165
The door bursts open with a sharp clang against the wall.
Theon steps in first, a tall frame filling the threshold, his shadow stretching across the room. Bernardo is right behind him, his boots scuffing against the polished floor as if they ran all the way here.
Theon’s eyes land on the boy lying motionless on the couch. For a heartbeat, he freezes. Then he’s moving, long strides closing the distance until he’s kneeling beside him.
“What happened?” His voice is low but edged, the kind that carries more danger than when he shouts. His gaze flicks to his wife, sharp and searching, almost accusing.
She swallows, glancing from the boy’s pale face to her husband’s tense one. “He collapsed. It started with a fever… or at least I thought it was a fever. But then—” She hesitates, fingers tightening in the hem of her dress. “It’s not normal, Theon. I can feel it. Something’s… wrong.”
Bernardo steps closer, glancing between them. “We were just outside when we heard—”
But Theon cuts him off without looking away from his wife. “Not normal how?” His tone hardens.
Her lips part, then close again. “I don’t know how to explain it. His breathing changed, and then—” She shakes her head. “I couldn’t feel him the way I should.”
It’s the wrong answer.
Theon’s jaw tightens, the faint tremor running down his arm betraying how much he’s holding back. Deep inside, his Lycan shifts restlessly, a low, dangerous growl reverberating in his chest.
“I can’t feel my heir,” he says finally, voice dropping into something darker, something primal. The sound of it makes the air in the room feel heavier.
Bernardo glances toward the boy with unease, as if expecting him to stir at the mention. He doesn’t.
Lumina places a hand on her husband’s arm. “We’ll figure it out—”
“No,” Theon cuts in, voice sharper now. “I should feel him. I should feel his pulse in my own. But there’s nothing. Nothing.”
He stands abruptly, stepping back, running a hand over his face as if trying to push away the panic that’s beginning to break through the rage. His breathing is uneven. The Lycan inside him is clawing to get out.
From the corner, Nana’s voice breaks the tense silence. She’s been sitting in the armchair near the window, but her gaze hasn’t left the boy since they came in. “This isn’t just an illness, Son,” she says, her tone flat but heavy with meaning.
All eyes turn to her.
Nana’s hands rest on the head of her cane, knuckles pale. “Melissa,” she says slowly, as if the name itself carries poison. “She made my life a living hell long before you were even born… back when I was still mated to Marco.”
Theon looks at her sharply. “What does that have to do with this?”
“It has everything to do with it,” Nana replies, eyes narrowing. “If Melissa trained her son Arwan to be what he became—cold, merciless, twisted, evil. We all saw it with our own eyes—then Melissa herself is worse. Much worse. I’ve seen what she’s capable of. What we’re dealing with here is no joke.”
Bernardo frowns. “You think she’s behind this?”
“I don’t think,” Nana says, voice firm. “I know the kind of woman she is. If she wanted to strike at you, Theon, she wouldn’t come for you directly. She’d go for the heart. For the bloodline.”
Theon’s hands curl into fists. His wife takes a careful step toward him. “If that’s true—”
“It is,” Nana interrupts. Her gaze flicks briefly to the boy again. “And if she’s the one behind this, then we’re already playing catch-up.”
A long silence settles over the room, broken only by the faint sound of the boy’s shallow breathing.
Bianca speaks quietly, almost to herself. “We thought it was just a fever.”
“It’s not fever,” Lumina says without hesitation. “Something’s been done to him. Something meant to hide itself. I can feel the block—it’s why none of us saw it sooner.”
Bernardo shifts uneasily. “Then why can’t you undo it?”
Lumina's’s eyes darken. “Because whatever this is… it’s strong. And it’s not just magic. It’s layered. Twisted. Whoever cast it knew exactly what they were doing.”
Theon turns back to his wife, his voice calmer now but colder. “Where was he when it started?”
“The pups always stay where we can see them,” she answers quickly. “I've sought for different solutions but nothing is working. Then, an hour ago…” Her voice cracks slightly. “He just became like this.”
Theon studies her face for a long moment, as if weighing every word. Then he crouches beside the boy again, placing a hand gently on his chest. “Come back to me,” he murmurs under his breath, but the words are more a vow than a plea.
Bernardo looks between them. “What’s the plan?”
Theon doesn’t answer immediately. His gaze is locked on his son’s face, jaw tight, eyes burning. Then he speaks without looking up. “We find Melissa. And if she’s behind this, I will tear down everything she’s ever built.”
Nana’s voice cuts in, sharper than before. “You’ll need more than anger, Theon. She won’t be easy to find. And if she’s hiding behind someone else’s power, even harder to touch.”
Theon stands again, towering over the room. “Then we’ll break whoever stands in the way.”
No one argues, but the weight of the words hangs in the air like a storm cloud about to break. Relief floods Lumina, not having her mate around with their son like this weakened her the most.