Ryleigh watched Austin disappear between the trees. A part of her wanted to go after him, but she didn't have anything to say that would make things better. She felt for him – admitting his feelings so explicitly could not have been easy for him – but she didn't understand how he could not fathom her arguments. Why start something that had so definite an ending?
She waited until Austin was long gone, then shifted. Her wolf complained of being tired, but Ryleigh pushed through anyway. They were pretty far away from the pack and if she was to walk in her human form, it would take forever to get back. A headache started building in her skull. She'd been pushing too hard. With Austin's mark fading as quickly as it was, she really ought to be more careful.
She ignored the pain for a while, but it didn't take long for her head to pound so mercilessly she could hardly see straight anymore. She stopped, the trees swaying in front of her. Her legs were trembling and her chest was burning with a familiar ache. This wasn't good.
With a sigh, she shifted back, giving her wolf a chance to rest. She should have known it'd be too much. Not just running, but confronting her fears, followed by whatever it was that happened afterwards. Did Austin's being angry with her help his mark fade faster? Her health came directly from their bond, so if their bond took a hit, maybe so did her ability to function.
She got up from her crouched position, only to fall directly down again. If there was anything she hated, it was feeling weak. She pushed herself up and up again, until her wolf forced her to stay down. They weren't going anywhere. The pine needles that littered the forest floor pricked her backside and legs. Her fingers pressed against the scar on her abdomen – the entry point of her last dose of silver. Though it had healed thanks to Austin's mark, it still hurt like it was a gaping wound.
She could, theoretically, link Jade. They were close enough to communicate. But that would mean admitting her state, which she wasn't willing to do. If others got wind of her condition, she'd be forced to face it herself, and then she'd have to make a decision: to mark Austin back or to leave him forever. She'd already made the decision – after all, she didn't have much of a choice – but she still wasn't ready to face the music.
It was a good thing Austin had run off. She really didn't need his overbearing ass right then. She crawled to a tree and dragged herself back to her feet, hugging the rough bark to keep herself standing. The mere thought of what had transpired between them made her cheeks flush. She'd never been that close to losing her restraint. Goddess, just imagine what might have happened afterwards. What if their bond would have grown even stronger? What if she – Goddess forbid – had gotten pregnant? What if – no, she'd definitely made the right decision to cut it off.
Her surroundings slowly blinked into focus again. If she took it slowly, she might make it back to the pack without worrying anyone. She took a few steps. Her legs shook, daring her to take the risk of continuing and falling flat on her face. Her chest burned like a wildfire and she pressed her hand against her heart. Was that where the silver was going? Her heart? If so, she had even less time than she'd thought. Come to think of it, no one had said she'd only die when the mark had faded completely. She might die much sooner. What if she was dying right now?
No. She'd be in more pain than this. Her wolf urged her to link Jade, but she tuned the animal out. Then what? Explain she was possibly having a heart attack in the middle of the woods? And then they'd all come and find her naked and soaked, passed out on the ground. She had more dignity than that.
Her chest contracted, an urgent pressure building in her throat. She tried to swallow it away, but the pain persisted and she gave up. Coughs racked her lungs and she sagged to her knees, her entire body convulsing with every cursed, raspy breath. She planted her hands firmly on the ground and closed her eyes, letting it wash over her.
It took minutes, and the attack was so loud she thought for sure the pack would be able to hear it, but no one came and she was glad for it. When she opened her eyes again, the ground in front of her was covered in splotches of silver.
Her wolf whined, pissed they'd be dying while in an argument with Austin. The animal wanted them to make things right before dropping dead. Ryleigh had different priorities – like not dying at all. She pushed to her feet again, but hardly made it upright before everything went dark.
*****
Dinner had just been served and the dining hall was booming with conversation and laughter. Jade hovered near the entrance, clasping her fingers tightly around her pendant. The silver scorched her skin, but she welcomed the pain. Being anywhere around the pack's centre was difficult enough, but to be at the core of it was torture. Hundreds of minds pulsated inside her skull. She regretted never having been able to practice on this many people. She was used to her small group. Tuning out thirty minds was second nature – but three hundred was impossible.
She sucked in a deep breath, focusing on the silver burning her palm, and progressed into the hall. Of course the inner circle had to sit all the way at the back of the room. It took forever to cross the space. It didn't help that the moment she passed a table, all thoughts redirected towards her – the Shadow Walker who avoided every form of social interaction.
"Hey!" Carry said, beaming at her as though her arrival was some sort of joyous occasion. "I thought you refused to have dinner with us?"
"It's not about refusing. Too many minds." Her pendant did nothing to draw her attention away from the stabbing pain behind her eyes. A few more seconds and she might go blind. Still, she remained standing, keeping her head up. Her eyes flitted around the table. "Has anyone seen Ryleigh?" Her gaze came to rest on Austin, her brows shooting up. "O! I could have lived my life without seeing that." Her surprise forced her discomfort to the background – at least for a second or two.
"What happened?" Ellis asked.
"We went for a run," he said, shrugging. He looked at Jade, his eyes a silent admonition not to fill in the blanks he left. "We got into an argument and I went ahead. I figured she'd follow later." His voice was neutral, but his brows creased. "No one has seen her?"
"How long ago did this happen?" Julie asked. "I saw her at lunch."
