A TEST FOR THE INFECTED

SELENE'S POV

My lips parted and I wondered what to say for a spilt second before Seraphina beside me spoke up, her voice expressionless. “Can we help you?”

Ronan didn't tear his gaze away from me. “No, I'm certain your daughter can help though. You should be here, is that right? The meeting is far more important but a member of my pack in the quarantine room is exhibiting…strange symptoms, I want him checked if you please” He said, his expression bland.

Oh.

I looked over at Seraphina who looked at me. “Check my bag at the cart in front. Get the Somnaris bloom and administer it to him. Take him to the med bay and give him a Plith herb if he foams and I'll take it from there” She instructed while I tried to grab what she was saying.

“Okay” I muttered, silently cursing because I didn't even know what flower she was talking about.

I should learn more but there was no time now. I couldn't check the fucking handbook.

With a slight twitch of my lips in an attempt at a smile to Ronan who didn't return it, I walked out of the hall and stopped at the door, waiting for him to step out also.

“Where is this person?” I asked, keeping my voice level.

I dont think I would ever get used to the sound of Nyx’s voice, it was so different from mine.

He nodded off to the distance. “There”

I nodded and started walking there, aware that we were going to the guest house. They were guests at the pack, why were they quarantined also?

“You're not from here, are you?” I asked, trying to feign obliviousness to the entire thing.

“No”

I spied the cart next to the guest house and I bit my lip gently. “Emelia, you know which flower she was talking about, right?”

Emelia was silent. Fuck her.

“What brought you here? Why can't you leave?”

Ronan's steps halted at my question and I wondered if I had hit a nerve when he turned to look at me. “You're awfully chatty and I do not like you one bit, medic Nyx”

What the…

“Iㅡ”

“I came here in the hopes of meeting someone but that was not possible. The plague spread in this pack during my stay here so I cannot return until we are all clean. My pack is safe and under supervision. The plague has hit hard here, leaving here would risk us infecting innocent people out there, medic Nyx. You should know all these protocols” He looked at me and slowly cast a long glance over my entire frame. Not lustfully… just… formally?

“Yes, I do know” I cleared my throat as I reached the cart and watched him climb up the steps that led into the guest house.

“Well?” He raised a brow, watching me as I grabbed the bag and poked my head in it, shielding my face from his as I muttered silent curses at the sight of the several unlabeled jars in the bag.

I would need to tell Seraphina to label these things or I may end up poisoning someone but then…Nyx would know all these things, Seraphina would get suspicious.

“One moment, I'll meet you inside” I looked back up at him with a fake smile and he frowned before walking in.

No one was outside, the pack was basically deserted and I understood that the quarantine didn't let the commoners out but the important people had some freedom somewhat.

As soon as he left, Emelia emerged in my mind, her presence filling my consciousness. Oh now she comes?

“Seriously? Why the fㅡ”

“Silence, Selene” She chided, pacing about my consciousness. “I can't come out in his presence. Our souls do not merge as I am not yours. There's an imbalance, Selene”

“What does that have to do with what I said?” I asked, confused.

She sighed as though confirming that I was stupid. “It means that someone special may be able to tell that there's something weird about you and I am not yours. A gap, a weird…imbalance”

"Someone special?" I echoed, pausing as I shifted through the unlabeled jars in the bag.

Emelia huffed, her presence pulsating in my mind. "Yes, Selene. I'll explain again, Someone with a connection to the supernatural can sense imbalances. Your soul and mine are not aligned. You are not Nyx, and I do not belong to you."

I frowned. "And why the hell would Ronan be able to tell?"

Emelia went silent for a moment before her voice came through, laced with something that almost sounded like hesitation. "He's not normal."

"Right, and we are?" I shot back sarcastically, glancing at the guest house.

"We’re different, but he has his own kind of… strangeness. I don’t know what exactly, but his energy isn’t ordinary. You should be careful."

That was vague and unhelpful. "Fantastic.”

"Yes. If you stop being a brat, I can tell you what the Somnaris Bloom looks like before you kill someone."

I inhaled sharply, biting back an insult. "Fine. Describe it."

"Dark blue petals, thin stem, a little bigger than your palm. It smells faintly like wintermint. Look for that."

I rummaged through the bag again, cursing Seraphina for not labeling anything, and finally found a jar with dried blue petals. "Got it."

"Good. Now, crush it into powder and dissolve it in warm water. If you inhale it in this form, you’ll get lightheaded, so try not to kill yourself."

"Love the encouragement, Emelia," I muttered, shoving the jar into my pouch and heading toward the guest house.

"I live to serve."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside. The air was thick, stale, slightly damp, carrying the faint metallic scent of blood. The hallway was dimly lit by lanterns hanging on the walls, casting flickering shadows and the feeling of death hung heavy.

As I walked forward, I noticed the doors along the corridor, each one locked.

Each person was quarantined separately.

A chill ran down my spine at the sight.

Ronan stood at the end of the hall, in front of a single open door. Inside, a man sat hunched on a cot, his breathing ragged. His eyes were bloodshot, skin pale and glistening with sweat. His hands trembled slightly as he clutched his arms, his muscles visibly tensed with fear.

Definitely infected.

His gaze darted to Ronan, then to me, desperation clouding his expression. "Am I going to die?" His voice cracked..

I stepped forward, keeping my voice even. "That’s why I’m here. We’re going to find out."

Ronan exhaled sharply beside me, his presence heavy in the room. "What do you need?"

"Distance," I said without looking at him. "Step back. If you don’t want to be infected, you shouldn’t be this close."

His brows furrowed, but after a moment, he did as I said, moving to lean against the doorframe, the cloth tied around his face making his dark eyes more…prominent.

Do the masks even work or were we just making assumptions?

I crouched beside the man, pulling the small vial of warm water from my pouch. The dried Somnaris Bloom crumbled easily between my gloved fingers as I sprinkled it into the liquid, swirling it gently until the water took on a faint bluish tint.

"Careful," Emelia warned, her voice a slight whisper, all too aware that Ronan was just a few feet away. "Too much and he'll be out for days."

I ignored her and pressed a cloth to the rim of the vial, soaking it before bringing it to the man’s lips. "Drink slowly," I instructed.

He hesitated, glancing at Ronan.

"You either take it or suffer through this awake," I said bluntly. "Your choice."

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. Within seconds, his body slackened slightly, his breathing slowing. Not unconscious, but calm enough for the real tests.

I sat back on my heels, wiping my gloves on my coat. "We sedate them first," I explained to Ronan, "so we can properly test for infection without their symptoms worsening. This way, we can identify who’s truly infected instead of just assuming."

Ronan’s jaw ticked and he tilted his head. "That’s not how we've been handling it."

"Yes, well, your way isn’t working," I shot back, standing. "Which is why the both packs are still locked in quarantine. Let me do my work"

Work which I hadn't mastered but…fake it till you make it, they say.

He stared at me, unreadable.

But I wasn't paying attention to that anymore.

I was thinking about what Emelia said about him being strange also.

What if Ronan also had a soul swap like me?

My fingers twitched at the thought.

And if he did—did he know?

I glanced at him again.

Ronan was already watching me. Expression blank.

But his eyes? Sharp.

Like he was wondering the same damn thing.