"Valente," I heard Gramma's voice.

The sound of his name woke me up, but I didn't have the strength to move.

"Don't worry. She's going to be fine. They had to give it to her because-"

"Shh" he shushed her. "She's awake."

I felt the mattress bend under his weight as he sat next to me.

"I'm here," he whispered softly. His hand found mine in a tight grip, and I finally opened my eyes to look at him.

Gramma sat on the other side of me, and there was no one else in my room. It wasn't too bright, the only illumination the yellow lamp on my bedside table.

Gramma looked worried for me as she touched my face in a show of kindness, but Valente was on another level.

His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, worry crowded his features. He seemed very tired.

"I don't know what happened," I told him, my voice cracking, barely audible. "I couldn't control my body, or Ima. I didn't mean to-"

"Rayne," Gramma said, wiping away the tears that I didn't know were falling. Valente's grip on my hand tightened, and he shifted a little closer.

"It's okay, no one is blaming you for anything," she said.

I knew that couldn't possibly be true. But that wasn't my concern at the moment.

I tried to sit up but the action caused shooting pain throughout my body, an almost scream leaving my lips in agony.

Valente immediately stood to help me, placing more pillows than I'd need behind me, making sure I was okay before taking his place beside me, and my hand in his again.

"What happened?" I asked them.

"You tell us," Valente said.

Gramma took my other hand in hers, holding it tightly as she started to speak.

"You had to be given Wolfsbane to calm Imadis. Sylvia said your wolf had suppressed you and overtook-"

"Rosa please," Valente stopped her again, his face showing a lot of frustration. "Let's not talk about Aunty right now."

"Wolfsbane?" I asked, my voice shaking. Wolfsbane was poison. And I was terrified of what I had heard about it.

To think I was given it, and it was still running through my veins settled fear in my heart.

Both Valente and Gramma gripped my hands tight to stop them from shaking.

"The doctor has asked you to rest. It will leave your system on its own in two to three days," Gramma said.

"Why did it happen Gramma? I never had a problem like this with Ima before," I asked her.

Gramma looked thoughtful, but didn't say anything.

I looked to Valente, but he seemed stumped.

"Gramma?" I asked her again.

She sighed heavily, looking down at my hand in hers.

"Sweetheart. Let's hope it's not what I think it is. Because otherwise this pain will feel like just the beginning," she said, her eyes shining with tears.

"What is that supposed to mean Rosa? Our pack doctors are highly qualified and-"

It was Gramma's turn to interrupt him.

"In this case, the doctors won't be able to do anything Valente," she told him, her gaze intense. I could tell they continued their conversation in private through the mindlink.

I chose not to ask. Gramma deemed it better for me to not know, so it must be better for me to not ask.

She turned to me again.

"Can you reach out to your wolf?" she asked me.

"Ima?" I asked for her.

But I didn't hear a response.

I shook my head, no.

"It's the Wolfsbane. It will affect her even worse," she said, as Valente's grip on my hand got even tighter.

I looked at him to find his face covered in pure Alpha rage. But I could tell he was controlling himself from an outburst.

"Get some rest you two. We all need it," Gramma said, now getting up. She kissed my forehead, and fixed Valente's hair a little before she quietly left with still teary eyes.

"Make some space, you bed hoarder," Valente said, pushing my side lightly, almost playfully. His anger apparently subsiding.

It took some effort, but I shifted just enough for him to lie down next to me.

He came under the warmth of the bed covers, his skin cold to the touch as he rested his fingers on my cheek.

As I laid down next to him, I couldn't help but blush, my face and ears burning by the way he looked at me. Almost unblinking.

I didn't want to seem too shy, so I didn't look away. But I didn't want to seem too wanting, so I didn't move.

But he did.

He came even closer, and put an arm around my waist carefully, stroking my back and giving me unimaginable comfort with his action.

"You're so strong," he said. His voice was stable, but his eyes were moist.

"No, I'm not. What kind of werewolf can't stop their own wolf from going wild?" I asked him.

"If you think I'll tolerate one word against you Rayne, you're highly mistaken. Even if it's you who's saying it," he said, his gentle assault on my back making me forget the pain a little bit.

"I leave for one day and look what happens," he said, sighing.

"I thought you were coming tomorrow night?" I asked. "How are you here right now?"

He just smiled.

"Do you really need an answer to that question Rayne?" he said, rubbing my lower lip with his thumb, his other hand making circles on my nape softly.

His touch was intoxicating me, and I felt like I couldn't get enough of it.

My hands found their own way to his chest, over the thin material of his crisp shirt.

"So much for keeping distance," I said.

I shouldn't have said that.

His face immediately darkened.

He slowly took his hands back and sat up, looking away from me.

"I haven't forgiven you for that yet, Rayne," he said.

I sat up as well, albeit not as gracefully as I'd intended.

I pulled his face towards mine, leaving my hand on his cheek so he wouldn't turn away from me again.

"You sure about that?" I asked him, playfully.

He still seemed serious though.

"Valente, I think this will be better for us in the long run. If we can stay out of Sylvia's way for the time being, it would be easier for us to come together as she'll not have a chance to do anything to pull us apart," I said, letting go of how his rage returned at the mention of his aunt.

"And look how that turned out? She's training the Gamma's girl for Luna and gave you Wolfsbane when you didn't even need it!" he said.

My hand dropped from his face.

"What?" I asked him, confused.

"Osvald told me he had you under his control, physically. There was no way you could break his grip, a few more minutes and your human body would tire from the overpowering of your wolf. You didn't need the poison that Aunty gave you," he said, his body shaking slightly from anger.

I wasn't mad at Sylvia till now, regardless of all that she had done. But this information made me angrier by the second.

Still, I tried my best to stay calm for Valente's sake.

"So what will we do now?" I asked him.

He turned his whole body towards me, touching my forehead with his, bringing our noses together, our lips a few centimeters apart.

My eyes closed on their own accord, and all I could feel was him, hear his rapid breaths as we breathed the same air.

"Be with me Rayne," he said, his voice just a tiny whisper. "Don't torture me by asking me to stay away."

I felt his lips touch my skin near the corner of my mouth in an almost kiss.

His simple action was enough to make me shudder, to make my lips part for him, to make me crave more.

"We'll figure this out together Rayne. Just say you'll be with me," he whispered, his arms wrapping around me tight.

I couldn't breathe. He excited me, and calmed me at the same time.

I put my hands on his chest again, going higher till I gripped the back of his neck, my fingers caressing his skin as the words left my lips without any more hesitation.

"I'll be with you."