Chapter 4

Jana POV:

The operating room was cold. It smelled of antiseptic and steel. It was a smell that promised nothing but oblivion.

I lay on the narrow table. They had stripped me of my clothes and covered me with a thin blue sheet. Above me, the surgical lights were like giant, unblinking eyes.

"Heart rate is erratic," a nurse said, looking at the monitor.

Dr. Hermine Sanchez walked in. She was the Pack Healer, a woman known for her stern face and 'Magical Sight'. She could see illnesses that machines missed. 'But today, she looked flustered, dragged in from her home on a Sunday.'

'"Where are the pre-op scans?" Dr. Sanchez demanded, snapping on her gloves. "I haven't seen the donor's chart. I need to check her aura compatibility."'

'"There's no time!" Axel burst into the room. He was wearing a surgical gown over his suit, disregarding protocol. "Kyleigh's heart stopped twice in the hallway. Her personal physician sent over the files yesterday-they said Jana is a perfect match. Two healthy kidneys. Just do it!"'

'Dr. Sanchez hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. "She looks septic, Alpha. Look at her skin color. I need five minutes to-"'

'"You don't have five seconds!" Axel slammed his hand on the metal tray. "That is an order, Healer Sanchez. Save your Luna, or get out of my pack!"'

'Dr. Sanchez clenched her jaw. She was bound by the Alpha's order. She couldn't refuse, and she couldn't delay.'

'"Fine," she spat. "Anesthesia?"'

'"Administered," the nurse said nervously. "But... she's burning through it. Her metabolism is spiking."'

'Dr. Sanchez looked at me with pity. She didn't see the poison yet-the adrenaline and the chaotic energy in the room were masking my aura. She just saw a dying girl.'

"Jana," she said softly. "We have to use silver scalpels. It's the only thing that cuts wolf skin. Because of your... 'resistance'... the anesthesia won't work fully. 'We can't wait for it to take effect.'"

"I know," I whispered. "I will feel it."

"I'm sorry," she said. And she meant it.

Axel walked up to the table. He looked down at me. For a second, his hand hovered over my hand, as if he wanted to hold it. But then he pulled back, clenching his fist.

"I deposited two million dollars into an account for you," he said. His voice was stiff. "When you wake up, you can go anywhere. Paris. Tokyo. You always wanted to travel."

I looked at him. He remembered. He remembered that silly dream I told him when we were teenagers, sitting on the roof watching the stars.

"You can't buy a life, Axel," I said. My voice was calm now. The fear was gone. Only exhaustion remained.

"It's not payment," he snapped. "It's... care."

"Care," I repeated. I let out a dry, rattling laugh. "Goodbye, Axel."

He flinched. "It's not goodbye. You're just giving a kidney. Stop being dramatic."

He turned his back on me. He walked to the observation window where Kyleigh was being prepped in the next room. He put his hand on the glass, looking at her with longing.

"Start," he ordered.

Dr. Sanchez sighed. She picked up the scalpel. The blade was made of pure silver. Even the sight of it made my skin crawl.

"Count backward from ten, Jana," she said.

"Ten," I said.

The blade touched my skin.

It wasn't just a cut. It was fire. It was liquid lightning pouring into my body. The silver reacted with my wolf blood, searing the edges of the wound instantly.

"Nine."

I gritted my teeth. I would not scream. I would not give them the satisfaction.

"Eight."

The pain dug deeper. They were cutting through muscle now. I felt the retractors pulling my ribs apart. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, hot and fast.

"Seven."

My heart monitor began to beep faster. 'Beep-beep-beep-beep.'

"Six."

I looked at the ceiling. I imagined the moon. I imagined running through a forest of snow, free, strong, loved.

"Five."

The pressure changed. They were clamping the artery. My breath hitched.

"Four."

The darkness was creeping in at the edges of my vision. It was a soft, welcoming velvet darkness.

"Three."

I saw a flash of white light. A wolf. A magnificent white wolf stood at the foot of the table. She looked at me and bowed her head.

'Come,' she seemed to say. 'It is time to rest.'

"Two."

The monitor changed its tone. The frantic beeping slowed down.

"One."

I didn't say zero.

The pain stopped. The cold stopped. The sound of Axel's voice shouting something in the distance faded away.

The line on the monitor went flat. A long, continuous tone filled the room.

I closed my eyes, and I let go.

'