Chapter 23

Ethan and Marie carefully carried Lucy into her room. It was a dark and dimly lit room. The silence between them was thick with worry and unspoken thoughts as they laid her gently on the thin mattress. The room was void, nearly empty except for a small lamp and a pile of clothes tucked away in the corner. The air was heavy and the only source of light casting dark shadows on the walls was the rays of light that escaped through a small hole on the window. 

Marie immediately hurried towards the window to open it up so that light would fill the room. Her fingers trembled as she moved to open the window, but Ethan quickly grabbed her wrist.

“No,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “We can’t risk anyone seeing me in here. It’s too dangerous.”

Marie hesitated, her eyes wide with a mix of fear as she watched Ethan hands firm on her wrist. She nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Ethan slowly let go of his hold on her and instructed her to turn on the lamp instead. The lamp's weak glow barely pierced the darkness but it was better than nothing.

Lucy lay still, her chest rising and falling faintly. Ethan’s brow furrowed in concern as he knelt beside her. He had known Lucy for some time now since the day Leo knew her, and though she was wolfless but something about her sudden collapse didn’t sit right with him.

“What could have happened?” Ethan muttered, more to himself than to Marie. His mind raced, considering every possibility, but nothing made sense. Lucy had been fine moments ago, and now she was lying unconscious before them.

Marie, still shaken from the events, sat down on the floor beside Lucy, her own thoughts swirling with unease. “I don’t know, Ethan. She was fine earlier, just…distant. But nothing like this.”

“What do you mean, distant?” Ethan inquired, taking a brief look at Marie.

Marie shrugged and grunted as she didn't know the right way to put her words. Ethan tilted his head, still expecting her to say something. 

“I'm not sure but she has been lonely with everything that has been going on with her. Leo, Isabella, the stress… I guess it's just too much for her. I don't know, it's just what I thought.” Marie concluded and felt Lucy's forehead with her palm. 

“She's burning up… hope she'll be fine?” She held her hand firmly and shook her a little.

Ethan could not respond to Marie’s question as he had no idea what had happened and what might have caused her unconsciousness. Ethan glanced at Marie, noticing the way her hands fidgeted in her lap, a sign of her own inner war. He had never seen Marie so unsettled before. 

Though she had not been noticing her but most of the times, had always seen her working hard but this time around she seemed lost.

“You have to give me something, Marie… you're always with her. Apart from what she had been through, did you notice any changes?” Ethan questioned, his gaze fixed on Marie.

A tense silence filled the room as Marie kept mute, trying to gather her words together. Ethan's gaze was unwavered and Marie could not bring herself to even take a brief look at him. Marie soon spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. “There’s something I need to tell you, Ethan.”

At the sound of her voice, Ethan turned his full attention to her, sensing the weight of whatever she was about to say. “What is it?”

Marie hesitated, biting her lip as she struggled to find the right words. “It’s about Lucy. About something that’s been happening lately. I noticed that when she get really angry, or upset… it’s like she's not herself anymore.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, confusion etched across his features. “What do you mean?”

“There was a day,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly. “I got her angry and she was so angry, and it felt like she couldn’t control herself. She lashed out at me. I stood in front of her but when I looked into her eyes, they weren't hers. They looked like her….” She trailed off, unsure of how to describe it.

“Like a wolf’s?” Ethan finished for her, his voice laced with disbelief.

Marie nodded, her gaze fixed on the floor. “Yes. Exactly like a wolf’s.”

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. This didn’t make any sense. Lucy was supposed to be wolfless—she had never shown any signs of shifting, not even once. But if what Marie was saying was true, then something had changed, something they couldn’t explain.

“Are you sure it was her eyes?” Ethan asked, trying to wrap his mind around this revelation.

Marie looked up at him, her eyes pleading for him to understand. “I know what I saw, Ethan. I know it sounds crazy, but it happened. And now, seeing Lucy like this…I can’t help but wonder if it’s connected somehow.”

