My fingers tighten around the phone 140

Ethan’s POV
The unease coiling in my gut grew stronger as I pulled into Aria’s apartment complex. I’d already called both David and
Leo, neither of whom had heard from her. My knuckles whitened against the steering wheel as I scanned the parking lot,
immediately spotting Aria’s car in its usual space. A brief flash of relief washed through me—at least she was home—until
my eyes caught movement near the building’s entrance.
A woman stumbled out, her gait unsteady as she made her way toward the street. Her hair gleamed gold in the late
afternoon sunlight, and even from this distance, I could make out dark red stains marring her designer outfit.
“Emma!” I shouted, throwing the SUV into park.
At the sound of her name, the woman’s head snapped up. For a split second, she froze, then suddenly bolted, picking up
speed despite her unsteady gait. She darted around the corner of the building and disappeared from sight before I could
even exit my vehicle.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Emma fleeing from Aria’s apartment with blood on her clothes—this couldn’t mean
anything good. I needed to check on Aria immediately, but first, I had to make sure Lucas was safe.
“Stay in the car, buddy,” I told him, trying to keep my voice steady. “I need to check something inside, and I’ll be right
back.”
But Lucas had already unbuckled himself and bolted from the vehicle, his small legs pumping furiously toward the
building entrance. His werewolf heritage was evident in his speed—he’d reached the doors before I’d even fully exited my
vehicle.
“Lucas, stop!” I shouted, but he’d already disappeared inside.
I slammed my fist against the elevator doors that had just closed behind him, then spun toward the stairwell. I took the
steps three at a time, my heart hammering against my ribs with each leap. The training couldn’t prepare me for the fear
clawing at my chest—not fear for myself, but for Aria and her son.
The metallic stench of blood slammed into me the moment I burst into the third-floor hallway, so powerful it made my
stomach lurch. Crimson handprints smeared the wall at irregular intervals, creating a gruesome trail toward Aria’s
apartment. My wolf went berserk beneath my skin, clawing and snarling with such violence I could feel my canines
lengthening involuntarily. I fought the shift with everything I had, my entire body trembling with the effort.
“Aria!” I roared, my voice barely human.
The door to her apartment hung shattered from a single hinge, the wooden frame splintered where someone had
violently forced it open. Blood. Oh God, it was everywhere—splashed across the hardwood floors. My heart hammered so
hard I could barely hear over its thundering. My hands shook uncontrollably as panic clawed up my throat.
“LUCAS! ARIA!” My voice broke with desperation as I scanned the carnage, terrified of what I might find.
Movement caught my eye—a small head poking up from behind the sofa. Lucas’s face appeared. He clutched a wine
glass in his small hand, holding it with careful precision by the stem, far from his body.
I rounded the couch and the world seemed to collapse beneath my feet. Aria lay motionless on the floor, her limbs
twisted at unnatural angles as if she’d convulsed before collapsing. Blood stained her clothing and matted her hair, but I
couldn’t see where it was coming from. Her skin had turned a sickly gray, chest barely moving with labored, shallow
breaths.
“No, please,” I whispered, dropping to my knees beside her. My hands hovered over her body, afraid to touch her, afraid
of causing more damage. “Aria, please…”
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“Wolfsbane in this glass,” Lucas stated clinically, raising the wine glass with shaking fingers, the tears welling in his eyes.
“Mom made me memorize this. They cause respiratory paralysis, cardiac arrhythmia, and eventually organ failure.”
My hands trembled violently as I pressed my fingers to her neck, desperately searching for a pulse. When I finally
detected the faint, irregular flutter beneath my fingertips, a choked sob escaped me.
1/2
“She’s alive,” I gasped, relief flooding through me before being immediately displaced by renewed panic. “We need to get
her to the hospital. Now.”
“Lucas, I need to move your mom,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the hurricane of fear raging inside me.
“No!” Lucas lunged forward, positioning his tiny body protectively between me and Aria. “I won’t leave her! She needs
immediate medical attention! I can carry her!” His voice cracked with determination as he attempted to slide his small
arms under his mother’s shoulders, his face contorting with effort.
His chin trembled violently, those eyes swimming with unshed tears.
“Lucas,” I said, my voice breaking as I gently placed my hands on his shoulders. “Let me help you save her. Please. I can
carry her faster, and you can keep monitoring her breathing. We’re a team now.”
My hands shook uncontrollably as I carefully gathered Aria into my arms. She felt impossibly fragile, her body unnaturally
limp. Blood smeared across my shirt as I cradled her against my chest, and my wolf howled with such ferocity that for a
moment my vision washed red.
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*MINE! PROTECT! SAVE HER!*
“Stay with me, Aria. Fight this. Please, sweetheart. Lucas needs you.” My voice dropped to a broken whisper. “I need you.”
I forced myself to my feet, holding her securely against my chest. “Lucas,” I commanded, “stay directly behind me. Don’t
let go of my shirt. Understand?”
“Understand,” he responded instantly, his small jaw set with stubborn determination as he clutched the evidence glass in
one hand and grabbed a fistful of my shirt with the other.
We moved as fast as we dared through the blood-smeared corridor, down the elevator, and across the parking lot. My
entire body vibrated with barely contained panic and rage as I gently laid Aria across the backseat.
I had just slammed the door when David and Leo screeched into the lot, tires squealing as they braked hard.
“Alpha!” David shouted, sprinting toward us.
“Wolfsbane poisoning,” I snarled, my voice thick with fury and fear. “I’m taking her to the hospital. Secure the scene and
find Emma. She was here.”