Chapter 27

Luka

“What happened?”

I must have passed out from pain, because I went from being in the air, in Caleb’s arms, to on a mat on the floor, with an ice pack on my ankle and cold washcloths on my face.

“You were hurt, there was an accident,” Caleb says. “You’re all right now.”

“Will I be okay?”

“Of course you’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

But you did let something happen to me, I thought to myself. You didn’t lock Olivia up when you had the chance.

A woman and man, both emergency medicine staff, tended to my leg. I sucked my teeth at the pain, first the astringent burning antibiotic, and next the deep puncture of a needle, filled with medicine to stop the bleeding, numb the area, and tranquilize me a little.

The entire facility seemed to stop training and to gawk at the scene.

“Please, step out of the way,” a voice over a loudspeaker said. “We need the area clear.” I could hear one of the medics talking to Caleb in detail about the current triage and what care I’d need later. Caleb stroked my hair.

“I’m here, your highness.” It was Arthur, the head of security.

“Thank you, Arthur,” Caleb said. “There was an accident. Luka was hurt, her ankle.”

“Caleb…Arthur…” I said meekly.

“Shh, Luka, save your strength,” Caleb told me, brushing his hand over my forehead.

“I know. It’s just…” I whispered fearfully. “It was Olivia…”

As if on cue, Olivia came to the front of the circle.

Caleb, please do something, I thought. If he were my mate—my fated mate, or the mate connected to my wolf—maybe he would have sensed my thoughts. But it was alone in my skull.

She intentionally snapped my ankle. And maybe she meant to do worse.

After everything Olivia had done, I hoped he would chastise her.

“Luka, are you okay?” Olivia said, kneeling down, eyes wide and innocent. “I got help as soon as I saw you were hurt…I thought we were just sparring, we were having so much fun. If I had known…”

Fun? I don’t consider being shoved into a shelf with swords on it to be a good time. I tried to speak. “But…”

“Thank you, Olivia, for reacting fast to get help,” Caleb said.

Thank you? She almost killed me!

“Caleb, I didn’t mean to do it, it was an accident,” Olivia said, in a whiny, babyish voice.

“I know, Olivia. It’s fine. People get injured fighting. We’ve all done it to someone else, we’ve all had it happen to ourselves.

Olivia leaned down toward me, bringing her lips close to my ear.

“If you tell him I did anything wrong, trust me, you will suffer,” she whispered. “I can make you disappear. You’re trash, and I’m a noble. No one cares about you.”

Olivia rose, speaking conspicuously loudly. “I hope next time we spar, nothing like this happens. You’re an excellent opponent. I hope you heal quickly, Luka.”

My jaw dropped in disbelief.

“That’s very thoughtful, Olivia,” Caleb said.

Was he really this gullible? First, the bitch called me horrible things constantly. She almost spent a year in confinement. And now, coincidentally, the first day I was out here, the first time she approached me, I hurt my ankle?

Olivia was smiling like a viper, but Caleb seemed to think she was as sweet a kitten. Did he forget what she had done already? Why was he choosing her over me?

“Everyone,” Arthur said, “We need you to evacuate the facility. Only the king’s closest advisors and medical staff may remain.”

“Does that include me?” Olivia asked.

I shook my head desperately, hoping Caleb would see my panic.

“It’s best if you leave, Olivia. You should get some rest yourself.”

Only Mia, Caleb, James, Arthur, and the medical staff remained. They asked about what happened to get an idea of my condition. But my mind was fuzzy. Maybe she hadn’t attacked me. Maybe it was just an accident.

There was something about Olivia’s bullying that made me start doubting everything, including myself.

“Let’s get you inside the house to rest, Luka,” Caleb finally said after the medics finished wrapping up my ankle. “We’ll see Dr. Thorne tomorrow.”

Caleb carried me like a doll to the house, and I clung to his arms. I was angry with him, and asked if I could walk. He refused. “Why? You’re wounded.”

Because I didn’t want him to think he was my savior when he had just pardoned my tormentor, that’s why.

His scent and the smell of grass and sunlight calmed me a little. Strangely, I could feel it energizing my body. But it was confusing, because he brought me so much comfort, and I liked spending time with him so much, and yet things like this kept happening.

Caleb carefully changed me into comfortable night clothes, and I savored his strong, healing hands on me, handling me so delicately. It was extremely erotic, seeing his breath halt as he touched my skin, seeing him adjust his pants as he touched me.

I had felt that bulge before, and I longed to again, the thick hardness in my hands. But any time I thought of it, the memory of the electric shock attacking my body superseded my desire.

Myrna came to the room, and Caleb gave her a list of items he needed for me: salves, teas, water, ice chips, cold compresses, washcloths, disinfectants, and all manor of essential oils. “And some fresh cut flowers for her room,” Caleb added.

He lay on the bed with me, putting his arm around my waist, and I closed my eyes as warmth flooded my entire being.

“It’s a shame that this happened the first real day of your group training,” he said forlornly, kissing my forehead gently.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be more careful,” I told him. “I’ve heard the best way to recover from something like that is to get back to it quickly, to prevent anxiety.”

He twisted his mouth to the side skeptically. “No. That’s not what we’re doing?”

“Why not?”

“We’re training alone again. It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s too dangerous when there are people with a vendetta determined to attack me…”

“None of that. It’s a normal thing to get injured. I just let you out there too quickly. I knew I should have waited longer. That was my mistake.”

I could feel tears of anger welling in my eyes. I felt like I was being punished for someone else putting me in her crosshairs. Because a jealous psycho had a plan to do me harm, I had to be ostracized from the pack and not her?

The look in his eyes told me that it would not go well if I argued. I stewed silently. I wanted to make him leave my room, to stop touching me, to have a nurse or a doctor care for me instead of him.

But I was too weak, not physically, but emotionally and mentally. I felt too whole when he was near me, so fulfilled by him being the one to give me succor. His smell calmed me and made me wild at the same time.

My anger was no match for his ministrations. He stayed for hours, and my anger only lasted for another fifteen minutes. Once he was feeding me ice chips, dangling grapes in my mouth, rubbing my face with a cool washcloth, and massaging my body with oils, I was too grateful and too smitten to even remember why I was angry in the first place.

It wasn’t the end of the world. It was win-win. I got to work out with him, and later I would join the group in training.

He rubbed my cheek, and unthinkingly, I kissed his fingers. I saw a faint smile on his lips.

“Thank you, Caleb, for taking care of me,” I said, looking up at him, fixated on his stunning blue eyes, long eyelashes, and pouty, full lips.

“There’s no need to thank me,” Caleb said, kissing my hand back. “I hope your wolf wakes up soon.”

I looked down, disappointed that I kept disappointing him. No one wanted my wolf to come back more than me. I didn’t need him to remind me.