Chapter 0170

"Name your price. I'll do whatever you ask."

"Open your eyes."

I hadn't realized they were shut. The moment she speaks, my eyelids fly open. The forest is gone. Instead, I'm lying on a plush bed in an unfamiliar room. An IV line snakes into my arm, dripping fluids into my veins. I yank it out without hesitation, bringing the tube to my nose. Saline. No trace of wolfsbane or poison.

My limbs feel weak as water, but I force myself to assess the situation. This isn't my cell at the vampire coven. The space feels... welcoming. Ridiculous. Bedrooms should be described as cozy or well-decorated, not safe. Especially not for me. I need to move before whoever put me here realizes I'm conscious.

The sheet slips as I try to rise, revealing bare skin. Fantastic. My body still bears evidence of that final night in the feeding chamber - wounds healing slower than usual, though not as badly as some older scars. Maybe Valeria's strength is returning enough to aid my recovery.

Footsteps echo in the hallway. I drop back against the pillows, dragging the covers up to my chin just as the door swings open.

The man who enters could rival a mountain in size. His broad frame reminds me painfully of my father. Sun-kissed blond hair, the kind that lightens in summer. Eyes like wild sage leaves - the exact shade my mother and I would hunt for in the woods.

Then his scent hits me.

Goddess above. It's the same earthy fragrance that pulled me from nightmares into that forest clearing. Pine and fresh rainfall and something indescribably familiar. I inhale deeply - and catch the unmistakable musk of alpha.

Our eyes lock as his dominance rolls over me. Fear surges like a tidal wave, but I've had years of practice drowning it. I shove the emotion down, locking it away. Whatever comes next, I'll survive it. I always do.

He freezes mid-step, studying me with unsettling intensity. "You're awake."

Not a question. I remain silent, waiting.

Slowly, cautiously, he approaches like I'm a skittish animal. "Sebastian. You collapsed on Nightshade territory over a week ago. My physician has been keeping you alive." His gaze flicks to the blood trickling from my torn IV site. I swear his jaw tightens.

"We were treating severe dehydration and malnutrition. Your blood levels were critically low - explains why that isn't clotting." He reaches for my arm.

I jerk back instinctively.

A low growl rumbles in his chest. "I don't drink blood, little wolf. Only reason I care about yours is because I didn't waste a week of my life healing you just to watch you bleed out." His palm remains outstretched. "Arm. Now."

Not a request. And I'm fresh out of options.