6: Where Is My Dinner?

The needle pricked Kyla's skin, and her blood flowed away, weakening her with every drop. Her vision blurred, her fingers trembled, and the room spun around her. She pressed her lips together to stop them from quivering.

After the doctor drew the necessary blood, Kyla tried to stand, but her knees buckled. She swayed, clutching the bedpost.

"Luna!" Dr. Brando snapped. "You must take it easy now."

"I know, but I need to see my husband."

"You will soon. Just lay down for a bit. I'll go take the blood to the nurse for testing before the transfusion, and then I'll come back to give you a little check-up. In the meantime, please suck on this lollipop." He handed her the sweet.

"Thank you, doctor," she said weakly as she lay back down.

The moment the door closed, the air shifted. Jason and Leroy slipped in, grinning.

"Our Luna is so devoted to Alpha Tormund," Jason said, almost mockingly. "You've taken care of him with such loyalty."

Kyla managed a gentle smile. "He is my husband. I would do anything for him."

"That we know," Gamma Leroy chuckled, his tone laced with amusement.

Kyla sat up slowly, her head less light now. She looked at them with hopeful eyes. "Can I... see him?"

Their grins faltered. Jason's voice was quick, too quick. "Hmm, no. The doctor says he's still unconscious. He needs time to stabilize."

Her chest sank. "Ok. I understand."

"Get some rest, Luna," they said before leaving.

But Kyla couldn't rest. She needed to see her husband. She needed proof that he was still alive, still breathing. So she made her way to his room.

As she reached his door, her hand stretched out, trembling. But before she touched the handle, she froze when she heard Tormund's voice.

"Is it done?"

"Yes, Alpha," Leroy responded.

Kyla's stomach twisted. 'But I thought he was unconscious.'

Jason laughed. "You were right. One word that you were sick, and that woman gave away 600cc of blood without a second thought. Aren't you afraid she'll die from giving away so much?"

Tormund's mocking laugh cut through her chest like a blade. "She'll never leave me. Not even in death. Kyla would give me anything I ask for. She's bound to me, whether I want her or not."

The hallway spun around her. Her breath hitched. Her heart shattered into shards sharp enough to pierce her soul.

She thought, foolishly, that he would be grateful. That maybe, just maybe, she had finally proven her worth. Instead, his words told her the truth she had been too afraid to face.

She staggered back, tears burning her eyes. But she didn't confront them to let them know she had heard them. She didn't even wait around for the doctor to come and check on her. She just gathered her bearings and walked away.

By the time she got home, her body was trembling with weakness. She collapsed against the wall, pressing her forehead to the cool wood. She was so tired. So tired of giving and never receiving.

Her phone rang, slicing through the silence. She checked the caller ID and saw Claudia Eclipse flash across the screen.

She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello, Stepmother."

"It has been almost four years of marriage and still no child? Do you even know your duty?" Claudia's sharp voice lashed through the receiver. "Anyway, I need you to bring Alpha Tormund home for Family Day dinner tomorrow."

Kyla bit her tongue to stop the bitterness rising in her throat. If Tormund refused, she would pay the price.

"Kyla, are you still there?"

"Yes. I will see if he is up for dinner."

"He better be here, or you know what will happen," Claudia barked before hanging up.

Kyla sighed. She just wished she could get far away from these people. After she healed Tormund years ago, Claudia had tried to force her to use magic to find Vivica's body and bring her back from the dead. When Kyla explained it didn't work like that, Claudia had whipped her until her skin bled.

But something had broken inside Kyla after her wolf went dormant. She hadn't been able to heal anyone since. Not even animals. She tried and tried, but nothing seemed to work.

******

Later that night, Tormund finally returned. Kyla studied him as he walked in, his steps strong, his face unbothered. He didn't look like a man who had just received a blood transfusion.

As usual, his first words were not of greeting, but of demand.

"Where is my dinner?"

Kyla froze, remembering the words she overheard at the hospital. For the first time, she turned cold. Instead of cooking for him herself, pouring her love into every dish, she had ordered the maid to prepare his meal tonight.

Tormund noticed her distance and frowned.

"Don't be so petty. Are you still mad that I went away for a week?" He scoffed. "You know I always go camping on Vivica's death anniversary. You know that. So why are you so bitter about it? She was the love of my life."

Kyla's lips pressed into a thin line. He would never stop loving Vivica. That much was clear. But her tears had run dry.

"So you got hurt on this camping trip of yours, so that you needed 600cc of my blood?"

His eyes narrowed. "I was attacked by a pack of rogues. I am lucky to be alive. Are you not happy your husband is alive?"

Kyla had heard whispers in the gods' pool. He had begun searching for a way to bring the dead back to life. With the Wolf Mother's bone and the heart's blood of a she-wolf, legend said it would be possible to resurrect a werewolf.

Her lips trembled. "Oh yes. I am happy that you left to go spend time with a ghost when you have a living wife at home."

His face darkened. He grabbed her by the neck. "What kind of statement is that? Are you daring to be disrespectful to Vivica's memory?"

Her body was already weak from the blood loss, and now his grip only made her dizzier. The world spun around her. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed, pain shooting through her stomach as she hit the floor.

Tormund sneered. "Such a weak little thing. You'll do anything for attention."

Her trembling hand reached out. "No... help me... I'm in pain."