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, frustration and confusion warring within him. “This is impossible,” he muttered. “Lucy’s never shown any signs of having a wolf. If she’s somehow shifting, or if her emotions are triggering something… we need to figure out what’s going on.”

Marie shivered at the thought, her mind racing with possibilities. She had always believed Lucy was wolfless, an anomaly among their kind. But if something had changed, if Lucy was starting to manifest a wolf, then everything they knew about her was wrong.

“I tried to explain what was happening to her and I suggested that her wolf might be locked away or do you think it’s because of the full moon?” Marie asked, her voice barely audible.

Ethan was about to utter some words but was interrupted when suddenly, Lucy’s lips began to move, barely parting as she murmured something incoherent.

“She’s saying something,” Marie whispered, leaning in closer, her eyes wide with fear.

Ethan frowned, straining to make out the words. “What is she trying to say?” he muttered under his breath, frustration evident in his tone.

Lucy’s voice was faint, the words slurred and barely audible, but they could hear the distress in her tone. Her breathing grew ragged, and her body trembled as if she were caught in the grip of a fevered dream. The sweat on her brow glistened in the low light, and her skin was burning up.

“She’s burning,” Marie gasped, her hand hovering over Lucy’s forehead without touching her. The heat radiating from Lucy’s skin was alarming, and a deep sense of helplessness washed over Isabella. She had never seen anything like this before.

Ethan’s mind raced, trying to think of something—anything—that might help. “Marie!” he called out, his voice steady despite the rising panic within him. “Get some water and a few clothes, quickly!”

Marie, whose mind was lost, with worry etched across her face, nodded and hurried out of the room without hesitation. Within moments, she returned with a bucket of water and a stack of clean clothes. Her hands shook slightly as she handed them to Ethan, her eyes flickering between Lucy and Ethan.

Ethan took one of the clothes and dipped it into the cool water. He wrung it out, the water dripping back into the bucket, and then gently pressed the damp cloth to Lucy’s forehead. He wiped her face, hoping the coolness would offer some relief from the heat that seemed to be consuming her.

“Come on, Lucy,” he murmured under his breath, his voice barely audible. He repeated the process, wiping away the sweat that beaded on her skin. His hands were steady, but his thoughts were chaotic, filled with worry and confusion. This wasn’t normal—whatever was happening to Lucy was beyond anything he had ever seen.

Marie watched in silence, her heart pounding in her chest. 

“Will she be alright?” Marie asked quietly, her voice trembling. She had never seen Lucy like this. The first time it occurred wasn't up to this and the sight of her friend in such a state was terrifying.

Ethan didn’t answer immediately, his focus entirely on Lucy as he continued to cool her down. The room was stiflingly quiet, save for the ragged sound of Lucy’s breathing and the occasional murmur of words that made no sense. He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew that he couldn’t let anything happen to her—not while he was there as Leo trusted him with her life.

“She has to be,” Ethan finally said, though the uncertainty in his voice was unmistakable.

Lucy stirred slightly, her body twitching as if trying to fight off whatever was tormenting her in her unconscious state. Her hands clenched into fists, and a faint whimper escaped her lips. 

“What’s happening to her, Ethan?” Marie asked, her voice breaking. “Why is this happening?”

“Just hold on and let her be calm,” Ethan wagged his head, his jaw clenched in frustration. “I’ll figure it out. I have to.”

As he continued to wipe Lucy’s face, he noticed that her fever wasn’t subsiding. Her skin remained hot to the touch, and the sweat kept pouring from her, soaking the mattress beneath her. Every now and then, she would mutter something—fragments of words that neither Ethan nor Isabella could understand.

Marie stood at the foot of the mattress, her hands clasped together in worry. She wanted to help, but she felt utterly useless. All she could do was watch and hope that Lucy would pull through.

Ethan knew nothing was happening at the moment and all of a sudden, he turned her head and with his fingers, he pressed against the side of her neck and at that moment, Lucy went calm all of a sudden like one who was dead.