Renna was thrashing on the bed, her own hands wrapped around her neck as she choked herself. Deep scratch marks ran down her arms and face. Xavier was desperately trying to hold her down, pinning her arms, but she was fighting him with surprising strength.
"Renna," Isaldora murmured firmly.
For a brief moment, Renna's bloodshot eyes met hers.
"Renna, baby, please! Stop, please! I'm here, just look at me!" he begged, his voice cracking. He looked wildly at the doctor. "DO SOMETHING! WHY AREN'T YOU FUCKIN DOING ANYTHING?!"
The doctor, Miles, looked pale, a syringe shaking in his hand. "Beta Xavier, I'm trying! But I can't! She won't hold still, and I can't risk injecting her while she's moving like this. She's human—it's too dangerous!"
"EVERYONE OUT!" Isaldora's voice cut through the panic.
Xavier's head snapped toward her, shooting her an angry, confused glare. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUT?! ARE YOU INSANE?! LOOK AT HER!" He growled, shouting. He looked back at Renna, his voice dropping to a broken whisper as he tried to gently pry her fingers from her own throat. "Please, Renna, my love, please let go..."
Isaldora moved closer to the bed and folded her arms over her chest. "Xavier. Listen to me. I know what this is. I can help her, but I need everyone out. That means you too."
He shaked his head, his entire body trembling. "No! No, I can't leave her! She's my everything! What if she—" He couldn't even finish the sentence, the fear of losing her choking him.
Isaldora looked at Renna, who had loosened her grip slightly, her breathing ragged. She closed her eyes, huffed completely annoyed.
"Do you want her to keep hurting herself or what?" Isaldora shoot him a glare trying to calm herself. She couldn't afford angering him.
"But—" Xavier started to protest.
Isaldora cut him off sharply. "But what? "Do you want to save her or do you want to watch her literally strangle herself here in front of you? Get. Out. Now."
She locked eyes with him, her expression leaving no room for argument. Why can't he just listen and obey? Everyone here is just uhhhh.
The horrifying truth of her words, finally broke through his panic. With one last desperate look at his mate, he stumbled back and practically flew out of the room.
The door clicked shut, leaving Isaldora alone with a thrashing Renna.
Isaldora let out a tired sigh and sat on the edge of the bed. She put a hand on Renna's forehead, and just like that, almost immediately, Renna began to relax, her hands falling limp at her sides. Her breathing was still labored like she'd run a marathon, and her eyes were wide with lingering fear.
"Well you put quite an interesting show right now." Isaldora said, pulling her hand back and giving Renna a sharp look.
"Wh... What happ... happened?" Renna croaked, her throat raw and dry making ber voice scratchy.
Isaldora rolled her eyes and picked up a glass of water from the nightstand and handed it to her. Renna took it with trembling hands and gulped it down, water spilling down her chin in her haste.
"Tsk... tsk... I guess you know very well why freaked out like that?" Isaldora tsked shaking her head, her tone leaving no room for assuptions. She had a pretty good idea. She'd warned Renna years ago that crossing her would lead to a world of scrutinizing pain to death. So yeah this little episode fit the picture very well.
Renna looked down, lost and nervous with fear. But before she could spit out an answer, the door slammed open as a frantic Xavier rushed back in.
Isaldora closed her eyes, counting to three in her head. This fucking, irritating mutt.
Xavier rushed to the bed, gathering Renna into a crushing embrace as if he'd just pulled her back from the brink of death. Isaldora rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they stayed in their sockets.
"Thank goodness you are okay. You scared the hell out of me," he mumbled, pulling back to cup her face before smashing her lips in a desperate kiss. It started slow and soft but turned heated with their hands literally going everywhere around one another, way too heated for the current company.
Okay, that's enough, I'm still feakin' sitting here. Isaldora scoffed. "Ahemm," she cleared her throat obnoxiously loud, annoyed by their session. And yes, then the two love birds jumped apart, freakin' finally remembering she was still in the room.
Renna pulled away quickly but her movements were weak however Xavier didn't let go of her and had his hands still around her.
"Uhh, umm, sorry, Luna, for before. I was just... I was so worried," Xavier said said, running a hand through his hair. "And, uh, thank you. Thank you for helping her." He bowed slightly.
"Whatever," Isaldora brushed off his thanks impatiently. "How did this happen?" she demanded, getting straight to the point.
Xavier and Renna looked at one another and then back at her making her to squint eyes at them.
"Ummm, we," Xavier began nervous, feeling slightly awkwardly embarrassed scratching the back of his neck, not knowing how to explain. "Umm, well, we were talking, and then it got a bit... heated. We started making out, came in here, clothes came off, and—"
Isaldora and Renna both stared at him in horror. "Whoa, okay, stop!" Isaldora cut him off, holding up a hand. "I did not ask for a detailed replay of your sex life." She massaged her temples. "I asked what made her try to choke herself out."
"Oh! Right, sorry," he mumbled, his face turning red. "I don't know! She was perfectly fine right after I marked her. She was was great! Happy, glowing, smiling..."
