Chapter 128: A Hidden Secret is Made Known LUMINAThe suggestion hung in the air between us like a challenge, nobody wanted to accept. I felt my heart skip a beat hearing this. I remembered that I had used Carol, my friend to perform a protective spell on Ollie to prevent any magical siphon from occurring but I never did tell anyone that.I had committed a crime and it was punishable by death. Magic wasn't something werewolves typically dealt with.Our world was one of physical strength, pack bonds, and natural instincts, that always seemed to be dominant and well valued in our world.But Lyn's words made a terrible kind of sense when I thought about the inexplicable nature of Ollie's injuries. This had to be a magical case. But how? Sophia wasn't here. Ollie was protected, we left. How did he get to this critical condition again?"No," Zade said immediately, his voice filled with authority, pulling me from my thoughts as I looked at him.He was furious and not even considering it a
Chapter 127: In Critical Condition LUMINA The fluorescent lights in the hospital hallway cast everything in a harsh, sterile glow that made my skin look pale and sickly. I'd been pacing this floor for hours now, my footsteps echoing off the walls in a rhythm that matched the frantic beating of my heart. Every few minutes I'd stop and stare through the small window in the door to Ollie's room, hoping to see some change, some sign that my son was getting better instead of worse.But each time I looked, he appeared smaller and more fragile in that hospital bed, surrounded by machines that beeped and hummed with constant rhythm. The doctors had done everything they could, but they'd been honest about his chances – survival was unlikely given the extent of his injuries.Injuries that made no sense. Injuries that shouldn't have been possible."Lumina, you need to sit down," Lyn said gently, appearing at my side with two cups of coffee from the vending machine down the hall. "You've bee
Chapter 126: Sorrows, Sorrows, Prayers XENOISThe hope in her voice broke something inside my chest. "We were hoping you could tell us," I said gently. "What happened? Where is he?"Sophia's face crumpled as the reality of the situation hit her. "They took him," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "The rogues, they took my baby. I tried to fight them, I tried to protect him, but there were too many of them.""Riley!" she suddenly screamed, the sound echoing through the forest. "Riley, where are you? Mommy's here!"I pulled her against my chest, trying to offer what comfort I could while my own heart was breaking. "We're going to find him," I promised, though I wasn't sure I believed it myself. "We're going to bring him home."The search continued for hours. My warriors spread out in a grid pattern, covering every inch of forest we could reach. We found more signs of the struggle – broken branches, disturbed earth, a few more pieces of torn clothing – but no trace of Riley
Chapter 125: The SearchXENOISThe drive to the forest felt like it took hours, though I knew it had only been twenty minutes since Riley's terrified call had cut off abruptly.It has been the worst twenty minutes of my life.Twenty minutes of my mind going through every possible scenario, each one worse than the last. Thorne sat in the passenger seat beside me, planning and coordinating with the other vehicles that were behind us.We had gathered a convoy of our pack's best warriors, all were well armed to their teeth and ready for whatever we might find."The GPS shows Sophia's phone signal went dead about three miles into the Blackwood Forest," Thorne said, his voice hoarse from the same tension that I was feeling. He may not have liked Sophia much but he was worried about Riley and has accepted him as my own even before I had, and he had come to care for him the same way he did for Ollie."If they're still there, we should be able to track them by scent once we get close."I pre
Chapter 124: It Won't Hurt MuchSOPHIA I gestured to Bullet, who immediately ended the call by crushing the phone under his boot. The plastic and metal crunched satisfyingly, ensuring that Xenois wouldn't be able to call back and potentially hear something that would give away our deception."Phase one complete," I announced to the group with satisfaction. "Now for phase two."Two of Bullet's men stood at opposite sides of Riley as he stood frozen near the tree line, still under the influence of the compulsion spell. They began leading him deeper into the forest toward the rocky path that I'd scouted weeks ago when I was planning this entire scenario.The cliff wasn't that high – maybe thirty feet or so – but it was more than enough for my purposes. The rocks at the bottom were sharp and the stream that was located there as well would help explain why a body might not be found immediately."Come along, sweetheart," I called out to Riley as we walked. "We're almost at our final destin
Chapter 123: The Perfect CrimeSOPHIAThe satisfaction that was coursing through my veins was giving me a rush of dopamine as I pulled Riley from the passenger seat of my car. Everything was falling into place exactly as I'd planned it, each piece of my well thought out scheme coming together like a perfectly designed puzzle.The sound of approaching vehicles made me turn back looking pleased with what I was seeing.Three black SUVs pulled up at the clearing, their engines rumbling in the quiet forest. I'd been expecting them, of course – Bullet and his team of rogues were nothing if not punctual whenever it came to doing the dirty work for me in order to get paid handsomely. They loved money the most and had no morality.The lead vehicle came to a stop just a few feet from where Riley and I stood, and Bullet himself came out from the driver's seat as he slammed the door shut looking around nodding his head absentmindedly. He was exactly what one would expect from a rogue leader. H