She sat there in silence for a moment, just holding her mother’s hand.

"I don’t know what’s happening to me, Mom," Lilith whispered. "I don’t know if I’m losing my mind or if something is actually connecting us across the distance. I don’t know if this is just my body’s response to trauma or if it’s something else entirely. I don’t know if they’re doing this somehow....reaching into my dreams, invading my sleep, marking me in ways that leave physical evidence."

The thought made her skin prickle.

What if the dreams weren’t just dreams? What if they were actually reaching her somehow? What if the mate bond....if that’s what it was, was so strong that it could transcend distance and consciousness?

"I’m so tired, Mom," Lilith whispered. "I’m so tired of fighting this. I’m so tired of closing my eyes and seeing them. I’m so tired of waking up gasping and aroused and confused. I’m so tired of my body betraying me like this. I’m so tired of feeling like I’m losing control."

She lay her forehead against their joined hands.

"And the worst part is," she continued, her voice breaking slightly, "I don’t think I want to stop it anymore. I don’t think I want the dreams to end. And that scares me more than anything else."

The machines beeped around her. Her mother remained unconscious. The hospital sounds continued outside the room, distant voices, the hum of equipment, the ordinary noise of people dealing with medical crisis.

And Lilith sat there in the early morning light, holding her mother’s hand, and tried to make sense of what was happening to her body.

The dreams were getting more intense. More vivid. More real. Soon she wouldn’t be able to distinguish between what was real and what was happening only in her sleep. Soon the brothers would consume her completely, even from a distance.

She could feel it coming.

And despite everything, despite her anger, despite her confusion, despite her desperate attempt to deny it, part of her was waiting for it. that traitorous part of her.

***

Lilith was still holding her mother’s hand when Dr. Reeves entered Room 304.

The doctor carried her usual medical bag and clipboard, her expression professionally neutral. She moved through her routine....checking the machines, reading the monitors, making notes. It was a process Lilith had witnessed a hundred times over the past three months.

But today, something felt different.

Dr. Reeves finished her examination and turned to Lilith directly.

"I wanted to update you on your mother’s condition," she said, pulling up a chair.

Lilith’s heart rate spiked. Updates were rarely good news.

"The neurological scans we did last week showed minimal improvement," Dr. Reeves continued, her voice careful and clinical. "Not deterioration, which is positive. But also no significant movement toward consciousness."

Lilith nodded slowly, processing the words.

"What does that mean?" she asked. "In terms of timeline? How long before...." She couldn’t finish the sentence.

"Before we have to make decisions about her care?" Dr. Reeves supplied gently. "That depends on several factors. Her medical stability, the pack’s resources, your financial situation."

There it was. The financial situation.

"How much longer can the pack cover her care?" Lilith asked quietly. She already knew the answer, but she needed to hear it confirmed.

Dr. Reeves set down her clipboard. "The pack’s commitment was to cover her expenses during your contract with the Blackwoods. Now that the contract is fulfilled, the responsibility technically reverts to you."

"I can’t afford..."

"I know you can’t," Dr. Reeves said, and there was something almost kind in her voice. Almost sympathetic. "Which is why I’m telling you this now. You have approximately four to six weeks before the pack council will make a formal decision about her continued care. If you can demonstrate a plan to cover her medical expenses, they may extend the timeline. If you can’t..."

"County care," Lilith finished.

"County care," Dr. Reeves confirmed. "I’m sorry, Lilith. I wish I had better news."

Four to six weeks.

She’d known it was coming, had done the math a hundred times. But hearing it stated so plainly made it feel suddenly, terrifyingly real. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Is there any chance she’ll wake up?" Lilith asked.

"There’s always a chance," Dr. Reeves said carefully. "The brain is remarkable. But statistically, the longer someone remains comatose, the less likely spontaneous awakening becomes."

Translation: her mother was probably never going to wake up.

"Thank you for telling me," Lilith said, because she didn’t know what else to say.

Dr. Reeves stood and packed her medical bag. "If you need anything....resources, information, just someone to talk to, my office is always open."

She left.

Lilith sat in the quiet that followed.

Four to six weeks to figure out how to save her mother’s life. Four to six weeks to pull three thousand dollars a month out of thin air. Four to six weeks before her mother would be transferred to county care to die slowly and alone.

She gripped her mother’s hand tighter.

"I don’t know what to do, Mom," she whispered. "I don’t know how to fix this. I’ve tried everything. I’ve done the math a thousand times. There’s no solution. There’s no way to earn enough money to cover your care. The pack has me trapped in a system designed to keep me desperate and dependent."

Her mother’s hand remained still.

"And I’m so tired," Lilith continued, her voice breaking. "I’m so tired of fighting. I’m so tired of trying to figure out impossible equations. I’m so tired of my body betraying me every time I close my eyes. I’m so tired of everything."

She sat there for a long moment, just holding her mother’s hand and trying not to cry.

Finally, she stood up. She leaned down and kissed her mother’s forehead.

"I’ll figure it out," she said. "I don’t know how yet, but I will. I promise, Mom. I’ll figure it out."

She gathered her things and left the hospital.