and raw. “You throw up walls, you act like a cold bastard, but here I am, begging the gods to let you stay.”

My wolf hated it, she squirmed under my ribs, anxious and wild. She wanted him breathing as badly as I did.

*****

Mira haunted the place those days. Flitted around the edges, acting like a ghost. Never once tried to sit where I sat, not even to fake a little concern. She talked sweet as honey when people listened, though the sound made my skin crawl.

“Poor Dominic,” she would sigh, extra loud for the old folks in the back. “But we can’t let sorrow eat us alive. Someone strong needs to lead.”

Caught her side-eyeing me, all knives and fake sympathy.

I glared right back. Not leaving an inch. If she thought I would fold, well, she clearly didn't know me.

Day three, the council barges in. Heavy steps, faces drawn tight. Elder Rowan clears his throat all slow and solemn.

“Elora, listen, your loyalty’s obvious. But it’s chaos out there. Rogues are testing our borders, and warriors don’t know which end is up. We can’t just… wait.”

My hand squeezed Dominic’s, stubbornly. “He’s alive. He’s Alpha. Period.”

Muffled grumbles. Rowan’s face pinched up. “Hope alone won’t save us. Someone has called the shots.”

“I’m his Luna,” I snapped, iron in my every syllable. “I’ll lead until he gets back on his feet.”

The arguing behind me got louder, some folks were with me, others not so much. Mira’s mouth twisted, almost-smiling but not, like she had finally gotten her hands on the crown. Not today, lady.

After that, I split in two.

At night I was his, hunched over, shoving broth into him, whispering like I could will his heart to keep beating. Sometimes I just rested my head on his chest and begged.

Daytime, Luna mode, perched at the council table, playing Alpha for a crowd who barely trusted me. Making choices that weren’t mine to make, but hell if I’d let us fall apart.

The warriors were skeptical. “Luna stays at Alpha’s side,” one grumbled.

I shot him the most withering look I could muster. “Yup,” I barked. “And if Alpha’s down, she stands for both. Unless you’d rather have Mira for a boss?”

The hush after that, you could cut it with a butter knife.

Caught Mira squeezing her fists, sweetness sliding away just for a heartbeat. There it was, the vulture, the predator waiting for Dominic to go cold. As if. Over my dead body.

Honestly, gossip spreads faster than the plague around here. The servants whisper about me when they think I’m not listening; the warriors swap rumors at the edge of the territory like it’s their version of poker.

“The Luna’s too weak, you know?”

“She’s got her head wrapped up in her sick husband.”

“Mira’d be better. She’s never left Dominic’s side, not even once.”

Sure, I pretended I didn’t hear any of it. It didn’t matter, each word still stung. Like tiny, invisible cuts.

Dinner was almost laughable. Mira, across the table, was shooting daggers at me with her eyes. But let’s be real, I’ve crawled through worse hell than this.

And then that council meeting. They poked, they prodded, just itching for me to crack about border patrols.

I did.

“If I hear one more question like that,” I snapped, way louder than I meant to, “you’ll answer Dominic yourself when he wakes up. And yeah, he’s gonna wake up. Don’t confuse me being tired with being weak.”

Silence.

Some of them finally started doubting their own doubts. Not everyone, but enough to matter.

And Mira? Oh, she did that thing where she tried to smile and failed. It looked like she was chewing lemons.

Every night, it’s the same. I drag myself back to Dominic’s side. Brush his sweaty hair off his face, whisper some nonsense, hold his hand. I can feel his wolf still in there, low and stubborn, just hanging on. Faint, but fighting.

“Come on,” I whisper, sounding more desperate than I want. “Come back. I got this for now, but I’m not built to do it alone. They need you. I need you.”

Then his fingers twitched. Barely anything, but it hit me like a thunderbolt.

He will wake up soon.