Chapter 124
FLANA
The world had been reduced to a series of small rituals.
Wake up. Tiptoe down the Moonstone hallways. Open the door to Aiden’s room. Sit by his side. Watch the rise and fall of his chest. Whisper prayers to the Moon Goddess I’d neglected to properly worship since I was a teenager.
Repeat.
He’d been stabilized for days now, the worst of it behind us or so they said. The silver poisoning was under control. The transfusions had taken. The wounds were healing
But he still hadn’t woken up.
I crossed the room quietly, just as I’d done every morning, since we brought him home. The nurse had changed his bandages overnight, and the scent of wolfsbane salve lingered faintly in the air. Alden’s little body–so warm, so strong, so still–lay tucked beneath soft sheets and too marry machines.
I sat down and gently wrapped my fingers around his hand. His skin was warm. That was good.
I let my thumb trace the back of his palm, a grounding motion I’d done since he was small. His tiny hand used to disappear inside mine. Now it filled it..
“Aiden,” I whispered, resting my head on the edge of the bed. “It’s morning, baby. You can open your eyes if you
want.”
And then-
A small shift.
Barely perceptible, but enough to still my breath
His fingers twitched.
I froze.
“Aiden?” I sat up, heartbeat hammering in my chest. “Sweetheart?”
This time his eyes fluttered. Once. Twice. And then they opened–glazed and slow, but unmistakably awake.
Relief crashed through me so hard I nearly collapsed.
“Mama?” His voice was hoarse, a broken whisper from disuse.
“Oh, thank the Goddess,” I choked. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here.”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I hit the call button, summoning the nurse and pediatrician before turning back to my son. “You’ve been asleep for a little while. You were hurt, Aiden. Very badly. But you’re safe now. You’re safe.”
His brow furrowed. “Is this Moonstone?”
“Yes,” I said softly. “We brought you home.”
The nurse rushed in a second later, followed by Dr. Hallen, our longtime pediatrician. The older wolf smiled warmly at Aiden and stepped to the bed, checking vitals, asking gentle questions, assessing reflexes and responsiveness.
Chapter 124
+25 BONUS
Alden winced when he tried to sit up, and I was at his side in an instant, pressing him back gently “Easy You need to jest, okay? We’re going to take things slow.”
*After a few minutes of evaluation, Dr. Hallen gave a satisfied nod. “This is a good sign,” he told me “A very good sign. We’ll adjust his care plan and start introducing some dear fluids and soft foods later today. The important thing now is rest and gradual reintroduction.”
The nurse adjusted his IV drip and they left us alone again, promising to return shortly
The moment the door shut, Aiden turned his head toward the
“I called him,” he said.
1 blinked, “What?”
“In Pierce’s villa,” he said. “Before the attack. I went into the office and called Derek. Is that how he found us?”
My throat tightened. “Yes. That’s how.“”
Aiden nodded, eyelids already starting to droop again. “I knew he would come.”
I swallowed. “You remember?”
“Sort of. It’s fuzzy. I don’t remember how we got home.” He frowned. “Did Derek save us?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “He did.”
A sleepy smile tugged at his lips. “I knew he would,” he murmured again. His eyes drifted shut.
I reached out and smoothed the hair back from his forehead, my heart aching.
There were so many things I needed to tell him.
And I didn’t know how to start.
DEREK
The phone call ended like they all had. Short. Terse. Clinical
“He’s still stable, Alpha Derek.”
That was it.
Nothing about whether he was awake. Nothing about whether I could visit. Just the same walls, the same vague updates.
Each time I had to hear it from a Moonstone staffer, not even a member of the family.
And From Elena? The same unbearable silence.
I set the receiver down on the kitchen counter of the Silverclaw estate and stared at my reflection in the darkened window. My eyes looked like a stranger’s–haunted and rimmed in red.
Chapter 125
