Rylee’s Punishment

Rylee's Pov

I opened my eyes and groaned to the stinging pain that rushed from my leg throughout my body. "You are okay, you are okay," I heard Cameron whispered as he grabbed my hand. I tightened mine on his and my eyelids slowly fluttered open. I could see his warm smile as he softly asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like a train ran down on me," I replied groaning.

Cameron chuckled. "Well, considered what you have been through, to a human, it must surely feel like they have been run down by a train." I smiled and tried to sit up but Cameron held me down, "not yet, you are still too weak."

"Come on Cameron, what am I, a human?" I rolled my eyes and insisted on getting up but when I moved my leg, a sharp pain shot through me and I shivered in the pain. Cameron rushed and held me, helping me to lie back down. "It was a dangerous poison right?" I hissed due to the pain.

"Yes, but don't worry, Catherine is doing her best to detoxify it. You will be good to go in no time."

I nodded as it was too painful to speak. Silence ensued and when the pain had subsided a little, I asked, "dad picked up me last night, right?"

"It wasn't last night, it was two nights ago."

"Two nights?" I sparked, but how?

Cameron nodded, "you have been asleep for two days straight."

"Damn," I whispered, "and yet I still feel weak."

"Yeah, Catherine mentioned you would be like that."

"My leg hurts more than my body," I whispered.

"About that," Cameron bit his lip but his action had grabbed my attention, "you were poisoned with Garuda flower."

"What?"

"And it was coated with wolfsbane."

"Another what? Does the hunter want to kill me or what?" I grumbled but then I noticed that Cameron was unnecessary quiet and I glanced at him. "Why do I feel like you are leaving an important detail out?"

Cameron sighed and looked up at me, "Rylee, Catherine said the poison was in you for a long time and also since it would be hard to detoxify that before she can be done with everything, it would have already done a damage on you. She has been trying since the past two days but there is still a little bit of the poison left in you."

"What is the price I have to pay?" I asked softly, the fear of what he would say next slowly creeping into me.

"Catherine fears you might not be able to use your leg again."

"What?" I asked, "how…I mean…" my eyes clouded over and it wasn't long, the tears started falling down my cheeks. "No, it can't be, I refuse to accept this. I think Catherine is too old to know what she is doing."

"Rylee," Cameron hushed me "Catherine is the best healer any wolf knows. Have you forgotten how wolves from other packs seek for her medical expertise? Listen, your leg is still attached on you because she was the one that treated you. Everyone knows that the best way to treat Garuda poison if the victim wasn't dead already was to cut off the source of contact. You should be thankful to her; at least, there is hope, a big hope."

"There is no hope if I can't use my leg, Cameron!" I yelled.

"You haven't truly lost it for crying out loud, there is some poison in you and its still being detoxified. There is a probability you can be able to walk properly once it's done," Cameron yelled. "Come on, look at the better picture here, you are only worrying about your leg. Do you have any idea the part we found you in? What do you think would have happened if a nightwalker had stumbled upon you looking as weak as you were, do you think you would have just been worrying over a leg?"

I had wanted to reply back, but his words had slapped my next words back into my mouth as his face came to my mind. Those midnight blue eyes, those lips, that face, everything seemed to rush back to my mind like a tap of memories has been opened. Our encounter, how he had helped me, the glowing of his red eyes when he saw my blood, how he had quickly healed from my claws wound. I slumped on the bed, my previous worry forgotten. "Cameron," I whispered.

Seeing how calmed I had become, Cameron calmed as well and grabbed my hand, "listen, I know you are worried but I have fate in Catherine, there is no wolf brought to her that she wasn't able to cure. She would cure you, I believe in that. We just have to give her time, it would only be temporal." He reached forward and tucked my hair behind her ear. "It's all my fault though, if I had insisted that you weren't going anywhere, maybe this wouldn't have happened, maybe you wouldn't be in this situation."

I glanced at him then, my eyes were clear as water. "Cameron," I whispered again, "is it possible for a nightwalker to heal from our claw wounds in seconds?"

Cameron frowned as the question was totally different from what they were talking about, "no, why?"

