Chapter 56: MY WOLF IS WAKING

Olivia’s POV

​I hadn’t felt completely well since the night I slept with Lucian.

​At first, I ignored it. The morning after, I blamed the weakness on everything that had happened between us and the fact that I had barely slept. But two days had passed since Lucian left, and instead of getting better, I was getting worse.

​My body felt strangely heavy. I was constantly tired, no matter how much I slept, and there was an uncomfortable warmth beneath my skin that came and went without warning. Sometimes my chest would ache for a few seconds before returning to normal. Other times, I would suddenly become dizzy and have to sit down. Still, I told myself it was nothing. Maybe I was exhausted. Maybe I was coming down with something. Maybe my body was simply punishing me for making terrible decisions.

​Honestly, that last one seemed possible.

​But on the second morning after Lucian left, I woke up feeling completely awful. My entire body was burning, yet my skin felt cold to the touch. A sharp, throbbing ache spread through my chest, deep beneath my ribs, unlike any normal sickness I had ever felt. It almost felt like something was moving inside me. Something that had been asleep for a very long time and was suddenly trying to break free.

​When I tried to get out of bed, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me so hard that I had to grab the bedside table. "What the hell?" I sat back down immediately, pressing a hand against my chest as I took several slow, ragged breaths.

​And then I heard it.

​Olivia.

​My entire body froze, and my eyes snapped toward the door. Nothing. The room was completely empty. I remained still, listening carefully.

​"Hello?" I whispered.

​No answer.

​I frowned, wondering if the fever was making me imagine things, then slowly lowered myself back onto the bed and pulled the blanket closer around me.

​Olivia.

​My breath stopped.

​It was a whisper, faint, distant, and weak, like a voice echoing from the bottom of a deep well, but it was undeniably there. This time, I knew exactly where the voice had come from. Not the hallway. Not the room.

​Inside me.

​My heart began pounding. "No," I whispered, my voice trembling. It couldn’t be.

​For four years, I had lived with complete silence inside my head. Four years of calling for my wolf and receiving nothing. Ever since the trauma and the poisoned arrow that nearly took my life, I had been living as a broken werewolf, completely unable to feel or hear my inner beast. Four long years of trying to feel her presence and finding an empty space where she used to be.

​Now, out of nowhere, something was shifting inside me. I knew that voice. I would know it anywhere.

​"Are you there?" I whispered into the quiet room. When silence answered me, my throat tightened. "Please..."

​Nothing.

​Then something warm moved deep through my chest. It lasted barely a second before disappearing, but it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

​My wolf.

​She was still there.

​Before I could call for her again, another severe wave of heat rushed through my body. I gasped and curled forward, pressing my hand against my stomach. My head started spinning again, and this time, I didn’t even attempt to stand.

​By afternoon, the sudden fever and physical weakness had gotten so bad that I could barely move beneath the covers. Someone must have noticed that I hadn’t left my room or come downstairs because Dr. Vance eventually arrived, carrying his medical kit. He placed it beside the bed and sat down on the chair.

​"How long have you been feeling this way, Annabel?"

​"Since two days ago," I replied, my voice raspy.

​"And the weakness?"

​"Also two days ago. It keeps getting worse."

​He placed his fingers against my wrist, checking my pulse before pressing a warm palm against my forehead. He frowned, then pulled out a small instrument to examine my eyes.

​"Your temperature is unusually high," Dr. Vance said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Your heart rate is erratic, and your pulse is reacting the way a werewolf’s does when their inner form is under extreme stress. You look like you are burning from the inside."

​He set the instrument down and looked at me carefully. "Tell me, what originally caused your wolf to go dormant?"

​I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling dry. "I was attacked."

​"What kind of attack?"

​"There were rogues. I was shot with a poisoned arrow."

​"With what poison?"

​"I don’t know," I said softly.

​He frowned. "And that was when you stopped hearing your wolf?"

