The Night They Left Me

The physician on duty was sweating with anxiety.

I hovered nearby, reaching out to touch Mia's pale little face, but my hand passed through her again and again.

Elara stood there with her arms folded, her gaze drifting past the cart toward the treatment rooms deeper inside. Layla had just been settled in one of the rooms, and even through the glass, I could see her pale profile.

"What are you panicking about? This is a trial for her wolf soul. She's the pup of the Alpha and Luna. Layla is different. She's been physically weak since she was little, and she was frightened on top of being scratched by a wolf's claws. All the Moondew need to go to the ones who are actually in danger first."

"But Mia's lips are already turning blue, and the wolfsbane has invaded her wolf soul—"

Elara's gaze settled on Mia's trembling little body.

After a moment, she spoke slowly. "Don't feel bad for her. Blame her mother, Wren. She's been spoiled her whole life and only knows how to look after herself when trouble comes. No wonder the pup she raised can't endure the slightest hardship. It's only a little wolfsbane. She can tough it out and get through it.

"If Wren could be heartless enough to abandon her own daughter and escape on her own, then what does it matter if Mia suffers a little? Maybe once Mia has suffered enough, that selfish mother of hers will finally feel guilty and come back."

Mia's tiny body curled up on the cart, trembling uncontrollably. She kept calling softly for her mother.

"Grandma, I'm so cold…" She struggled to open her eyes and looked at Elara pleadingly.

Elara merely stood where she was. "Just tough it out, Mia. Wren abandoned you. You stay here and behave yourself. When Wren decides to come back for you, she'll take you home."

"Mommy didn't… abandon me… Mommy's inside the wall…" Tears rolled down Mia's cheeks, cutting two clean tracks through the dust covering her face.

Elara gently shook her head. "Silly girl, stop telling yourself lies just to make yourself feel better. I'm Wren's mother. I know her better than anyone. When things get dangerous, she'll only care about saving herself."

She turned toward the head nurse. "Move the cart into the hallway. The hospital beds need to be reserved for the seriously wounded warriors returning from the front lines. We can't use public medical resources for personal matters."

The head nurse hesitated. "But the hallway is drafty, and there's still poisonous dust drifting in from outside. Mia hasn't even been given an antidote yet…"

"The pack comes first," Elara said indifferently. She did not argue further and walked straight into the treatment room, never once looking back at the cart.

Through the glass, I watched her walk over to Layla's bedside.

She bent down to tuck the blanket more securely around her, her voice so gentle it was almost unbearably tender. It was a complete contrast to the she-wolf who had been speaking just moments ago.

"Is your heart still racing, Layla? I'll have the doctor come over and give you a full examination. We can't let the wolfsbane leave you with any lasting complications."

Layla leaned against her pillow. Her face was pale, but her eyes were clear and bright. "I'm fine, Elara. You should go check on Mia. She's still so young."

"No need to worry about her, sweetheart. You're just too kind. You're always thinking about everyone else." Elara patted her hand. "Kyle was right to save you first. If he'd worried about that selfish Wren instead, I'd have been terrified something might happen to you."

A draft swept down the hallway, carrying poisonous dust with it as Mia's cart was pushed into the most isolated corner of the hospital. The motion sensor light overhead was broken, flickering with a cold, intermittent glow. Wrapped in her thin hospital gown, Mia curled into herself and whimpered softly for her mother.

I knelt beside the cart, wanting to brush the loose strands of hair away from her face and pull her freezing little hands into my arms and warm them. Unfortunately for me, I could not touch anything.

My body was still trapped beneath the collapsed wall of the apartment.

The wolfsbane had already seeped into my bones. All I could do was watch helplessly as my daughter slowly grew colder in the freezing draft of the hallway.