“All right, stop crying now. Let me grab the first aid kit,” Asher said with a sigh as he gently patted my head, trying to comfort me.
He walked off, muttering to himself. “Look at you—tough on the outside, but always crying over the smallest things. What would you do without me?”
I stared down at the rash on my wrist, the angry red patches starting to spread. It was burning, and the itching was unbearable.
“What would I do without him?” I thought bitterly. Pfff!
For five years, I’d let myself believe in his love. But now, the truth stung more than the rash on my skin.
“But, Asher,” I whispered to myself, “I don’t want this sick kind of love anymore… I don’t want you anymore.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep. My body felt on fire from the allergy, and the whole night was filled with restless dreams of Celeste and the cruel laughter of Asher’s friends. When I woke up drenched in sweat, the ache in my chest was almost as bad as the reaction on my skin.
As dawn broke, Asher shook me awake, his usual playful smirk on his face.
“Rise and shine, Lois!” he teased, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead.
I jerked away, glaring at him. “What are you doing?”
“Waking up my Snow White, what else?,” he replied, amused by my reaction.
“Ugh,” I muttered, wiping my face in disgust. “It’s the weekend, Asher! Can’t you let people sleep?”
He raised an eyebrow, his tone softening. “You’ve got hives all over, Lois. And you’re burning up. I’m taking you to the pack healer.”
“I’m fine;” I insisted, but he wasn’t having it.
“Humor me,” he said with a shrug, already pulling me out of bed.
Reluctantly, I got dressed, too tired to argue.
At the pack’s medical center, the sterile smell of antiseptic hit me as we walked through the corridor. Then we saw her—Celeste.
Wow.
She was limping slightly, her face lighting up the moment she saw Asher.
“Asher!” she called, smiling at him. “What a surprise!”
The warmth in his face was instantaneous, like he hadn’t seen her in years. There was genuine concern in his eyes as he rushed to her side.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.
Celeste gave a weak smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, nothing too serious! Just a little mishap during a run with some of the warriors. Sprained my ankle, nothing to worry about.”
Her eyes flickered to me for a moment, then back to Asher. “You here for a check-up too?”
Asher hesitated, glancing at me briefly before answering. "Yeah, my friend 'little sister' here had a bit of a fever, so I brought her in to get checked out."
I was used to being called his ‘sister’ by now. Ever since Asher decided to keep our relationship on the down low, he’d introduced me as his friend's little sister—someone he was just looking out for. Only his closest friends knew the real deal.
“She’s staying with you, right?” Celeste asked with a knowing smile. “Of course, you’ve got to take care of her properly. You two go on ahead, I need to head over there."
She pointed toward the other clinic across the way.
Before I could process the sting of her words, Asher was already scooping Celeste into his arms. “Come on, I’ll take you to the clinic,” he said, completely ignoring me.
“Asher, I’m fine!” Celeste protested weakly, but she didn’t resist.
“Asher,” I said quietly, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice, “I’ll wait here.”
He didn’t even acknowledge me.
Watching him carry her away, I felt the last of my strength drain from my body. It wasn’t just in my head—when Celeste was around, his true feelings slipped out, clear as day.
I forced myself to smile, bitter and hollow, before turning to find the healer’s room on my own.
Inside, the healer frowned as she checked my condition. “You’ve had a severe allergic reaction,” she said, her tone serious. “Your skin is reacting badly to something, and your temperature is dangerously high. Your breathing’s getting shallow too. We need to get you on an IV with antihistamines and some painkillers to help with the swelling.”
I nodded numbly, her words washing over me like a distant echo.
Out of habit, my hand reached for my phone to call Asher. But just as I was about to dial, I stopped myself.
No. Not this time.
I slipped the phone back into my bag and gave a self-deprecating laugh. I was done relying on him. Done letting habit control me.
With shaky hands, I signed the paperwork and followed the healer to the IV room alone.
