Chapter 17 16
Darius' POV
“If not for her,” my mother told me, “your wolf would have killed those two nurses and you’d be in jail for God knows how long.”
I clenched my teeth, my jaw aching as the truth bit at me. Zeus—my wolf—had gone completely out of control, he slipped past every ounce of restraint I had.
Any time he broke free like that, cornered, no amount of spell could stop him. But now, all she did was touch me. She didn't even have to hug me, and Zeus calmed down like some damn puppy.
The thought made me grind my teeth harder. Nothing had ever worked before. The elders had tried binding spells. The shamans had tried suppressants. I had been locked, chained, forced into submission more times than I wanted to count. None of it had tamed him.
And yet this girl… she didn’t have to hug me, didn’t even have to speak words of command. She just touched me, and the rage in Zeus melted.
It burned in my chest, the idea of it made it seem like she was the master, and I was some beast that would sit when she lifted her hand. Would I have to depend on her? Would I need her to keep Zeus from tearing the world apart? The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. I shoved it at the back of my mind as much as I could because even if it didn’t please me, I couldn’t ignore that she had saved lives.
I glanced at her, standing quietly beside my mother, her gaze steady despite all she had just seen. “Thank you,” I forced out.
She nodded slowly. “How’s your leg?”
My eyes moved downward. The throbbing was dull now, it was healing already as Zeus had calmed down. “It’s healing,” I muttered.
Mother’s voice broke the silence. “Look, you two stay here. I’ll go to the doctor and ask if we can take you home.”
I gave her a small nod and watched as she slipped out of the ward, the door clicking softly behind her.
Then it was just Soraya and me.
Soraya just stood there, watching me with that calm expression of hers, and it made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t like.
“You don’t own me, okay?” I said coldly.
Her brows lifted, and she tilted her head. “Own you? Did I ever say I owned you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t act oblivious. Because you’re able to calm my wolf doesn’t mean you own me or anything.”
She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Trust me, I don’t own you. Neither do I desire to own you. And I’d also like to remind you that you don’t own me.”
My jaw clenched. “What do you mean?”
Her gaze didn’t flinch. “Simply because you carried me from the brothel and brought me to your house doesn’t mean you own me.”
The guts of this girl. I had never met someone who dared to speak to me like that. Slowly, I pushed myself upright on the bed, dragging my leg. Pain shot through me and I hissed, but I refused to let it show too much.
“Don’t move. Stay put,” she said, rushing forward and pressing her hands on my shoulders, trying to hold me down.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, leaning back against the pillow.
She rose to her full height, her arms folded across her chest, staring down at me like she was the one in control here.
“Why did you have to go there anyway?” she demanded.
I looked at her.
“Why did you go to Adiba Street?” she continued. “I don’t know much about the whole thing or what exactly is going on. But I do know the Patriarch is dangerous. And your mother explained certain things to me. Why did you have to go there? You’re not the police.”
I clenched my fists. “If you had a personal grudge against the Patriarch, you would do the same. He killed my father, and he kills my kind every day. I am the Alpha of a pack. You think I should just sit on my hands? Do you know what it feels like to be helpless and do nothing?”
She let out a slow sigh. “I know what it’s like to feel helpless and do nothing.”
I frowned. “How would you know that?”
She only shrugged. “Listen. My point is, just like your mother said, you acted irrationally. Anything could have happened. And if you had died, your people would no longer have an Alpha. And the Patriarch would continue killing other people. Stay alive and think straight.”
Her words sank into me like cold water.
Did she just scold me?
“Soraya, you don’t—” I started, but before I could finish, the door clicked open.
My mother walked in, smiling. Behind her, a nurse trailed in, pushing a wheelchair.
A wheelchair?
My chest tightened the second I saw it.
“Darius,” my mother said, “the doctor said you could come home. Come on, let’s go.” She moved quickly to my side, her hands already reaching for me like I was a fragile child.
I stood up on my own, careful not to put pressure on my leg. The wound still ached, but it was already healing faster than a human’s would. My pride wouldn’t let me lean too much.
Then she pointed at the chair. “Sit.”
I froze, staring at it. The very thought of it clawed at my pride.
“Mom,” I said through clenched teeth, “I’m fine. I don’t need a wheelchair. I’m not crippled.”
“Shut up, Darius,” my mother snapped before I could argue again. Her voice came stern, the way it always did when she wanted me to listen. “I never said you’re crippled, nor disabled. But you just got surgery. If you put pressure on that leg now, you’ll tear it open again. Can you at least try to use it for a couple of days so your body heals completely? Now sit.”
No matter how old I got, twenty-six, an Alpha, CEO—she still scolded me like I was sixteen. And as much as it burned, I knew she was right. She’d always been overprotective, especially after Father died.
So I lowered myself into the wheelchair. It felt humiliating, but I kept my face blank as the nurse pushed me out of the room.
We rolled through the hospital lobby, and I caught sight of Sam and Dante waiting for us. Sam’s face lit up with relief.
“Thank goodness you’re okay,” he said, clapping my shoulder gently.
Dante just gave me a stern look. “We’ll talk later,” he muttered before stepping aside. He was obviously upset about what I did.
Sam leaned closer as we moved forward. “Listen, Darius. I’m not going to be part of this next time. You pull a stunt like this again, and I’ll call Mrs. Opaline before I even go near you.”
I smirked faintly. “Fair enough.”
Sam exhaled and nodded at the nurse. “I’ll do it.” He grabbed the handles of the chair and started pushing me himself.
Soon, we were out of the hospital and sliding into the car. The drive home was quiet, with everything that had happened.
When we finally reached the house, Sam wheeled me inside.