Ryan had heard everything with his enhanced hearing. “That son of a bitch,” he snarled.
“Call security, increase protection at the pack house immediately,” I ordered, already dialing Mabel. “I’ll get everyone together.”
“Mabel, listen carefully. Don’t alarm Caroline, but don’t let her answer any calls except from me. Keep her phone and tablet away. Say they’re charging or something.”
“Is everything okay, Alpha?” she asked, concerned.
“Just a precaution. I’ll explain later. And don’t leave the house for any reason.”
Next, I called Kyle, Ava, and Ruby from different departments, instructing them to meet me immediately. We needed to collect Eleanor from Puma Global before she heard about Nate from someone else.
The drive to Joseph’s company felt endless. Ryan kept making calls, arranging for extra security and canceling appointments.
“Eleanor doesn’t know yet?” he asked.
“No, and I need to tell her before she finds out some other way.” My knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “Howard’s targeting our loved ones now. He’s getting desperate.We’ve been so focused on protecting the women, we forgot about ourselves.”
We arrived at Puma Global to find Eleanor chatting with colleagues in the main lobby. Her smile fell instantly upon seeing our expressions.
“What happened?” she demanded, crossing her arms. “And don’t lie to me, Draven. Your face looks like someone died.”
Joseph appeared from the elevator, clearly confused by our presence. “Thorne? What brings you to my doorstep?”
“We need to talk to Eleanor. Privately,” I said.
Joseph recognized the gravity in my voice and led us to his office. Once inside, Eleanor’s professional composure crumbled.
“Is it Caroline? The babies?” she asked, panicked.
“No, they’re safe,” I assured her quickly. “It’s Nate. He was attacked in the parking garage after a meeting with clients. He’s at Harbor Bay Memorial in surgery now.”
Eleanor’s face drained of color. “What? No, that’s not… he just texted me an hour ago saying he was heading home…”
“Elle, we need to go to the hospital now,” I said gently.
“How bad is it?” she whispered, tears forming.
I hesitated, which told her everything.
“Tell me!” she demanded.
“It’s serious. The doctors are doing everything they can.”
She swayed slightly, and Ryan moved to support her.
“Howard did this, didn’t he?” she asked, her voice hard despite her tears.
“We believe so.”
“That monster,” she spat. “I’ll kill him myself if anything happens to Nate.”
Joseph was already grabbing his coat. “I’m driving you. All of you look too upset to be behind a wheel.”
The drive to the hospital was tense, with Eleanor alternating between shocked silence and furious tears. “He attacked Nate because of me, because I helped with Liam’s rescue,” she whispered. “This is my fault.”
“No,” I said firmly. “This is on Howard, no one else. Nate would never blame you.”
We arrived at the hospital to find Jace in the waiting room with Investigator Magnus. Their grim expressions confirmed our worst fears.
“How is he?” Eleanor asked, rushing forward.
“Still in surgery,” Magnus answered. “The doctors will update us when they can.”
Eleanor collapsed into a chair, her face a mask of anguish. “He has to be okay. He has to be.”
I sat beside her, placing an arm around her shoulders. “Nate is strong. He’ll fight through this.”
Draven’s POV
The hospital waiting room smelled of antiseptic. We’d been there for nearly four hours when the surgeon finally emerged, still in blood-stained scrubs. Eleanor stood immediately, her face pale but composed.
“How is he?” she asked, voice barely steady.
The doctor’s expression was guarded. “Alpha Nathaniel is stable but in critical condition. The attackers clearly meant to do permanent damage. There are multiple fractures to his ribs, a punctured lung, severe head trauma, and most concerning… potential spinal injury.”
“Spinal injury?” Eleanor’s voice cracked. “What does that mean?”
“There’s swelling around his upper spine. Until it goes down, we won’t know how bad the damage is, but he might be partially paralyzed.”
I felt sick. Werewolves could heal from many things, including cuts, bruises, even broken bones, but spinal injuries affecting the nervous system were different.
Eleanor swayed, and I caught her arm to steady her.
“Can I see him?” she whispered.
“He’s in recovery now. Once we move him to ICU, immediate family can visit briefly.”
As the doctor left, Eleanor’s composure shattered. She collapsed against my chest, sobbing. “They tried to paralyze him,” she cried. “Howard wanted to take away everything that makes Nate who he is.”
“We don’t know that for certain,” I said. “The doctors are doing everything possible.”
“If he’s paralyzed…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Ryan knelt beside us. “Nate is one of the strongest wolves I know. If anyone can recover from this, it’s him.”
Eleanor wiped her tears with shaking hands. “He loves running more than anything. The freedom of the shift, the forest… it would destroy him to lose that.”
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