I furrowed my brows, "although the treaty is on, but has a nightwalker ever meet a wolf and not fight to kill?"

"It has never been recorded. I won't see a nightwalker and let him go if I know I would win the fight, likewise them. The treaty is only keeping us from being at war; it's not stopping us from having personal fights. Everyone knows that."

"Hmm," I nodded, "yeah, everyone knows that," I quietly muttered. The strange nightwalker's action playing in my mind, rather than killing ne, he had actually pried open the teeth of the trap for me. I had hurt him, but not only did he not kill me, he wasn't even angry at me, what happened?

"Rylee, why all these questions, did something happen that night?" Cameron asked worriedly.

I turned to him, I couldn't figure out how to begin telling him what happened and then the door opened and I was happy with the interruption. 

"You are awake," a gentle voice said and I turned to the door to see Catherine entering with a steaming bowl. "I have just finished preparing these herbs for you. It's good you are awake so that you will take them on your own."

"Catherine, will I be able to walk properly again or am I going to limp for the rest of my life?" I asked.

Catherine smiled and placed the bowl on the vanity; she went to me and undid my bandage to have a clear look on my wound, "you should be more thankful that you are alive rather than worrying over a leg."

"You know why I'm worried Catherine, I am the alpha's daughter, I should be among the strong wolves, not the weak and deformed one."

Catherine smiled, "nevertheless, you should be happy that you are alive."

"I am happy, but Catherine…"

"You should have some more rest, you have big a day tonight." She went and picked up the bowl again.

"Big night? What's happening tonight?" I asked and glanced at Cameron who was looking downcast. "Cameron, what's happening?"

"Here," Catherine passed me the bowl, "take this, it will give you some strength before nighttime and make sure you finished every last drop, okay?" She sighed and tucked a tendril of my hair behind my ear. "You need to be strong, girl, so save your strength," saying that, she turned and left the room.

I turned to Cameron immediately, "Cameron, what is going on?"

Cameron sighed. "Everyone knows you went to the human realm and you got hurt because you broke the rule."

My grip on the bowl tightened, "I'm to be punished," I whispered.

Cameron nodded. "Alpha said you are to be punished whenever you wake up."

"But I'm…I'm still too weak."

Cameron scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "It has been the same with every other wolf that broke the rule. According to Alpha, you have already been pardoned enough, other wolves were punished on the night they broke the rule but you…you were given the grace to rest and be treated first. It caused an uproar yesterday, families of the wolves that had been punished were calling Alpha out for being partial towards you and some of them threatened to report to the High Howlers if he doesn't do the right thing. Catherine saved the day by saying that other wolves were punished on the day because they were not poisoned and have their strength with them, whereas you were not only poisoned but with Garuda flower and wolfsbane. So if they don't want you to die, they should really let you rest before your punishment."

I nodded, "alright then, I am not afraid of being punished but I will need to regain more strength, no one knows I have woken up so, I can pretend to still be asleep."

Cameron sighed and shrugged, "Rylee, Catherine told everyone you will wake up this morning; it's why I'm here, because I wanted to be with you when you wake up. And you know Catherine; she will never indulge anyone so I'm sure your dad would already know by now that you are awake."

I nodded and closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry Rylee, I had no choice but to tell them where you went and imagine if I hadn't, you would have been dead by now."

"It's alright Cam, I'm not blaming you," I smiled softly to him and sighed, I blamed that vampire, if he had just ignored me as I did to him, maybe I wouldn't have stepped on the trap and tgen I wouldn't have to loose my leg and then I wouldn't have to be punished. "I guess it's inevitable," I looked down at the bowl with a sigh and closing my eyes, I drank the bitter medicine in a gulp. I gasped and belged, "yeesh, I hate Catherine's medicines."

Cameron smiled knowing I was trying to lighten the mood. He caressed my hair, "hey, you are the toughest she-wolf that I know, that punishment will be nothing."

I smiled. "Of course, it will be a piece of cake."

Cameron grinned and rubbed my back, "lay back down, you need the rest."

I nodded and did as I was told. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being pampered by Cameron as I distracted my self from the thought of what was awaiting me.