Chapter 344
Chapter 344
Avery’s POV
Bjorn’s fever broke sometime before dawn, but he still looked terrible in the morning.
He was awake when I checked on him before I went to work, but just barely. His eyes were glassy, his skin pale and cheeks sunken. The dark circles around his eyes startled me as I stepped into his room.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
He just looked at me and coughed, which was all the answer I needed.
I pressed the back of my hand to his forehead. On the bright side, his fever felt like it had gone down. That was the only “bright side p>
“Go back to sleep,” I said. “I’ll bring you something to eat in a little while p>
He closed his eyes without arguing. That worried me more than anything else. Bjorn always argued these days, so if he didn’t, then that meant he was really, really sick.
Downstairs, my mother was already in the kitchen. She’d clearly been up for a while-there was a full pot of coffee made and she was standing at the window with a mug in both hands, looking out at the yard. The bandage on her forearm was freshly changed.
She looked at me when I came in and didn’t say anything right away. I poured myself a coffee into my travel mug and leaned back against the counter.
“The doctor said another exposure could kill him,” I said.
“I know.” She turned away from the window. “Avery, I’m so sorry about the flowers. I didn’t realize p>
“Mom.” I shook my head. “I know you didn’t p>
She nodded slowly and looked down at her mug. “What are you going to do p>
I stared at the floor for a moment. The decision I needed to make had been swirling around in my mind since last night. I knew which one I had to choose; if my son’s life was on the line, then I had to go back
to the packs.
But after what happened, it was terrifying.
Not more terrifying than letting my son die, though.
“I’m going to take him to the packs,” I said.
My mother let out a long breath of relief.
“Good,” she said quietly.
“It doesn’t feel ‘good p>
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“I know it doesn’t. But it doesn’t need to be permanent, and besides, maybe it’ll turn out better than you think. Bjorn should at least know more about his own people, and have a chance to visit the packs. You could always buy a house there, visit once in a while p>
“One thing at a time, Mom,” I cut her off, although there was no heat in my voice.
My mother nodded. “Well, I’ll stay here and hold down the fort.” She glanced at the clock. “Are you going to work today p>
“Yeah.” I screwed the lid onto my coffee, then grabbed my jacket and purse.
The entire drive to the office, I kept going back and forth on my decision, wondering if it was the right
one.
Deep down, no matter what, I knew it was.
Over the years, I had watched Bjorn struggle in school, struggle with his wolf, struggle with being an outsider in a world that didn’t fully understand our kind. Humans did try to understand werewolves, but we were two different species, and sometimes, the differences were too glaring to ignore.
Maybe my mom was right. If this trip to the packs went well, then maybe I could buy a small house there. Perhaps in Sebastian’s pack. Then, we could visit on occasion, but not make it permanent.
That seemed like the most logical outcome. And the safest.
At the office, I called Claire for a meeting. She entered my office with a notebook and a smile that I couldn’t bring myself to return.
“I need you to take over my in-person operations for a while,” I told her, leaning back in my chair. “I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be gone. A few weeks, maybe more. I’ll handle what I can remotely, of course, but I’ll need you to step up at the office p>
She nodded without hesitation. “No problem. What do you need from me before you go p>
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