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He hadn’t realized that Ryx knew his name. But of course he must have. Patryn said it a handful of times. “Yes?” he asked, clutching his blanket to his chest.

Ryx said his name. His heart gave a pitiful thump.

The bandage on his neck hadn’t been changed. That was Saren’s job, too. Guilt speared through him. Had he truly been that negligent? “It hurts,” Ryx whispered, hunching his shoulders. “Bad.” He stayed in the doorway, as if stepping a single foot into the darkness would hurt him.

Saren leaped out of bed. He flicked on the overhead light, revealing a sheen of sweat covering the boy’s body.

A fever. Infection. Surgery.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted, hands flailing uselessly. “I’m so sorry. You’re sick. Um. I need to check.”

Ryx blew out a relieved breath and turned. He gathered up all that long hair, a subtle shiver rippling through his thin muscles. That familiar electricity bounced between them, always present whenever they were close like this, but for once it didn’t deter Saren.

Careful not to let his mastery out, Saren pulled back the bandage, the adhesive almost completely gone now, and stifled a gasp at the angry incision. Raised and full of yellowish-green pus, the wound had definitely developed an infection. Hair was filthy, and besides that first night, Saren didn’t know if Ryx bathed.

“Cold. So cold,” Ryx nearly whined. His scent was weaker too. Saren nearly whimpered from its loss.

This was so much worse than he thought.

“I’ll take care of this. Come lay down.” Saren raced to his wardrobe and retrieved a necktie. He used it to bundle Ryx’s locks into a knot so his incision could air out. While Ryx slumped onto the bed, he hurried to the restroom, gathering the antiseptic liquid, clean bandages, and some fever reducer.

His hands shook as he worked, more guilt building inside him whenever Ryx sucked in a pained breath. This was his fault. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ryx never forgave him. Saren promised to take care of him. Friends didn’t break their promises. Friends didn’t let silly arguments get in the way. By the first seer, what was wrong with him? If he lost Ryx after only just finding him…

“What’s this?” Patryn’s voice filled the space, no doubt having wondered why Saren hadn’t come down to set the dinner table.

He looked to his guardian with watery, pleading eyes. The older alpha sighed impatiently and ushered Saren away. “Seems I have two children now,” he grumbled, reapplying the liquid and measuring out the appropriate dose of fever reducer. “One was hard enough. And now I have two.” Only briefly able to scent his guardian’s scent, Saren felt a pinch of jealousy as the pheromones seemed to relax Ryx, if only slightly.

That was his job.

“I’m sorry,” Saren cried, sniffling loudly and wanting nothing more than to suck his thumb.

“Go fetch some water for him.”

Hanging his head, Saren aggressively swiped away his tears. “Yes, sir.”

***

They ate in silence, Patryn and Saren. Ryx fell asleep shortly after the medicine started working. Pushing around the vegetables on his plate, he couldn’t help but wonder if Ryx was alright. If he would recover. If he’d lost his only friend. A poor friend, but a friend nonetheless. His heart ached over it. The monster in his belly seemed agitated too, creating endless bouts of nausea that he had to struggle to breathe through. Patryn observed his demeanor with acute interest.

“These fits of yours should have passed. The crying and…woe.”

Saren didn’t know what to say without inviting punishment. He’d tried to control his emotions as best he could—even going so far as to consume them. But nothing he did ever truly worked. He always felt. “They will, sir.”

“Removing your womb was necessary, Saren. And these…episodes you have are all psychological. You have no reason to be in any physical pain. The surgery was successful. The womb is gone.” Patryn glanced at him, his guardian’s eyes like two hot coals on his cheek. “You are nearly fourteen. It’s time to grow up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Patryn shoved his plate away. “The boy has a name?” he asked hotly. Saren couldn’t help but feel like his hostile demeanor was his fault too.

“Ryx, sir. His name is Ryx.”

Drumming his fingers over the tabletop, Patryn stared off. “We must study him. To my knowledge, he’s the first Other to slip past Horris’ radar.”

Saren’s head snapped up, eyes landing on Patryn. His guardian seemed lost in thought. “Study him? What for?”

Blinking, Patryn shook his head. “For now, he must recover. You are relieved of your responsibilities. I can’t have your attention split like this. Not now. Not when you’re so close.”

His heart sank into the depths of his bowels. Chin wobbling, Saren started, “But—”