ADAM'S POVAfter walking out of Aria’s hospital room, the weight of everything that had happened slammed into me like a ton of bricks.My legs felt weak as I hurried down the hallway, pushing open the bathroom door. As soon as I was inside, I leaned against the cold tiles, sliding down to the floor with my back pressed against the wall.My mind was spinning, replaying the nightmare over and over. I couldn’t bear to think about it, couldn’t bring myself to face what had happened that night.Aria…I buried my face in my hands, trying to shake the images from my mind, but they clung to me. I could still hear my mother’s voice, urgent and filled with fear.That night was supposed to be uneventful. After Aria had gone to the store, I figured I would try to get some sleep, though something about her being outside felt off. There was this nagging feeling in my gut that wouldn’t go away, but I brushed it off, trying to convince myself that she was fine.Aria is a grown woman, after all. She’s
ADAM'S POVA sudden noise outside the bathroom jolted me out of the whirlwind of memories that had been dragging me under.My body tensed, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe, still trapped in the terrifying images of Aria’s accident and Dante’s burned body. I shivered slightly, realizing I had been clenching my fists so hard my knuckles had turned white.With a deep breath, I stood up, trying to shake off the remnants of that horrible night. I splashed cold water on my face, the icy shock helping me regain some clarity.The water ran down my face, soaking into my collar, but I didn’t care. I just needed to clear my head. The tension was still there, a dull throb at the back of my head, but at least I could breathe again.Leaning against the sink, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes looked hollow, tired—like I hadn’t slept in days. I hadn’t, really. Not since the night Aria almost died.And Dante… the image of him lying there behind Aria, his body burned and motionless,
FINN'S POVThe day it happened, I was lounging on the couch at home, flipping through TV channels with my mother and Linda.My mind wasn’t really on the show playing, though. I was half-listening to Linda talk about some gossip she had picked up at the pack gathering earlier, but my thoughts were elsewhere.That was when my phone rang.I glanced at the screen, frowning at the unfamiliar number. “Hello?”“Is this Finn Hayden of the Crescent Moon pack? This is General Hospital. We need to inform you that your brother, Alpha Dante, has been brought in with severe burns. He’s in a critical condition.”Time stopped. The words didn’t make sense. My stomach dropped, and I froze, staring blankly at the TV as the room around me seemed to blur.“Dante… is what?” I breathed, my voice barely a whisper.The voice on the other end continued, explaining that Dante had suffered extensive burns and was receiving emergency treatment. But it still didn’t register.All I could think of was my brother, ly
FINN'S POVWho could have done this? And why?My thoughts spun in endless circles, chasing each other, with no real answers in sight.Heck! The more I thought about it, the heavier everything felt. The accident, the rogue attack—it all seemed like a nightmare, a cruel twist of fate that no one had seen coming.So many questions echoed in my head, louder with each passing second. And just when I felt myself sinking deeper into that spiral, my mother’s sharp voice cut through the fog.“Finn!” Her tone was laced with impatience, and I could tell she was already annoyed. “Who was that on the phone? You’ve been standing there like a statue, not saying a word!”I glanced up, but I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t. My thoughts were elsewhere, far away from the hospital, still trying to process Adam's words from the phone call, the strange tension in his voice, and the burning need for answers.My mother’s voice… it seemed distant, as if coming from another room, another world.“Finn?” she repea
ADAM'S POVAfter I had ended the call with Finn, my thoughts were still swirling with confusion and anger—everything was spiraling.Aria… she was in danger, and for what? Who would want to harm her like this?Nothing about any of this made sense.I barely had time to gather my thoughts when my phone rang again. Glancing at the screen, I saw Ryan’s name flash across it.My younger brother had been on a business trip for the past week, and I hadn’t expected to hear from him. Still, I swiped to answer the call."Ryan?" I said, trying to mask the exhaustion in my voice."Adam, I found something," Ryan’s voice was steady, but I could hear the underlying urgency. "I tracked down all the surveillance cameras from that day. You’re not going to believe what I found."I straightened up, my pulse quickening. Ryan had always been meticulous, a detailed guy. If he said he found something, it was serious."What did you find?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, though my heart was already pound
FINN'S POVAs I continued to watch Linda with so many troubling thoughts swirling in my head, the doctor finally knocked and walked in.I felt a sudden rush of hope, a desperate need for a bit of good news.Dante was lying there, completely still, wrapped in bandages, his body so fragile-looking that it didn’t look real. My brother, the Alpha, reduced to this.The doctor, a tall man with graying hair and a serious expression, approached Dante’s bed and began checking his vitals.His silence made me even more anxious. Every second he didn’t speak felt like an eternity. I tried to read his face, looking for any sign of reassurance, but there was none.“Doctor,” I began, unable to wait any longer. “How is he doing?”The doctor glanced up at me briefly before returning to his work. “He is uhmm… quite stable for now, Finn. His body is healing, but it will take time. The burns were severe.”“And his healing abilities?” I asked, my voice strained. “My brother… he's an Alpha. Shouldn’t that m
