🔹Act 10🔹

Kaelis’ pov

“He needs a healer!” Orin's voice resounded across the room.

I blinked, trying to push away the shock, but the scene before me held me hostage. My mind raced, trying to catch up, but my body refused to move.

"He's bleeding badly," Orion continued. His voice was almost too calm, but the urgency in it did not go unnoticed.

“Kaelis!” Myra boomed from where she stood.

“He needs help, now!” Orin blurted out, this time his voice was way sharper than it was before.

I snapped out of my haze. “Of course!” I called, my voice shaking slightly, as I moved toward the nearest bed.

Myra was already by my side, silently readying the supplies.

I couldn’t stop stealing glances at Orin, and every time I did— I got an upset stomach. He looked… different, way too different than before.

He looked sharper and dangerous, and beneath it all— there was something darker… so dark I could not name.

What could have happened?

What did he get himself into?

I thought he didn’t feel pain?

The injured man groaned, and my hands immediately went to work. I pressed down, tore a strip of cloth, forcing the bleeding to slow as I tried to suppress the racing thoughts of Orin in my view.

“What happened?” I inquired as I reached for clean cloth. I turned to Orin, looking for an answer.

He met my gaze, looking at me like I was an annoyance he had no time for as his lips parted but no words came out. He turned and looked over his shoulder to the entrance door like he was expecting someone or something to walk through the door.

“You cannot ignore me,” I snapped at him, my voice sharper than I intended it to.

“It is of no concern to you. Right now all we need is for you to make sure he doesn’t fucking dies,” he shot back.

His words hit something in me. I felt the anger flare— it was hot and ugly. I wanted to push back, to ask him why he was here, why he had left, why he had lied, instead I focused on the wounded man.

He began pacing then he stood closer to me like he was drinking in my scent, then his voice dropped lower than it was earlier.

“I am sorry for lashing out and being rude,” he said as he ran his bloodied hand through his hair. “I… I am tense and I didn’t know what came over me.”

I turned and our eyes met, but instead of the dangerous look he had put on before I saw a man that was tired and was worried.

“You…”

“Oh wow, the mighty Orin Ashvale… apologizing?” Myra's voice teased as she cut me off.

“Fuck off, Myra,” he cursed at her but his eyes never left mine.

The sound started faint at first, a low rumble under the night, then a howl and another as the hair on my arms rose.

“Ignore that,” he said quietly as he again turned to look at the door. He walked to the window and stared out for a while before shutting everywhere.

My chest tightened with his movements as I became restless and being kept in the dark— I hated feeling uncertain.

“You need to stop doing that, Orin,” I blurted, my voice shaking but filled with frustration. “You’re making me freak out.”

“Sorry,” he said silently, almost tenderly.

His calmness irked me cause the more steady he was, the more unsteady I felt.

The low rumble outside grew louder, and then a voice hard and sharp shouted through the night.

“Ashfang spy! Show yourself!”

My body froze and my heart dropped so hard I thought it would leave my chest. Ashfang? I should be used to the name by now… at least that was the name most people here addressed me as but this had something I could not name.

I turned toward Orin, panic rising fast. “I have to go. I need to see who’s out there,” I said, my voice shaking.

He didn’t move and his eyes stayed on mine, calm, steady. “You will not go,” he said softly, low but firm. Not angry, not commanding— just… concerned.

“I’m not going to just sit here!” I snapped, my hands clenching at my sides. “They called me that for a reason. I have to know who’s out there!”

“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice even but serious. “If you go, you’ll get hurt. Or worse, they are not real.”

A loud bang was heard on the door and I heard Myra scream from where she stood… heck I almost jumped out of my skin. I could not just stay still because someone whom I barely knew asked me to. I had to do something.

“I’m not a child, Orin! I can take care of myself,” I argued, but he went ahead to block the entrance of the door. “Why are you trying to stop me?”

“I’m not trying to stop you,” he said. He stepped slightly closer, though he didn’t touch me. I could feel the weight of his presence pressing against me. “I’m asking you to stay alive. That’s it and that’s all I want. I need you alive.”

My eyes raked over him— not in a good way but in a rude manner because I didn’t get why he suddenly became protective after ignoring me and…

“You think I don’t know?” His tone dropped slightly, soft, almost quiet. “You think I don’t feel it too? I’m not shutting you out because I don’t care. I’m shutting you out because I can’t lose you. Not like this and certainly not tonight.”

My stomach churned and my chest felt tight. “So what? I just sit here and do nothing?”

“Help the man. Then I’ll handle the rest, you can trust me on that.” Orin said firmly, calm but unwavering.

I scoffed, who did he think he was?

“Trust you?” I whispered, my voice tight. “After everything? After you left, after you ignored me… after all that?”

“Please, stay. That’s all I ask,” he said quietly, his eyes softening.

I swallowed hard, my throat was dry and tight. “And what if I don’t? What if I go anyway?”

He didn’t flinch or didn’t even look away. “I know I’ve made mistakes,” he said quietly, calmly. “I know I’ve pushed you away when I shouldn’t have but right now… right now, you need to be here. Alive and that’s what matters. You can scream at me later. You can hate me later but right now… stay.”

My body felt like it was on fire and ice at the same time. His calm presence, his unwavering focus on me, held me frozen.

“I’m not staying just because you ask,” I whispered, barely audible.

“You are,” he said softly, but his tone had no anger, only certainty. “And when it’s over, I’ll answer your questions. I’ll explain. You want answers? I’ll give them. But first… stay and help him. That’s all you need to do. Can you do that for me?”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, with a mix of fear and something else I couldn’t name.

“…Fine,” I muttered finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

The banging on the door grew louder than before and this time they had surrounded the clinic as the whole building was being shaken by their howls.

“They are trying to break in,” I screamed at him.

Then the banging stopped for a moment, replaced by low growls and distant shouts. Orin’s voice was quiet, almost calm, but it carried a weight I couldn’t ignore.

“Stay inside,” he said. “I’ll handle this and don’t come out, no matter what you hear.”

He glanced at me one last time, then moved outside the door before slamming it so hard that I felt the door move out of its hinges.

The sounds of fighting reached me almost immediately— growls, heavy falls and sharp cries. My heart pounded so hard I thought I might collapse.

Minutes felt like hours. The chaos didn’t stop, but neither did the fear pressing down on me. I couldn’t stop my mind from imagining what he was doing out there.

Finally, when it went quiet… too quiet… I couldn’t hold back, I ran outside with Myra trailing behind.

The glow of the moonlight shone on the floor and I saw the bodies of men being ripped apart to shreds… some without their heads while others their bodies fully picked apart.

Then the sound of bone crushing drew me to the beast I saw in front of me. Its fur was covered in blood and little body remains splashed in non specific places and it was feasting on the remains of the men.

I quickly flew my hands to my mouth but something inside me… recognized the beast…

I whispered his name without thinking. “Orin…”

The beast’s head snapped toward me, eyes locking with mine but without another glance, he turned and ran into the night.