My fingers tighten around the phone 142

Ethan’s POV
I paced the sterile hallway of the hospital for what felt like eternity, my boots wearing a path in the linoleum as each
minute stretched into hours. Every nurse or doctor who emerged from the emergency room doors caught my attention,
my head snapping up with desperate hope only to be met with apologetic shakes of their heads or quick averting of
eyes. No news. No updates. Just the endless, maddening wait.
Lucas hadn’t left my side since we arrived, his small fingers maintaining their death grip on the hem of my shirt as if I
might disappear should he let go. His emerald eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying, but he’d fallen silent hours
ago, seemingly understanding that tears wouldn’t speed Aria’s recovery.
When exhaustion finally claimed him, his body sagged against mine, and I carefully gathered him into my arms. His head
nestled perfectly in the crook of my neck, his warm breath fanning against my collarbone in steady, sleep-heavy puffs.
Sinking into an uncomfortable chair, I allowed my eyes to close, not to sleep but to process the avalanche of revelations
that had buried me today. Aria was pregnant. With twins. My twins. A family I never knew existed until hours ago—a
family that might be shattered before I even had the chance to know them.
I hadn’t detected a thing. How blind could I be not to notice the subtle changes in her body, her scent? I’d attributed the
changes to something else entirely, never suspecting the truth that now seemed so obvious in hindsight. I recalled our
encounter in my office—her body pressed against mine, her scent intoxicating in a way I couldn’t explain. Had I been
sensing our children growing inside her?
The memory of her lifeless body on the floor, her skin ashen and lips tinged blue, cut through me like a serrated blade.
The faint, erratic pulse beneath my fingers had been the only sign she hadn’t already crossed the threshold into death.
“Please, Moon Goddess, if you’ve ever heard me, hear me now,” I silently prayed, a desperation I’d never known seeping
into every cell of my being. “Save them. All three of them. I’ll give anything.”
“Alpha?”
David’s voice jarred me from my prayer, and I realized I must have drifted into a light sleep. Lucas had shifted in my arms,
now curled against my chest like a small, vulnerable wolf cub. Through the windows, I could see the sun hanging low in
the sky, painting the sterile hallway in washes of orange and gold. How long had I been sitting here?
“Any news?” I asked, my voice rough with disuse and worry.
David shook his head, his usually stoic face lined with concern. “Nothing yet. I’ve assembled a team to process Aria’s
apartment. We need to examine that bottle of cider she took from her father’s gift basket. Given what she told you about
her family’s past attempts to harm her, it’s a logical place to start.”
I nodded, grateful for his efficiency. “There was a wine glass with traces of wolfsbane, but no obvious wounds on her
body. See if you can find any other evidence at the scene.” I carefully shifted Lucas to the double chair beside me, where
he curled into a tight ball, still deeply asleep.
“I need you to track down Emma,” I continued, my jaw clenching at the memory of her fleeing the apartment. “I’m almost
certain it was her I saw limping away from Aria’s building, but I couldn’t pursue her at the time. We also need to contact
the Silver Moon Alpha to determine the origin of that cider—”
“Ethan,” David’s hand clamped around my forearm, stopping my rapid-fire instructions. “How is Aria doing? What did the
doctors say?”
“She’s pregnant,” I blurted out, the word leaving my mouth before fully forming in my brain. The shock hadn’t worn off
yet, making me sound disoriented even to my own ears.
“She told you?” David asked, the question landing like a sucker punch to my gut. The realization bloomed hot and painful —this was the secret between them. This was what they’d been whispering about in private.
“No,” I admitted, a strange hollowness expanding in my chest. “Her doctor told me. She’d been seeing a specialist—
apparently it’s a high-risk pregnancy with some complications. The ultrasound can’t detect the babies, so they’re not sure
if the wolfsbane has affected them yet. They’re focusing on stabilizing Aria first.”
“Wolfsbane? Did you say babies?” Leo’s voice startled both of us. I turned to see him bent at the waist, hands on his
knees, breathing hard as if he’d just sprinted through the hospital.
A frustrated growl rumbled in my chest as I raked my fingers through my hair, pulling at the roots. I had no time for
repetition or explanations. Ignoring Leo, I fixed my gaze on David. “You knew about this? Aria confided in you?”
1/2
David nodded, his eyes filled with regret. “I confirmed it the day she collapsed. Aria is good at hiding things. I wanted to
tell you, but she made me promise not to. She said she wanted to tell you herself, after you two had talked properly.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black and white photograph. I took it with reverent care, as if it might
disintegrate between my fingers like ash in the wind.
“So they’re yours?” Leo asked, eyes narrowing as he studied my face.
“Yes,” I answered softly, unable to tear my eyes from the grainy ultrasound in my trembling hands. Each pixelated shadow
represented an impossible miracle—my children.
“That simplifies everything then,” Leo remarked with disturbing casualness, clapping my shoulder like we were discussing weekend plans rather than life and death. His flippant tone scraped against my already raw nerves. “You’ll need to come
clean with Aria about what happened with Emma that night.”
“How the hell am I supposed to tell her anything?” I roared, jabbing my finger toward the emergency room doors where
doctors were fighting to save her life. “She’s lying in there poisoned and barely breathing! She might never wake up to
hear whatever truth you think is so damn important right now!”
My voice thundered through the waiting room, causing nurses to pause mid-stride and patients to shrink back in their
chairs. The wolf inside me clawed frantically beneath my skin, desperate to break free, to hunt down whoever had tried to
destroy what was mine. My vision blurred with crimson rage as my hands curled into fists so tight I could feel my nails
drawing blood from my palms.
A heartbreaking whimper from behind me cut through my fury like ice water. The sound was small but devastating—the
quiet breaking of a child’s heart.
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All three of us turned to find Lucas awake, tears streaming unchecked down his pale cheeks. He had folded himself into
the smallest possible space, knees clutched tightly to his chest, arms wrapped around them as if trying to hold himself
together. The naked fear and grief in those eyes gutted me completely.
I dropped to one knee before him, my anger instantly transformed to self-loathing. “Hey, I’m so sorry, little man,” I
whispered, gentling my voice. “The shouting wasn’t about you. I’m just worried about your mom.”
“Is she gone?” Lucas choked out between hiccupping sobs, his lower lip quivering uncontrollably. “Did Mommy leave us
forever?”
My throat constricted painfully as I gathered him into my arms. “No, buddy, she’s still fighting,” I murmured against his
hair. “The doctors are helping her get better. If something bad had happened, they would have told us right away. We
found her in time. You helped save her by being so brave.”
I stood with Lucas cradled against my chest, his thin arms wrapped around my neck with surprising strength. His tears
soaked through my shirt as his small body shuddered with each ragged breath.
“Get started on the investigation, David,” I said, my voice low but commanding. “I’ll keep watch here.”
“I could look after Lucas for a while—” Leo offered hesitantly.
“Absolutely not,” I snarled, my arms instinctively tightening around the boy’s fragile form. My wolf rose to the surface,
territorial and fierce. Until I knew exactly who had orchestrated this attack, Lucas would remain under my personal
protection. Even the slightest risk was unacceptable. “He stays with me.”
I felt Lucas shiver against me, his breathing still ragged with fear. One tiny hand fisted in my shirt, anchoring himself to me.
I fixed David with a stare that made him straighten to attention. “I want everything—surveillance footage, witness
statements, forensic analysis of that cider bottle. Find me who did this and why,” I commanded, my voice dropping to a
dangerous whisper. “And when you do, bring them to me. Alive.”