Austin shook his head. "It happened after that. I got back maybe two hours ago."
"Two hours?" Jade forced her fingers away from the pendant. She didn't need to look at her hand to know her skin was red and swollen. A few more seconds and blisters would form. "I can't stay here. Tell me where you went. I'd follow her scent but it rained a while ago and I can't pick it up anymore."
"I'll come with you," Austin said, pushing up from his seat.
Judging by what she had seen in his head, Jade doubted Ryleigh would want to see him, but she didn't have time to negotiate an alternative. A few moments longer, and she might lose control over her magic. If that happened, there was no telling how many people would get hurt. She nodded and turned, rushing down the aisle. All eyes – and minds – in the hall were on her and her flight, but she couldn't afford to care.
"Did you link her?" Austin asked, catching up with her outside of the building.
"O, golly, that hadn't occurred to me yet." She shook her head and moved towards the treeline. Austin's thoughts told her they had gone into the forest. "Of course I linked her. She didn't respond."
"Maybe she's just upset. You've read my mind. You know what happened. She could just be sulking somewhere."
"You don't understand. Ryleigh always responds if she's able. That's the rule."
"The rule?"
Jade didn't reply. She listened to Austin's thoughts and headed in the direction in which he and Ryleigh had gone earlier that day. She hoped Ryleigh had taken – or attempted to take – the same way back. If not, they might not be able to find her. It had rained briefly about an hour ago, and the smell of petrichor and wet dirt overshadowed all other scents.
"After everyone we loved died, we promised we'd never ignore each other's calls. Never. I don't care how upset she might be; she would have responded if she could."
"So what – you think she's in trouble?"
"You tell me, Mr Forceful Mating. What do you sense?"
"I don't know."
Jade fought the urge to punch him. He was trying, she knew. He tried picking up anything to do with Ryleigh, but he didn't know what to look for. "What good is a mate if you don't use the mate bond? She must be passed out. If she really were in imminent danger, you would've felt it. Just like she felt when you were attacked by that rogue. You'd know." She nodded a few times, as it convince herself.
"Maybe we should shift. We'll be able to find her quicker that way," Austin said.
"No. She's close."
Austin glanced around him. "How do you know?"
Jade tapped her head in answer.
"I thought she blocks you?"
"Yes, that's how I know. I can still sense her mind; I just can't read it. And because it's blocked, I know it's her."
Austin nodded as if he understood, though his thoughts told Jade he had no clue. She didn't blame him. Magic was difficult to understand for those who had never had much dealings with it.
"I'm surprised she let you convince her to go near water," Jade said, after a few minutes. "I've tried many times."
"I wanted to help her. She's been having nightmares."
"I know. She's had them for fourteen years, off and on. There's a lot you don't know about her. She hasn't led an easy life, and she's bound by duty. She can't just drop everything and stay here. I get that that pisses you off, but you're asking her to leave everything behind. To break ties with her family – the only family she has left."
He didn't respond, and Jade didn't push him for an answer. She wasn't looking to have a heart-to-heart. And she knew he understood what she was saying. He knew what he was asking of her.
Jade stopped. "She's near." The mind she sensed wasn't giving off many impulses. She trailed off to the right, looking around her. "There!"
Ryleigh was lying on her stomach on the ground, unconscious. Jade dropped to her knees beside her, her heart drumming in her throat. Austin crouched on the other side of Ryleigh and turned her over. A rivulet of silver trickled from her lips down her cheek. More drops of silver covered the ground around her.
"We need to get her out of here," Jade said. "She needs to see that crazy doctor of yours. The one I keep hearing about in everyone's heads."
Austin nodded and picked her up. She was so far out of it even his presence didn't help her. Jade noticed the colour draining from Austin's face.
"Don't," she said. "Stop feeling guilty. You were right to leave her behind. You were upset and you had every reason to be. It's her own fault for not being open about her state. That's Ryleigh for you. She'd rather die than admit she needs help. Now, come on." She glanced at Ryleigh, who was lying like a limp doll in Austin's hold. Her skin had a silver sheen over it, and her breathing was shallow, pain etched onto her features even in her sleep. "She's dying."
Austin's breath hitched. "No. She'll make it. My mark—"
"—is fading. And it's fading fast. When your doctor told her it would take a week or two before she'd be able to reject you, he was estimating. He's no expert when it comes to silver. With the amount of silver in her system, anything's possible. I should've known she would go downhill this fast. I've seen it a dozen times before." She looked up at Austin. "She needs to go home."
His grip on Ryleigh tightened, as though he thought he could heal her if he just held on with more conviction. "No."
"She's going to die. Did she tell you about Paige?" She sighed when his brows scooted down. "Guess not. But she did tell you there's someone in our pack that can save her?"
"She said it was some device, not a person."
"Well, it's a person. Her name's Paige. She's a healer."
He shook his head. "Even if she's a healer, she can't take the silver out. It doesn't work that way."
"Actually, it does. Human healers wouldn't be able to do it, but Paige is different. She's probably the only werewolf alive whose body can get rid of silver. Not just in small amounts, but completely. Usually when Ryleigh gets herself silvered, Paige takes it from her. She's saved her life countless of times before. She needs Paige. It's the only chance she has."
______
A/N: Ryleigh got herself in trouble again. I'm sure no one's surprised ;)
Thanks for reading!