~ NYSSA

I looked between Aria and Rowan with furrowed brows.

I didn’t hear their conversation, but it was clearly not a good one considering the way they walked away from each other.

"Do I want to know what happened?" I asked as Rowan made his way over to me and he shook her head. "That was a rhetorical question."

"Just drop it, Nyssa, honestly." There was an edge to his voice, one that I’d never heard in relation with me before.

I pursed my lips tightly and nodded. "Yeah, of course, I’m sorry for overstepping." I smoothed my hands down my shirt. "Maybe we should just head back?"

He shook his head. "You go. I already asked Eric to come take you. I have a few things I need to do."

I cocked my head to the side. His behavior was very unusual but the more I wan ted to ask, the less the words wanted to come. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and walked away, leaving me standing in the middle of the waiting area.

I had nothing better to do so I sat in the lobby until Eric arrived a few minutes later, twirling my keys in his hands. "You ready?" he asked.

I didn’t speak, merely gestured for him to take a seat next to me. He hesitated for a brief moment before lowering himself beside me, his brows furrowed in confusion and worry.

"Did something happen?" he asked carefully.

"There’s someone down those halls... someone I used to know," I began slowly. "The thing is... I don’t know if I want to see her or not. It’s been... months since I’ve laid eyes on her."

He hummed, leaning back into his chair. "How did she get here?"

I explained the whole situation to him about her arriving at the border hurt. By the time I was done, he whistled low under his breath.

"I mean, you could find out how she got here in the first place. She’s a long way from home," he began slowly. "Or you could just toss her out on her ass once she’s healed."

I rolled my eyes, letting the sarcasm drip from my response. "Thank you so much for the help. I had no idea what my options were."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "You know I can’t tell you what to do, especially not in situations like—"

"Luna!" a doctor’s voice cut Eric off.

I was on my feet in an instant, trying to ignore the way my heart hammered wildly in my chest. "Yes?"

"I was told you were the point of contact for the... Jane Doe." I swallowed thickly with a nod. "She is awake now. She seems to be a bit... violent. We were going to sedate her but we thought you might want to see her first."

I brushed my sweaty palms against my skin as I managed a small nod. I was unsure of how I’d react to seeing her after so long, but perhaps that was exactly what I needed to make the right choice.

"Will you come with me?" I asked Eric who nodded immediately and leaped to his feet.

"Always."

We made our way through the halls. Each step made my thighs quiver but I forced my spine straight and my chin up. I was no longer the scared Beta, I was the King’s mate and Luna of this pack. She was on my territory and I’d be damned if I let her make me feel like shit in my own home.

I heard her screams before we even reached her room.

"Get the fuck off me, you bastard!" she hissed. "Where the fuck am I?" There was a small whisper, presumably from one of the nurses followed by a loud crash. "Do you know who the fuck I am?"

The doctor gave me a sheepish look but I waved him off. I was all too familiar with her tantrums. There was little the nurses would be able to do save for actually sedating her.

The door to the room opened and something went flying past my face. It missed me by barely an inch and went crashing into the wall behind me.

The entire room went still in a split second. All the nurses stared at me with wide eyes as if gauging my reaction. The only movement originated from the cursing female in bed.

Her dark hair was a bit longer than I remembered it. It flowed all the way to her waist and was cut in layers that made her even more beautiful. The bruises on her face were a pale pink color and they seemed to have cleaned her up nicely.

She must have realized no one was paying any attention to her anymore because she followed their line of sight and her eyes landed on me.

Different emotions flashed through her eyes at once: anger, hurt and shock.

"This is a surprise," she drawled, hands crossed over her chest. "What the fuck are you doing here? Is this your doing? Are you the one who told them to treat me like I’m insane?"

"No one told anyone to do anything to you, Alisa, but when you start attacking nurses, they are bound to react."

She bared her teeth. "Fuck off. I don’t want you in my room. Someone—"

Perhaps it was years of pent up rage or just my overall frustration from the events of today, but something about her screams fucking irritated me and I realized that I was done dealing with her bullshit.

"You are in my pack," I cut her off firmly. "You will not come in here and speak to me however you wish. You can either shut the fuck up or leave! Your choice."

She fell silent. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly but she never said a word. She just quietly settled back into the bed.

"Good," I clasped my hands together. "You can start by telling me what the fuck you’re doing here."