"Have you slept at all?" Valeria asked the Beta the moment he entered the kitchen. Calum blinked a few times, focusing his tired eyes on the blonde girl that was sat at the cooking isle. "Y-yeah."
As if to contradict his own words, he yawned. Valeria simply shook her head, giving the Beta a worried glance. "Look, I know there's something going on between the two of you and that you care deeply for him, but if he were awake he wouldn't want you to have sleepless nights because of him. At least try and take a nap. In his room for all I care, but you gotta look out for yourself."
Calum averted his eyes to the floor as he stayed in his place. He knew she was right. Him having no sleep didn't help his health and it surely wouldn't help with Michael's, but it was hard. He kept worrying and hoping and the same two over and over again. It was horrible and stressful, but he accepted it. He didn't like it, no, but he didn't know how to stop himself, so he thought accepting was the next best thing. "I know."
"Is there anything I can do to help? I don't want you to get sick too. If you know something, please let me know." The girl told him sincerely, frowning sadly at the exhausted Beta. He simply hummed, moving around the kitchen now and getting himself some food, before disappearing again.
"It's sweet of you to want to help him." Valeria looked up, smiling shortly at Bryana, who walked in further and leaned on the kitchen isle. The girl simply nodded at her, shrugging lightly. "I just care for him. For all of you, I guess. Which is in a way weird, because I don't know you all that well, but still."
Bryana smiled, moving to get a glass and fill it with water. "You're a good person, Valeria."
The blonde and purple haired girl nodded, smiling a little. "Thanks."
It was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the water that was poured into the glass Bryana was holding. The female Alpha then turned around, watching Valeria trace circles on the cooking isle. "How is he?"
"Better." Bryana hummed, looking down at the glass for a moment. "He still has a bit of a headache, but the drug has worn off. I think it was mostly a sedating drug, but he's fine now. We'll just keep an eye on him for a little while."
Valeria nodded, turning around and facing Bryana. "Good. I didn't want for him to get hurt too. Heck, I didn't even want for him to get hit with that stuff."
Bryana smiled. "It's fine. He's here and alive, which is important."
Both looked at each other for a moment, before Valeria nodded again. "Maybe you should bring him that water. I'll go and check up on Calum."
"That's fine. Ashton might pop by later, I think. He's worried too, obviously." Bryana then smiled a little, as she seemed to think of something. It made Valeria somewhat curious, but she kept it to herself, not wanting to push. Yet the Alpha spoke from herself, quietly. "He was worried about you this morning."
Valeria looked at the other in confusion for a moment, before tilting her head. "What?"
"Like I said. And I can't blame him. You've taken care of our pack and him and the last thing he remembered was getting shot by that dart while the two of you were running from whoever was chasing you. Of course he was worried. You've proven yourself to him." Bryana smiled proudly. "He might not trust you completely still, but you've earned your place."
The girl took in the words, watching the Alpha walk away. She was surprised, because she honestly thought Ashton would never accept her. Not even after yesterday night. Especially not after knowing he now knew her parents were werewolf-hunters. Sure, she wasn't one herself and definitely didn't want to be, but he didn't know that and if she'd say that, she doubted he'd believe her. But in contradiction to her beliefs, he had seemed to accept her. And it made her feel a bit better.
With a good feeling, she walked back upstairs and knocked on the dark door she knew all too well by now. A soft 'enter' sounded, making her do just that and take in the two sadly. Her heart seemed to break each time she saw Michael, lying on his bed so weak and pale. Paler than he had been before this all.
"Hey." The girl mumbled, closing the door behind her and approaching Calum, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Any change?"
The Beta shook his head, frowning at the pale boy on the bed. He kept holding the boy's hand, hoping that the next minute he'd feel fingers move to hold his perfectly, like before. But he wasn't lucky, as the pale boy stayed as lifeless as ever. Which saddened everyone.
A little while later, another knock sounded on the door, making Calum hum and Valeria turn to it. She watched how Ashton poked his head in, slight bags beneath his eyes as if he had slept horribly, while his eyes shone with tiredness. "Um- hey. Can we talk?"
