Chapter 34
34 The Hidden Blade
Aubrey’s POV
“I’m just trying to perform dry needling. You’re the one overreacting.”
Finished
I tossed aside the hairpin and casually twirled the golden needle between my fingers. “As you can see, it’s
only five inches long. Sharp, sure–but it’s flexible. If your muscles are tense, it won’t even pierce your
skin.”
I glanced at the dagger still pressed to my neck and smiled like it was nothing. “Unless… are you really that scared an Omega like me could take down a big, bad Alpha like you?”
“Of course not.”
Mateo scoffed, but the tight line of his brow and the wariness in his eyes didn’t waver. “But dry needling? You?”
He wasn’t wrong to doubt me. Dry needling wasn’t something you found in back–alley clinics–it was an elite healing art reserved for royal circles and noble packs. Most werewolves just toughed it out or relied on basic healing potions.
And the version I practiced–my grandfather’s secret technique, the Wolf Needles–was something only passed down in my family. It demanded talent, and more importantly, generations of legacy. Most wolf medics had never even heard of it.
Not that I needed to explain that to him.
“You’re free not to believe me,” I said, shrugging. “Go find another wolf medic. Oh–wait. You’re wanted, aren’t you? In that case, feel free to lie here and die.”
I flashed him a bright, unbothered smile. “Just a reminder, the internal bleeding is getting worse. The silver in your system is suppressing your natural healing. If this keeps up, you won’t make it till dawn.”
Mateo’s face darkened, cycling between pale and flushed as he weighed his options. Finally, he let out a cold grunt and dropped the dagger, slumping back onto the bed.
The
“If you’re planning anything,” he said through gritted teeth, “I’ll kill you. Then I’ll kill your entire family.”
“Sure.”
I gave him a dry response and didn’t bother with more small talk. I went straight to cleaning the silver shards from his wounds. Maybe because I was still pissed off, my hands were a bit rough. Mateo didn’t cry out, though. He took it in silence.
Once the last piece was out, I pinched the needle between my fingers and hovered it above his abdomen.
He looked tense, but I didn’t care. My focus had already shifted–into the feel of the needle, the steady energy in my palm, the rhythm of breath and blood.
Normal dry needling simply guided a patient’s own internal energy, aligning the flow and stabilizing their vital essence.
But mine was different.
The method I practiced transferred my energy–my life force–into the patient through the needle. This
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34 The Hidden Blade
force , known in my family as “ vital essence,” was what allowed us to save lives.
It couldn’t be used to kill. Only to heal. Grandpa always said our technique was a blessing from the Moon Goddess herself, a sacred art only our bloodline could master.
At its peak, it could even slow aging and extend life. In my last life, by my mid–thirties, I’d nearly reached that level.
But I shook that thought away,
Last time… This miracle of a healing art had led me straight into ruin.
But this time, it would be my sword. My winning hand. My way out.
I inhaled deeply, centered my energy, then drove the golden needle into Mateo’s abdomen with a smooth spiral motion.
The instant it pierced his skin, my life force surged through the needle–bright, fluid, and burning with vitality–rushing into his broken body.
Mateo’s POV
Even as she worked, I kept my face neutral, but my body remained tight with tension. The abdomen was one of a werewolf’s weakest points–I couldn’t afford to let my guard down, not even for a second.
I didn’t know who this Omega was, or why she really wanted to treat me. Was it truly just for the two hundred grand?
Maybe. Maybe that was all there was to it. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access s of novels early and in the highest quality.
But either way, she’d seen my face. That meant I couldn’t let her live. I couldn’t risk her running to Alpha Henry and exposing that I’d stolen the Moon Grass.
But that could wait–until after she finished healing me.
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