Chapter 1

Skye 

Skye wakes up, tonight is the night she’ll finally escape her abusive life. She pulls out a packed bag full of clothing, food, and water and puts it around her shoulder. She quietly tiptoes over to her twin boy’s beds and gently picks both of them up, before she slowly creeps down the stairs and out the back door. Once she’s a safe distance away from the house, she summons one of her familiars, a manticore, named Cairo.

“Cai…ro?” she asks him softly, “Are you able to car…ry us?” Cairo chuffs softly and nods his head before crouching down, allowing Skye and her boys to get onto his back. Once Skye and her children are securely on his back, he takes off running.

He runs for several hours before stopping. Skye slowly gets off his back and looks around. “Cairo?” she asks, “Do you know where we are?” Cairo shakes his head.

“Mama?” one of her boys asks sleepily, “Where are we?”

“We’re somewhere better than where we were.”

“Hungry,” her son replies.

Skye mumbles to herself softly before pulling out some dried fruit. “Here, baby. Eat some of this.” She hands her son the food. “Theo? Theo, baby wake up.”

Her other son stirs and begins to wake up. “Mama?” he mumbles.

“Are you hungry, baby?” Theo nods. “Gray, share that with your brother, okay?”

“No! Mine!”

“Gray, please. I promise I’ll find more food. You have to share for now.”

Gray reluctantly begins to share the dried fruit with his brother. Skye stands up and stretches out her body. She begins to cough violently as her boys enjoy their breakfast. After a few minutes have passed, Gray notices that his mother is still coughing. “Mama, okay?” he asks.

Skye pulls out a handkerchief from her pocket and spits into it. “I’m okay, baby,” she answers, weakly, “I just have a bit of a cough right now.” Gray looks doubtfully at his mother. “Come on,” Skye whispers, “we should continue to move.”

She gently places her boys back onto Cairo before getting onto the manticore herself. “Go, Cairo,” she mumbles softly.

As Cairo runs, Skye begins to feel sicker than she had felt. “I have a fever,” she thinks to herself, “and a bad cough. I know the fever is from the infections in the wounds I have. I need to get somewhere where there’s medical treatment before I get too sick.”

A few more hours pass before Skye mumbles, “Cairo stop.” Cairo stops and Skye rolls off his back and begins to vomit violently. When she eventually stops she barely manages to get back onto Cairo, before passing out.

Cairo, seemingly sensing that something is wrong, begins to run to the nearest pack. Once he crosses over to their territory, it doesn’t take long for the night patrols to find them.

Cairo submits them and lays down, revealing Skye, and her two children. The border patrols look at each other before mindlinking their alpha.

The guards try to take Skye off Cairo’s back. Cairo growls softly to them as a warning. “We’re going to take her to the pack hospital,” one of the guards tries to explain to Cairo. Cairo nods and nudges the guard gently.

The guard begins to lead Cairo to the pack hospital. Once they’re there, the guard states, “You have to stay out here. She’ll be well taken care of.” Cairo allows the guard to take Skye off his back, as well as Gray and Theo. Once all three of them are off his back, he shrinks in size and begins to follow the guard into the building.

Skye is quickly admitted into the hospital. A doctor begins to carefully treat her wounds.

Sebastian

Sebastian is enjoying some downtime early in the morning when he gets a mindlink from his border patrol. “Alpha,” the guard mindlinks, “there’s a manticore that has two children and a young woman on its back. They just crossed over the territory line. The woman is unconscious. Where should we take her?”

“The pack hospital,” he responds, “I’ll meet you there.”

A few minutes later, he’s at the pack hospital talking to the guards. “Dr. Graylen is treating her right now,” the guard states, “The two children will be looked over as well.”

“Good,” Sebastian answers, “You may leave.” The guard leaves. Sebastian mindlinks Dr. Graylen. “Doctor?” he asks, “How is she?”

“Unwell,” Dr. Graylen answers, “She has a fever and…”

“And what?” he asks impatiently.

