Draven:
I had never seen her like this.
My mate was sitting there, torn between disbelief and fear, as though she wasn’t sure if what just happened was real.
Her hands were trembling slightly, her breaths were uneven. She opened her mouth once, twice, like she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the right words. And that alone was enough to tear something inside me apart.
Through the mate bond, I felt her distress like it was my own. My wolf whined in my chest, restless, demanding me to close the distance, to pull her into my arms and never let her go. But before I could move, she was already speaking - her voice soft, shaken, yet determined.
"Watch," she whispered and her hand moved toward Rowan.
Her palm pressed against the only injury left on him - a deep cut on his right cheek. My wolf stilled, and my instincts became sharper as the bond flared alive inside me. In the next heartbeat, I sensed it - her power. It rushed through her, through the link of our bond, like the air before a storm. And then... before my eyes, the cut on Rowan’s cheek closed. The torn flesh knitted together seamlessly, leaving behind smooth skin, as though it had never been there at all.
I froze.
I didn’t even know what to feel, let alone say. My chest tightened, my wolf growled, but not out of anger... out of sheer shock. My mate... healed him.
Healed.
Oscar was silent beside me, but I knew, through the understanding we shared as brothers, that he was no less stunned. His silence carried the same disbelief, the same pause of breath.
Our mate... seemed to have healing power.
Eva pulled her hand away as though it had burned her. Her wide eyes lingered on Rowan’s healed face, and then she turned to us. She lifted her hand slowly, pointing at Rowan, her lips trembling.
"You see?" she said in her breaking voice. "Do you... do you understand what I have been trying to say?"
For a long moment, I couldn’t move. My mind was still caught in that image - her hand on Rowan, the sudden surge of power, the wound disappearing as if the Moon Goddess herself had touched him.
Finally, I exchanged a quick look with Oscar. He was just as stunned, but the seriousness in his eyes was clear. We couldn’t let her spiral into fear. Not now. Not when she needed us the most.
I rose from the bed without another second of hesitation. Crossing the space in two small strides, I reached her. She looked so small, so lost. I didn’t wait for her permission - I pulled her up onto her feet and wrapped my arms tightly around her, pressing her against my chest.
"Eva," I murmured into her hair, my voice rougher than I intended. "Listen to me. You are not alone. I’m here. Oscar is here. We’ll take care of everything, do you understand? You have us."
For a heartbeat, she resisted and her body went stiff. But then... finally... she let go. The tension bled out of her frame, and her trembling slowed as she melted into my hold.
My wolf sighed in relief, curling protectively around her presence in my chest. I tightened my embrace, promising silently that nothing in this world would harm her as long as I was breathing.
For the first time since stepping into her room, I felt her let go.
She pulled back a few moments later, though she didn’t leave my arms. She stayed there, close, as though she couldn’t bring herself to create distance. And I didn’t complain.
Oscar shifted on the bed, scooting closer until he was sitting near us. And as he looked at our mate, his eyes held gentleness that only belonged to her. He reached for her hand, his fingers curling around hers carefully, as though she might break. His voice came soft, warm - the kind of tone he used only for her.
"You do seem to have healing powers, Love," he said. "But to confirm it... we’ll need someone who knows healers, someone with experience. Still..." his thumb brushed her knuckles in reassurance, "this isn’t something to fear. I know it’s shocking, but it’s not bad. Healers are one of the most beautiful blessings the Moon Goddess has given our kind. This power... it’s rare. And powerful."
Eva’s brows furrowed, her eyes flicking from Oscar to me. Her lips parted, but the next words she spoke carried the weight of confusion, not relief.
"But... how?" she asked. "How could it even be possible? Healers are born with their mark. That’s how it’s always been, right?"
She lifted her left wrist to show us. Her skin was smooth, unmarked. "Every healer has a mark here," she said, her voice trembling with both fear and certainty. "A circle entwined with a crescent... it’s what determines their identity as a healer from the moment of birth. But me? I don’t have it. I never did."
Silence.
Neither Oscar nor I had an answer.
I lifted a hand, cupping her face gently, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Then we’ll find out what this means," I told her firmly. "We’ll figure it out. But right now, you need to trust me... and trust Oscar. Whatever this is, whatever it becomes, we’ll handle it together."
Her amber eyes flickered with uncertainty, then softened. She nodded slowly, her breath shaky. "I trust you," she whispered.
My wolf swelled with pride at her words. I pressed my forehead briefly against hers before pulling back.
But the moment of fragile calm didn’t last.
Because when I looked past her shoulder, Rowan was still there. He was sitting stiffly on the other bed, his expression unreadable but sharp. His gaze flicking between the three of us as if he was feeling like a third... no, a fourth wheel.
It was Oscar who broke the silence first. His voice held curiosity, but also a bite of challenge.
"Rowan," he said slowly, his eyes narrowing, "how exactly did you end up with such injuries in the first place?"
The air in the room shifted.
And for the first time since Eva’s powers revealed themselves, my attention snapped away from my mate... and onto her roommate.