Delphine
I woke up to the sound of the beeping machines and the subtle smell of antiseptic. I pushed my heavy eyelids open and winced against the harsh white light.
The ceiling above seemed odd, plain and sterile, unlike the crumbling plaster of the infirmary I was used to.
I tried to move, but a numbing anguish swept over my body. My arms felt heavy with wires securing me and an IV drip creeping into my veins.
Panic clawed at my chest for a moment, but then fragments of the previous day came rushing back, stumbling into the pack’s border, the cruel interrogation, Kyle’s merciless hands, the agony.
I shivered, instinctively pulling the thin blanket up to my chest, but my mind was filled with the final, unexpected memory, him, the stranger with an aura so powerful it nearly pulled me under.
He saved me. The man with the piercing gaze, who commanded the room with a single breath, had spared my life.
My heart raced at the memory of him. The way his deep voice had cut through the chaos.
The way his piercing eyes had locked on mine, steady and sure.
As much as I hated to say it, I was disappointed that I couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
I turned to the doorway when I heard the quiet voice, a woman wearing a white lab coat came in.
Her warm smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and I could detect the slight tension in her posture.
“How are you feeling, Miss Delphine?” she inquired, checking the monitor beside my bed.
“Like I was hit by a truck,” I muttered, my voice raspy. “What happened? Where am I?”
“You’re in the royal infirmary,” she replied, jotting something down on a clipboard. “You had quite the ordeal yesterday. It’s a miracle you survived.”
Royal infirmary? The words lingered in my mind. That couldn’t be right.
“I don’t… I don’t remember much after…” My words faltered as a flash of amber eyes filled my memory.
The stranger. He’d saved me. But who was he? And why had he bothered?
The doctor gave me a sympathetic look, her movements brisk as she adjusted my IV. “Rest for now. Your injuries were severe, but the healers are confident you’ll recover quickly. You’re lucky someone found you when they did.”
Before I could press her further, she left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Hours passed, or maybe it was days. Time blurred in the sterile room, broken only by the occasional visit from a nurse or a healer.
They avoided making eye contact and worked in quiet, as though my presence were a riddle they couldn't figure out.
It wasn’t until the second day that I heard something that made me shiver.
“She doesn’t even look like one of us,” a nurse whispered to another, her voice low but clear through the slightly opened door. “Why would he save her?”
“He hates rogues,” the other agreed, her tone laced with suspicion. “Maybe she’s not just a rogue. What if she’s… different?”
The first nurse snorted. “Different how? She doesn’t smell like royalty. And look at her…she’s nothing special.”
I clenched my fists beneath the thin blanket, my pulse quickening. They were talking about me.
“And the King?” the second nurse added, her voice quieter now, almost reverent. “He’s been acting strange since he brought her in. Don’t you think?”
The King. My chest tightened as realization dawned. My savior, the stranger with the golden eyes, was their King.
The conversation ended abruptly as the door creaked open. Their faces were blank masks of professionalism, but I saw the brief glance that the two nurses shared as they came towards my bed.
“How are you feeling today?” One of them asked, her voice overly bright.
“Fine,” I replied flatly. “Though it’s hard to tell when no one bothers explaining anything to me.”
The nurse blinked, clearly caught off guard by my directness. She glanced at her colleague, who busied herself with adjusting the machines.
“You need to rest,” she said, avoiding my gaze.
“I’ve done nothing but rest,” I shot back. “What I need are answers. Who brought me here? Why am I hooked up to machines like some kind of experiment?”
Neither of them responded.
“Was it him?” I pressed, my voice softer now. “The King?”
At that, the second nurse stiffened. Her hand faltered over the controls, and she quickly excused herself, muttering something about checking on another patient.
The remaining nurse hesitated, then sighed. “Look,” she said, lowering her voice, “It’s not my place to say anything. But yes, the King brought you here. He insisted on it, actually. And people are… curious, that’s all.”
“Curious about what?”
“About why he saved you,” she admitted. “He doesn’t normally involve himself with rogues. Let alone risk his life for one.”
Her words stung, though I wasn’t sure why. I’d been a rogue for years, used to the disdain and suspicion that came with it. But hearing it now, tied to him, felt different.
“Maybe he had a reason,” I said, more to myself than to her.
The nurse simply shrugged and looked at me hesitantly before leaving.
As the days passed, even without him, I couldn't get rid of the weird connection I had with him. It seemed as though an unseen but unbreakable thread held us all together.
I could feel my normally calm and restrained wolf pacing restlessly inside my head. Where is he? she growled more than once, her frustration mirroring my own.
I told myself I didn’t care. He was a King, and I was nothing. It doesn't matter if he saved me out of obligation, kindness, or remorse. I didn't owe him my trust, but I owed him my life.
Nevertheless, I couldn't help but observe the employees' expressions, their eyes brimming with questions they dared not ask. And when I pretended to sleep, their whispered conversations told me more than they realized.
“I heard he hasn’t left his quarters since the incident,” one nurse murmured.
“Do you think he regrets it?”
“Regret saving her? Or regret whatever connection she has to him?”
My heart sank at their words. Connection. That was the part I couldn’t understand. Why had he saved me?
Why did I feel like his presence had left a mark on me, something deeper than gratitude?
On the fifth day, a healer came to see me, her touch gentle as she worked to mend the lingering aches in my ribs and leg. She was older, with kind eyes that seemed to see straight through me.
“You’re healing well,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “The King made sure of it.”
I bit my lip, wondering if I should ask the question that had been bothering me. Finally, I gave in. “Why?”
The healer paused, her hands hovering over my arm. “Why what, child?”
“Why did he save me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She studied me for a long time before answering. "He alone is capable of answering that question."
Long after she had left the room, her comments continued to haunt me, every phrase eerie.
What was it I had gotten into? My fingers tightened on the blanket's edge as I struggled to control the uneasiness that was rising within of me.
What was it I had gotten into? My fingers tightened on the blanket's edge as I struggled to control the uneasiness that was rising within of me. He fixed his eyes on me, expression impassive.
“Miss Delphine, you are to remain here under strict supervision until further notice. The king has ordered it.”
I raised an eyebrow, managing to mask the surprise I felt. “Does he make a habit of locking up his patients?”
The guard’s jaw tightened, but he kept his tone even. “The king’s orders are final.”
Then he pivoted on his heel and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Once more, the unsettling feeling of being imprisoned crept into my bones. I was here at the king’s mercy, subject to his whims, whatever they might be.
If he expected something from me, I didn’t know what it was but I would keep my guard up until I found out.
After all, I’d already survived Cassian. Whatever the King wanted, I was prepared to face it, if I survived long enough to understand it.