Hagatha admired the strange doll she had crafted for Ashlee. She had planned to give it to her once the elf brought Ashlee to her, but it had been days since their deal, and she'd heard nothing from him.

Her crow had flown out to gather information on the elf's activities, but it returned with bad news, squawking loudly and irritating Hagatha.

"This stupid elf!" she hissed, tossing the odd doll into the burning woods. It was useless now. If Ashlee wasn't coming, the doll served no purpose.

"Shut the hell up!" she yelled at the crow, which immediately fell silent at her command.

She walked along the shelves, her long nails clicking as she touched each globe, each one lighting up to show different scenes.

One globe showed the elf tied up at the training center's base, while another showed Ashlee lying motionless, her wounds healing at an unnatural speed as Esyn cared for her.

"Let's see what her precious mate is doing. I hate to admit I chose the wrong person," she muttered to herself, as one of the globes filled with fog and revealed Kyle with a she-wolf.

"Did my spell go wrong somewhere?" she questioned, glancing at her crow, which squawked in response.

"Right," she replied, answering the bird. "Mate spells are such a hassle." She settled into a chair, closing her eyes as she contemplated her next move.

Was it all just a spell? Was Ashlee not truly Kyle's mate?

"You look exhausted," Esyn said softly, entering the base with a tray of food.

"What are you doing here?" Derion stopped interrogating the elf and quickly moved toward her, taking the tray from her hands.

"You know you shouldn't be down here. It could affect the little one," Derion whispered, holding her hand and rubbing her belly with his other hand.

"He's too small to understand anything yet, and with you by my side, nothing will happen to me," she replied, brushing her hand along Derion's cheek.

"I missed you so much," Derion murmured, pulling her into a hug, his face nestled in her neck.

They hadn't seen each other in days, barely finding time to speak at night as Derion had been overwhelmed with responsibilities.

"Stop being such a baby," Esyn chuckled, playfully clutching his shirt.

"But I am a baby," he replied, pulling back and cupping her face. "I'm your baby, aren't I?" He smirked at his own corny joke.

"Ew! That was so lame," Esyn rolled her eyes, giggling. She knew she'd missed his playfulness.

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"Is work getting too hard?" Esyn asked as Derion dug into the food she brought.

"No, it's manageable. Kyle's probably having a tougher time than me," Derion said with a smile. Though she doubted that Kyle's struggles were greater.

"Slow down," Esyn said, wiping a smudge of food from the corner of Derion's lips.

In the days since Ashlee's accident, Kyle had become desperate. Though her wounds had healed, she still hadn't woken up.

"Haven't you had enough of this?" Cassandra barked as she stormed into Kyle's office. The she-wolf Kyle had been with bolted out as Cassandra entered.

"I can't believe I raised such a shameless Alpha!" Cassandra regretted ever making Kyle Alpha when she could have given the title to Esyn.

"Mom, please. Can we discuss this later?" Kyle sighed, lighting a cigarette.

Cassandra crossed the room, snatching the cigarette and tossing it out the window. "No, we can't! Your mate is fighting for her life, and you're here with other girls?" she scolded.

"I wasn't with her like that, Mom," Kyle explained, grabbing a few old books.

"Well, you were going to, weren't you?" she demanded, arms crossed.

"No, I wasn't. That girl has a mate, and I don't mess with someone who doesn't want me to," he replied, sitting down with his book.

"Then why was she here?" Cassandra asked, clenching her fists.

Kyle was too engrossed in the book to hear her question.

"Answer me!" Cassandra shouted, snapping the book shut.

"Calm down, Mom." Kyle stood up, sighing. "She's knowledgeable about human history. I was searching for clues on how to help Ashlee. That's all."

"Human history?" Cassandra scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Believe it or not, it's the truth," Kyle replied, still focused on his reading.

"Esyn is resting. I need you to give Ashlee the shot," Cassandra said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Alright," Kyle replied, and without further argument, he left for Ashlee's room.

Opening the door, he panicked when he saw her bed empty. Fear surged through him as he searched the room.

"Ashlee!" he called, but there was no response.

He heard water running in the bathroom and hurried to the door, knocking and shouting for her to open it.

No answer.

He broke the door down and rushed inside, finding Ashlee in the tub filled with steaming water.

"Ashlee!" he yelled, lifting her from the burning water.

"Are you crazy?" he shouted as she coughed, gradually gaining awareness in his arms.

Suddenly, she clung to his shirt, clutching him tightly and crying her heart out. He held her, letting her release everything.

"I... I..." She tried to speak, but he couldn't make out her words. He guessed it was guilt—guilt over her mother, if she remembered. From her tears, he was certain she did.

"It's alright," he whispered, gently stroking her back.

When she stopped crying, Kyle wrapped her in a towel and sat her on the shelf in front of the mirror.

Neither spoke as he grabbed a hair dryer, drying her hair as she stared down, allowing him to take care of her.

Once she was dry, he realized he had no clothes for her. Without delay, he fetched one of his T-shirts and sweatpants for her.

He sensed she didn't have the energy to change herself, so he carefully began to help her.

"What are you doing?" she murmured, staring blankly at him.

He froze, ears burning. "I... um..." He struggled to explain.

"I'll change myself," she whispered, and he noticed her hesitation as she glanced at him.

Taking the hint, he smiled awkwardly. "I... I'll leave you to it," he said, stepping out. Once outside, he mind-linked everyone to let them know she was awake.

A moment later, she emerged, dressed in his oversized clothes, her hands hidden within the too-long sleeves.

"Come here," he whispered, rolling up the cuffs for her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She didn't answer, only gazed at him with a solemn expression.

"What is it? Tell me," he asked softly.

"I want to see my mom," she replied, pain clear in her voice.