She was walking in, her father right beside her. Dad had invited him, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see her here too. She had been keeping her distance for a while now, not bothering us, not trying anything. As strange as it was, it had almost given me relief. I didn’t have a problem with her being here. not if she stayed the fuck away from me and Anna.
But Anna’s reaction was different. Her hands were shaking, her eyes wide as she looked at Sophie like she had just seen a ghost. I moved to hold her hand, to calm her, to ask what was wrong, but before I could, my name was called. The host was inviting me to the podium. It was time.
I forced myself up, walking to the stage, but my eyes kept darting back to Anna. She wasn’t okay. Something was wrong. My chest ached as I fought the urge to just leave everything and go back to her.
I reached the podium, the microphone in front of me, the eyes of hundreds fixed on me. I should have felt the weight of it, the significance of the moment. But all I saw, was Anna. She was standing now. She wasn’t beside the table anymore. My heart hammered as I watched her walk out of the hall, her eyes darting around like she was looking for someone, confusion written all over her face, a phone in her hand.
My stomach twisted painfully.
Minutes passed, though it felt like forever, and then I saw Sophie again. She was seated with her father, but her eyes weren’t on him or the ceremony. Her eyes were on Anna’s empty seat, and slowly, a huge smirk spread across her face. Not just any smirk, a knowing one, the kind that screamed she had something to do with Anna walking out.
My fists clenched at my sides, my jaw tight as I tried to keep my composure in front of the entire hall, but my insides were burning.
Something was wrong.
ANNA’S POV
She was smirking and the more she stared at me, the more uneasy I became, my stomach twisting because deep down I kept thinking that maybe Sophie really had something to do with all this mess, but then again I was still unsure and since there wasn’t any reasonable evidence I couldn’t just say a word, I couldn’t risk spoiling the relationship her dad and my dad had together just because of some suspicion or misinformation, so I kept quiet, even though her eyes on me made my chest feel so tight as if it was closing in.
Just as Ryan’s name was called and it was time for the official transfer of position, my phone suddenly rang, the sound sharp in my ears and making me jump while my pulse picked up. I opened my purse quickly and brought it out, staring at the screen as I saw an unknown number flashing. My brows furrowed, wondering who could be calling me at such a moment. I cut the call immediately but then it came again, buzzing harder like the caller wasn’t going to stop.
I looked around nervously, not wanting to disturb anyone with the ringing, and finally I sighed and stood up, deciding to step outside and pick it while making sure no one noticed. as I started walking toward the door, I caught Sophie’s eyes again and she was smiling at me, that same evil smirk playing on her lips like she knew something I didn’t. My heart skipped but I ignored her and kept moving while my mind was racing.
Once outside, I found a more secluded area and pressed the phone to my ear.
“Hello?” I said softly.
There was no answer.
“Hello?” I repeated, louder this time while glancing around.
Still nothing. I frowned. “Hello?? Can you hear me?”
But it was just silence again, no voice, no words. I groaned under my breath and hissed, lowering the phone from my ear and pressing the end button before turning to walk back inside.
Just as I was about to step back in, the phone rang again. I froze, staring at it. My hands were shaking now. With a frustrated sigh, I answered.
“Hello??” I snapped, my voice laced with irritation.
This time, after a beat of silence, I thought I heard something faint, like static.
“Can you hear me?” I asked quickly, walking further down the corridor to find somewhere quieter, hoping the signal would be clearer.”Hello?? Can you hear me now?” I pressed, my footsteps echoing as I unknowingly found myself at the top of a quiet staircase while my fingers trembled.
And then… I heard laughter.
Not just one, but several voices laughing, cruel and sharp, a series of evil laughter that sent chills racing down my spine making my skin prickle as if ice was dripping down it.
“Huh?” I whispered in confusion, my voice shaking. “What is happening?? Who is this?”
But the laughter only grew louder, mocking, terrifying.
Before I could even react, before my mind could process what was going on, a hand came out of nowhere and shoved me hard from behind. My eyes widened, my body stumbling forward as my feet slipped against the edge of the staircase. I screamed, my voice breaking as I tumbled, my body hitting the stairs painfully, again and again, each impact shooting sharp pain through me while my thoughts spun out of control. My hands clawed at the air, desperate to hold on to something, but there was nothing, only the cold hard stairs meeting me over and over.
“No-please!!” I screamed, my voice lost in the emptiness of the stairwell.
