53. Night Sky

Chapter fifty-three

Night Sky

*NOX*

S pending time with Aurelia and knowing I have her full support makes me relax a bit. Ever since I found Meg, and my lycan recognized her as our mate, I have been running on stress and anxiety alone. But she is here now. She is safe, and I am ready to tread carefully and patiently and walk with her on her way to recovery. I just hope she will want me to be there.

I've heard that Arden killed that bastard. I wish I could have been there too and gotten my revenge for what he did to my mate, for the years of abuse he put her through, and for stripping her of her freedom.

The doctor peeks into the room, pulling me out of my thoughts. I make sure to step outside with him, curious about what he has to say. I also want to give room to the nurses who shuffle in now to gently wake up Meg and see if she needs something and to have her take a couple of steps. They are trying to help her blood pressure and circulatory problems improve, by not having her sleep all the time.

Meg had a couple of tests done today, already, and even had a first talk with a psychiatrist to evaluate the damage that was done. It's all only preliminary, not to overstrain her too soon.

Once in the corridor, I notice that said psychiatrist is there too. "Thank you for coming," I tell him. "What can you tell me?"

"Her wolf is slowly returning," the doctor reassures me. "Her wolf spirit will heal her body completely. As for her mental wounds, it will take a lot of time. She lived in captivity for years, and Goddess knows what that monster did to her."

"She is surprisingly aware," the psychiatrist says. "I gently told her about what she was, and what that tug is that she feels to you. She has read a lot, apparently the only thing she was allowed to do, so many things didn't surprise her. But Goddess, she needs continuous help. This is going to be a very long and difficult path for you and her, Noctis."

"I'm ready to do everything she needs," I tell him. "What do you suggest?"

"I would suggest for her to move away from here and get into an actual routine, soon," he says. "She doesn't have a place she calls home, or a family to rely on, even friends, but she needs all that. Silverlake Pack is a very progressive and advanced pack. If she could settle down there and get the continuous help she needs, plus get into a routine, it would help."

"I'm sure my alpha would do everything in his power to help," I say. "But I don't want Meg to feel like I'm deciding everything above her head."

"You absolutely should involve her," the psychiatrist says. "She needs to know that she has a voice, and that she can make decisions. Building her trust in others will take a long while. You need to be patient with her."

"I will," I promise. He gives me some more advice and once the nurses leave the room again, I knock and carefully enter.

Meg is sitting in the bed, not asleep anymore. She is wearing fresh clothes and gazes at a picture in her hands. It's one I brought for her on her wish: a picture of her before she was abducted.

She looks at it intently. "I am Meg, Meg Rose Acorn," she says over and over again. "It was supposed to be Mégane, I think, but my mother liked Meg more."

"You remember?" I ask carefully, hopeful that she might remember something before her abduction.

"The old man in the orphanage," she mutters. "He told me once." She is silent for a long while. "What's your name?" she asks finally.

"Nox," I say. "Short for Noctis." I lower my gaze, my heart aching. "I know… it's similar to—"

"She says it's different," Meg says. "She says it's just a name and that you are not the same."

"Who is she?" I ask softly.

"The voice in my head." She pulls the blanket tighter over her body. "The doctor says it's my wolf." She gazes at me. "Is it really over?" she whispers.

"It is. He is dead and will never return."

"He is really dead?"

"Yes."

"I want to see him," she mutters. "I want to make sure that he will never wake up again."

"Are you sure?" I ask, anxiety filling me. I don't want to trigger her or overstrain her with anything.

"I want to see it with my own eyes."

The psychiatrist just told me I need to respect her decisions and support her through them, so I swallow down my own worries and nod. "Okay," I say. "Let me fetch a wheelchair for you."

"We can really do it?" she asks, her eyes widening.

"You are free, Meg," I tell her. "There are no walls around you."

She looks at me for a while. "Then, I want to see his body."

I nod, hurrying to grab her wheelchair and help her sit down in it. I still don't want to touch her too much, out of fear of triggering her, but whenever our hands meet, I feel the tingles of the bond. Meg feels them too, I see, by the curious expression on her face. When she isn't sad or quiet, she is mostly curious. Before that psycho ruined her life, she must have been such a lively person.

The forensic mortuary where Night's body is being kept is in the first floor of the basement. I never knew the Council had so many underground floors until today. From what I know, the lowest floor holds the dungeons.

I already alerted the doctor to tell the forensic team that we would be coming. So, they are already expecting us when we arrive. Night's body has been cleaned and put together again.

They did well with recovering his body, but it's obvious that he was in pieces.

Meg moves her wheelchair closer. "Can I touch him?" she asks the forensic doctor. "Just to know for sure he is dead."

The man's gaze softens at her words, and he looks sad. "Of course."

She pokes Night's cheek and then his neck. His cold and lifeless body doesn't even jerk. "He is really dead," she mutters. "He is dead! He is not returning. He is not collecting gems anymore. He… he won't hurt anyone anymore." Her eyes drift over the blanket that covers his body. "What happened to the rest of it?" she mutters.

"You remember Aurelia?" When she nods, I continue. "And Arden, her mate?"

Again, she nods. "He is the one who looked for me."

"Yes, and he lost someone to Night, too. Let's just say, Arden had finally had enough."

To my surprise, Meg just bursts into hysterical laughter. It takes minutes for her to calm down, and I am not sure if she is truly laughing or crying. "Funny, how pathetic he looks now." She suddenly says before she turns to me. "Can we leave?" she begs, her voice breaking slightly. "Please."

I hurry to push her out of the room, thanking the doctor, before making sure we leave this place. While we ride the elevator up, Meg talks again. "What's the time?"

"Evening," I say. "It's seven p.m. now."

"I want to go outside, on my own feet," she mutters. "I want to see the sky and the stars."

Something in my heart breaks. "Then, let's go on the balcony," I suggest, guiding her back to the infirmary, where I know there is a balcony patients can relax on. It's cold and dark, so it's empty now. Meg leaves the wheelchair at the door, pulling herself up on her trembling feet.

"Do you feel okay with touching my arm for balance?" I ask her.

She nods, gently holding onto it while I lead her outside.

Meg takes her time to gaze at her surroundings, her eyes scanning the dark landscape before raising her gaze to the sky, illuminated by the moon and stars. It's a beautiful winter night; as if the sky knew she would come outside today for the first time in many years, to look at it.

"It's so beautiful," Meg says before her voice breaks. She drops down to her knees, hiding her face behind her hands, and sobs. Her cries break my heart in a way I didn't know it could break. "He took that from me," she cries. "It's so beautiful, and he stole it. Like everything else. He is not coming back, is he Noctis?"

"He is never coming back."

"He said he would, he said, Azurite, I will come for you," she sobs.

"His body is dismembered," I say, deciding the gruesome truth would be the best to reassure her. "He was torn in pieces, and his organs have been removed."

She stays quiet for a while before she looks at the sky once more and starts sobbing again. "It's so beautiful."