Delta [Epsilon #2]

Chapter Thirty-Five

By the time I reached the infirmary, I was out of breath. As soon as I opened the doors, the metallic tang of antiseptics, blood, and vomit wafted out to greet me, along with soft moans of pain. The room was packed to the brim with injured wolves, all in varying states of shift on the floors and beds. Quick-footed Omegas bustled around the space, administering first aid and covering the deceased with solemn faces. 

I tried not to look at the pain-glossed eyes of those around me as I made it to the back, where a dishevelled golden-hair girl sat. She didn't even notice my presence until I bent down beside her, my eyes locked on Azure's still form. 

"What happened?" I breathed. Raina turned to me, emerald eyes bright with tears. 

"We were attacked in the west wing. I was lucky to have gotten there when I did. Or else... she--"

Raina closed her mouth, lips wobbling. I swallowed the bile in my throat, scanning Azure's form. A white bandage covered the majority of her right shoulder, its material stained with brown blood. "Stab wound?"

Raina nodded. "With wolfsbane. The bleeding didn't stop. If I hadn't... if I didn't activate my unique ability when I did, she would be dead." Her throat bobbed. "And if my unique ability happened to not have been healing, then she would be dead twice over. Kyra, so many things could have gone wrong, I--"

She broke into tears, and I gripped her free hand. I noticed that her other hand was on Azure's. "She's alive. That's all that matters. For once, luck was on our side." I grinned at the impossible odds and felt small tears pricking my own eyes. "The fact you got there when you did, that you activated your unique ability that also happened to be healing... some god must be watching over us. I'm sure Azure will make it through this, too."

Raina dabbed her eyes with her torn shirt. "You think so?"

"I know so," I whispered, staring again at Azure's pale face. We sat in silence for a while, then, drinking up the misery around us. I couldn't believe how lucky we were that Azure wasn't one of those groaning Weres on the ground, or worse, the ones covered with black tarps. 

My wariness must have shown on my face, for after what felt like hours, Raina cast me a side-ways glance. "You should go, Kyra. You fought hard today." When I cast a worried look towards Azure, Raina squeezed her hand. This time, her eyes held mine with certainty. "I'll look after her. I'll send if anything goes wrong, rest assured."

I was tempted to object until I saw the tiredness in her own eyes. With a sigh, I nodded and stood. "Alright. Just promise to send for me, okay? Make sure it's a trusted messenger, and no one else."

Raina nodded, her eyes seeming to go somewhere distant as she looked again at Azure. "Of course..."

With that, I turned and picked my way across the infirmary floor, some part of my stomach unknotting as I finally left the room of misery behind. But as soon as I was outside, not distracted by the painful groans and overwhelmed by the metallic tang of antiseptic, my mind instantly turned to the more pressing matters.

Two months. Two months to save my friends. Two months to become stronger than Azriel. Only one response came to mind: not enough time. There was simply not enough time. 

I stared at my palms for a moment before balling them into fists. I had to save them. Soon. But I wasn't strong enough. Deep down, I knew I wasn't. I couldn't even summon my element yet, so how could I ever hope to take on Azriel and his army of Upsilons?