Stuck with the enemy

Chapter 37: Unusual Reactions.

I told Aras everything I knew about Leo—how he came to the café the first time, about the messages, and every detail I had tried to suppress. Then I revealed the plan Alya and I had crafted, the one that failed miserably. Finally, I admitted the truth: the only way I thought I could stop him was by confronting him alone.

"I fought him, Aras," I said, my voice trembling. "But then two others showed up to help him. They knocked me down."

Aras stared at me, his expression a mixture of pain and anger. "Deniz, why didn't you tell me any of this? I could have helped you!"

"I was scared," I admitted softly. "On one hand, there were Leo's threats. On the other..." I hesitated, my voice catching in my throat.

"Derek," Aras finished for me, his tone bitter. "Alya told me everything."

I lowered my head. "That's exactly what I didn't want you to know. I knew how much you hated him. And it didn't matter in the end. It was over before it began. But now..." I trailed off, piecing together what I could. "I think my kidnapping might be connected to him."

"What are you saying?" Aras asked, his voice sharper now.

"I think he knows who Leo is." I explained. "Leo said he wants everything he has."

Aras's expression darkened as the pieces fell into place. "So, you were taken because of him," he growled, his fists clenching. "Deniz, listen to me. Stay away from that guy. When we asked him for help, he told us you weren't his problem. And now..." Aras hesitated, his jaw tightening. "In a few days, he's getting married. I won't let him hurt you again."

"Married," I repeated silently, the word cutting through me like ice. Derya stirred inside me, her emotions mirroring mine, raw and pained.

"Derya," I whispered to her, trying to soothe the storm brewing within. "You have to calm down. What did you expect? He's not our mate anymore. He's free to do whatever he wants."

"You're right," she murmured, her voice laced with sadness.

I turned back to Aras, pushing down the ache in my chest. "There's something else. While I was in that dungeon, I had a very powerful drug in my system. But it all burned away the first time I shifted to fight him. And now..." I paused, my hand brushing over my chest as if to confirm the absence of pain. "I feel completely healed. It's like nothing ever happened."

Aras frowned, his concern deepening. "That's not normal. Maybe we should go to a doctor. Make sure there's no trace of poison left in your blood."

A few moments later, at the hospital.

The hospital corridors were unusually crowded. Men dressed in black—Alpha's guards—stood like a wall of shadows along the hallways. Their presence created an air of tension, and their sharp, watchful eyes darted over every movement. I could only assume this was part of a routine security check following the recent attack.

Aras and I managed to slip past them, weaving our way toward my doctor's office. The sterile smell of antiseptics lingered heavily in the air, and the faint hum of machinery buzzed in the background, blending with murmured voices and distant footsteps. It felt cold, almost unwelcoming—a place for healing that somehow drained you as much as it restored.

Inside the doctor's office, after what felt like endless tests and examinations, the results offered no explanation. "It's... unexplainable," the doctor said, frowning at the screen displaying my bloodwork. "There's no trace of the toxin. It's as if it was never there. You're... completely healed."

His words left us more bewildered than ever. We left the room in silence, the unanswered questions heavy between us. As we stepped back into the hallway, the once-crowded space was eerily quiet. The men in black were gone, their absence almost as unsettling as their earlier presence.