Inner Battle

For the rest of the afternoon, Oriana slept soundly in bed, while Arlan stayed in the room to keep an eye on her. Due to his constitution, despite his lack of sleep, he was not as tired as the rest of their group. Simply sitting by his mate's bedside was enough rest for him.

Whenever she needed to use the washroom, though embarrassed, she had to accept his help to walk. Her injuries might not be life-threatening, but personally tending to her needs soothed Arlan's guilty conscience.

It was evening when Oriana stirred awake again, only to find a single oil lamp illuminating the room. She found Arlan's tall silhouette standing by the open window, looking outside. 

She sat up in bed and her movements caught Arlan's attention, prompting him to look at her. He frowned at the sight of her struggling to sit up and hurried to arrange a pillow behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. Like I fell down a cliff."

"Be serious."