I nodded against Draven’s chest, allowing myself to believe, for the first time, that we might actually win this battle.
Caroline’s POV
I arrived home exhausted, my heart aching for my babies. Liam chatted away, telling me how he’d helped with his little siblings and that they were all sleeping soundly.
“The twins were so good today, Mommy! I helped feed them their bottles,” he said proudly.
“Liam is such a responsible big brother,” I praised him.
After Liam fell asleep too, I went to bed with a pounding headache.
Despite my fatigue, sleep was fitful and broken. Not because of the quadruplets-they were actually quite calm, and Draven was an incredible father who would get up at night to help change and feed them. But nightmares plagued me, leaving me with a lingering sense of dread I couldn’t shake.
I woke before dawn, my head throbbing worse than before. After checking on my children, who were all sleeping peacefully, I headed to the kitchen for coffee and pain medication.
Mabel and I were in the kitchen when a crash from the living room startled us both. We exchanged worried glances and went to check. The moment I stepped into the room, my blood turned to ice.
Howard stood in our living room, gun pointed directly at one of the nannies.
“Well, look who it is-the no-scent gold-digging bitch!” Howard sneered, swinging the gun toward me.
I tried to keep calm. “What do you want, Howard?”
“Isn’t it fucking obvious, Caroline?” He gestured wildly with the gun. “I want everything that belongs to your mate. Money, power-all of it. That bastard Draven ruined everything, so now he’s going to help me escape and set me up with enough cash to live like royalty somewhere far from here.”
“You’re completely insane,” I said, my wolf Rory growling inside me.
“Stay calm. Don’t provoke him,” Rory cautioned.
Howard’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “You think so? Let me tell you something, sweetheart. I’m not crazy, I’m strategic.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he fired a shot directly into my left leg.
Searing pain tore through me, bone-deep and excruciating. I collapsed to one knee, gasping as blood poured from the wound.
Silver bullet. The kind that slowed werewolf healing and amplified agony.
Both Rory and I were stunned by the sudden attack, barely able to move.
Mabel rushed forward, trying to help me up. “Caroline, are you okay?”
“Shut the hell up, you bitches!” Howard roared, firing another shot in our direction.
This time, my reflexes kicked in.
I shoved Mabel aside, and she stumbled away just as the bullet struck the wall behind her.
I quickly mind-linked her. “Mabel, don’t worry about me. Find a way out. Don’t get hurt.”
Tears streaming down her face, Mabel nodded.
In a flash, Howard was in front of me, pressing the gun barrel against my forehead. “You think you’re some kind of saint, bitch? You’re about to die and you’re still trying to save people.”
I stared unflinchingly at this man twisted by hatred and greed. “Howard, you won’t kill me. If you do, Draven won’t give you anything. He’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth. You know how important I am to him.”
“Howard, put the gun down.” Draven’s Alpha voice came from the stairway.
Howard yanked me up from the ground, one arm locked around my throat while his gun hand trembled uncontrollably.
It was obvious Howard was fighting against Draven’s Alpha command.
“Look who decided to join us! The almighty Alpha Draven Thorne himself.” Howard’s eyes gleamed with hatred. “You know what I never figured out? How you survived that rogue attack. The sabotage was perfect, I even had a fake will ready to go. It would’ve passed as authentic if you hadn’t lived. But you survived because you were fucking this bitch at that masquerade party.”
“Howard, lower the gun.” Draven commanded again, his Alpha voice carrying more force this time.
Howard’s gun hand began to shake violently, the weapon nearly slipping from his grasp.
Despite the searing pain, I decided to struggle against his hold.
Howard sensed my intention and tightened his grip around my throat. My face flushed red from the lack of oxygen.
“Stay still, you fucking bitch.”
Howard’s face twisted into a grotesque grin. “Sure, let’s talk.”
Without warning, he fired another shot into my right leg.
“Ahh!” I screamed in agony.
Draven’s face contorted with rage and anguish as he watched me suffer. “Howard, don’t you dare hurt her again!”
“Use that Alpha command on me one more time,” Howard snarled, pressing the gun harder against my temple, “and the next bullet goes straight through her skull.”
Draven’s face went pale with terror. “Howard, what do you want?”
Howard smiled cruelly. “Before I tell you what I want, I have something for you first.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out not handcuffs, but a syringe filled with clear liquid.
My heart stopped.
“Know what this is, Alpha? Wolf suppressant. Strong enough to temporarily block your connection to your wolf so you can’t shift.” He looked directly at me, his smile widening. “Either you inject yourself with this, or I put a bullet in your mate’s pretty head.”
“No, Draven, don’t!” I screamed.
Howard kicked me hard and threw me to the ground.
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