Chapter 205: Punish Me Instead

They tried desperately to pin it down.

Marco and Lafu pulled the net tighter, muscles straining as they fought to keep the massive wolf contained. The animal thrashed wildly, its powerful claws slashing through the thick mesh with terrifying ease. It snarled and snapped, tearing bigger holes with every violent twist of its body.

“Hold it! Don’t let go!” Marco shouted, sweat pouring down his face.

But then, police sirens suddenly filled the air, growing louder and closer.

The flashing red and blue lights painted the walls. Marco and Lafu got distracted for just a split second.

That was all the wolf needed.

With one final, ferocious rip, it tore through the net and leaped free. The beast landed on all fours, shook itself violently, and bolted deeper into the alley, disappearing into the shadows.

Everyone turned, breathing hard, watching the spot where it vanished.

Two police cars screeched to a stop at the mouth of the alley. Officers jumped out, flashlights sweeping the area.

Mia and the others rushed to Ethan, who was still on the ground, clutching his mangled left arm. Blood soaked his sleeve and pooled beneath him. His face was pale, lips pressed tight in pain.

“Oh my God, Ethan…” Mia whispered, tears in her eyes.

“What the hell did you kids think you were doing?” one of the officers barked, glaring at the group as he approached. He was a middle-aged man with a stern face. “This area has been under active warning for days! Multiple attacks, possible rabid animal on the loose, and you decide to play hero in the middle of the night?”

He looked at Ethan’s bleeding arm and shook his head. “Look what happened to your friend. If a neighbor hadn’t called saying they saw a group of young people hanging around here, you all could’ve ended up a lot worse.”

The paramedics arrived moments later and quickly got to work on Ethan, cutting away his sleeve, applying pressure bandages, and starting an IV. “He needs to go to the hospital right away,” one of them said. “This bite is deep. Possible tendon damage.”

The officer turned to Lafu and Marco. “You two look like the oldest ones here. Why would you let them do something this stupid?”

Leitana stepped forward, voice trembling. “Officer… mi sorry. It’s my fault. I was only trying to protect my friend.”

The officer sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Your friend? You said you came here to ‘protect’ Arabella Rousseau? Where is she then? She disappeared into thin air?”

Leitana fell silent. They were all confused, none of them had seen where Arabella went after the wolf appeared.

The officer’s tone turned stern and realistic. “Listen to me. This isn’t a game. You’re lucky it was just one of you who got hurt tonight. Stay out of restricted areas after dark. Leave this to animal control and the police. Next time, you might not be so lucky. Go home.”

Leitana rushed over to Ethan as they were about to load him into the ambulance.

Tears streamed down Leitana’s face as she knelt beside him. “I’m so sorry, Ethan… mi so so sorry…”

“This is all your fault!” she shouted. “You dragged us out here because of some stupid dream! Ethan got bitten because of you!”

Lila tried to calm her. “Mia, calm.. ”

“No!” Mia snapped. “She put all of us in danger. For what? A nightmare? Ethan might never play piano properly again, and it’s because of you!”

Leitana’s shoulders shook as more tears fell. “Mi know… mi didn’t mean for any of this to happen…”

Ethan winced in pain but lifted his good hand. “Enough,” he said weakly, looking at Mia and the others. “It’s not all her fault. I chose to come too.”

Still, Leitana felt crushed. “You can’t play in the showcase now because of mi…”

Ethan gave her a small, pained smile. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about that right now.”

But Leitana couldn’t stop the guilt from swallowing her whole.

They all watched in heavy silence as the paramedics loaded Ethan into the ambulance. Mia climbed in after him, shooting one last angry glare at Leitana before the doors closed. The sirens wailed as the vehicle sped off into the night.

Mikey, Kai, Theo, and Lila let out long, exhausted sighs.

Lafu rubbed her face. “We have to go home. I’ll drive you guys. Come on.”

She put a comforting arm around Leitana’s shoulders and gently turned her away from the scene. The group started walking back toward the van, still shaken.

But they only made it a few steps before they froze.

A few feet ahead, standing tall and broad under the streetlight, was Ravial Ashbourne. His presence alone seemed to suck the air out of the street. His head was turned directly toward Leitana.

Marco muttered under his breath, “Shit…”

The air felt ten degrees colder and Leitana’s heart dropped into her stomach.

The drive back to the villa was dead silent.

Leitana sat meekly in the back seat, hands tangled together in her lap, head down. She could feel Ravial’s anger radiating from the front passenger seat like heat from a furnace. Lafu had taken the others home, so it was just the two of them in the back of the black SUV, with one of Ravial’s drivers up front.

After several minutes of suffocating quiet, Leitana finally whispered, voice small and trembling:

“Mi Ravial… mi so….”

“Don’t,” Ravial cut her off sharply, voice low and ice-cold. He didn’t even turn to look at her. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Leitana flinched. Tears welled up in her eyes again.

The rest of the ride was silent. When they arrived at the villa, Ravial got out first and waited for her. As soon as she stepped out, he grabbed her wrist, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough that she couldn’t pull away and led her straight inside and up to their bedroom without a word.

The moment the bedroom door closed behind them, he finally turned to face her.

His jaw was clenched tight. The blindfold made it impossible to read his eyes, but the tension in his body and the anger in his voice said everything.

“You disobeyed me,” he said quietly, dangerously. “After I specifically told you to come straight home. After I warned you. You put yourself and our child in danger… for what? A dream?”

Leitana’s lips trembled. “Mi was only trying to…”

“I said I don’t want to hear it,” Ravial growled, stepping closer until she had to tilt her head back to look at him. His presence was overwhelming, dark and suffocating. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you tonight? To our baby?”

His large hand moved to her stomach, resting there possessively, fingers splayed protectively over the small bump. But his voice stayed ice-cold with fury.

“You will not leave this house again without my permission. Not for school or for anything. Until I say otherwise.”

Leitana’s tears finally spilled over, hot and silent down her cheeks.

Ravial turned away from her sharply, jaw clenched, ready to walk out.

“Mi Ravial!” she cried, lunging forward and grabbing his arm with both hands. “Where are you going?”

He stopped but didn’t turn around immediately. When he finally looked at her, his blindfolded face was terrifyingly calm.

“I need to handle your guards,” he said flatly. “Their incompetence nearly cost me everything tonight.”

“Please… please,” Leitana begged, voice breaking as she clung to his arm. “It’s all mi fault. Don’t punish them. Punish me instead.”

Ravial turned fully then. For a long moment he just stared down at her tear-streaked face. Then he reached out and gently wiped her tears away with his thumb, the gesture surprisingly tender compared to the anger in his voice.

“You will be punished too, little lamb,” he said softly, almost lovingly. “But not tonight. Tonight you will rest.”

He took her hand away from his arm, holding it for a second before letting go.

“Go shower,” he ordered quietly. “Then lay on the bed and wait for me. Do not move until I return.”

Leitana stood there, frozen, as he walked toward the door. Pain, guilt, and a deep, aching fear twisted inside her chest. She felt small. She felt like she had disappointed the one person she never wanted to disappoint.

The door clicked shut behind him.

She stayed rooted in the middle of the room for several long seconds, tears still falling, before she finally moved toward the bathroom on shaky legs.