FINN'S POVThe longer I thought about everything, the less sense any of it made. I really needed to find out the truth. I couldn’t let these suspicions eat away at me any longer.Without fully thinking it through, I decided to push a little further. "Doesn't it bother you that we're going to catch the driver?" I asked, keeping my voice casual but watching her reaction carefully.Linda paused, her hand still resting gently on Dante’s arm. She looked up at me, confusion flickering across her face. "What do you mean by that?"For a second, my heart raced in panic. Why did I say that?The question had slipped out, betraying the doubt that had been gnawing at me. I quickly backpedaled, trying to smooth over the tension."I'm sorry, that didn’t come out right," I said, offering an apologetic smile. "My head is a bit all over the place right now. Forgive me if that sounded… strange."She nodded slowly, though her eyes never left mine. There was a hint of suspicion behind her gaze now, and I
ADAM'S POVI had just picked up the call from Finn. I wasn’t expecting anything too serious; maybe a quick update on Dante or something about the text I had sent him.But as soon as I answered, I was met with silence. “Finn, any updates? Hello?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Still, no one spoke.I was about to hang up when I heard a woman's voice on the other end. My body immediately tensed up because the voice sounded like Linda's. I leaned in closer, straining to listen.What was going on?I couldn’t make out everything at first, but the next words hit me loud and clear."Can you uhmm… can you take me with you?" Linda's voice was soft but insistent. “I want to see what he looks like too.”The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I knew I had to keep quiet, no matter how much I wanted to jump in and demand answers. I had to listen. I had to understand.I got lost in my thoughts for a moment, but then I heard Linda eagerly say, "Of course. I just want to help.”There
DANTE'S POV Linda’s bloodied body had been rushed into the emergency operating room, leaving Finn and me standing in the hallway. The doors closed with a loud slam as the stretcher passed through, the sound echoing like the end of a sorrowful melody.I couldn’t move. My legs felt like lead, and my mind was blank.Finn was beside me, his voice low and urgent. “Dante,” he said, gripping my shoulder. “You know that this wasn’t your fault, right? You couldn’t have stopped her.”I didn’t respond. How could I? Linda’s words haunted me, her cries of desperation echoing endlessly in my head. You don’t believe me, do you? I’ll have to prove my innocence by dying. And then the window. The fall. The blood.“It doesn’t feel that way,” I finally whispered, my voice cracking.Finn shook his head, his grip tightening. “Listen to me. You can’t take this on yourself. Linda… Linda made her choices. You tried to help her. That’s all anyone could’ve done.”Before I could answer, a loud, piercing wail
DANTE'S POV Linda’s cries filled the hospital room like the stubborn pounding of a storm. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her hands clawing at her chest, her voice hoarse as she repeated the same words over and over again: “It’s my fault… it’s all on me… I listened to Ralph and I didn’t protect my child…”I just stood there, rooted to the spot, not sure of what to do or say. Finn’s words echoed in my mind, clear and steady: “The child wasn’t Silas’s, it was Ralph’s!” Those words refused to leave me, even as Linda’s cries grew louder, slicing through my thoughts.“Linda,” I finally said, my voice low, though it didn’t feel like my own. “You really need to stop. You’re only going to hurt yourself.”She shook her head violently, her hair whipping around her face as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. “No, Dante! You don’t get it! I should have done more! I should have protected my baby!” Her voice cracked, and she fell to her knees, clutching at my shirt. “Please… please don’t hate me
ARIA'S POV The call from Finn came late in the evening, just as the world outside my window turned dark. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that sent a chill down my spine.“Aria, Linda’s baby didn’t make it,” he said suddenly.For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. “What… what did you just say?” I whispered, gripping the phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white.“Linda lost the baby,” Finn continued. “And she’s making quite a scene. But, Aria, listen to me… you don’t have to feel guilty about this.”My mouth went dry. “I…I wasn’t…”But that was a lie, wasn’t it? Guilt had already taken a hold of me, tightening its grip with every word he spoke.Finn sighed, his voice softening. “I’m telling you this because I know how you think. Don’t let her manipulate you. She’s good at this… making herself the victim, drawing everyone in. You know this wasn’t your fault.”But how could it not feel like my fault? I could still hear Dante’s voice from earlier that day, blaming me for