Valeria nodded, patting Calum's shoulder and telling him she'd be right back. Not that he would go anywhere, but just in case he wasn't paying attention. After all, he seemed a bit like he was daydreaming.
The girl moved out of the room, closing the door behind her and walking a little further with Ashton. The Alpha then turned around, sighing quietly as he leaned against the wall. "I need him out of there for a bit."
Valeria frowned, tilting her head to the side a little. "Why? He's not doing anything wrong, right?"
"He's not." The Alpha answered, shaking his head. "I want to check something, but I don't want him in the room for it. He seems to care about Michael way more than he'd admit and if the outcome of it is negative, I'm afraid he might do things he'll regret."
The girl nodded slowly. "And how can I help? I'm not sure I'll get him out of there."
"Bryana noticed you two were somewhat close this morning. We both think he might listen to you. I personally think it's because you were there when he saved Michael. You helped him and he's grateful." Ashton spoke slowly, making the girl nod. He then sighed again, rubbing his face. "Try and get him to shower. Michael's room doesn't have a bathroom connected, so it will get him out of there. I just need a few minutes."
"I will try." Valeria mumbled, watching the Alpha nod gratefully, before he went downstairs. She then went back to Michael's room, frowning sadly at the hunched figure of Calum. She sighed quietly, approaching him and putting a hand on his shoulder. The Beta jumped up a little, but as soon as his eyes fell on the girl, he relaxed. "Sorry."
Calum hummed, shrugging lightly. The girl then smiled sadly, rubbing his back. "Maybe you should take a shower. Relax a bit. I'll stay here and if anything happens, I'll let you know immediately."
The Beta seemed to think about it, but he didn't seem convinced yet. The girl sighed quietly again, kneeling next to the Beta and taking his face in her hands, turning it so he would look at her. "Look, I know you want to stay here and support him, but you gotta take care of yourself. Take that shower, relax a bit and then stay here for the rest of the day again. Those ten minutes won't hurt anyone. And like I said, I'll come and get you if anything happens."
Calum's eyebrows furrowed together sadly, before he nodded slowly, closing his eyes. His hand squeezed the limp pale hand he had been holding, before slowly letting go. It hurt to do that, but he knew Valeria was right. He needed that shower and in those ten minutes, he doubted anything major would happen. So far, there hadn't been a change anyway.
Soon, Valeria watched Calum leave the room, giving the boy on the bed a sad look, before quietly opening the door and watching another shut. She then slipped out of the room, about to go look for Ashton, when Luke took his last steps up the stairs. "Is he gone yet?"
The girl nodded, watching the blonde think for a moment, before he went past her. "Go keep an eye on Calum's room."
Valeria was confused, but walked towards Calum's room, pressing her ear against it to vaguely hear a shower running, sighing in relief. These guys surely were complicated.
"Valeria!" Ashton whisper-yelled, appearing on top of the stairs. He was holding some weird object, smiling slightly as he approached the girl. "Is he still showering?"
"Yeah," she cautiously and quietly replied, a little confused as to why he was acting like this. It was as if the thing in his hand would solve quite the few problems.
"Come with me," he then said, walking towards Michael's room as he gestured for the girl to follow. "But what about-"
"Luke will keep an eye out, now come," Ashton said, walking into the bedroom. Luke then exited the bedroom, giving Valeria a sad smile as he went into Calum's bedroom. The girl let out a soft sigh and entered Michael's room, her whole being saddening once again as she looked at the pale boy. He looked so lifeless, that it was scary. And it had been like that ever since they brought him back.
"Sit down," Ashton said, waving at the chair that was next to the bed. Calum had put it there, since he had barely left the room and wanted to be a little more comfortable. And no one could really blame him, even if it was still half a mystery why he was so broken about Michael.
"Can you please explain what's going on?" Valeria asked, sitting down in the chair Calum had spend basically all his time in since returning. She looked at Michael once more, sighing softly. She then returned her attention to the Alpha next to her.
"I have this friend in the city, who, yes, is a werewolf too. And I remembered that he had bought this silver-tracker once. I can't really remember why, but yeah. So I asked if I could borrow it the moment I knew about the silver in Michael's body," Ashton explained quickly, but clearly, trying not to stray off, "and here it is."
