Secrets Behind the Betrayal

Chapter 3

I hear muffled voices around me. I can't move, but I can feel the pain radiating through my whole body. I feel bandages wrapped around my torso and encasing my neck. There's a hard cast on my right arm as well.

Pushing my way towards the waking world, the voices become clearer.

"I told you, I don't know what happened. I heard her cry out through our link and my wolf took control to find her. She was just laying there in a pool of blood when I arrived. I couldn't wake her up, so I brought her straight here. I didn't know what else to do."

That's Victoria.

My eyes flutter open and I catch a glimpse of her standing next to my bed, arms crossed and an aura of anxiety surrounding her. There's a woman standing in front of her. She's small in stature with long brown hair that falls over her shoulder neatly. She looks at Victoria through thin rimmed glasses, seemingly very concerned as well. I notice Ian standing near the doorway of the room, watching Victoria intensely.

I blink a few times to clear my vision and slowly sit up, adjusting my body's position to be more comfortable.

Victoria notices this and is by my side in an instant, her hand behind my back to keep me upright. I look at her gratefully as she helps me lean back against the bed. The smaller woman comes over as well and shines a light into my eyes.

I instinctively turn my head away, closing my eyes tight. "That's bright," I mutter.

"I'm sorry Ms. King, but I was instructed by the Alpha to see to all of your wounds and ensure that you don't hurt yourself anymore by trying to move around too soon."

I blink my eyes open again and look at her, narrowing my gaze. "Who are you?"

She straightens as if offended by my lack of knowledge. "My name is Katherine. I am the Hidden Star Pack's medic," she says proudly.

I nod, relaxing a bit. "Katherine, please just call me Zena."

She gives me a small smile. "Okay, Zena."

I shift my body again, wincing as pain flares through my muscles. "How long was I out?"

"Only a couple of hours. While you were out, I cleaned and bandaged all of your wounds. You also had a nasty break in your forearm. You'll have to refrain from shifting for a few days until your bone mends. Shifting into your wolf form can cause more problems and render the bone irreparable so it's very important that you follow these instructions. You'll be free to leave tonight when I'm able to remove the bandages from your torso. The wound on your neck is a little more complicated and will take a bit more time to heal than normal. The bandaging on that should be able to come off tomorrow morning. I'll give your friend here some instructions on how to safely care for it once it is uncovered." She stops and thinks for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied in her explanation. "I think that covers everything. Do you have any questions?"

I shake my head. "I'm all good. Thank you, Katherine."

She nods and turns to leave, walking past Ian who remains still near the doorway.

I turn my gaze to Victoria, resting my head against the pillow. She wrings her hands nervously, staring at her feet. "Tori? What's wrong?"

She looks up, tears pooling in her hazel eyes. "I thought you were dead when I found you, Z. I was so worried that I was going to be too late when Gaia forced me out of the house. I didn't even know you had left the house. Gaia knew you were gone before I did. She knew you were in danger. I shouldn't have gotten so upset with you when we got to the house. This is all my fault," she says, choking out a sob.