Alseep In His Arms.

The door creaks open, and Ace steps back into the dimly lit room, his footsteps hesitant but steady.

In his hands, he carries a small wooden case, its contents clinking softly with every step.

Kieran is still in bed, eyes closed, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. His body remains tense, as if even in sleep, he refuses to let himself rest.

He muffles Ace's name again, even in his sleep.

Ace isn't alone.

Beside him, an older man with silver-streaked hair and sharp, perceptive eyes observes Kieran with the practiced gaze of a healer.

The pack doctor, Elder Towan, was one of the few wolves Kieran actually listened to

_ when he bothered to listen to anyone at all.

Towan exhales as he sets his things down on a nearby table. "Still not healing properly?" he mutters, more to himself than to Ace.