​I nodded. "There was also... trauma. It happened four years ago."

​I deliberately left it there. My stomach tightened at the memories, and I certainly wasn’t about to explain the rest of that terrible night.

​Dr. Vance leaned back slightly, thinking. "A poison powerful enough to suppress your wolf for four years, combined with severe trauma, should have left lasting damage. For her to suddenly begin waking again..." He paused, staring directly at me. "Something must have changed. A major shift has been triggered in your body."

​My heartbeat quickened. "What do you mean?"

​"Think carefully." His eyes remained locked on mine. "During the past two days, did you do anything unusual? Did you take anything? Were you injured? Did you experience anything physically or emotionally intense that could have shocked your system?"

​My heart stopped.

​My mind immediately went back to two nights ago. To Lucian in my bed. To the fact that we had slept together for the first time.

​Oh.

​There was definitely one unusual thing I had done.

​But how on earth was I supposed to answer that question? Oh, nothing much, Doctor. I just slept with Alpha Lucian, and now my body is acting crazy.

​Yeah, right. I would rather keep that particular piece of information to myself.

​Heat rushed into my cheeks, but I forced my expression to remain completely blank. "No," I lied, keeping my voice as steady as I could. "Nothing unusual."

​Dr. Vance studied me for a long moment, almost as if he could tell there was something I wasn’t telling him. Thankfully, he didn’t push. He finally released a quiet sigh and leaned back in his chair.

​"Well, whatever the trigger was, I believe your dormant wolf is beginning to wake up."

​Everything inside me went still. "What?"

​"She’s waking up," Dr. Vance explained softly. "The barrier keeping your wolf asleep is beginning to break down. That is what could be causing the sudden fever, chest pain, and weakness. Your body is struggling to adjust to the connection returning."

​After four years of silence, hearing those words should have made me jump out of bed. Instead, tears immediately burned behind my eyes.

​"Are you sure?"

​"I can’t be completely certain until I examine you again when she’s stronger, but hearing her voice and feeling her presence are good signs."

​I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling the faint warmth beneath my palm. My wolf was coming back. I had spent four years believing I might never hear her again, wondering whether the poison had taken that part of me permanently.

​"What should I do?" I asked, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and hope.

​"Nothing."

​I blinked. "Nothing?"

​"Nothing," he repeated calmly. "You cannot rush it, and you cannot stop it. Don’t force her to come forward, and definitely don’t try to shift. If she’s waking naturally, allow it to happen at her own pace. Your body has been without that connection for four years, so it needs time to adjust."

​"And the heat?"

​"It could be part of the process. Your body is adjusting to having her presence again."

​I nodded slowly.

​Dr. Vance placed his palm against my forehead once more, and a warm, soothing sensation spread from his hand into my body. Unlike the uncomfortable heat burning beneath my skin, this warmth felt calming. Within seconds, some of the weakness began to ease, and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

​"As for the weakness, I’ve treated what I can for now," he said, removing his hand and gathering his equipment into his bag. "Rest. Drink plenty of water. Don’t try to leave the mansion today."

​"I won’t."

​"I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you."

​"Thank you, Doctor."

​Dr. Vance stood and headed toward the door. Before leaving, however, he stopped and glanced back at me. "If you remember anything unusual that happened during the last two days, tell me. Even if you don’t think it’s important."

​My throat suddenly felt dry again. "I will."

​Another lie. At this point, I should probably start keeping count.

​He gave a brief nod and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. I sank deeper into my pillows and stared at the ceiling, trying to process everything he had just told me.

​My wolf was waking.

​After four long years.

​A small smile touched my lips as tears slipped down my cheeks. I had spent so long believing this part of me was gone that I had almost forgotten what it felt like to hope for her return.

​But as I lay there in the quiet room, another thought slowly crept into my mind, wiping the smile from my face.

​Why now? Why after I slept with Lucian?

​Surely sleeping with him couldn’t be the reason my wolf was waking...

​Could it?