Chapter 24: A Packmate
Kaya
I clutch the collar of the oversized black shirt, pulling the fabric together even though I know the blanket is already covering me. It’s a pointless gesture, but I can’t seem to stop myself. Oliver left the room only a few minutes ago, yet the restless whirlwind inside my mind makes it feel like hours—maybe even days.
I’m not ready for this. For any of it. For the new reality I’ve been thrown into without warning.
Damien said he had a plan. I thought that plan was to bring me back, to rescue me. But now... Did he really betray me? After everything we’ve been through?
I don’t get the chance to sink too deep into my thoughts before a light knock breaks the silence, jolting me back to the present. My body tenses as I instinctively check that I’m still wrapped securely in the blanket, my fingers tightening around the fabric.
"Kaya?" A deep yet pleasant male voice drifts through the closed door, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
The doctor is a man.
"Y-yes," I stammer, steeling myself to face yet another stranger. But the door remains closed. My eyebrows furrow in surprise, and before I can speak again, the voice returns—calm, patient.
"Can I come in?"
I freeze.
Even back in Dark Wood, when I was under Damien’s protection, I never experienced this level of courtesy. No one ever asked. They simply entered, as if my presence, my space, was never something to be considered.
The silence stretches as I struggle to process the simple question, and then, after a moment, another gentle knock sounds. His voice is tinged with concern this time.