Hallucinations.

The word echoed in her head like the lyrics of a song on repeat, but the tune wasn't soothing at all. If anything, it haunted her and the pounding grew until she could feel a headache gnawing at the inside of her skull with its sharp teeth. She clutched her hair between her fingers and slouched further into the seat, her face flushed red from the avalanche of emotions brewing within her. It shook the very foundation of her existence. Her whole life had been a lie, just a fragment of her imagination that she kept weaving until it left her suffocating. Tears of despair continued to descend her cheeks at the thought of Megan, Diya, and Laura. Her friends had never been real. How crazy was that?

"You're crazy," a voice teased from the backseat of the car. She raised her head and turned around to find Diya grinning at her. Anaya's eyes widened, beaming with pure joy. Her friend was actually here, all flesh and bone, and in no way she could be unreal. With a smile playing on her lips, she faced Icarus to prove the truth, but her spirit dimmed when she saw him staring at her. His eyes were warm, no doubt, but they were also calculative and cautious as if he was trapped with a ticking time bomb. She glanced back at Diya, and her smile froze. There was Laura too, sitting next to Diya and waving at her.

"Icarus," she whispered, her voice sounding unlike her, scratchy like nails on a chalkboard. She had woken up in a hotel room and hoped all of it to be a nightmare, but she knew it was the truth. She had fled to avoid Icarus, only for him to follow her. She had screamed because she wanted to be left alone, but the farther she ran, the faster he caught up to her. Then he flew them back to the Meghaba forest before driving to the Imperial Royale pack, and here she was, nowhere to go. "Do you see my friends?"

Icarus knew the answer to that, but he checked just for her sake and shook his head. The way her face crumpled in agony caused him to flinch and lose control of the steering wheel for a fraction of a second. He pulled the car on the side of the road and exhaled deeply before facing Anaya.

She looked perplexed and desperate, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill. "I am crazy," she said. "Do you hear me, Icarus? I am crazy." Her voice cracked. She bent her legs closer to her chest and sobbed into her knees, repeating the same words over and over. Nothing seemed more terrifying to Anaya than watching the lines between reality and imaginary blur. She had everything right now, but she had no control over her life.

"Anaya, darling, come here." She shook her head. "Talk to me, please. Let me be with you."

"I can't. You'll hate me."

"Anaya—"

"Please, just drive."

He obliged in reluctance, glancing at her now and then. Her tears had dried, but her eyes were vacant and dull. Dead. Seeing her in such a state hurt far more than it would have if a knife had been plunged through his heart. Both the man and the wolf felt helpless. They didn't know how to soothe their mate, who was beginning to build a barrier around her.

Once he parked the car outside their house, there was no stopping him from reaching out. He slid his arms around her and gently scooped her into his lap. When she protested, he shushed her and squeezed her against his chest. His lips ghosted over her eyelids, cheeks, and mouth, cocooning her in a familiar place she called home. But she didn't belong there anymore. She could not escape from the madhouse did not mean she would drag Icarus along with her. The thought made her whimper, so she let him hold her one last time.

"Do you want to speak to the healers?"

She unlocked the car and stepped out, walking past Nicholas without a word. His smile fell when he saw her face. He opened his mouth to ask about it to Icarus, but he was gone, too, rushing after Anaya. She shut the door before he could enter, and no matter how many times he pleaded to let him in, she didn't. Lisa appeared from the kitchen hearing the ruckus. Having seen enough, they both went upstairs and pulled Icarus aside. "What happened?"

"Anaya...she...call Immanuel." Words barely made past his lips as the shock of the situation dominated every part of him, impairing his speech into an incoherent mess.

Nicholas' eyebrows knitted, his concerned expression mirroring Lisa's. He nodded and mind-linked Immanuel. 'We have a problem. Icarus needs you here.'

'What did he do this time?'

'I don't know. He looks shaken.'

'Tell him to go for a run.'

