Page 23

AYA

Icatch his scent, warm and all Ezra. A dull ache creeps in behind it and throbs everywhere. My muscles won’t cooperate when I try to move. Even twitching my fingers takes real effort. Coming to is slow going.

My wolf reaches for him, and I’m smiling before I’m fully awake. He covers my hand with his.

“Wake up, baby,” Ezra begs from somewhere above me. “Please wake up.”

I crack my eyes open this time. I have to blink a bunch against the bright light to get the room in focus. Ezra stands over the bed with his blue-green gaze glued to my face.

The blood and scratches from the fight with my father are gone. He’s in a fresh T-shirt and sweatpants with his short locs still damp from a shower. I smell most of my House of Zorah pack nearby and some of Ash Clan too, but they can all wait.

“Hi,” I croak.

Ezra leans in, brushing his lips over my forehead. My wolf hums and pushes toward him. I run my hand up his arm. His skin is smooth where my father’s claws ripped him open.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Ezra straightens up with a glare. “You were electrocuted and you’re worried about me?” He scoffs. “Humph.”

I scowl back at him. “I have to ask,” I insist. “And I expect an answer.”

He grumbles but gives in. “I’m fine, Aya.” He touches my cheek. “Now you… How are you feeling?”

I dodge the question and look around instead. Antiseptic burns my nose while the machines in the corner beep under the soft lights. I did my training rotations in this exact room at Wintermoon Medical, but I’ve never been the patient. I already hate being stuck in the bed.

Pain zaps through me as soon as I try to sit up. Ezra pushes me back down with a hand on my chest.

“No,” he says. “You need to rest.”

I frown, but he’s right. I’m too achy to fight him on it. I lie back while he rubs his thumb along my jaw.

“What was that?” I ask. The storm and a flash of blue lightning are the last things I remember.

Claude comes through the door muttering to herself. Her scent is hot with temper. “Reckless, absolutely reckless, I cannot believe⁠—”

“Mom, I’m sorry.” Ezra rubs a hand down his face. “You think I wanted to do this?”

Claude’s dragon flashes in her green eyes as she glares at him. “Do you have any idea what Stormscale electrocution can do to a wolf shifter’s nervous system? The voltage alone could have caused permanent damage to her shift reflex, disrupted the neural pathways between her human and wolf consciousness. She could have been trapped between forms, Ezra. Stuck in a partial shift for the rest of her life.”

Ezra flinches but doesn’t defend himself. I ball the sheet up in my fist to keep my mouth shut. It kills me to watch him take it.

Claude grabs my chart from the end of the bed and scans the page. “Thankfully, Aya has a strong wolf and can handle you.” She winks at me.

I duck my head while my wolf preens. Ezra moves out of his mother’s way. She checks my pulse and looks over the spot where the lightning struck. My skin stings under her fingers. She lays her hand against my neck.

“Your temp is normal,” she says with a nod. “Shifters usually fall into a fever state as their bodies heal. Your temp is regulated, and that’s good.”

“Can I sit up now?” I ask.

Claude steps back and waves for me to go ahead.

When I push myself up, Ezra rushes to help and guides me upright with his hands on my back and shoulder. His overbearing ass is getting on my nerves, but I don’t say anything. I can’t stand the guilt soaking his scent. It tastes bitter on my tongue. Give me cocky, panty-thief Ezra over this one any day.

I make room on the bed. He sits down next to me, and I lean into him.

I put my hand flat on his chest. “Calm down.”

His heartbeat thuds hard and fast against my fingers. “How can I calm down?” he whispers. “Look at what I did to you.”