One month in the estate. Warm beds. Soft food.
The locker room was a memory. The bruises were gone.
Then the phone rang.
"Ella? It's the pack hospital. You need to come. It's Leo."
Ella drove to the hospital.
When she burst into the ward, the smell of sickness hit her—antiseptic and rotting meat.
Leo lay on the bed. He looked grey.
Aris was in the corner. He was washing his hands. Over and over.
The water sounded like a waterfall in the quiet room.
Ella walked to him. "Will he live?"
Aris didn't look up. His shoulders were up to his ears. "The Black Rot is... complicated."
"Help him," Ella said.
Aris turned off the tap. His fingers were red from scrubbing. Shaking.
He looked at the door. Roman was standing outside. A shadow against the frosted glass.
"I can't," Aris whispered. His voice was raw. "The antidote... it's restricted."
"By who?"
Aris looked at her. His eyes were wet. "The Enforcer. He took the last batch for 'testing' yesterday."
Ella felt a weight in her gut. Yesterday. Before Leo got sick.
"He knew," Ella breathed.
Aris didn't say anything. He just went back to the sink.
The spots were worse. Black.
Necrosis.
"Leo!" Ella rushed to the bedside, grabbing his cold hand.
He opened his eyes weakly. "El... it hurts."
"I'm here, buddy. I'm here." Ella looked up at the pack doctor, a kindly old wolf named Dr. Aris. "What is it? Is it the flu?"
Dr. Aris shook his head, his face grim. "I've seen this only once before, in the old texts. It's the Black Rot. A magical blood infection."
"Fix it," Ella commanded, her voice rising. "Give him antibiotics. Magic. Anything."
"We tried," Dr. Aris sighed.
"Magical healing accelerates it. Antibiotics do nothing."
"Ella... I'm sorry. His organs are shutting down."
"He has maybe twenty-four hours."
Ella looked at the doctor. "Lying."
"I wish I were."
The door opened. Roman walked in. The room seemed to shrink.
"Leave us," Roman commanded. Dr. Aris bowed his head and scurried out.
Roman put a hand on Leo's forehead.
The boy twitched.
"Do something," Ella grabbed Roman's arm. "Resources. Money. Please."
Roman looked at her. Calculated stillness.
"Death isn't on the payroll, Ella."
She leaned into him. Shaking.
"There's one way." Roman's voice was a hum in her ear.
"The force that fixed Sarah. It's still listening."
Ella pulled back, looking at him with desperate eyes. "I don't care. Tell me."
"The old magic," Roman whispered, his voice low and hypnotic. "The force that corrected the mistake of Sarah. It listens to you, Ella. It answered you once."
Ella looked at the scroll in her head.
"Cost," ella said.
"Leo is dying," Roman said.
That broke her.
"No," Ella sobbed. "Nothing is higher."
"Go," Roman said, pressing the car keys into her hand. "I will keep him alive until you return. Write it, Ella. Write it with your heart."