Chapter 212 Puresylva


    TESSA


    The moment was broken the moment we heard rustling. My body tensed while Rowan moved quickly, going out of the water, to look for signs of intrusion.


    However, as he got closer to the bush, he leaned down and pulled out a… bunny?


    A small, snow–white bunny. I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding, the tension leaving me all at once. Rowan turned around and showed it to me.


    It was so tiny, fitting in his palm like it was made to be there. The bunny didn’t even struggle–it trusted him so much. I stared for a second longer than I should have, caught in the image of Rowan, wet hair dripping down his temple, broad shoulders glistening with water under the weak light. He smirked as though he knew exactly what I was thinking, running his fingers through his damp hair.


    “It looks like you,” he said, smirking, holding the bunny toward me.


    “Excuse me?”


    “The bunny. It looks like you.”


    I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the warmth creeping into my cheeks, and waded out of the waters, shivering. My clothes clung to my skin, heavy and cold, and I scowled because my money was wet and my boots were ruined, and I was in no mood for Rowan’s smirking face.


    “Let’s go,” I said.


    I wanted to forget the kiss, the way his lips felt against mine, and the way my wolf leaped like she’d been waiting for that moment forever. I wanted to forget everything because it made me weak, and I wasn’t supposed to be weak anymore. I didn’t want to be that girl again–the one who broke every time Rowan so much as breathed near her.


    I stepped onto the forest floor and started walking, leaving him behind.


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    Chapter 212 Puresylva


    “Tessa,” Rowan called, his voice soft butmanding all the same.


    I didn’t turn.


    “Don’t you have anything to say?”


    I froze for a moment.


    “The bunny wants to say something,” he added, trying to lighten the air, but it only made me click my tongue.


    I turned atst, ready to re at him again, but my breath caught instead.


    The bunny… she looked like Ca.


    My heart squeezed at the sight.


    I had always beenpared to a bunny, and Ca had looked so much like me, only she had Rowan’s hair and eyes.


    I swallowed hard and reached out my hand before I could think about it. My fingers brushed over the bunny’s soft fur, and for just a moment, I let myself smile.


    “She looks like her,” I whispered before I could stop myself.


    Rowan didn’t say anything. When I looked up at him, he wasn’t smirking anymore. He was just… looking at me. Fondly. Sadly.


    I dropped my smile quickly, shaking my head, and turned away before he could say anything else. I didn’t want this moment tost any longer.


    He opened his mouth. I could tell he was about to call my name again when something caught my eye.


    “There,” I said sharply.


    Rowan frowned, following my gaze, but I was already walking toward it.


    Nestled near the roots of an old oak was the herb I had been searching for. Its pale


    Chapter 212 Puresylva


    31


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    green stalks shimmered faintly under the fading light, its delicate white blossoms swaying gently to greet me.


    I knelt and ran my fingers over the petals, relief washing through me. “I found it,” I said quietly.


    Rowan came closer, crouching beside me. “What is it?”


    “Puresylva,” I murmured, plucking a few careful stalks and cing them gently into my satchel. “It’ll help Arden.”


    ***


    By the time we got back to the pack clinic, Arden was already looking worse. Her face was pale, and there was a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead that indicated she was running out of time. Cade was still there, sitting on the edge of the bed, his head bowed and fingers interlocked.


    When he saw us enter, his head snapped up, and I caught the fear, in his he didn’t bother masking. “Did you find it?” he asked, his voice tight.


    “Yes,” I said shortly, already moving. There wasn’t any time to waste.


    Iid my satchel on the bag, pulling out the Puresylva with careful hands.


    eyes that


    My mind focused immediately. This was something I knew I could do. The anxiety, the ache in my chest, the lingering memory of the river and Rowan’s lips -all of it faded to the background as instinct took over.


    “Boil some water,” I instructed the nurse sharply without looking up. She scrambled to obey. I ground the stalks into a fine, glowing paste, then separated a portion into a small bowl. I worked quickly, my hands steady despite my racing heart.


    “Hold her up for me,” I told Cade.


    He didn’t hesitate. Cade gently lifted Arden, supporting her head while I mixed the paste with the boiled water, creating a thin, slightly luminous liquid.


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    Chapter 212 Puresylva


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    “Drink,” I said softly, bringing the cup to Arden’s lips. She was weak, but she obeyed, coughing a little as the bitter taste hit her tongue.


    “Good,” I murmured, setting the cup aside before preparing the second part.


    I soaked a clean piece of cloth in the thicker paste I’d saved and pressed it gently to her wound. “This will help in a few-”


    “Few what?” Cade asked quickly, panic stillcing his voice.


    I nced up at him and let a small smile tug at my lips. “Seconds,” I said.


    And just like I promised, the effect was almost immediate.


    The angry red edges of the wound softened first, then began to knit together before our eyes. The silvery–ck taint that had been spreading under her skin receded like ink dissolving in water.


    Cade let out a shuddering breath, his shoulders finally rxing. I checked her pulse, then her breathing, nodding to myself. “She’s okay,” I said firmly, pulling back.


    Almost as soon as I spoke, thest of the wound closed up, leaving only faint discoloration where it had been. Cade’s expression broke into one of utter relief.


    I stood, wiping my hands, and turned to Rowan, who was leaning casually against the doorway, watching me. “Here,” I said, pouring some of the leftover solution into a small cup and holding it out to him. “Put it on your cheek before it gets worse.”


    He pushed off the wall and walked toward me, that insufferable smirk tugging at his mouth. “Why don’t you put it on me?” he said, lowering his voice just slightly.


    I frowned, holding the cup a little closer to him. “You can do it yourself.”


    But he just blinked those dark eyes at me and tilted his head, looking infuriatingly amused. “Please?”