'He is sitting outside her room. I don't think he will leave if she does not come out.'

'Shit, ok. I'll be there in 10.'

Immanuel arrived sooner than they expected, for which Nicholas was thankful. He wasn't sure he could withstand the sight of Icarus bruising his knuckles any longer. Immanuel could tell his brother was not to be blamed this time when his eyes landed on Icarus. He put his hand on Icarus' shoulder, the gesture grabbing Icarus' attention away from the door. He looked at Immanuel and didn't hesitate to hug him. "I don't know what to do. Help me."

Immanuel was taken aback because with Icarus being his twin, he was also the Werewolf King, who rarely showed emotions in public. "I'll do anything. Tell me what's wrong."

They pulled him up from the floor and steered him to his office. When he finished explaining, Immanuel and Nicholas were stunned.

"But did she stop hallucinating after coming here? I mean, we would have known, right?"

Icarus replayed every moment of their time spent together. He would have definitely noticed even if others hadn't, but there was no indication whatsoever. Hope rose in his chest, and he felt the sudden urge to hold Anaya against him and never let go.

"Call the security and get the CCTV footage of the night she was in your bar."

Immanuel blinked, awaking from his turbulent thoughts. "Gimme a minute."

Icarus had earlier asked him for the contact details of three girls working in his bar. He had thought the inquiry was related to recent pack attacks, never once Anaya crossing his mind.

"I want to know what's going on in Anaya's head." Icarus groaned while they waited for the mail. "It's killing me to watch her take the hit all alone."

"Let me try and get her to open the door. You can watch the video till then," Immanuel said to put Icarus at ease before exiting the office.

He stared at the door, hesitating for a fraction of a second when a part of him said to leave her alone, but the other, bigger part gave him the courage to knock. Anaya had always been there for him, so now was his turn to make sure she was fine. The knocks became more insistent and broke the silence of the house, but Anaya did not respond. She turned on the shower to drown out his voice. Streams of water cascaded down, drenching her from head to toe. She wanted it to wash her pain away, but it clung to her like clothes to skin. Her nose tingled and tears rolled down her cheeks, forcing her to close her eyes when it became unbearable. Shivers ran down her spine, causing her shoulders and limbs to shake as the water changed from warm to cool.

A memory flickered through her mind. Her multiple appointments with the doctor. She had spent every penny she had earned in search of a cure, and the medicines only worked to alleviate the symptoms before she relapsed.

The realization hit her like a tonne of bricks. She had known what her problem was all along, but she had forgotten it. Her knees gave up, and she tumbled to the floor. Sobs erupted from her throat, and she folded herself into a ball, clasping a hand over her mouth to muffle the noises. Black dots clouded her vision, but before she could be lured by darkness, a crash jolted her.

"Anaya!" someone called in a low voice.

It confused her. She couldn't tell whether the sounds were in her head or her surroundings. It was loud one second and quiet the next. 

There was another crash, and she heard her name again, fainter. 

Icarus crossed the broken door to reach Anaya. His eyes darted to the floor, and his heart broke. She appeared pale as if all of her life had been sucked from her. He knelt in front of her and gripped her shoulders, drawing her against him to comfort her with his body heat. His breath seized in his throat when she remained unresponsive other than the tremors induced by her damp clothes. He lifted her in his arms and rushed into her walk-in closet, yelling orders at Immanuel and Nicholas without sparing a glance their way. He laid her on the couch and unbuttoned her dress. He probably should have asked a female to change her but couldn't afford to waste time when there was none. They loved each other and had shared enough intimate moments to not care about such a trivial detail right now when all he was trying to do was reduce the chances of her getting sick. He grabbed the fluffiest sweater and sweatpants, dressing her in them before draping a blanket around her.

He should have taken her to the room because the healers were on their way, but after the long day they had, he needed a minute with Anaya. Only her, to get a good look at her and ensure that he hadn't lost her.

She will be okay.