Nox fed him more chicken, then a few plastic spoonfuls of almond butter.
After Luca’s third bottle of water, he slumped in his seat with his hand over his stomach. “I feel like I’m going to pop.” Yet he continued to stare at the bag of food.
“You ate a half a pound of cheese and almost a whole chicken.” Nox held up another spoon of almond butter. Luca took it.
“Then why do I still feel hungry?”
“You’ll feel that way until your body’s caught up.”
“What are you talking about?”
How did Nox tell him? What did Nox tell him? He put the food back in the bag. “You’re healing.”
Luca wrinkled his brow.
“Your cancer is gone or almost gone. If there’s any left, there’s so little the scent of the healing cells is overpowering them.”
Luca stared at Nox, then turned his attention out the window. After a long moment, he said, “Cancer doesn’t go away.”
“Yours didn’t go away. It healed.”
Luca shook his head. “Don’t do this, Nox. Don’t lie. I don’t need to be lied to.” Luca dropped his fists in his lap. Grease glistened on his fingers.
“I’m not lying.”
“You are!” Luca’s eyes burned. “You’re lying to me. Don’t. Don’t lie. Please….” Luca covered his mouth, muffling his wounded cry. He kept shaking his head.
“Look at me.”
He wouldn’t.
“Luca…” Nox put his hands on Luca’s shoulders and forced him to turn. “Look at me.”
Tears squeezed from the corners of Luca’s eyes.
Nox moved closer. “Please.”
Luca did.
“I’m not lying to you.”
“H-Ho… how?”
“I don’t know. But you’re healing as fast as Koda did when he had over a dozen of us.”
Luca searched Nox’s face.
“The more betas an Alpha has, the faster they heal.”
“But I’m not….” Luca’s voice cracked.
“No, you’re not an Alpha. But somehow you’re using the Anubis inside me to heal.”
“That’s not possible.” Luca tried to peel free of Nox’s hold. “You’re wrong. You’re just….” A sob broke free.
“I’m not.” Nox held Luca’s face. “It’s why you’re hungry. It’s why you’re so tired. It’s not the cancer, it’s your body healing, and that’s exhausting. Sometimes Koda would sleep for days when…” Nox stopped before he said it.
“Tell me.”