جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 260

“No one? What makes you think I came here alone?” Kate muttered, her lips curling into a slow, unsettling smile.Aiden’s brows furrowed slightly, confusion flickering across his face at her words. His body went still for a split second, instincts kicking in. His gaze shifted sharply around the restaurant, scanning every corner with heightened awareness.His eyes landed on one corner, two men dressed in black sat there, their posture too rigid, their attention too focused.His jaw tightened.He turned his head slightly to another corner, this time, a man and a woman, both clad in black, seated too casually, yet their eyes were locked on him.A slow realization crept in.He turned again, another pair.His chest rose and fell slowly as the truth settled in.“You see those men?” Kate’s voice cut through his thoughts, calm, controlled, but laced with quiet menace. “They came with me. They’re my wolves… and witches.” She leaned in slightly, her eyes darkening. “And they hate you.”Aiden’s f

Meanwhile, in Amelia’s mansion, Aiden’s car drove into the compound, the tires crunching softly against the gravel as the engine finally went still. He stepped out of the car, shutting the door with more force than necessary, his jaw tight, his shoulders tense like he was holding himself together by sheer will.James’ car followed closely behind, pulling in beside his. He got out as well, his movements slower, more cautious, his eyes already studying Aiden’s rigid posture.For a moment, the two men simply stood there, staring at each other in silence, the weight of everything unspoken pressing heavily between them. Then Aiden gave a slight nod, sharp, decisive and without another word, they both began walking toward the front door.Aiden lifted his hand and knocked, the sound firm but controlled.The door creaked open, revealing Gloria. Her eyes widened the moment she saw them, surprise flashing across her face. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She just stood there, fr

“I had to step in and make Calista understand that nothing was going on… but she refused to stop,” Greg said, his voice tightening as his fingers curled slowly against his knee. “And that was putting her baby’s life in danger… your life in danger.”He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if trying to push the memory away, but it clung to him.“I had no choice but to step out of the shadows… and that was when your father found out,” he continued, his jaw clenching. “He found out that Astrid and I… we were together. That we had been together right under his nose…”His eyes darkened.“And that… was where everything went wrong.”Greg drew in a deep breath, but it came out uneven.“Weeks after Astrid bit Calista… the wound didn’t heal,” he said, his voice dropping. “It festered. It spread… like something alive inside her.”Aiden’s fingers tightened slightly on his thigh.“It ate her from the inside out,” Greg continued, his gaze distant now. “She was dying… slowly… painfully… while still b

“And I think the power is passed down willingly from mother to offspring… how can she pass down what she doesn’t know exists inside of her?” Beta Greg muttered, and silence immediately followed.The room went still.Aiden didn’t move.His jaw tightened slightly, his fingers curling against his thigh as the words sank in. No cure. No escape. Just time… slipping through his fingers. His chest rose slowly, unevenly.He was going to die.The thought sat heavy in his lungs, refusing to leave.But first… Amelia.He swallowed hard.“Does my father know Astrid was carrying your child?” Aiden asked suddenly, his voice low, controlled.Greg raised his head and stared at him.“Yes… he knew,” he said slowly. “But he didn’t know the child had survived. He thought she died in the fire with Astrid. He believes Amelia is mine and Evenly’s biological child.”He paused, his gaze hardening slightly.“If your father had known Amelia was Astrid’s… he would have never allowed you to marry her in the first

Except, Amelia is Astrid’s child… and she never died in the fire?No way.Alaric’s fingers tightened slowly around the steering wheel, the leather creaking under the pressure of his grip. His jaw locked, muscles twitching as he shook his head once, then again, as if he could physically throw the thought out of his mind.It was impossible.She had been in that fire. He had made sure of it. Astrid was in labor that night, weak, vulnerable, so, he even lured Greg out so he would not save any of them. There was no way the child survived. No way.Amelia…?A scoff escaped his lips, but it sounded hollow even to his own ears.Amelia was weak. He had seen it himself. There was nothing about her that screamed power, nothing that resembled the terrifying force Astrid once was. She was just a girl, a mere werewolf who had been lucky enough to marry his son. Nothing more.Nothing.But then—His thoughts halted abruptly.The bite.Aiden’s bite.His breath hitched, chest rising sharply as the memor