Isaldora nodded, half-listening, not finding anything important, when his words registered fully. Her head snapped toward him. Marked? "Wait, you marked her?" She looked at Renna's neck and yup she saw the fresh mating mark branding like her like a tattoo.
"Yes, Luna. We're fully mated now," Xavier declared, grinning like an idiot with pride and looking at Renna with such lovey dovey eyes, it was gaggingly nauseating. They leaned in for another kiss.
"Hello! Still in the room, people!" Isaldora snapped, her voice shattering their moment like ice. The two pulled apart, looking sheepish. "So, what happened next?" she pressed rubbing her temples.
"Then we were just lying here, talking, and out of nowhere she started screaming and thrashing," Xavier explained, his smile vanishing, his face clouding with confusion and worry. "I have no idea what triggered it."
Isaldora hummed thoughtfully. Whatever they were "talking" about, she'd bet her last dollar it was about her. She looked at Renna and caught the woman quickly looked away not meeting her gaze. Bingo.
"How did you manage to calm her down, Luna? Even Dr. Miles was completely baffled," Xavier asked, looking at her with a mix of thanks and curiosity.
"She's got a condition, Xavier. Guess she never mentioned it to you before, but she has these major panicked freak-outs when she gets too stressed or overwhelmed," Isaldora explained casually.
She watched as Xavier's eyes widened in shock, jaw hitting the flooe. And meanwhile, Renna? She looked utterly dumbfounded. How does she know about my episodes? The question was written all over her face, but Isaldora ignored her.
"Wh... What?" Xavier looked at Renna then back at Isaldora, confused. "Ho... How, why?"
"I don't know why she has that but my guess is it must be connected to some kinda old mental trauma or something close." Isaldora stated coolly with a shrug.
She didn't miss the way Renna gulped nervously, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. And it just confirmed Isaldora's theory.
Well, part of the pain Renna experienced was undoubtedly the punishment for her attempted betrayal. But the self-harm, the clawing and choking? That was something else entirely.
Isaldora didn't know the specifics, but she was sure the crap was tied to a deep-seated trauma in Renna's past.
She stared at Renna with her calculative eyes. When Renna had first shown up three years ago looking for a job, Isaldora had sensed something unusually off about her. Renna had seemed human, yet there was also something else in her blood, running through her veins—something not human that was growing and trying to wake up.
And the weirdest part? Renna wasn't even that shocked to find out Isaldora was a witch. She didn't gasp or stare. Her reaction was more like, 'Oh, great. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.' Like her life was just swapping one kind of nightmare for another.
On top of that, the girl was clearly running from some major trauma of her own. She was terrified of something. So, when Isaldora made her sign that contract, she had placed a barrier on her mind and body —a leash on whatever that weird, non-human thing was growing inside Renna. It kept the girl stable and, more importantly, under her control.
That was the real reason Isaldora hired her on the spot. Sure, she could have hired someone more experienced, but she wanted someone whom she could control. And let's be real, who's gonna work harder and be more loyal than someone who's desperate, has nowhere else to go, and is secretly terrified of their own shadow? Renna was the perfect employee.
Xavier looked at Renna, his expression completely broken. He gently caressed her face like she was made of glass. "Why didn't you tell me, baby?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Tears pooled in Renna's eyes. She was trapped. How could she explain something she didn't even understand herself?
"I... I didn't... I thought it was over. I haven't had an episode in years..." she mumbled, barely getting the words out. It was true. She'd basically forgotten about the fits entirely. Strangely, they'd stopped right around the time she started working for Isla Aether. Her eyes flicked nervously toward Isaldora, who was staring back with that unnerving, knowing look that always made her want to crawl out of her skin. Renna shifted uncomfortably under the weight of that gaze.
"Did me marking you..." Xavier swallowed hard, looking utterly tormented, "Did that trigger your trauma?"
Isaldora tilted her head, a thoughtful hum escaping her. Hmmm. Now that's a very interesting point. A werewolf's marking was in itself a powerful supernatural thing. It made perfect sense that a surge of magic like that could've messed with the barrier she'd placed on Renna.
Renna looked at Xavier with wide eyes. Now that she was bearing his mark, she could feel his emotions like they were her own. And she could practically taste his guilt and worry now. So, she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close, comforting him.
He wrapped her up in a bone-crushing hug, holding on like she was his lifeline and her eyes began to flow like a waterfall.
Isaldora watched them for a second and then rolled her eyes so hard she saw her own brain. Ugh, emotional drama. Without another word, she pushed off from the bed and headed for the door. She didn't even glance back. Her job here was done besides she didn't get anything useful.
"I'm s-sorry," Renna choked out, hiccupping. "I didn't mean... hic... to scare you. I'm just... hic... such a mess."
Xavier pulled back just enough to cradle her face in his hands. "Shhh, no. Don't you ever say that," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you. All of you. Nothing changes that. Okay?"
She gave a shaky nod, sniffling as her tears slowly subsided.
He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss on her eyes, then the tip of her nose, before finally capturing her lips in a deep, tender kiss. Gently, he guided her back against the mattress, lowering himself over her, showing her just how much he loved her.