25. Harley #2
“When Adam took this, it didn’t simply heal him. Whatever is in these things appears to repair what it finds broken. We watched it heal injuries that shouldn’t have healed so quickly, and then we watched it do something nobody thought was possible.”
Nathan nods.
“If it’d only healed him, we’d have looked at it as a really unique medicine. But it didn’t stop there.”
Marcus rolls the capsule between his fingers.
“Your situation isn’t the same as Adam’s. You’re already a shifter. But your wolf withdrew after your injury, and whether that’s because of the physical damage, the trauma, or something else entirely, none of us knows.”
His gaze holds steady on Val.
“What I do know is that if this thing can force dormant shifter biology to wake up in a human, then there’s a reasonable chance it could help a damaged shifter as well.”
“A chance,” Val says quietly.
“A chance,” Marcus agrees.
Silence settles over the room.
Then Marcus closes his fingers around the capsule.
“But listen carefully. This has to be your decision.”
The authority in his voice doesn’t lessen, but it changes somehow, becoming something more personal.
“I am not ordering you to take it. Nathan isn’t asking you to take it. If you decide the risk isn’t worth it, nobody in this room will think less of you.”
“Not for a second,” Nathan says immediately.
Marcus inclines his head.
“You’ve already survived things that would’ve destroyed most men. If you choose to leave things as they are, we’ll support that choice.”
He opens his hand again, revealing the capsule.
“And if you decide to try it, we’ll support that choice too.”
For the first time since the conversation started, a faint smile touches his mouth.
“You won’t be facing whatever happens alone.”
He lowers the capsule and holds it out toward Val.
“I still don’t think it’ll restore your eyesight,” Marcus says. “I could be wrong, but I don’t believe that’s what this thing does. What I do think is that it may heal your leg properly and give your wolf the push he needs to come back to you.”
Val remains silent, but his gaze never leaves the capsule.
Marcus studies him for a moment before continuing.
“You’ve adapted better than most men would’ve. Nobody here doubts that. But I’ve known you a long time, Val. Long enough to know you’ve never truly accepted losing your wolf.”
Something tightens in Val’s expression.
Marcus sees it too.
“You miss him.”
It’s not a question.
Val swallows.
“Yes.”
Nathan shifts forward in his chair.
“And that’s the part Harley needs to understand. The bond between mates isn’t just physical. There are instincts, emotions, communication, things the two of you aren’t getting because his wolf isn’t fully present.”
He gestures toward Val.
“Maybe you’ve both managed without it so far, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t paying a price for it.”
The room falls quiet. For a few seconds nobody says anything. Then Marcus speaks again.
“But none of that changes what I already said.”
His voice is calm and steady.
“This has to be your decision.”
He keeps the capsule resting in his palm rather than pressing it toward Val.
“If you decide the risk isn’t worth taking, that’s the end of it. Nobody here is going to pressure you. Not me. Not Nathan. Not Harley.”
Nathan nods.
“We’ll support you either way.”
Marcus inclines his head.
“The only thing I won’t allow is for you to take it because you think anyone expects you to.”
I reach over and lace my fingers through Val’s.
“You don’t have to prove anything to anybody.”
Val squeezes my hand.
“I know.”
“And if you decide not to take it?”
His thumb brushes over my knuckles.
“Then nothing changes.”
I nod.
“Then that’s okay too.”
For several seconds nobody speaks.
Marcus waits.
Nathan waits.
Val studies the capsule for so long that I begin to think he’s decided against it.
Then he exhales slowly.
“I do miss him.”
Nathan’s brow furrows.
“Your wolf?”
Val nods.
“I spent most of my life with him. I never questioned whether he was there. I never had to. Then one day I woke up and everything was different.” His voice roughens. “Maybe he’s hiding because he’s ashamed. Maybe he’s hurt. Maybe he’s just lost. I don’t know anymore.”
The admission hurts to hear.
Val swallows hard and finally lifts his gaze to Marcus.
“If there’s a chance he’s still in there...if there’s a chance I can reach him... I have to try.”
Marcus gives a single nod and Val takes the capsule from his hand.
Before I can suggest water, before anyone can say another word, he puts it into his mouth and swallows.
His face twists immediately.
“The taste that bad?” I ask.
“Worse.”
The word comes out strained.
Then he goes completely still and every muscle in his body locks.
My stomach drops.
“Val?”
His mouth opens as though he’s trying to answer me.
Pain flashes across his face.
“Val?”
His entire body jerks.
The chair rattles beneath him. His eyes roll upward.
“Val!”
I’m already moving before I realize it, panic crashing through me as I reach for him. The chair behind me topples backward and hits the floor with a crash.
Nathan is on his feet. Marcus is moving.
But all I can see is Val.
One second he’s sitting beside me.
The next he’s convulsing.
Fear explodes through me.
“Val!”
My shout breaks into a scream as he collapses.