Chapter 132: ¹³²: Tonight?!

Chapter 132: 132: Tonight?!

"You are recovering pretty well!"

Mother Elena’s face lit up with a big smile as she gently pulled her hand away from mine after finishing another one of my daily examinations.

She studied me for a few more seconds, as if making sure everything she had felt during the examination matched what she had expected, before finally nodding with satisfaction.

"If your current pace of recovery continues, this treatment will be finished in just a few months."

"A few months?" My eyes widened, and I couldn’t hide the impatience in my voice.

"But, Mother Elena, won’t that be too long?" I asked, sitting a little straighter despite the discomfort that still lingered in my abdomen. "My wound won’t even heal during the treatment, isn’t it? You’re just using your magic and remedies to keep the pain under control and keep the Dark magic trapped, right? Will it really take that long?"

Mother Elena gave me a knowing look. She didn’t seem surprised by my reaction at all. Instead, she nodded calmly, the gentle smile never leaving her face.

"Athena, taking just a few months for this treatment against a Dark magic this potent is already a miracle." Her voice was patient, as though she understood exactly why I was so eager to recover. "It is only because you and your wolf, even while being trapped, are unusually strong that I can say it will take only a few months."

My eyes widened further. Only a few months. She had said it like it was good news...And perhaps it was. But to me, those words suddenly felt much heavier.

I had thought I could take some time to recover. I knew I wasn’t in a condition to immediately return to my pack and confront the people who had taken everything from me.

I had even begun accepting that I needed to become capable of functioning normally again before I could start searching for the real root of the Dark magic that was plaguing my veins.

But I had never imagined it would take months just to reach that point. Months of waiting....Months of being unable to fully understand what was happening inside my own body.

Months before I could even think about becoming strong enough to uncover the hidden truths surrounding everything that had happened to me.

How long would I have to wait before I could become strong again? Or, more importantly, how long would it take before I was strong enough to find the answers I had been desperately searching for?

My fingers curled slightly against my lap. I didn’t want to spend months simply waiting while Harry and the people standing behind him continued doing whatever they were planning.

But there was nothing I could do about it right now. Forcing myself to move faster would only put me in more danger.

Taking a slow breath, I looked at Mother Elena again. "Thank you, Mother Elena." I reached out and took her hand between mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. Gratitude filled my chest as I looked at the woman who had somehow entered my life at one of its lowest points.

I still couldn’t believe that I had encountered someone like her. Someone who had treated me without asking for anything in return. Someone who had protected me when I couldn’t even protect myself.

"If not for you," I continued softly, "I don’t even know if I would still be alive, let alone have hope that I could become pain-free."

Mother Elena immediately gave me a look of mock annoyance. "Silly girl." She squeezed my hand before shaking her head. "Didn’t I already tell you that you don’t have to thank me?"

Her eyes narrowed playfully. "If you do it one more time, I am warning you that you will have to bear my signature whooping skills."

I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. Even though Mother Elena was giving me her most intimidating angry look, I knew by now that her anger was completely fake.

There was too much warmth in her eyes for me to believe that she was actually angry with me.

Still, I decided it would be better to play along. "I will keep that in mind, Mother Elena." I widened my eyes and deliberately made a frightened face. "I don’t want to make such an elegant lady like you chase me around just to beat me."

Mother Elena stared at me for a moment. Then she squinted her eyes even further, her lips twitching as she fought back a smile.

"Yeah, this fear of mine looks good on you." She pointed a finger at me, maintaining her exaggeratedly stern expression. "Keep this angry face in your mind from now on!"

I immediately pressed my lips together to stop another laugh from escaping. Her playful threat had somehow made the heavy thoughts in my mind feel a little lighter.

"I will, ma’am!" I said, raising my hand as if I were taking a solemn pledge, even though a laugh was threatening to escape my lips.

"Good!" Mother Elena nodded in satisfaction before turning around to pick up the last pill I had to take for the day. She brought it over to me along with a glass of water and placed both carefully in my hands.

I looked at the pill for a moment before quickly swallowing it down with the water. Once I was sure it had gone down properly, I placed the glass on the small table beside my bed and turned my attention back to Mother Elena.

"Mother Elena, the tests you had done... when will their results come back?"

"Oh, I had almost forgotten to tell you!" Mother Elena lightly tapped her forehead, her eyes widening as though she had genuinely forgotten the matter until I reminded her. "They will be back by tonight. You don’t have to worry. I will tell you the results when I come back home. You can go back and relax until then."

"Tonight?" The word echoed inside my mind even though I didn’t say it aloud. The results were coming back tonight.