Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 63: Venom

The healer was doing another round of checks on Selena when she noticed something.

The healer’s hands trembled slightly as she took a step back, eyes narrowing as she studied Selena. "I... I don’t understand," she admitted, her voice low and hesitant. "I’ve heard that you didn’t have a wolf." Her gaze flicked to Selena’s chest, then down to her hands, searching for the subtle signs she had trained herself to read. "But... I can see it now. There’s a wolf inside you. Strong, alive... yet it’s suppressed. Almost as if it’s being held back, chained from its own strength."

Selena’s brow furrowed. "Suppressed?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, fear creeping beneath the question.

The healer swallowed hard, looking away for a moment as though the truth hurt her to admit. "Yes. Something is keeping it faint, quiet, weak. But it is still there. I can feel it. I don’t know how or why. I only know it is being held against its will."

Selena pressed her hand to her side, feeling the faint stirrings of her wolf, almost imperceptible but undeniably present.

A cold knot of realization settled in her stomach. If her wolf could be suppressed, if someone could touch that bond, then she was in far more danger than she had imagined.

Selena’s breaths came in shallow pulls as she leaned against the bed, the faint scent of herbs still clinging to the room. Her hands shook slightly as they pressed against her side where the faintest ache lingered. She could feel her wolf, but it was weak, whisper-thin, barely stirring beneath her skin.

"Please," she whispered, voice trembling, "you have to help me. I... I’m dying."

The healer’s face, usually composed, wavered for a moment. Her eyes softened, and she took a small step closer, as if tempted to reach out. "Princess... I wish I could," she said, her voice cracking. "I truly wish I could help you."

Selena’s heart seized. "Then why don’t you? Please, tell me what’s wrong. I can’t..."

The healer’s gaze darted toward the door, then flicked back to Selena, fear etched into every line of her face. "Silas has threatened me. He told me what would happen if I ever spoke against him. You’re the rightful heir, Selena, I know that. But I am only a woman, and the elders would never believe me over him."

Selena’s eyes narrowed, panic sharpening into something colder. "I don’t care what he threatens. You have to tell me. My life, my wolf, is at stake."

The healer closed her eyes briefly, then exhaled as though surrendering to the moment. "Very well. But you must understand that I cannot do more."

Selena leaned forward, urgency spilling into her voice. "Please. I need to know what is happening to me." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"There is something wrong with your wolf," the healer whispered. She hesitated before finally saying, "It is called vermora

Selena froze.

Vermora. She had heard the name only in whispered stories. It was a sickness that preyed on the wolf within, one that could kill it outright or leave its host paralyzed and broken. It was not common, but when it struck, the treatment was nearly impossible.

"My wolf... it’s in danger?" she asked slowly, dread pooling in her chest.

The healer nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes. If this continues, it could destroy you. Your strength, your freedom. Your wolf may not survive."

Selena’s pulse raced. "How... how could I have contracted it?"

The healer’s lips tightened, and her eyes flicked away. She said nothing, but her gaze lingered on the cup of herbal tea that still rested on the table.

Something clicked in Selena’s mind. The sudden weakness, the fatigue, the faint traces of illness. Silas and Loretta. They had been poisoning her all along. This was not just illness. This was a trap, and the danger was real.

Selena’s hands pressed to her temples. She focused inward, reaching for her wolf. The connection was faint, like trying to hear a whisper across a storm. But it was there, fragile but present.

"I... I have to get out," she whispered to herself, resolve hardening in her chest.

She turned back to the healer, her voice low but urgent. "You have to help me. You cannot let him kill me. Please... you have to let me go."

The healer’s eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head slightly, lips pressed into a thin line.

Selena stepped closer, lowering her voice even further. "You do not have to speak. I will not tell anyone. Your name will never leave this room. I only need you to let me escape."

The woman’s hands trembled, hovering near the herbs on the counter. Her eyes darted to the door, as if imagining Silas stepping in at any moment.

Selena pressed a hand to her chest, forcing calm into her voice. "I am the princess. I am the heir. You know it, and you know what is happening. I can survive this if you help me, but if you stay silent... I may not last the night."

The healer’s lips parted, a flicker of shame and fear crossing her face. She opened her mouth, then hesitated, swallowing hard as her eyes flicked again to the door.

Selena’s gaze locked onto hers. "Please. Just help me. I will not betray you. I swear it."

The woman’s breath hitched. Her hand twitched toward the lock of the door, as if deciding whether she dared defy Silas. She swallowed, lips trembling, and nodded faintly. Whether she would act, whether she would truly help, Selena could not know.

Selena stepped back slightly, pressing her hands to her sides, tasting fear and resolve in equal measure. The herbal tea, the faint traces of poison, the weakness of her wolf. Everything had finally begun to make sense.

Her wolf pulsed faintly beneath her skin, fragile but still alive.

And she made her choice.

She would escape.

She would survive. And she would reclaim control before the venom Silas and Loretta had set into motion claimed her completely.

The room fell silent.

Selena’s eyes never left the healer’s.

The woman’s hand trembled where it hovered near the door.

For a long moment, she did not move.

Then her fingers slowly closed around the lock.