“Yes, I will give you the number,” Flora mutters.
“I’ll come with you,” Janice says. “The secretary knows and likes me, and won’t ask too many questions.”
I close my eyes again, hearing footsteps as my two friends rush out of the room. Flora stays with me, her hand on my forehead. My headache comes and goes; for a few minutes it allows me to breathe before hitting again. And every time, when I open my eyes, I see these images again, making Regis growl and howl, which makes the pain worse.
I drift in and out of consciousness, sometimes completely caught in my mind with Regis, and other times aware of my surroundings. Eventually, I hear footsteps again.
“You are back, Vince,” Flora says, sounding relieved.
“And with help,” Janice adds.
“It’s been over an hour now.” That’s Vincent. Whatever he did, he must have been successful.
“Obviously, it’s his gift,” another calm voice can be heard. “Probably, a really strong one. That’s why it knocks him out for so long.”
“You really think so, Calvin?” Vincent asks.
“Is it normal for that to happen?” Janice asks. “I thought a gift was just there at one point.”
“For most, it’s that simple,” Calvin explains. “But, Elden is an heir to a royal pack and throne, with all the blessings from the Goddess you can receive. One of a kind. A powerful alpha like him, definitely has a special gift as well. Probably a mental one, which is why it’s such a struggle.”
“We’ll get you out of here now,” Flora whispers towards me.
“Yes, buddy,” Vincent says. “I talked to Elder Samuel. He immediately sent Calvin and someone else to pick us up.”
I force my eyes open again, noticing once more that the images aren’t as vivid when I look at Vincent, Flora or even Calvin. Somewhere, in a far-away corner of my mind, I realize it’s probably due to my bond with them.
“You two, stay here,” I tell Vince and Flora.
“No way,” Flora argues.
Vincent frowns. “She is right, I-“
“Calvin and the warrior Samuel sent are enough to take me home,” I mutter. “You need to stay here. School isn’t over yet, and you can’t miss any more lessons.” I take a shaky breath, trying to make my voice sound strong and confident, although I’m still trembling in pain. “You both need to graduate.”
“I am going to be with him,” Calvin reassures them. “I know we don’t know each other well yet, and I’m not Prince Elden’s choice, but I am his beta too, and I take my job seriously. My loyalty lies with him and with no one else. Allow me to prove myself.”
“Man, if you put it like that,” Vincent mutters.
“Is this really what you want?” Flora whispers to me.
I nod, hoping she will trust me.
“Alright, then we’ll do it like Elden wants,” she says to my relief. “Calvin, I trust you to take care of him and bring him toElder Samuel safely. If something happens to him, I will come for your head!”
“Don’t worry, Luna,” Calvin says politely. “I will make sure we reach Silverlake safely.”
I feel relief settle around me, as my mind zooms out of what’s going on around me once more and pulls me into a downward spiral again. I don’t know what happened or how Calvin did it, but when I come to me the next time, I am in the safety of Silverlake’s infirmary, and Samuel is with me.
“How did I get home?” I groan, trying to blink my eyes open.
“Calvin and one of your warriors took you home. I don’t know how Calvin did it, but no one in school even spotted you or noticed what was going on. I thought I’d need to cover certain traces and make a few calls, but nothing.”
“His gift is camouflage,” I mutter. “If he can’t do such a simple task, then he would probably feel pretty embarrassed.”
I finally manage to open my eyes, looking at Samuel, only to feel my mind being flooded by images again. It gets even worse when I spot two nurses who just entered the room. “Fuck,” I curse. “Why doesn’t it stop!?”
Samuel carefully takes my arm and helps me to a sitting position. “This is your gift,” he says quietly. “It’s part of you. It just hit you with full force which makes this so awful. You were probably too stressed the last couple of days. But it’s here now, and we’ll need to work with it. Try to focus on one person, just on me, and allow it to happen. Don’t fight it.”