The sickened luna’s last chance

Ella & Liam

Ella

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ས དཱི, 60%°

15

The constant beeping of the monitors, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, and the steady stream of nurses entering and leaving my room made the days of the following week blend together into one big blur.

I tried to keep busy as best I could; I read through two of the books Alexander had brought, did crossword puzzles, and watched countless movies. But if it weren’t for my visitors, I might have lost my mind completely.

Lilith was always there first, arriving each morning with fresh clothes and homemade food, refusing to let me eat the hospital food. She would brush my hair, help me wash up, and make sure I was comfortable. Sometimes she would just sit beside me, reading quietly or working on her knitting while I dozed or did my own thing. I was glad for her company.

And then there was Liam. He visited nearly as often as Lilith, usually in the afternoons when he wasn’t busy with the Alpha Council. He would bring news, tell me stories to make me laugh, and sometimes just sit with me watching terrible daytime TV.

It was nice, having people who cared whether I lived or died.

But the biggest surprise was Alexander. True to his word, he came back the next day after our first chess game. And the day after that. And the day after that.

Every evening around seven, he would arrive. No matter how busy his day had been, no matter what Alpha duties required his attention, he’d sit in the chair beside my bed and set up the board.

“Knight to F3,” I said on the fourth night, moving my piece without hesitation and taking his bishop.

Alexander nodded approvingly. “Good move.”

I’d been getting better under his guidance. Not good enough to beat him–I doubted that would ever happen–but good enough to make the games last longer and occasionally surprise him with a clever move.

“You’ve been practicing,” he said a few minutes later as l/captured one of his pawns.

I shrugged. “Lilith’s been playing with me during the day. She’s not as good as you, though.”

Alexander’s lips quirked up at the corners. “Few are.”

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance, but I couldn’t help but smile, too. As much as I hated to admit it, these evening chess games had become the highlight of my days in the hospital. For a few hours, it felt like everything else fell away.

husband to bolster his image if he was, he was a damn good actor When we played together, he seemed awfully engaged for someone who didn’t really want to be there, sometimes even laughing at my terrible jokes or teasing me about my

that was for the best, it was easier to just pretend it didn’t happen and

hell to think

he said, moving his

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Chapter 52

Aug

ས ཊཱི 60%•

tried to figure a way out. “Hmm, what if I…” I moved my king to safety, only to realize too

15

instantly putting me in check mate. “You’re getting better, but you still need

every day since he brought it, partially because it was genuinely comfortable and

I wasn’t going to think about it. Just like the alley,

beat you one of

look forward

it was short–lived. Alexander left after that and our little bubble of normalcy popped,

discharged soon, maybe even the next day if my tests continued to improve. I hadn’t seen

Liam arrived, which

look at his face told

it?” I asked, sitting up straighter in

closed the door behind him. “There’s been an incident at the

in my

took over a property on the border. It turned violent when Ashclaw warriors went to kick them out.

sounded, but I couldn’t help it. A small presence in the back of my mind seemed to roil at the

“I don’t know. I haven’t

ago

“This morning”

felt too small, and my heart began to flutter nervously in my chest Every instinct in my body began to hum, as if my very fibers were pulling me to

was in danger. Fighting. Maybe hurt

threw back the rovers and swung my legs over the side of

you

go,” I said. “I need to find out what’s

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