The woman sounded as though she knew something Seraphine herself did not.
"Why do you say that?" Seraphine asked slowly, forcing herself to push through the discomfort long enough to speak clearly. "I need something that can handle this pain because I already know orthodox medicine doesn't work for us."
Nessa's eyes softened with sadness. "You're right about that," she admitted quietly.
A heavy silence filled the room as she continued looking at Seraphine with an expression that carried both sympathy and reluctance.
"If you want the pain to stop," Nessa said after a moment, her voice calm but firm, "then you have to return to the pack."
The words seemed to settle into the air like something solid.
Seraphine stared at her, stunned. For several seconds, no one spoke.
Her mind slowly processed what Nessa had just said, the meaning settling heavily in her chest.
