-:Cecelia's PoV:-

"Silver?" Aston hissed. He took my hand gently, inspecting the burn that refused to heal as it should have.

Because of silver.

"Are you okay, Luna?" The brown-haired boy asked. My eyes widened.

Ashton told them?

"They were right next to me when I recognized you as my mate, Cecelia," Ashton read my face. "And besides, they're my best friends. I would have told them regardless."

I swallowed and forced a nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said with a small smile.

"I'm Noel, Ashton's third in command," he introduced himself, grinning. That was contagious and I found myself smiling wider too.

"Call me Cecelia," I told him. Ashton frowned at that. I ignored him, suddenly remembering his behavior last night.

"Hayden, second in command," the blonde on smiled. I smiled in return again.

"Nice to meet you," I said politely. It became awkward. I was at a loss for words. What do you say to your mate's best friends?

Julian sensed it and finally interrupted.

"Let's get you patched up," Julian suggested, eyeing how the burn was bleeding. I sighed. A bandage would help. And cleaning all the remnants of silver would speed up the recovery, even if just a little.

"Sure," I said, almost relieved.

"I'll come with you," Ashton stated.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. You would think he would learn after last night.

"With you guys," he corrected reluctantly.

"That's what I thought," I muttered.

"We'll come too," Hayden and Noel said simultaneously. I got an idea and grinned evilly on the inside. I brought my good hand to my hip and stood in an arrogant pose. I looked at them questioningly.

"Will you?" I asked haughtily. They looked at each other, a little alarmed.

"We mean, c-can we?" They stuttered. I bit back a laugh. Julian wasn't so successful. He chortled. My cover blown, I laughed with him. Their reaction was priceless.

"Of course you can!" I laughed. "It's a free country."

They chuckled nervously. Ashton smirked.

"Every time," Julian muttered under his breath.

"Almost every time, Jules," I corrected sweetly.

"Right," he drawled.

"Shall we?" Ashton cleared his throat.

"Hmm," I agreed. As soon as my distraction was over, I felt the pain in my hand. It burned and it felt hot. Sera whined and whimpered. The silver had gotten to her. Shit. They must have used a lot of it.

Whoever they were.

They pushed the door to the infirmary and ushered me in. The nurse, a middle-aged lady, put down her magazine and looked at us with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes?" She asked, "How many I help you all?

"Her hand is bleeding, do we really need to answer that?" Ashton snapped. Out of reflex, I placed my good hand on his forearm without even glancing at him. I felt him relax under my touch. I smirked internally. So he was affected by me, after all.

"If you could please clean and bandage my arm, that'll be very nice," I smiled politely at her.

"Your posse can leave," she waved her hand dismissively. I was surprised she didn't ask how I got hurt. 

Ashton scoffed at her. She turned to him challengingly.

"They'll go," I said before he could. She gave me a pleased look and started gathering the necessary supplies. I turned to Ashton.

"Wait outside, it's okay," I told him.

"No," he protested adamantly.

"Ashton," I sighed.

"I'm not-"

"Jules," I looked at Julian meaningfully. He got the hint. I gave the same look to Noel and Hayden and they smirked at one another. The three of them hauled a livid Ashton outside not a second later. When I turned to the nurse lady, she gave me an amused look. I forced another smile on my face.

She gestured for me to sit down as she poured antiseptic over a wad of cotton.

"Overprotective boyfriend, hun?" She asked, a smile in her voice.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said surly. I didn't like her. She didn't let them stay, and now she wanted to make small talk. I hissed loudly when the cotton made contact with my skin. I flinched and pulled my hand back when she pressed deeper. She gripped my hand in hers to keep it in place as she cleaned more forcefully.

That time I couldn't hold it back. I screamed again, jerking my hand away from her, inching away. The door burst open but the nurse looked irritated.

"What happened?" Julian demanded.

"Honey, it always hurts," she told me, ignoring them. "It'll be alright in a minute."

"No," I said shakily.

"Sweetie -"

"She said no," Ashton cut her off coldly.

"Which one of us has the knowledge to treat her?" She fired, "That's right, me."

"But-"

"I've seen plenty of children shy away from the antiseptic's burns. It's normal," she assured. Normal? Normal?! She called the fire an antiseptic burn? The fire that seemed to be spreading through my arm? She took my hand again with a reassuring smile. But again as soon as she made contact with my arm, I held back a scream.

What was wrong with me? I was used to training with people twice my size and get all bloodied and beat up. Yet it felt like that all of that hurt less than the antiseptic was in the moment. The silver was messing with my head.

"I can't," I pulled my hand away from her again. I took deep, shaky breaths, feeling light-headed. I saw Julian pick up the bottle of antiseptic and scowl. His body tensed. He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw.

Ashton sat down forcefully between me and the nurse, making sure she couldn't try anything again.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded weakly.

"We're leaving," Jules stated.

"Her arm will get infected." The nurse frowned.

"My mother is a doctor, she'll patch her up," he lied smoothly. "Let's go."

I  got to my feet and the world swirled around me. I stumbled. Ashton caught me.

"What the fuck?" He exclaimed.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered, blinking in the hope of getting rid of the black spots in front of my eyes. He gently guided me out, keeping a firm hold on my waist and shoulder. My steps got more forced and my eyelids got heavier.

"What's happening to her?" Ashton demanded frantically.

"Wolfsbane," Julian cursed.

"What?!" Noel asked incredulously.

"That antiseptic," Julian said. "It was spiked. With a heavy dose of Wolfsbane."

My brain practically stopped functioning and I stumbled despite Ashton supporting me. He cursed and stopped walking.

"I'm going to carry you, okay?" He said to me. I nodded feebly. He gently took my good hand and slung it over his shoulder. Then, in one swift motion, I was in his arms, his hands under my knees and waist.

I stopped listening after that, the need to close my eyes overpowering everything else. My brain went fuzzy . . . not in a good way. I gave in to the urge quickly.

"Lia!" I heard a panicked Julian yell and shifted from my nap. I realized I was on Ashton's lap, his arms around me in a protective circle. I felt comforted. The sparks were gentle, less intense than before, but I felt nice and loved. I snuggled deeper into his arms and he didn't protest.

"Hnnnn . . ." I whined, unable to open my eyes. I moved a little then whimpered as I felt the pain in my arm. I went still again.

"Open your eyes!" Ashton commanded, gently patting my cheek. I felt that we were moving.

"Do not fall asleep again!" Julian added. I hummed in agreement despite not doing anything and welcomed the darkness.

The last thing remembered I heard was someone's alarmed voice urging, "Fuck! She's going in, drive fa-!" 

And then I was out like a light.

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A/N:-

Here's the promised Sunday evening update.

It was a super busy day. I did well on my test, sort of. Thank you so much for all your good wishes. I love you all.

So, first, silver then wolfsbane? What's going on? What happened to Lia? Will she be okay?

Keep reading to find out.

That's all for today. I know it's a very short update but I'm very tired. I want to sleep. It's a little over nine in the evening here in India but eh, I'm calling it an early night. God knows I need it.

Take care, you guys. I hope you are all well.

QOTD: Jeans or sweatpants?

Tap that star on your way out!!

Until next time, all my love,
xoxo.