“Alpha, it looks like she’s been abused. She has several scars on her back. It looks like she was whipped over and over again, with no time to heal in between. Several of her injuries are infected, she’s dehydrated and malnourished…”

“What about the children that were with her?”

“They seem to be in good health.:

“Keep me updated please.”

“Of course, alpha.”

Skye

Skye wakes up in a white room. She looks around the room in a panic. Cairo is curled up at the end of the bed fast asleep. Gray and Theo are nowhere to be seen. Her heart rate spikes as she begins to freak out. A doctor comes running into her room as an alarm goes off in the room. “Hey,” the doctor says gently, when she sees Skye trying to stand up, “take it easy. You’re safe here.”

“W…w…wh…where?” Skye whispers.

“You’re at the pack hospital.”

“W…w…which p…pack?”

“Blood Moon Pack.”

Skye pales, looking frightened. She looks around the room again for Gray and Theo. When she realizes they aren’t there with her, she begins to try and stand again. “W…where…G…Gray and T…Theo?”

The doctor’s expression softens. “They’re safe. Do you want me to go and get them?” Skye nods. “Alright, I’ll be right back. Stay put.” The doctor leaves for a few minutes, returning with Gray and Theo in her arms.

“Gray! Theo!” Skye whispers.

“Mama!” they shout. They rush over to her and begin to check if she’s okay.

“Are you okay?” their mother asks, weakly, “You aren’t hurt, are you?”

“No, mama,” Gray responds, “the doctor took good care of us. She gave us food and water.”

Skye looks relieved. She begins to cough violently again. “That doesn’t sound good,” the doctor states. She approaches Skye and asks, “May I have a listen?”

Skye looks uncertainty at her. “I’m scared,” she thinks, “Will it hurt? Can I trust her?”

The doctor sits down on the hospital bed. “I’m Dr. Graylen. I’m in charge of your case. My only job is to make you feel better. I promise no one in this hospital will hurt you, okay?”

Skye nods, still looking somewhat uncertain. “Will it hurt?” she whispers.

“Listening to your breathing?” Skye nods. “No, it won’t hurt. It might be a little cold though.” Dr. Graylen gently places a stethoscope on Skye’s back and begins to listen to Skye’s breathing. A few minutes pass before she removes the stethoscope. “That doesn’t sound good.” She pages someone. A nurse comes in and Dr Graylen tells her, “I want a CBC done on her and an x-ray of her chest.

“Of course, doctor,” the nurse answers, “I’ll set those things up for you right away.” The nurse leaves and Dr. Graylen returns her focus to Skye.

“What are those?” Skye whispers, once again sounding frightened.

“A blood test and something that lets me have a closer look at the inside of you.”

“Will they hurt?”

“No, they won’t. You might be a little uncomfortable when your blood is drawn though.”

Skye whimpers softly in response. The nurse returns with supplies to draw Skye’s blood.

“Hold still, sweetheart,” Dr. Graylen says, “it’ll only take a few minutes.” It takes a few attempts for the nurse to get into one of Skye’s veins. Three minutes later, the nurse leaves with a small vial of blood. “Alright, let’s get you to the x-ray machine.”

Dr. Graylen leaves the room, returning with a wheelchair. “I need help,” Skye whispers softly.

Dr. Graylen gently helps Skye into the wheelchair before bringing her to the x-ray machine. She gently lifts her up and places her on the examination table. “Ouch!” Skye quietly exclaims.

“Sorry, sweetheart, are you okay?” Skye nods. “Good, now this should only take a few seconds,” She disappears behind a wall. There’s a beeping sound and then Dr. Graylen appears near Skye again. “Okay, all done.”

Dr. Graylen studies the x-rays and sighs. “No wonder you’re having trouble breathing. It seems like you have pneumonia.”

Skye looks startled. “Is that bad?” she asks.

“Yes, but it’s treatable. Treatment for you may be a bit more difficult, considering your other injuries. Come, let’s get you back to your room now.”

Dr. Graylen helps her back into the wheelchair and pushes her back to her room. Once Skye is back in the bed, Dr. Graylen excuses herself.