Chapter 27Kael POVThe sound of her body hitting the floor wasn’t something a man could mistake.It was a sound that would brand itself into my skull, echoing long after the room went silent again.I froze halfway down the corridor, my throat going dry as I saw her sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, blood blooming across her temple like a cruel mark.“Aria!” The word tore out of me, raw, cracked. My boots hammered against the wood, faster, harder, until I was at her side, dropping to my knees before my brain could even catch up with my body. Her chest rose, shallow and stuttering, but her eyes… gods, her eyes were closed.I pressed trembling hands beneath her head and waist, lifting her against me. Blood slicked warm over my fingers, her hair matted with it, her lips parted but lifeless.“No, no, no….” The words fell out broken, useless. I brushed my thumb over her cheek, my vision swimming. “Don’t you dare leave me, not like this. Not you.”I looked up to the staircase as I hear
Chapter 26Aria POVSleep crept up on me in fragments, the kind where your body gives in long before your mind does. My lashes grew heavy, my breathing steadied, but my chest still carried the sharp ache of Kael’s words. Because of the baby. I tried to push them away, to let myself drift, but they looped through my thoughts like a chain that refused to loosen.I must have dozed, because the next thing I registered wasn’t silence but muffled voices threading through the stillness. At first, I thought I’d dreamed of them. Then the sound sharpened—two women, close, just outside my door.“…you look cheap, Vanessa. Parading around like that…” Elena’s voice, biting and hushed, cut through the corridor.Vanessa’s response came sharp, defensive. “At least I don’t throw myself at Kael like a desperate fool.”I blinked, startled awake, the sting of curiosity pulling me upright. Their words weren’t meant for me, but they tangled in the air with an edge I couldn’t ignore. Footsteps shifted, a shu
Chapter 25Aria POVI lay propped against the headboard, the sheets cool beneath me, the pillows stacked high enough to keep my body upright. My muscles ached with the kind of exhaustion that seeped bone-deep, but my mind refused to rest. The maids had helped me bathe, changed me into a soft gown, brushed my hair with careful strokes like I might shatter if they pressed too hard. Then they’d left, leaving behind a tray of soup untouched on the table, a glass of water, and the faint scent of lavender they’d tucked into the linen.But none of it settled the storm inside me.The door opened without a knock. I lifted my head, and my chest tightened when Kael stepped through.He paused in the doorway, his tall frame dark against the hall’s glow. For a long breath, he didn’t move. His eyes found me on the bed, and something shifted in his face, not the stern Alpha, not the sharp commander. Just a man staring at someone he wasn’t sure how to approach.He finally crossed the room, his stride
Chapter 24Alpha Kael POVThe walk back from the clinic was slower than I wanted. Aria’s steps were careful, her head tipped slightly toward me, like even the weight of the air pressed too hard on her shoulders. I kept my arm at her back, close enough to catch her if she faltered, far enough not to make her feel caged.By the time we reached the pack house, the scent of herbs and antiseptic still clung to her, mingling with her own, softer scent. I hated it — the reminder that she’d been under someone else’s hands, in someone else’s care, because I hadn’t been fast enough.The maids were already waiting. I handed her over with a quiet order, my voice low enough that she wouldn’t catch the steel in it.“Get her cleaned up. Fresh clothes. I’ll be upstairs.”She glanced over her shoulder at me as they led her away. I caught her eyes for a heartbeat — tired, guarded, but steady.I didn’t like leaving her, but I needed a moment before I started breaking things.---My room was quiet when I
I left venessa at the hospital and walked lonely into the pack building, it was silent, but there’s still the low murmur of voices somewhere on the lower floor, the creak of boards as people move around. I take the stairs two at a time, my boots barely whispering against the worn wood. Kael’s still in the clinic. Vanessa’s probably pacing the corridors trying to figure out how to crawl her way back into his good graces. Which means I have the advantage. I needed to check aria's room. I reached her room door and noticed it isn’t locked. That’s my first mistake, I expected at least a little resistance, some barrier to make me feel like I was breaking into enemy territory. Instead, the handle turns easily, the door swings open, and I’m inside.It smells faintly of her, something clean but warm, like wildflowers left out in the sun. I wrinkle my nose.The room is neat, Bed was still arranged, Desk clear except for a closed journal and a single pen. No stray clothes, no clutter, no sign
Kael POVThe stone steps to the keep are slick with blood and soot, and my boots hit them hard enough to echo. Aria’s weight is light in my arms.She’s limp now. Head lolling against my chest, breath shallow.“Stay with me,” I growl under my breath, like I can hold her in this world by force of will alone.The smoke follows me inside, curling around the cold stone hallway. Vanessa and Elena suddenly block the damn doorway like they’ve got nowhere better to be.“Move,” I snap, voice low but sharp enough to cut glass.They didn't, Elena’s arms are crossed, her expression unreadable if you don’t know her, which I do. That flat look is pure venom she’s trying to hide.Vanessa tilts her head, her gaze darting from my face to Aria’s pale one and back again. Her mouth curves into something that might be a smirk if she weren’t so busy pretending to be concerned.“I said—” I take a step forward, my shadow stretching over them. “move.”Elena’s lips twitch like she’s fighting the urge to roll he