22 Guess Who Had The Last Laugh?

Salana inhaled deeply, smelling Cyrus close to her. She smiled, opening her eyes and reaching for him, only to see him tied up being tortured right in front of her while she slept peacefully. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She couldn't make a sound, nor could she stop them. The only thing she could do was watch as her love was tortured in front of her. Agony. Pain. Despair. She felt like she was suffocating. What could she do? How could she help him? She saw him smile gently at her, as if he was telling her not to worry. At that point, even if her voice couldn't be heard, she screamed.

They awoke to the sound of Salana screaming in pain and rushed upstairs only to see her stuck in a dream. Ariana ran over to her, gently shaking her awake, but she kept screaming. She shook her harder and harder, but it didn't work. No matter how they tried to wake her, she wouldn't or couldn't wake up. Even after she had screamed herself hoarse, she wouldn't stop. When she started scratching at herself, Hector sent for a doctor to sedate her. By the time Doctor Cirillo got there, they had had to hold her arms down to prevent her from hurting herself. He did a brief external examination with a mana infused stethoscope and light pen, then he injected his mana into her body to see what was happening internally. He sighed.

"She has a perforation in her esophagus and she's suffering from sensory and neurological overload. Possibly from whatever is happening in her dream. Since we can't wake her, what we can do is put her into a deeper sleep. Generally, if you're in a deep sleep, you don't dream. I'm going to give her a sedative that will last for roughly 20 or so hours. This one is designed for werewolves, so there's no need to worry about it burning out faster. Providing that she doesn't dream and remains relatively calm, her healing will kick in and regulate her body and heal her throat as well, "he said while preparing the sedative. "Do you have any queries or concerns before I inject her?"

They collectively shook their heads.

"Well, okay then. I'll be giving her the sedative now. "

He injected her and used his mana to speed up the spread of the sedative and make it twice as effective. He wanted her to truly be able to rest. He knew that people who loved their mates usually killed themselves, unable to take the pain, so he wanted her to be pain-free as long as possible and wake up with a clear mind. 

"Alright, I'm done. If anything changes, call me. "

Daneigha walked him out while Ariana and her husband sat stroking Salana's hair. "Thank you for coming, Dr. Cirillo. I appreciate it, "she said. "It's been hard on us."

He handed her a bottle. "I can see that. Take two every night to sleep. " With that, he took his leave, leaving her holding the bottle, baffled. Did he notice she couldn't sleep? She looked at the bottle and noticed they were used for sleep and to refresh one's mind. She smiled. It was indeed what she needed at this point because she had to be strong until the end. Not just for her own sake, but for her daughter's as well.

Meanwhile, elsewhere

"Was it done?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Good," he smirked, "Where is the recording of it?" 

"Right here."

"Who were the people you got to do it?"

"Members of the Moonlight and Blood Moon packs."

He looked at the mana stone in his hands, satisfied. "What about the people you used for the trap?"

"We used women from the Crescent Moon and Full Moon clans."

"Those packs with mostly women?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"You did great work, as always. You never disappoint, Jason. For your service, I will definitely make you Beta. You have one more job to do, though. Get it done and return to your new position. "

"Yes, Alpha. Thank you. "

Jason bowed to the man sitting on the chair and sped off to complete his task. He would make sure it was executed perfectly. His position depended on this, and he would allow no one to stop him or get in his way.

He watched him go, smirking sardonically. He was indeed a man who got things done and was meticulous in executing them. He injected mana into the stone and watched intently as the person he hated was tortured to the point of breaking and enjoyed it. He laughed loudly. Guess who has the last laugh now, fated mate. Guess? It certainly wasn't you. She was mine to begin with. You had no right to touch her. Maybe if you hadn't, I would have simply killed you. But you used those fingers to touch her, so they had to be broken for your impudence. Those feet you used to walk to her, naturally, they had to be removed. The hair you allowed her to touch, well, it was chopped off and the scalp marked as it should be. The arms you held her in had to be branded with my mark so I could remove your stamp on her and that face she loved to look at and touch. Of course, I had to make it unrecognizable. She should look at no one but me. 

"I guess for now I had the last laugh, oh "fated" mate." He laughed. "Now there is nothing stopping me from getting what I want. Nothing and no one. Like I said before, no one could stop me, Nathan Murrows, from getting what I wanted. "