Moonchild

23 | Cassian

"I will honest with you, Your Highness. I am still amazed that Her Highness lasted this long without the aid of painkillers or proper treatment. As a matter of fact, I have still yet to figure out how she is alive with the high concentration of wolfsbane in her blood." The healer said.

Cassian sucked in a harsh breath. "Wolfsbane?"

The healer nod her head. She turned to Rhea and lifted the blanket off her body. Her fingers gently hiked up the hem of Rhea's dress to reveal her bruised legs. Cassian stumbled a step back. What he thought had been bruises from physical abuse, now shown completely different in the light. Scabs of needle puncture marks littered her skin. They were surrounded by small patched of blue and purple - wolfsbane.

"These go around and all the way up to her thighs and concentrated mainly on the soles of her feet. I believe it was a measure of incentive taken to keep Her Highness from escaping. The pain alone when she moved should have been enough to stop her from trying." The healer told him.

Cassian clenched his hands into fists. The fury he had been feeling until them, turned to white hot rage. "Can she still walk?"

The healer hesitated. "Not in the immediate future. I will have to sit with Her Highness at least for two hours every alternate day for a month in order to drain the drug completely out of her body. During these sessions, I believe thirty minuted of physiotherapy to keep her muscles working might help in a faster recovery to her complete health."

Cassian cursed. His fist hit the wall closest to him, startling the healer.

"Her Highness is not like an average wolven. She is stronger and hence, lunar mate to Your Highness. You reported that she showed no signs of pain or discomfort up until the time she retired to bed. Now even though adrenaline did play a huge role, it is my observation that her recovery will be faster if she stays close by your side as much as possible. And during this entire process, it is in Her Highness' best interests if she does not shift. Shifting will only put more strain on her weakened muscles and nerves." The healer advised.

"How does the rest of her body fare?" Cassian asked, already dreading the answer.

"There are no wounds that need extensive care. Just mild scratches and bruises that her body has already done a good job of healing on its own. But I did notice something else that I worry if Her Highness has spoken about to you..." The healer trailed away unsure of if she had to right to reveal or not.

"What is it?" Cassian demanded, gaze flickering to his mate.

"It's about her back." The healer said carefully. She stared straight at Cassian as if gauging his reaction.

Cassian's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Rhea had mentioned any illness of her own. Could it be that she tried to hide it from him so Cassian wouldn't worry?

"What about her back?" Cassian questioned.

The healer mulled over it for a few seconds before lightly bowing her head. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I want to speak about it Her Highness first before I can tell you anything. If she hasn't spoken to you about it then I trust it is a sensitive issue."

The royal healer left shortly after. On her way out, she instructed the maids assigned to Rhea on the dosage of medicine and care. Cassian sat by Rhea's side on the bed. He carefully stroked her cheek and brushed away stray strands of hair.