Moonlit Fever

A sharp knock at the door jolted me from my sleep.

I was still slouched over the bed from the armchair. My head resting next to Nate's on the pillow with my arm curled protectively around the top of his head. My fingers still threaded through his black hair.

Nate appeared better. He was no longer tossing and turning, but his face was still pale and his lips continued to murmur an incoherent sentence.

I pressed my lips against his temple before sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

I don't even remember falling asleep.

My phone buzzed from the stand next to me and the dark room lit up with a blue glow.

It was gray outside. A blanket of clouds covered the sky, ready to pour down with rain. The phone pinged alive again with multiple notifications.

I skimmed through them quickly.

Rafael warned me not to return to the pack house. After what happened with Donavan, the other packs and the Elders were in an uproar.

Alpha Silas Silverman wanted justice for Donavan and called for my arrest. Meanwhile, the Elders wanted an explanation for my "unwarranted" attack on Donavan, and that there would repercussions for my actions.

Rafael suggested I stay at the cabin until everyone had calmed down. The Silver Moon Pack was out for blood and was currently hunting me down, waiting for my return.

"Shit!"

The remaining messages were from Isabella. She, too, warned me to stay in the cabin. Xavier had rallied the pack to his side, using the opportunity of my absence to overthrow me as alpha.

Another knock came from the door and as I looked at the time on my phone, I was surprised to find it was already ten in the morning. It wasn't like me to sleep in. I was usually an early riser, but last night had been so exhausting I'd collapsed next to Nate.

Feeling groggy, I reluctantly stood up, rubbing my tired eyes as I looked down at Nate before crossing the room. My body still ached from the full moon. Despite not having to transform the traditional way, it still took a toll on my energy and muscles when shifting into my wolf.

I reached the entrance to the cabin and opened the door. Outside, the sky was dull and gray and it was now raining. Large raindrops tattered against the roof and the sky thundered.

Cara stood on the porch steps, holding an umbrella in one hand and a rucksack in the other.

She greeted me with her cold brown eyes. Her expression pulled back into an annoyed frown.

Call me old, but I didn't like using technology. I found it unreliable and hackable, but with Nate's worsening condition, I had no choice but to message Cara last night.

I didn't know who else to contact that would help me in my current situation. So I asked her to bring her medical supplies.

I didn't know what I was meant to do with Nate's injuries. But I remembered just before I fell asleep that Cara had said she was a medical student.

It was risky revealing my location with everything that was happening, but I seemed to trust her.

"Lucius," she said, her tone cold. "Are you going to let me in, or leave me outside in the pouring rain?"

"Quickly." I grabbed Cara's arm and yanked her into the cabin.

I quickly scanned the forest clearing, making sure she hadn't been followed, and slammed the door shut.

"You said you were a doctor, right?"

"I haven't graduated yet." Cara flustered to close her umbrella and leaned it against the door, dripping water all over the floor.