Ashton held up the object, it seeming like some sort of scanner. It wasn't something that seemed really special, but maybe that was a good thing. "Okay, silver-tracker. But why do you need it?"
"Well, I thought it could be a good chance to figure out how far the silver has spread, so we know how long his recovery will take approximately."
"Oh," the girl nodded, getting a little nervous. Because what if the silver was almost at his heart? Or even worse, what if it had already reached it? No, it couldn't have. Not in the time he has been there. The chance it got even close to his heart was small and he was obviously still alive, so it wasn't forming a danger. Right?
"Like I said, I didn't want Calum to be here in case, well, the outcome isn't really positive." Ashton then mumbled, sighing. He grimaced as he looked at the poor boy on the bed, sadness filling the room like fresh air flowing in from an opened window.
"I understand." The girl looked at him, before continuing, "let's do this then. Before he's done showering."
Ashton nodded firmly, stepping closer and turning on the device. It loaded for a couple of seconds, before immediately giving a signal. "It can already sense the silver."
It was silent as Ashton held it closer to Michael's body, watching the screen as he moved it. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, letting the device scan Michael's whole body. As he held the device close to where ones heart is, he swallowed harshly. "Shit..."
"What?" Valeria asked, not able to assume anything else but the worst. And judging by the Alpha's tone, it wasn't that weird to.
"It's..." He breathed out, shakily moving the device to Michael's heart. He breathed in heavily, his eyes widening slightly. "How..."
The silence was almost annoying by then, but Valeria didn't dare to speak, awaiting further words from the Alpha.
"It's everywhere," Ashton mumbled, his eyebrows still furrowed as he kept checking the device, "his whole heart, it's... It's literally everywhere."
A shaky breath left both of them, as Valeria moved her eyes back to Michael. How could this have happened? And why him? Why Michael? So many questions, yet no real answers.
"But..." She then started, trying to find an answer. Or more like something to get out of this situation. He couldn't be dying, could he? "He's still breathing."
Ashton pulled back the device, chewing on his lower lip as he kept his eyes on his friend. "He is."
"Shouldn't he have died already? I mean, if he's literally being consumed by silver, he should have stopped breathing already. Something is not right." Valeria shot back, blinking a few times, trying to come up with something that would explain this all. After all, there was an explanation for everything, right?
"I don't know." Ashton mumbled, slumping his shoulders a little. "I guess all we can do is wait. Wait for him to either wake up or..."
"Stop breathing," Valeria finished, the words not much more than a whisper. Ashton nodded sadly, turning around and walking out of the room, leaving the girl alone with Michael. She took a deep breath -and one last look at Michael- before following him, nodding at Luke as he made his way back. Just like nothing had happened.
"I'll go and bring this back, you should... stay for Calum, yeah?" Ashton said, adding the last in a softer voice. Valeria only nodded, not really able to form anything coherent. Ashton then left, leaving her alone in the hallway. She wasn't like Luke to just walk into Calum's room and wait there, so the hallway was good too. As long as she was there for Calum. And as if on cue, a door sounded and soon a dressed Calum appeared. He was still drying his hair with a towel, before throwing that towel in his room and walking out, his eyes widening as he spotted the girl. "Is something-"
"He's fine, don't worry." She swallowed harshly, feeling bad about those untrue words. "Luke just wanted some time alone too. So he's with him."
Calum hummed, closing his bedroom door and taking the lead to the bedroom he had spent more time in in the last twenty-four hours than his own. Valeria hesitantly followed, her heart hurting at the new information she had gotten just before and at having to face Michael again, knowing this.
"Hey," Calum greeted Luke softly, receiving a soft 'hey' and a nod in return. Luke then patted Calum's shoulder, before smiling sadly at the girl again and leaving the room. Calum let himself fall in the chair next to the bed, as Valeria stood behind him for a bit. She tried not to look at Michael, but it was hard. Especially when Calum took his pale, lifeless hand in his own, kissing it softly.
This was painful and not only for Valeria, but as well for the others. Everyone just hoped everything would turn out okay. Even if things weren't looking so bright in that moment.