FAZER LOGINAlanza’s POV
"I need you to listen to me for once," Luciano says, his voice dropping into that low, command-heavy register that usually makes people jump to obey.
He is standing by the foot of my hospital bed, looking like he hasn't slept in a week. I want to lean into him. I want to believe his promises that the world won't fall apart, but my own skin feels like a cage that's suddenly too small. Something is shifting under my muscles, a restless energy I can't name, and i
Alanza’s POV"You aren't going to win this, Luciano, so you might as well stop pacing before you wear a hole in the floor," Lucia said.She stood with her arms locked over her chest. Her chin was tilted up in that stubborn way I knew so well. She did not look like she was standing in front of the most powerful man in the region. She looked like she was scolding a toddler. Lucia did not care about ranks or titles. If there was a human version of an alpha, she was it. I was not shocked her parents let her come here. Lucia did not ask for things. She just did them and let everyone else deal with the fallout.Luciano stopped moving. The rubber soles of his heavy boots made a sharp squeak against the hospital tile. He let out a long breath. It was a heavy sound that made his shoulders drop. When he finally looked at me, the golden heat in his eyes had faded. He looked tired. He looked like he was ready to give up."You are right, Alanza," he said. His vo
Alanza’s POV"I need you to listen to me for once," Luciano says, his voice dropping into that low, command-heavy register that usually makes people jump to obey.He is standing by the foot of my hospital bed, looking like he hasn't slept in a week. I want to lean into him. I want to believe his promises that the world won't fall apart, but my own skin feels like a cage that's suddenly too small. Something is shifting under my muscles, a restless energy I can't name, and it terrifies me.Change is coming, Alanza, Sombra whispers. Her mental voice is a cool breeze against the heat of my panic. It is a transition, not a tragedy.I know she is trying to ground me, but the dread in my stomach has deep roots. I am certain Sombra knows exactly why I was out cold for days, but I can't grill her while Luciano is hovering over me like a sentry.Lucia reaches out and gives my hand a firm, grounding squeeze. "We have your back, Alanza. No matter what co
Alanza’s POV"Alanza, you have to wake up."The voice was a thin thread in a sea of ink. I tried to grab it, but the darkness was heavy, like cold water filling my lungs. Everything felt distant. There was a rhythmic, mechanical clicking somewhere to my left. A dull heat pulsed in my palms."I know you can hear me," the voice persisted. It was clearer now, vibrating with a strange familiarity. "Because I can finally hear you."Hear me? I didn't think I was making a sound. My throat felt like it had been lined with crushed glass. My entire existence felt buried under a mountain of wet earth. I remembered fire. I remembered the sensation of the air being sucked out of the world until there was nothing left to breathe."You're alive," the voice insisted, firmer this time. "You’re in the hospital. You're safe. Just open your eyes."No. I didn't want to. Waking meant the return of the weight. It meant acknowledging the ache in my bone
Lucia’s POV"Twenty-one days of staring at the same four walls is enough to make anyone lose their mind," I muttered, glaring at the calendar on the kitchen wall.Every red "X" I’d marked felt like a tiny stab wound. Three weeks since everything went sideways. Three weeks since my best friend stopped opening her eyes. I reached for my coffee mug, but my hands were shaking so bad I nearly knocked it over.Sombra let out a sharp yelp. I’d stepped right on her paw."Dammit, Sombra, I’m sorry," I said, reaching down to scrub behind her ears. "My head isn't on straight. Just give me five minutes to wake up and we’ll go see her. I promise."I felt gross. My skin was tacky with sweat and my muscles throbbed from the morning workout. Even though Alanza was stuck in a hospital bed, the rest of the world hadn't stopped spinning. If anything, it was spinning faster. London hadn't given me a single day off. He didn't seem to care
Lucia’s POV"You still have absolutely nothing to tell me?" Luciano asks.His voice sounds like gravel grinding together. He doesn't even look at the healer when he speaks. He just keeps his eyes fixed on Alanza's pale face. His shoulders are pulled so tight they look like they might snap.Libbie stands by the door with her clipboard pressed against her chest. She looks like she hasn't slept in days. "I am truly sorry, Alpha. We are running every test we have. Her vitals are stable, but she just won't wake up."Luciano grunts and turns back to the bed. He ignores everything else in the room. Libbie catches my eye for a split second. She gives her head a tiny, firm shake.My heart skips. It takes me a moment to process the silent signal. She is telling me the test was negative. Alanza isn't pregnant.A massive weight lifts off my chest. I feel a wave of relief so strong it makes me dizzy. Then the guilt hits. I shouldn't feel happy whil
Lucia’s POV"You aren't going anywhere until she opens her eyes, so sit back down," Libbie said, her voice soft but firm.I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sank into the plastic chair. The healer reached over, giving my hand a reassuring pat. I appreciated the gesture, but my skin felt electric with nerves. Every time the floorboards creaked outside the room, I thought it was the news I dreaded."It is just the Beta, Lucia. Relax," Libbie added.A second later, the door didn't just open. It hit the stopper with a dull thud. Karlos walked in like he owned the air we were breathing. I hated how my brain immediately started a checklist of his features. Broad shoulders. That rough, golden stubble. Hair that looked like he’d just rolled out of bed in the most expensive way possible. He looked like a lead actor from one of those messy romance movies I watched when I wanted to cry.I looked at my shoes, angry at myself. My bes







