Chapter 103 103
ENZO
I don’t understand what the humans are doing here. Their borders are sealed, hunters with weapons gleaming under the sun, and that stench of death that won’t fade. They haven’t abandoned the line—not even after they put out the fire that crossed from my territory into theirs, the exact spot where Aidan slipped through. Damn Aidan, on fire, a blaze that shouldn’t have stopped, at least not the way it looked… It didn’t look like it was going to die out.
I don’t like it. There’s something about them, about that blond woman, Valyerek, with tattoos that aren’t tattoos. They’re not human—not entirely—and my skin knows it, even if my mind can’t piece it together.
One look was enough to realize some things have already changed with them. What the hell am I missing?
I walk toward Thorne’s territory, the smell of wolf filling my nose. The pack is tense, patrols moving in the shadows, and the gray sky presses down like a slab. Thorne is here—I know it—even though he doesn’t want to see me.
He pushes through his wolves and approaches.
“I know all this is a pain in the ass for you, I can see it in your eyes, but—”
“I don’t have time for you, Enzo,” he says, voice a growl.
“You won’t even let me finish, Thorne.” I plant myself in front of him and cross my arms, fangs grazing my lips. “Make time. The humans can’t be trusted. They’re at the border, they put out the fire, and I don’t know how. They’re not what they seem, Thorne. We need to be careful. How did the meeting go?”
“Some changes, but nothing important.”
I catch a spark in his eyes—a flicker of doubt he won’t admit, but it’s there, shining for a second before his face hardens again.
“What happened? What changes?”
“You’re a topic of conversation, Enzo. A vampire entered their territory—they’re not exactly thrilled. How did you expect them to react?”
“They’re worthless little cockroaches. Who cares what they think? But I don’t like these ones.”
“I don’t have time for your suspicions,” he hisses, stepping back. “Aidan—the vampire—disappeared in my territory. My teams are searching, but he’s fast. And my sons… they brought that damn omega, their mate. Apparently she’s finally dying.”
My eyebrows shoot up, mind spinning. Lois. The omega. I remember her—briefly—from that fight not long ago, when I captured Aidan the first time. She was with one of the twins, Ezequiel, and Aidan was there, too close, too protective. It wasn’t a coincidence.
“What was Aidan doing with that omega?” I ask, voice low and sharp. “And with your son the first time I found him? Why haven’t we talked about that?”
“Perhaps because you were supposed to hand the vampire over to me and you let him escape and cause all this chaos? Enzo… how the hell did you let him get away?”
“You want to talk about that now? I asked first—what was he doing with that omega and your son.”
Thorne falls silent, hands clenching, gaze sliding away—hard, evasive.
“Coincidence,” he says finally, tone flat. “They were at the same university. That’s all.”
Bullshit.
I don’t buy it. There’s something he’s not saying, something his pride won’t release. I lean in, eyes locking onto his.
“I want to see her,” I say, direct. His sons are a sensitive subject right now, but what about the omega? “Lois.”
Thorne laughs, looking at me like it’s impossible, and crosses his arms.
“I doubt my sons will let you—or anyone—near her,” he replies, tone mocking but firm. “She’s in critical condition and I’m just waiting for her to get worse. Why would I let you see her?”
“You can make it happen,” I counter, voice a whisper that cuts the air. Thorne frowns but doesn’t answer. “Morgana.”
“Fine. Fine. I don’t know what you’re scheming, but—”
“Do you think I want to kill her? Do you really believe I’d try something like that? Do you think I’m a sadist?” I ask, a smile slipping across my lips.
“I never said that.”
“Good. I’m not here to do your dirty work, and listen carefully—I doubt you can do anything about it anyway. Your sons share the same mate and you’re going to have to live with that.”
“It’s not even because they share her, Enzo!”
“It’s because she’s weak, inferior. You despise weakness and you can’t associate it with your bloodline. You think you’re the king of wolves and you can’t stomach your sons being bound to someone insignificant. That’s what happens when you trust something called destiny. I don’t believe in that crap—it’s the most absurd thing that exists. Basing your life mate on something as ‘special’ as that is running huge risks. But they don’t think like you. They don’t think like me.”
“What do you want with her?”
“I was there. Aidan was there. And she was there.”
“Listen, whatever bond they have isn’t what you think. Emma escaped with her, then Ezequiel—I don’t know what the vampire has to do with it, but he was probably running and ran into them.”
“Like I said, I don’t believe in destiny, and I don’t believe in coincidences either, Thorne. We are what we decide, what we choose to be. The path we take is what builds us. And what I saw was a very well-constructed path, built from conscious decisions each of them made. I want to see her. Nothing bad will happen to her—even if that doesn’t worry you much.”
“I’ll talk to Morgana. She seems to be looking after her, despite my personal opinions.”
I don’t need much explanation. A nod from him, and he leads me—silent steps—down a hidden corridor behind the building, a stone entrance covered in vines. No one sees us. No one will know.
The passage is narrow, damp; the smell of earth and metal rises into my nose. Lights flicker, and the distant beep of a monitor guides me. She opens a door, and there she is. Lois. I see her for the first time—not as a blur in a fight, but truly. She lies in a bed, tubes connected to her arm, skin pale as snow, dried cuts marking her wrists, chest rising barely with each breath. Monitors beep slowly, and the air smells of blood—of her.
I approach, footsteps silent, and look at her. The damn omega. She has something to do with Aidan—I know it. Her scent hits me, strong, clear, and my chest tightens. She smells like him. Her whole body screams Aidan, as if he’s inside her, in her skin, in her blood, as if he’s right there beside her.
I don’t understand it, but I feel it—so real, so close. I know his damn scent, and she reeks of him. Of the twins too, but that’s normal. What isn’t normal is that she smells of Aidan.
Have they seen each other recently? Were the two of them together?
No… Aidan is on the run.
I lean in, my hand brushing hers—cold, fragile—and lift it to my mouth. My fangs prick; a drop of blood touches my tongue.
And then it happens.
It’s like the world cracks open, like everything I’ve ever known about blood suddenly takes on new meaning. It was just one damn drop… just one. Her blood floods my mouth—hot, alive—and I feel something I’ve never felt before. It isn’t just blood. It’s power, it’s life, it’s something I can’t name but that burns, rising through my throat, my chest, my veins, filling everything, roaring inside me. My vision blurs, a white flash flooding my eyes, and I see things—fragments I don’t understand: a silver forest, red runes, a figure burning without being consumed. Aidan. It’s him, but not only him. It’s her—Lois—the omega, her blood connecting them, binding them in something that shouldn’t exist. The twins appear too, the image blurry, but Aidan is in everything.
Aidan, Lois, the twins.
I pull back, releasing her hand, breath catching—heavy, fast. I stare at her, body still on the bed, monitors beeping slowly, and my mind reels. The damn omega.
She isn’t just a wolf. She isn’t just weak. There’s something in her, in her blood. And now I know. Her blood isn’t just special. It’s a bridge, a blade—something that could change everything.
“What are you?” I whisper, voice trembling even though I don’t want it to, fangs grazing my lips, craving more. I reach for her hand again, but before I can take another taste, the door creaks behind me. Morgana looks at me, eyes narrowing, but she says nothing.
Time’s up. But I don’t want to leave.