My head spun as I rolled helplessly, and then the sharpest pain of all hit me, my stomach. It felt like something tore inside me, a brutal jolt of agony that made me cry out louder than before. Tears filled my eyes instantly. My head smashed against the landing at the bottom with a sickening thud, my vision blurring as blood began to soak into my gown, spreading fast, warm and terrifying.
I gasped, my eyes wide, my breathing shallow. My hands shook as I reached instinctively for my stomach. The pain there was unbearable, stabbing, deep, and the last thing I noticed before everything went black was the horrifying sight of myself lying in a pool of my own blood, my trembling fingers slipping over the red as darkness swallowed me whole.
RYAN’S POV
“Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Please, help! Someone help!” I yelled at the top of my voice as Anna was being rushed in on the stretcher, her gown soaked in blood, her face pale, and her body frighteningly still. My chest was ripping apart, my legs weak, but I didn’t stop running alongside the nurses as if me screaming would somehow keep her alive.
“Let me take over!” Dr. Kellan’s voice boomed, sharp and commanding, and in that moment he pushed the nurses aside and grabbed the stretcher. He had flown all the way from Nivelle for my inauguration, but now it was as if fate had planted him here just for this moment. His hands were steady, his eyes laser-focused, and before I could blink, he was wheeling her straight into the emergency room.
“Ryan, you can’t come in,” he barked at me. “We need space. She’s losing too much blood. If you want her alive, wait outside!”
“No, no, please-I can’t-” My voice cracked, my body fighting to push past, but two nurses held me back.
“That’s my mate! That’s my baby in there! Please!”
“Ryan!” Dr. Kellan shouted without even looking at me as the doors slammed shut. “If you love her, then wait outside and let us do our job!”
I froze. My chest was heaving, my fists shaking, my throat closing up, but I stumbled back, dragging both hands through my hair in pure frustration as I hit the wall and almost slid down to the floor. My mind was spinning, my wolf clawing at me from the inside, screaming at me to break the doors down and go to her, but my body… my body was frozen.
And then, all at once, I heard footsteps. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Beta Logan, Gamma Steve, and Alex came rushing down the hallway. Mom’s face was already soaked with tears. Dad’s jaw was clenched tight. Grandma clutched Grandpa’s arm for support.
“What happened? Ryan, what happened to her?” Mom cried, rushing to me, her hands gripping my shoulders as if shaking me would give her the answer.
“How is she? Tell me she’s okay!” Grandma’s voice cracked as she stepped closer, her eyes wide with fear.
I couldn’t take it. I growled loudly, running both hands roughly through my hair, the sound tearing from my chest so raw that it echoed through the entire corridor.
“I don’t know!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “I don’t fucking know! She was fine, she was inside the hall, and then-then someone found her in a pool of blood at the damn staircase!” My throat burned as I slammed my fist against the wall. “I should’ve been there! I should’ve protected her!”
“Son…” Dad started, his voice low but tight, but I snapped my head up, my eyes burning.
“Alex!” I barked, my voice sharp, cold, Alpha-heavy. The entire hallway seemed to tremble with the authority in it. “Find out who the hell did this to my Anna. Now!”
“Yes, Alpha,” he said with absolute respect, his tone leaving no room for doubt. He turned on his heel and sprinted down the hall, already pulling out his phone.
“That’s not all!” I shouted after him, my chest heaving. “Call the owner of this hotel. Tell him I want every single CCTV recording from tonight, from every floor, every angle, every hidden fucking corner. And if I don’t have them, I’ll burn this entire place down brick by brick!”
“Yes, Alpha!” Alex’s voice rang back as he disappeared.
Beta Logan and Gamma Steve exchanged a quick look before stepping forward.
“We’ll assist him,” Logan said firmly. “Whoever did this will not get away with it.” Without waiting for another word, the two of them hurried off in the same direction.
Dad paced back and forth like a lion, his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed so tightly I thought his forehead would split.
“Whoever is behind this,” he muttered under his breath, “they don’t know what storm they’ve unleashed.”
Mom’s arms wrapped tightly around me, but I couldn’t even hug her back. My body was too stiff, my head too full of chaos. My eyes stayed locked on the red light above the emergency room doors that told me they were still working on Anna.
Minutes turned into hours. Every tick of the clock felt like a blade in my chest. I could hear faint shouting from inside the room, the sound of equipment moving, Dr. Kellan’s commanding tone telling the nurses what to do.
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