Chapter 233
The swim to shore was endless. My muscles burned, but I never loosened my grip on her. Finally, my feet touched bottom. I staggered the last few yards, collapsing onto the sandy bank with Lysandra beside me.
Lysandra,” I panted, rolling her onto her back. “Lysandra, can you hear me?”
No response. Her skin was deathly pale, her lips tinged blue. I pressed my ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was there, but faint. She wasn’t breathing.
Panic surged through me. I tilted her head back, pinched her nose, and covered her mouth with mine, breathing air into her lungs. Her chest rose, then fell as I pulled back. Again. Again.
“Come on, Lysandra,” I growled, switching to chest compressions. “Don’t do this. Not now.”
I bent to breathe for her again. “Come back to me.”
Nothing.
I kept going, refusing to give up. “Goddamn it, Lysandra!” My voice broke. “After everything we’ve been through, you do not get to die like this!*
I breathed into her mouth again, desperate. “Please,” I whispered against her lips.
Suddenly, she convulsed beneath me, coughing up water. I quickly turned her onto her side, relief flooding through me as she gasped and sputtered.
When the coughing subsided, she lay trembling, her breathing ragged. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, then sharpening as they landed on me.
“You!” She jerked away violently, nearly toppling back into the water. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I grabbed her arm to steady her. “Saving your ungrateful ass, apparently.”
M
She yanked her arm free, struggling to sit up. “Were you following me? Are you fucking stalking me now?”
*If I hadn’t been, you’d be dead,” I snapped back.
She looked me over, water dripping from her hair, her eyes burning with something between hatred and disbelief. Then, as if suddenly remembering, she gasped.
“My bag!” She scrambled to her feet, swaying dangerously. “The lilies–I need to-”
“What you need is to sit the hell down before you collapse,” I said, rising to block her path. “You nearly died.”
“Get out of my way, Tristan,” she snarled, trying to push past me. When I didn’t budge, something in her voice changed. “Please. You don’t understand.”
I frowned, studying her face. This wasn’t her usual defiance. There was real desperation in her eyes.
“What’s so important about a few flowers that you’d risk your life?” I demanded.
Her face crumpled unexpectedly, tears welling in her eyes. She turned away quickly, but not before I saw the raw pain in her expression.
“It’s none of your business,” she said, her voice thick. “Just leave me alone.”
“Lysandra,” I said, my voice unintentionally softening. “What’s going on?”
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Chapter 233
She wiped fiercely at her eyes, refusing to lace me. “Nothing that concerns you.”
I moved around her, forcing her to look at me. You almost died trying to get those flowers, I think that makes it my concern.”
“Why?” she spat. “Because you still think you own me? News flash, Alpha–you don’t.”
Then tell me why you’re risking your life out here alone,” I countered, stepping closer. “Tell me, or I swear to god, I’ll-
“You’ll what?” She lifted her chin, defiant despite the tears still caught in her lashes. “Hit me? Force me? That’s all you know, isn’t it? Control through fear.”
1 clenched my jaw, fighting for control. Either you tell me what’s happening, or I’ll kiss you until you do.”
Her eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. “You wouldn’t dare.”
I leaned in until our faces were inches apart. “Try me.”
For a moment, the only sound was our ragged breathing. Something flickered in her eyes–not desire, but a complex mix of rage and something else I couldn’t identify.
“They’re for Alaric,” she finally whispered, her voice breaking. “The Moon Lilies. They have healing properties. I need them for my brother.”
I studied her face, sensing there was more. “Why tonight? Why alone? Why risk your life instead of asking for help?”
Her laugh was bitter, hollow. “Help? From who? You?” Fresh tears spilled over, though she was clearly fighting them. “You’re the reason my family is broken in the first place.”
The accusation hit like a physical blow. I stepped back, momentarily stunned by the raw hatred in her voice.
“My brother is dying, she continued, each word dripping with venom. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to save him, with or without your permission.”
She was lying–not about Alaric being sick, but about something else. There was more she wasn’t telling me.
“There are easier ways to get healing herbs,” I pressed. “Why these specific flowers? Why now? Why alone?”
She hugged herself, suddenly looking very small against the vast darkness of the lake. “Because I have no other choice.”
“What about Dr. Rylan?” I asked, frowning. “I already arranged for him to treat your brother. Why not go through proper channels instead of risking your life?”
She looked away, her expression twisting with something like bitterness. “Dr. Rylan has already tried everything he knows. He can’t help Alaric. This…” she gestured vaguely toward the cliff, “this was my last option.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, pushing wet hair from my face. “Why not tell me? I could have had the flowers collected safely.”
“Tell you?” Her laugh was hollow. “The man who destroyed my life? Who took my children? Who makes me beg for scraps of time with them?” She shook her head. “I’d rather crawl through hell than ask you for help.”
The wind picked up, cutting through our wet clothes. Lysandra shivered violently, her teeth chattering despite her heated words.
“We need to get you warm,” I said, taking off my jacket and draping it over her shoulders. “Before you get hypothermia.”
She stiffened but didn’t push the jacket áway. “I’m f–fine.”
“You’re not fine,” I replied, eyeing her blue–tinged lips. “You’ve been through a trauma, you’re soaking wet, and it’s getting colder.”
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Chapter 233
“I don’t need your concern, she mumbled, though she clutched the jacket tighter around herself.
I sighed, frustration building. “Listen, I know you hate me-
“Understatement of the century.”
–but I have connections to the best healers across all packs. If Rylan can’t help your brother, let me find someone who can.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why would you do that?”
“Because whatever you think of me, I don’t want people dying in my territory,” I said. “Especially not your brother.”
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