Rodrigo was waiting exactly where I’d left him. Our eyes met across the corridor, and I saw understanding pass between us. He could read everything in my expression-my decision, my surrender, my breaking heart.
He walked to me and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.
Darrell’s soft laughter drifted from his position against the wall.
Rodrigo turned toward him with ice in his voice. “What exactly are you laughing at?”
Darrell shrugged, trying to look innocent. ‘Nothing. Just think this outcome is… for the best.”
If you don’t have anything else to do here, please leave. You’re not welcome.”
I saved Sable’s life, Darrell protested. If I hadn’t been there, she’d be dead.”
Budrigos expression grew even colder Ob? Well then, thank you. Now please go
Darrell opened his mouth to argue, but Rodrigo had already turned his back and walked into Sables room.
I heard Darell’s continued protests echoing behind me as I walked away, but they sounded distant and meaningless. My world had harrowed to the rhythm of my own footsteps and the dying cries of Storm in my mind
Two police officers stood guard outside Marcus room I showed them my identification.
I’m his son. I need to speak with him privately.”
They exchanged glances, then stepped aside. One of them spoke into his radio, then nodded at me.
The room was smaller than Sable’s, equipped with the same monitoring equipment but lacking the intensive care setup. Marcus was awake, staring at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes.
I remained standing, looking down at the man who’d raised me, taught me, tried to kill me.
Why? The single word carried all my confusion, all my pain.
Marcus turned his head slowly, his lips curving into a mad smile. “Did that woman die?
The casual cruelty in his voice shattered what was left of my control. I lunged forward, my hand closing around his throat.
“You sick bastard! She’s innocent!”
Marcus’s face turned purple as I squeezed, but his eyes held nothing but defiance. Even as he gasped for air, he managed to look triumphant.
I released him just before he lost consciousness completely. He coughed violently, his body convulsing as oxygen flooded back into his lungs.
“Still want to kill your own father?” he wheezed. “Go ahead. Do it.”
“Answer my question.” My voice was deadly quiet. “Why did you do this?”
Marcus laughed-a horrible, broken sound. “Since she’s dead anyway, I might as well tell you the truth.”
I waited, my hands trembling with the effort not to strangle him again.
“I hate you, Caelan.” His voice was flat, matter-of-fact. “I hate Katherine. I hate everyone in this pack who forced me into this life.”
He struggled to sit up higher in the bed, his eyes blazing with resentment.
The woman I loved was Melissa-Lucian’s mother. My real son has been forced to live as an outcast while you enjoyed everything that should have been his.”
The revelation hit me like a physical blow. “So this wasn’t just about killing Sable. You wanted to kill me too.”
“Finally figured it out? Marcus’s grin was vicious. “When you told me you planned to continue hunting Lucian, I knew what I had to
Kill you, let Lucian reclaim his rightful place.”
My throat felt raw. But I’m your son too…
“Son?” Marcus spat” “You were never the son I wanted. Every day I looked at you, I was reminded of my betrayal, my weakness. You represent everything I sacrificed for duty and politics.”
The words cut deeper than any blade
“You think I wanted to marry Katherine? That was a political alliance! You think I wanted to abandon Melissa and Lucian? That was pack pressure! His voice rose to a shout. I’ve lived with that guilt for years, watching you have everything while my real son suffered in exile.”
I struggled to process what he was telling me Melissa died in poverty while Katherine lived in luxury. Lucian grew up unwanted while you were groomed as heir. Do you have any idea what that did to me?
“So you decided to fix it by murdering us both.”
“Justice, Marcus corrected. Not murder. Justice.”
I stared at this man who’d been my father for over three decades,
“Do you have contact with him? Where is he now?”
A flicker of wariness crossed Marcus’s eyes. “I have no contact with him whatsoever.”
“Don’t think you’ll get any information about him from me.”
“Sable isn’t dead,” I said quietly. “She’s going to recover.”
Marcus’s face went white. “No…”
“And I’m going to find Lucian. I’m going to hunt him down no matter how long it takes.”
“You can’t!” Marcus lurched forward against his restraints. “I won’t let you hurt him!”
“As for you,” I continued, my voice growing colder, “you’ll rot in the pack dungeons. You’ll never see daylight again.”
Marcus exploded into rage, screaming and thrashing against his bonds. He grabbed the water pitcher from his bedside table and hurled it at the wall, then began tearing at his IV lines.
“I’ll kill you before I let you touch Lucian! You hear me? I’ll kill you!”
The noise brought the guards running. They burst through the door and quickly restrained Marcus as he continued to fight and scream like a rabid animal.
I watched them wrestle my father back onto the bed, my heart feeling like it had turned to stone.
I walked out of the room while Marcus’s voice echoed behind me-incoherent threats and promises, the ravings of a broken man who d finally snapped completely.
In the corridor, I stopped and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath of the antiseptic hospital air.
From today forward, my world would be painted in shades of gray,
Sable’s POV
The dull throbbing in my head felt like someone was taking a sledgehammer to my skull. I blinked slowly, trying to clear the haze from my vision. White ceiling tiles came into focus above me.
My mouth felt like I’d been eating sand for hours. I tried to swallow, but my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
When I attempted to shift my position, I felt the tug of the IV line in my right arm and the weight of monitoring cables wrapped around my left wrist. The beeping of machines filled the sterile silence,
I turned my head carefully to the left. Dad sat slumped in the uncomfortable hospital chair beside my bed, his chin resting on his palm. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and stubble covered his jaw. His breathing was steady and deep.
The slight rustle of hospital sheets must have reached him because his head snapped up immediately.
“My darling…” His hand found my cheek. “You’re awake. Thank God, you’re finally awake.”
I leaned into his touch.
“How long was I out?” I struggled to sit up, but dizziness forced me back against the pillows.
His palm pressed gently against my shoulder. “Slow down, Sabi. You’ve been unconscious for ten hours.”
My fingers found the bandages wrapped around my head. Fragments of memory started piecing themselves together like a broken puzzle.
“The explosion… that car…” My breathing quickened.
Dad’s hand tightened around mine. “Don’t think about it now. You’re safe.”
“Caelan! Is he okay? The blast-was he hurt?”
I tried to push myself upright again, ignoring how my head spun. “I need to see him. Which room is he in?”
Something flickered across Dad’s expression-pain, maybe guilt-before he smoothed his features back into careful neutrality. “He’s fine, Sabi. Safe.”
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