DANTE'S POV Finn's words seemed to echo endlessly in my head. There was no humour in his tone, no trace of malice or lies. He wasn’t the kind of man to twist stories for the sake of drama, especially not about Linda. But this? This was too much to wrap my head around.“Are you really sure this is true?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.Finn nodded, his expression serious. “I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t.” He leaned against the wall, his shoulders slumping. “Right after Ralph died, her baby didn’t make it either. That’s not a coincidence, Dante. It’s hard not to suspect that this was all part of her plan.”The burden of his words hung between us, heavier than anything I had ever carried before. Linda? Linda, the woman who I thought I knew better than anyone? Could she really be capable of this? Could she…Goddess help me…be ruthless enough to kill her own child?I shook my head, trying to push the thought away, but it clung to me like smoke. “No. No, I can’t believe that.”F
ARIA'S POV The loud sound of the ambulance siren broke through the chaos, silencing the frantic murmurs of the crowd for a moment. Dante didn’t wait for the paramedics to take charge. With a sense of urgency I hadn’t seen in him before, he picked up Linda in his arms. Her pale, lifeless body looked even more fragile in the bright light of the ambulance as Dante climbed in, shouting for them to hurry. I watched him go, his desperation etched into every line of his face. His eyes never left Linda’s bloodied form as the ambulance doors slammed shut behind them. For a brief, fleeting second, I felt a pang of something close to pity. But it was quickly swallowed by a flood of bitterness as the whispers began. “This is all Aria’s fault,” someone muttered from the crowd, loud enough for me to hear. “Yes,” another voice chimed in, filled with hate. “If Linda’s baby dies, the pack won’t spare Aria. That child is the pack’s future heir.” The words hurt more than I cared to admit. My che
ARIA'S POV Linda’s sudden breakdown into tears left me frozen, the weight of her confession crashing over the room like a wave. Her emotional words rang in my ears, each one crafted perfectly to squeeze sympathy from Dante and the crowd. “I swear on the goddess, I did it to protect you, Dante!” she cried, holding onto his arm like a lifeline. “Ralph had threatened to kill you if I didn’t do what he wanted. Everything I said to him, everything I did… it was all to keep him calm, to deceive him. You have to believe me!” The room was filled with hushed whispers, and the crowd’s uneasiness grew with every word. I could see the doubt flickering in their eyes as they turned to one another, whispering under their breaths. “She looks scared… she must be telling the truth.” “Could Ralph really have been manipulating her?” My hands balled into fists as I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the noise. “I have heard enough!” I shouted, pointing at Linda. “Can’t you all see what she
DANTE'S POV I couldn't wrap my head around what Aria was doing. From the moment she asked to speak with Linda, she had been relentless, accusing Linda of things that seemed so absurd.Claiming that Linda's child was fathered by a rogue wolf? The words were so ridiculous I almost laughed when I first heard them. Almost.Instead, I felt my patience wearing thin with every accusation, every raised voice. Aria wasn't like this. She was calm, collected, and never reckless. Tonight, though, she seemed agitated, lashing out like she was desperate for everyone to believe her. And yet, Finn...Finn wasn't the type to back wild accusations, and yet he had claimed to have proof. He said he had seen Linda go into the silver cell and kill Ralph. Murder. That word hung heavy in the air, causing my chest to tighten as I looked around the room. The air was thick with tension, whispers circulating through the crowd, spreading speculation and doubt. My eyes landed on Linda, standing not far from m
ARIA'S POVLinda’s expression changed the moment she realized that I wasn’t going to back down. That mask of fragile innocence she wore cracked for just a second, but then, to my surprise, she started crying.“I’m sorry,” Linda suddenly said, her voice trembling as her eyes welled with tears. She looked around the crowd, her lower lip quivering in just the right way. “I’m so sorry, everyone. I don’t know what I’ve done to make Aria hate me so much. I…I’ve tried to be kind, but she just won’t stop harassing me!”The crowd murmured in confusion, their eyes darting between the two of us. My mouth fell open in shock, but Linda pressed on, her voice trembling with perfect fragility.“I really don’t know why she’s doing this,” she continued, wringing her hands. “I’ve tried so hard to stay out of her way, but she keeps accusing me of… awful things. And now she’s saying horrible things about my child… my unborn child. I just… I don’t know how much more I can take.” Her voice broke, and she bu
ARIA'S POVLinda stood beside him, her hand resting on his arm, a smug look of confidence flickering across her face.That look—so composed, so sure of herself—ignited something hot and uncontainable inside me.After everything she had done, she could still stand there so calm, so unbothered, wearing that look of triumph? I felt the anger pulse through my veins, louder than the quiet hum of murmurs around us.Before I could stop myself, I took a step forward and grabbed her hand firmly, my words spilling out in a fierce, steady tone. “Didn’t you just kill someone? You killed Ralph, the father of the child in your womb!”The room went deathly silent. It was as if the entire crowd was holding its breath, their shocked expressions frozen in place, eyes wide and darting between Linda and me.I could actually hear my own heartbeat, the loud, insistent thud filling the quiet. The weight of my accusation seemed to hang heavy in the air, pressing down on everyone around us.Linda’s smug expre