"I won’t do anything stupid, I promise," I said, squeezing his hand gently.

And even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t be before Damon woke up. There was no point endangering myself when Damon wasn’t even healed enough to look at it. It wouldn’t trigger anything.

Blaise’s grip on my hand tightened as he pulled me close. He sat on the chair while I stood right in front of him, allowing him to rest his forehead against the flat of my stomach. He sighed as I ran my fingers through his hair, gently raking my nails against his scalp. A soft, contented grumble left his lips, but otherwise, Blaise kept still.

"You should get some rest," I said, unable to help but smile a little despite everything else when he shook his head petulantly like a child refusing to go to bed even though he was visibly exhausted. Then, I jolted as I remembered something. "Right, we need to get Nicole to have a look at you. You took in wolfsbane as well with the food―"

"Harper, I am fine," Blaise said. He looked up, his fingers gently massaging the back of my hand.

"Just a quick check," I muttered. "I need to know that everything is fine, at least. It’s just to be safe."

Blaise pouted, but eventually, he reluctantly nodded as well. I smiled, prepared to leave the room.

"Great. I’ll go get Nicole―"

"I’ll look for her," Blaise said. He stopped me, pulling me back to Damon’s bedside before standing up to his full height. "You should stay here with him." He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he looked at his unconscious brother. "He would want that. Maybe he might even respond if you talk to him."

I chuckled, shaking my head, but both of us knew that the only thing funny about what Blaise said was how hopeful it was. He returned my smile before turning to leave, gently shutting the door behind him. With Blaise gone, the room was plunged into silence.

Now that the seat was empty, I dragged the chair closer to the bed, sitting down right beside where Damon lay. He seemed peacefully asleep, his chest rising and falling as the machines around him beeped steadily.

Even though he didn’t seem to be in pain, just watching him stuck this way brought tears to my eyes. My nose soured, the pain of seeing a loved one stuck in bed like that causing my heart to wring and twist.

How I wish I had been the one shot instead. Perhaps it would’ve been a mercy that I didn’t have to see him hurt; at least, I was sure that was what Blaise thought as well.

The smell of antiseptic was strong. Everything about the room seemed brighter and more vibrant despite the dreary state things were in. Even with just a short glance around, I noticed things that I hadn’t before. The silence had never been quite this loud.

I reached for Damon’s hand, carefully holding it in my own. In the time that had passed, Damon’s hand had turned even colder. It was icy to touch, and I tried to rub my fingers over his in an attempt to warm him up, but to no avail. Every once in a while, Damon would take a much larger breath as though he was struggling, but before I could call for help, he returned to normal.

"Damon..." I murmured, his name falling off my lips in a hushed whisper. "Why can’t I feel you?"

It was odd. Even when I was a ’human’, I could still feel my mates and their emotions running through me as though it was an extension of my own. But now, even though Damon was right here in front of me, even though I held his hand in mine, I couldn’t feel him.

With the loss of his wolf, it felt like something in us snapped. Was this what my mother had wanted? To fully sever the bond between us mates?

’Would you still love them the same for the horrible, cruel, vile people that they are?’

’How much of this connection you have with him is real?’

’You will know for sure that if they stay, it’s for who you are as a person and not because you have been cursed to live the life of a beast.’

A strangled sob escaped my throat as I buried my face into the mattress, crying into the sheets. My mother was right― the bond between us was why I kept returning to Damon. There was an invisible string that tied me to him, and without a proper rejection, it was never cut. I couldn’t help but want to stay, and with an increased interaction, I had come to see him for more than the man he showed himself to be at the start.

I didn’t need the connection nor the bond between two werewolves to know that I loved him. My feelings for Damon weren’t from that of the bond any longer― it may be raw and primal, but it was wholly human.

"I’m not dead, you know."

A hand rested on my head, causing my blood to run still. It stayed there without moving, and likewise, I didn’t dare to even breathe in fear that if I did, I would realize that I had imagined it all.

But I couldn’t have.

That croaky voice, laden heavily with sleep, paired with his sleazily endearing words could only belong to the man in bed. The door hadn’t opened, and there was no one else in the room with us.

I shakily looked up, tears welling in my eyes when I realized that Damon’s eyes were cracked open. He stared directly at me, filled with exhaustion, but also gentle and kind for a change, a look nearly solely exclusive to me.

My breath was caught in my throat, and I nearly choked on my tears as I loudly sniffed.

"Damon?" I asked hesitantly.

"Come on," he said. "I don’t resemble Blaise that much."

Right then, the infirmary door burst open.