Chapter 109 109
EMMANUEL
Aidan is free of the chains, but still trapped in that cave. My mind is racing, piecing together a plan—one I’m not sure will work perfectly, but it might at least spare him my father’s interrogation… I know too many things are weighing on him right now, things that could… that could push him to be brutal with Aidan. And Aidan might not survive my father’s wrath. Lois certainly won’t if we do nothing.
Among the humans, Enzo… Enzo, who knows Aidan is also Lois’s mate—it feels like everyone wants a piece of him, but he doesn’t have enough to go around, and Lois claims him as hers. She won’t give a single piece to anyone else.
I know she won’t let him die. And I know I have to do something about it.
Free him.
I promised I’d help, and I can’t fail her. I can’t fail Lois.
I run through the corridors until I reach Lois’s room. She’s pale, hooked up to machines, but those eyes—those eyes that unravel me—lift toward me, searching for answers.
“Emmanuel…” My skin prickles when she says my name, but I still don’t have the answer she’s looking for.
“Is Lois well enough to leave?” I ask the doctor. This is part of my plan, so it has to happen as soon as possible. I can’t risk someone walking in and finding Aidan unchained—or my father deciding to go check on him.
The doctor—a wolf with tired eyes—checks the chart, lips pressing into a thin line.
“We need to speak with Luna Morgana,” she answers dryly, then walks away, leaving me with the steady beep of the machines.
I wait, fists clenched. Ezequiel appears at my side, his presence warm and quiet. We look at each other for a second, and I know he feels the weight of it too—Lois, Aidan, all of it.
Mom finally arrives. She scans the data quickly, nods almost to herself.
“From what I see, Lois is feeling much better after the transfusion,” she says. “She can go, but I’d like her back tomorrow. We need to monitor her progress. The experiment worked—we just want to make sure she’s stable.”
“Thank you,” I tell my mother. Thank you to her that Lois got the transfusion at all.
She leaves, and I stay looking at Lois. Her face looks more alive, a spark of hope in her eyes now that she knows she’s getting out of the hospital.
I approach, sitting on the edge of the bed, my hand brushing hers—warm, fragile.
“I saw Aidan,” I whisper once we’re alone, voice low and soft. Her eyes widen, shining. “I’m going to help him escape.”
She lights up, a brightness crossing her face, and her hand squeezes mine—trembling but strong. Ezequiel watches from the corner, eyes narrowing, and I know he notices what I’m hiding: I’m not telling Lois that Aidan has to leave far away, that there’s no place for him here. Not yet. I don’t want to break her.
“We’re getting you out of here,” I say.
“But will we see Aidan?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. We’ll see him.”
“We’re going there, right, Emma?” my brother asks. I nod, and he already knows where. It’s better not to stay in the heart of the pack—I still don’t fully understand my parents’ stance on all this… and we need distance so Aidan can see Lois.
We take her to a cabin on the outskirts—small, wooden, hidden among pines, far from my father’s eyes. The air smells of earth and resin. Lois walks slowly, leaning on me, body still weak. Ezequiel returns with dinner—roasted venison, bread, fruit—setting it on the rough wooden table. Lois takes a bath; steam drifts out through the half-open door. When she emerges wrapped in a robe, she looks more like herself, though her steps are fragile.
I guess she still needs more rest… or maybe she just can’t fully relax knowing what’s happening to Aidan.
All of this weighs on her. It weighs on me too.
I help her dress, fingers careful as I button her shirt. Her eyes follow me, waiting—always waiting. She knows I’m going for Aidan; she feels it, the same way she feels everything I don’t say. I pause, chest tightening, and take her hand, fingers lacing with hers.
“I’ll free him, Lois,” I say, voice low and firm, looking into her eyes. “But Aidan… he’ll have to leave. To unknown territory. For a while. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but the situation is far more complicated than you can imagine. And you’re not running away with him. That’s not a request. You stay with us. It’s safer. You stay here.”
She lowers her gaze, teeth catching her lip, and my heart sinks. I brace for disappointment, tears, the kind of scream that tore through the hospital earlier. But it doesn’t come. She lifts her eyes—bright, calm—and hugs me, arms wrapping around me, warmth pressing against my chest. I breathe, relief flooding through me, the weight on my shoulders lightening. She isn’t disappointed. She understands.
“Thank you,” she whispers, voice soft, hugging me tighter as if afraid to let go.
I never want to disappoint her. Never. The thought of failing her, of watching her eyes shatter, burns worse than any fire.
I stand, hand brushing her cheek, memorizing her face.
“I’m going to get Aidan,” I say, voice steady. I lean in and kiss her—deep, urgent, alive. Her lips meet mine with need.
She gasps softly, a sound that undoes me, hands clutching my shirt, trembling. I pull back, forehead against hers, and smile even though my heart races.
“Eat, please,” I whisper, fingers in her hair. “You need to be strong.”
Ezequiel nods from the table, serving her a plate, and Lois smiles—looking much calmer now.
I turn away. The cabin falls behind me; the dark forest opens ahead.
Aidan is in the cave, waiting.