Rise of the Banished She-Wolf Chapter 23

Devon

I'd just found Lily's location when my phone rang. Her panicked voice hit me like a punch to the gut.

"Uncle Devon! Come to the abandoned amusement park! Eve saved me, but she collapsed!"

My blood turned to ice. "I'm on my way. What happened?"

"Jessica kidnapped me... Eve came alone... she fought everyone... her arm is bleeding badly!"

"Stay with her," I ordered, already moving toward the door. "Apply pressure to the wound."

I turned to Jason, who stood at attention immediately. "Prepare the medical team. Bring the wolf serum."

Within minutes, I was speeding through the streets of Seattle, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. The Alpha in me was raging, wanting to tear apart whoever had hurt Eve—and Lily.

The abandoned amusement park loomed ahead, its rusted Ferris wheel a skeletal silhouette against the night sky. I didn't bother with the locked gate, simply ripping it open as I rushed inside. My Alpha scent spread through the area like a storm front, causing the few remaining humans to scatter.

Following Lily's scent, I found them near an old carousel. The sight knocked the breath from my lungs.

Evelyn was lying on the ground, her skin chalk-white. Blood soaked through the bandage on her left arm, spreading in an alarming crimson stain. Lily knelt beside her, tears streaming down her face as she pressed against the wound.

"Is she...?" I couldn't finish the question.

"She's alive," Lily sobbed. "But she won't wake up."

Rage exploded inside me. My eyes flashed gold as I knelt beside Evelyn, carefully lifting her limp body. "Who did this?" My voice came out as a dangerous growl.

"Jessica... she kidnapped me to get revenge on Eve." Lily's voice shook. "Eve came all by herself to save me."

I cradled Evelyn against my chest, feeling her weak pulse. "She should never have come alone. Damn it!"

My roar echoed through the abandoned park, causing what remained of the carousel lights to flicker. I'd never felt such fury before—not even when rivals challenged my territory. I was dangerously close to shifting right there.

"I'll make them pay," I promised, my voice barely human.

Jason arrived with the medical team, breaking through my haze of rage. "Get her to the wolf medical center," I ordered. "Prepare for highest-level treatment."

---

At the medical center, I refused to leave Evelyn's side. The doctors tried to make me wait outside, but one look at my face changed their minds.

"Her wound reopened," the doctor explained. "But there's something else going on. The silver poisoning should have cleared by now."

I gripped Evelyn's hand, letting my Alpha energy flow into her. "She's from the Gray family. Pure bloodline. She should respond to wolf healing."

I bit my own wrist, allowing my blood to drip onto her wound—the most intimate healing method among our kind. But instead of absorbing it, her body reacted violently. The skin around the silver wound began turning black.

"What the hell?" The doctor stepped back in shock. "Your blood’s actually making her wolf side stronger. That means silver wounds are gonna hurt her way more."

I stared in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

The doctor ran additional tests, his expression growing more troubled with each result. "Her wolf is being suppressed—not just slightly, but deeply, both chemically and mentally."

"What do you mean?"

"This is unlike anything I've seen before," the doctor explained, showing me the scan results. "Some kind of powerful wolf suppressant is in her system. It's ancient formula, something only very old wolf packs would know."

I studied the results, my mind racing. "But the drug appears to be wearing off slowly, which explains why her wolf nature is unstable. Combined with the silver injury, it's delaying her recovery."

Who would do this to her? The question burned in my mind as I watched her pale face.

The doctor continued his analysis. "The strange thing is, her blood purity is exceptionally high, showing white wolf genes. Even under such suppression, her instincts are fighting back."

"There are traces of wolfsbane and moonstone powder residue," he added, checking her records. "She's been trying different antidotes."

I clenched my jaw, fury building again. "Prepare human medical treatment for now. And start researching an antidote for this suppressant. I want to know who did this to her."

---

For hours, I refused to leave Evelyn's side. I sat in the uncomfortable chair beside her bed, watching her breathe, noticing how her eyebrows occasionally furrowed as if fighting some invisible enemy in her dreams.

Jason brought reports about Jessica and her accomplices. "We've contained them," he informed me quietly.

I looked up, my eyes cold. "Make sure they pay for what they've done."

When Jason left, I gently touched Evelyn's pale cheek. "Why did you face danger alone?" I whispered. "Why won't you let me help you?"

On the next morning, as sunlight filtered through the blinds, Evelyn stirred. I'd fallen asleep holding her hand, and her movement woke me instantly.

When she tried to pull her hand away, I tightened my grip slightly. Her silver-gray eyes widened when she saw me.

"You're finally awake," I said, relief washing over me.

Her first words weren't about herself. "Lily... is she okay?"

I nodded. "She's fine. Just some minor cuts. She's already gone home."

Evelyn relaxed slightly, then tried to sit up. I helped adjust her pillows, noticing how she winced from the movement.

"Do you know how close you came to dying?" I couldn't keep the anger from my voice. "Fighting with an unhealed silver wound!"

"I couldn't let Lily get hurt," she replied calmly. "She's innocent."

My frustration boiled over. "You should have called me immediately! You knew your wolf nature was severely suppressed, yet you risked your life anyway!"

Her smile was bitter. "I'm used to solving problems alone."

"But you're not alone anymore!" The intensity of my own words surprised me. "You're in Seattle now, in my territory!"

She looked at me then, really looked at me, as if seeing something new. The moment stretched between us, filled with things neither of us was ready to say.