Chapter Eight: Weight of Protection
NATHAN
This had to be a setup.
The thought wouldn‘ t leave my head as I stood frozen in the doorway, staring at Daniel. The boy I had doubted was mine. just hours ago but moment I saw him, my wolf stirred–growling low and possessive. The connection between us snapped into place like a cord pulled taut, undeniable and primal.
I had a son.
The whispered realization echoed through my head, sharp and disorienting. My chest tightened as I looked at him. He sat on the floor, perfectly still, his face eerily blank. Too blank. A child should’ve been crying, trembling, something. But Daniel did nothing.
Before I could process any of it, Nicole’s
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sharp voice cut through the fog.
“Daniel!”
I turned just in time to see her rushing past me toward him, panic etched on her face.
My reflexes kicked in, and I grabbed her arm before she could move further.
“Stop.”
She whirled on me, her gasp loud and startled. “What the hell do you mean,
‘stop‘ He s right there!”
“That’s the problem,” I said, my voice low and tense. My gaze shifted back to the boy–my son–and unease rippled through me. “Why was he left here, so easy for us to find? Why is he just sitting there? Why isn‘ t he scared? Or crying? Or… What if this isn’t what it looks like? Something feels wrong about this.”
Nicole’s eyes narrowed, and she yanked her arm out of my grasp. “The only wrong thing here is that you‘ re trying to stop me from getting to my child,” she hissed, her
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voice trembling with raw emotion.
I opened my mouth to stop her, to say something–anything–but she was already moving. She bolted toward Daniel, her steps quick and determined, as if sheer willpower could erase the wrongness in the air.
I cursed under my breath as I watched her drop to her knees in front of him, wrapping her arms around his small frame and pulling him close.
And then I saw it.
At first, it was almost imperceptible–a faint shimmer in the air near Daniel. It wasn‘ t natural. Something invisible coiled around him like a trap waiting to spring.
“NICOLE, DON‘ T!” I shouted, my voice a harsh roar that echoed through the cabin.
But it was too late.
She scooped Daniel into her arms, lifting him off the ground.
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The moment she did, the trap triggered.
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A metallic click rang out, followed by a low hum, and then the cabin exploded into
chaos.
The walls around us groaned as hidden. mechanisms sprang to life. From the rafters and corners, silver arrows shot out. in every direction, their tips gleaming with deadly precision.
“Nicole, get down!” I bellowed, already moving.
But she froze, her arms tightening around Daniel. Her wide eyes locked on the arrows that were hurtling toward her.
In that instant, instinct took over. My wolf surged to the surface, taking control, and I leapt across the room. Time seemed to slow as I positioned myself between them and the incoming barrage.
Pain exploded through my body as the first arrow struck. Then another. And another.
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I growled, a feral sound vibrating deep in my chest, even as the silver burned through me like molten fire. My wolf bristled, standing its ground, shielding Nicole and Daniel as more arrows rained
down.
From behind me, I felt it–Nicole‘ s Alpha energy surging, raw and electric. She was about to shift. My stomach twisted. If she shifted, she wouldn’t be able to take Daniel and run, and we‘ d all be caught in
we’d
whatever hell this trap still had waiting.
I forced through the mental link I’d closed years ago, the connection rusty but still there. Through the excruciating pain, I growled, “Don‘ t shift. Take him and
run.”
Her eyes widened in shock as her mind brushed against mine. Her voice, panicked and defiant, reached back. “What about you?”
Another arrow pierced my shoulder and a growl of pain tore from my throat,
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reverberating through the cabin.
“Go. NOW!” My command was primal, leaving no room for argument.
Her hesitation shattered. She clutched Daniel tighter, his sobs breaking through the chaos, and then she ran, her feet pounding against the shaking floor as she bolted toward the exit.
The hum swelled, deafening, as if the walls themselves were screaming. I watched them go–Nicole‘ s figure disappearing through the doorway, Daniel‘ s cries fading into the distance. Relief flickered in my chest, but it was short–lived.
The sound shifted, turning into a high- pitched wail, and the cabin trembled violently.
I barely had time to brace myself before. the entire structure collapsed.
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