Nova blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the soft lamplight.

  She didn't recognize the ceiling. The realization hit hard.

  She lurched upright, ribs screaming in protest, and collapsed back down just as fast. Energy gone. Her skin felt raw and a chill rolled through her.

  A voice came from her left, warm but very much done with nonsense. "Easy. You're safe. Or safer than you were, which is a low bar, but still."

  She turned her head to see a middle-aged man sitting beside the bed. She didn't recognize him.

  "I'm Elias," he said, closing the book with the weary precision of someone who hated being interrupted but accepted misery as part of his profession.

  "Doctor Elias Quell. Congratulations, you're not dead."

  "You're not... Ashbane." Nova's voice was hoarse and scraped her throat.

  Elias snorted, not bothering to hide his contempt.

  "Thank the gods. If I worked for Ashbane, I'd have thrown myself off a tower years ago. Now lie still. You've managed to injure every part of yourself except, miraculously, your sense of panic."

  He saw her tense and sighed. "Relax. If we wanted to kill you, we wouldn't have bothered fixing you first. Efficiency matters."

  She hadn't expected the bluntness. It was almost comforting.

  "Where am I?"

  "Shadowclaw. Our Alpha found you unconscious," he answered. "You were chained in silver. If you'd stayed in that tower another day, we'd be having this conversation in the spirit realm."

  He stood, moving to a kettle, and poured something into a wooden cup.

  "Drink," he said, handing her the cup.

  Nova eyed it with open suspicion, then met his stare.

  "Shadowclaw doesn't know who I am. You don't know what I've done. What I left behind."

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Elias snorted. "Everyone in this castle is dangerous. Including me. Especially me."

  He gave her a flat look, unimpressed. "And right now, you're about as threatening as a half-drowned kitten. Drink before you pass out again."

  Nova smiled and a laugh slipped out.

  Elias raised a brow. "Good. Humor. That means the fever's dropping. Or you're delirious. We'll find out shortly."

  The cup's heat bled into her palms, grounding her. She took a cautious sip of the green liquid. It was bitter, but soothed her throat immediately.

  She lifted the cup again, inhaling the warm steam, and settled back against the pillows. When she looked back up, Elias was still watching her, steady and attentive, as if making sure she didn't slip away.

  "Better you sleep again before your body decides to collapse without consulting you. Saves me paperwork."

  Nova nodded, the motion slow, her hair brushing the pillow. She tried to fight the heaviness tugging at her eyes, but warmth and exhaustion slipped through her defenses like a tide.

  Her fingers loosened around the cup. Her breathing slowed.

  Elias reached over and gently took it from her hand, muttering under his breath, "Yes, sleep. It's the only thing you're doing competently right now."

  The next time she woke, it was dusk. Then morning. Then evening again. Her consciousness rose and fell like tides she could not command.

  She dreamed of strange voices. Of a black wolf who watched her with eyes she somehow trusted. Of a golden dragon who already knew her name. Of a waterfall spilling into a sapphire lake, calling to her as though it remembered her.

  By the fourth waking, she pushed herself upright. Her limbs trembled, but they obeyed. She stood on unsteady feet, breath shallow, but her own.

  Elias was already there. He didn't look up right away, just reached for her wrist with clinical efficiency and checked her pulse.

  "You're stronger," he said. "Still not fully healed. The silver poison lingers. It's inconvenient, but not terminal."

  Nova nodded, unsure whether the reassurance was comforting or terrifying. "I'll need you to check in every morning. You'll drink an herbal infusion daily until your wolf stabilizes. Do not skip it unless you enjoy fevers and hallucinations."

  Nova swallowed. "Yes, sir."

  Elias finally met her eyes. "Good. Compliance. Refreshing."

  She almost smiled. Almost. "Where am I going?" she asked quietly.

  Clean clothes were folded into a neat bundle on a stool beside the bed. Elias nodded toward them. "You've been assigned omega housing."

  The breath rushed out of her. No tower. No chains. No darkness waiting with teeth bared.

  Thank the gods.

  A knock sounded at the door. Nova froze, instinctively clutching the clothes to her chest. The door opened, and a middle-aged woman stepped inside.

  Elias nodded toward her. "This is Mary Caldus, Chief Steward and Head of Omegas of Shadowclaw Castle. She will take you."

  Before she followed Mary, Nova turned back to Elias. Her voice was frayed at the edges, but steady.

  "My gratitude to you, Elias. I had accepted my fate. Yet you tended to me when I could offer nothing in return. I... I owe you more than words."

  Elias paused, as if committing her sincerity to a private ledger he would never admit to keeping.

  He inclined his head and one side of his mouth lifted.

  "That's unnecessary," he said quietly. "But noted."

  Nova bowed her head once, gathered her courage, and turned to follow Mary Caldus into the stone halls.