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He looks up when he sees me. We don’t exchange any words at first, just hug each other.

“A nightmare,” Nox mutters.

“It truly is,” I say quietly.

I squeeze his shoulders. “But I am happy for you, Nox, for finding your mate!”

“I didn’t expect it at all, but I’m so happy I met her.” He smiles first, then his eyes turn sad. “I just wish the circumstances would be better, and she wouldn’t have been hurt for so long.” His gaze saddens further. “She is so strong, though. So strong. And I will make sure to fight alongside her.”

Chapter fifty-three

Night Sky

*NOX*

Spending time with Aurelia and knowing I have her full support makes me relax a bit. Ever since I found Meg, and my lycan recognized her as our mate, I have been running on stress and anxiety alone. But she is here now. She is safe, and I am ready to tread carefully and patiently and walk with her on her way to recovery. I just hope she will want me to be there.

I’ve heard that Arden killed that bastard. I wish I could have been there too and gotten my revenge for what he did to my mate, for the years of abuse he put her through, and for stripping her of her freedom.

The doctor peeks into the room, pulling me out of my thoughts. I make sure to step outside with him, curious about what he has to say. I also want to give room to the nurseswho shuffle in now to gently wake up Meg and see if she needs something and to have her take a couple of steps. They are trying to help her blood pressure and circulatory problems improve, by not having her sleep all the time.

Meg had a couple of tests done today, already, and even had a first talk with a psychiatrist to evaluate the damage that was done. It’s all only preliminary, not to overstrain her too soon.

Once in the corridor, I notice that said psychiatrist is there too. “Thank you for coming,” I tell him. “What can you tell me?”

“Her wolf is slowly returning,” the doctor reassures me. “Her wolf spirit will heal her body completely. As for her mental wounds, it will take a lot of time. She lived in captivity for years, and Goddess knows what that monster did to her.”

“She is surprisingly aware,” the psychiatrist says. “I gently told her about what she was, and what that tug is that she feels to you. She has read a lot, apparently the only thing she was allowed to do, so many things didn’t surprise her. But Goddess, she needs continuous help. This is going to be a very long and difficult path for you and her, Noctis.”

“I’m ready to do everything she needs,” I tell him. “What do you suggest?”

“I would suggest for her to move away from here and get into an actual routine, soon,” he says. “She doesn’t have a place she calls home, or a family to rely on, even friends, but she needs all that. Silverlake Pack is a very progressive and advanced pack. If she could settle down there and get the continuous help she needs, plus get into a routine, it would help.”

“I’m sure my alpha would do everything in his power to help,” I say. “But I don’t want Meg to feel like I’m deciding everything above her head.”

“You absolutely should involve her,” the psychiatrist says. “She needs to know that she has a voice, and that she can makedecisions. Building her trust in others will take a long while. You need to be patient with her.”

“I will,” I promise. He gives me some more advice and once the nurses leave the room again, I knock and carefully enter.

Meg is sitting in the bed, not asleep anymore. She is wearing fresh clothes and gazes at a picture in her hands. It’s one I brought for her on her wish: a picture of her before she was abducted.

She looks at it intently. “I am Meg, Meg Rose Acorn,” she says over and over again. “It was supposed to be Mégane, I think, but my mother liked Meg more.”

“You remember?” I ask carefully, hopeful that she might remember something before her abduction.

“The old man in the orphanage,” she mutters. “He told me once.” She is silent for a long while. “What’s your name?” she asks finally.

“Nox,” I say. “Short for Noctis.” I lower my gaze, my heart aching. “I know… it’s similar to—”

“She says it’s different,” Meg says. “She says it’s just a name and that you are not the same.”

“Who is she?” I ask softly.

“The voice in my head.” She pulls the blanket tighter over her body. “The doctor says it’s my wolf.” She gazes at me. “Is it really over?” she whispers.

“It is. He is dead and will never return.”

“He is really dead?”