Chapter 176: Awake
Aurora’s POV
When we reached the packhouse, the smell of the air had changed. The sharp, sterile scent of silver and the fear that had filled the atmosphere earlier were gone. Now, there was a heavy, quiet stillness. It was much calmer—the loud shouting of the guards had softened into hushed whispers. The whole place felt like it was holding its breath.
Knox didn’t let go of my hand as we walked through the halls. He stayed close, providing a steady strength that I was too tired to fight. My head was low, my eyes red and burning from crying. I was still wearing his large leather jacket like a shield against the world. Every wolf we passed bowed their head, but I didn’t care about them. I only cared about the person waiting for me behind the big doors of the medical room.
We reached the tall, white doors. My heart, which had been aching all day, suddenly began to race. It beat faster with panic... Knox stopped and gave a sharp, steady knock.
The door opened just a little bit. I could hear the quiet voices of the healers inside. Then, I heard Knox speak. "She is here. I have Aurora."
For a second, everything was silent. Then, a voice came from inside—a voice that was rough, broken, and so weak it made my heart hurt, but it was him.
"Where?" Oliver breathed. It was more than a question; it was a demand. "Where is she?"
The door swung wide open. Knox let go of my hand and stepped back, giving me space. I didn’t look at the healers. I didn’t look at the machines or the messy bandages in the corner. My eyes locked onto the bed in the middle of the room.
"Oliver," I whispered, his name breaking on my lips.
I rushed to him, my bare feet making no sound on the cold floor. He looked so pale—his skin had turned a sickly gray, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Tubes were connected to his arms, and a thick bandage covered his chest where the silver bullets had hit him.
He looked so hurt, but when his eyes met mine, I saw the King again.
"Aurora," he groaned, his hand shaking as he tried to lift it from the bed.
I didn’t wait. I reached the side of the bed and sank to my knees, catching his hand in both of mine. His skin was burning hot with fever. I pressed his hand against my cheek, my tears falling fast and silent.
"I’m here," I sobbed, kissing his knuckles. "I’m right here. I thought... I thought I lost you."
His fingers curled weakly around mine. He held me so tight it broke my heart. He looked at my face, noticing my messy hair and the big jacket I was wearing. His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I saw a flash of his old anger.
"You’re crying," he rasped, his voice tightening. "And your face... who touched you?"
I flinched and tried to turn the side of my face away—the side where the man had hit me. I didn’t want to tell him. Not now. He was supposed to be resting, not worrying about me.
"It doesn’t matter," I lied, my voice shaking. "You’re alive. That’s all that matters, Oliver."
"It matters to me," he growled, a low, pained sound in his chest. He looked past me toward Knox, who was standing by the door. "Knox. Tell me."
The room grew cold. I could feel a secret between them—they knew who had worn that mask and who had the scorpion tattoo on their wrist. I held Oliver’s hand tighter, praying he wouldn’t ask for the truth while he was so weak.
Oliver’s eyes moved back to me. His thumb gently touched my jaw. "I will deal with him. Don’t you worry."
My heart stopped. Oliver was the Alpha King, and if he set his mind on finding the person who had hurt me, he would find them. And when he did, he would discover everything. He would find out about the masked man, about my secret meetings with "Raymond," and about the contract I had signed.
If Oliver found out I had been seeing a masked assassin behind his back, he wouldn’t just be angry—he would be devastated. He would think I was part of the plot to kill him. I was in so much trouble, and the secret felt like a bomb waiting to go off.
"Aurora?" Oliver’s voice pulled me back. He was watching me closely, his green eyes scanning my face for the truth. "What is it? You look worried."
I opened my mouth to lie, to tell him I was just scared for his health, but before I could speak, the quiet of the room was shattered. We heard loud, raised voices coming from just outside the door.
"Let me in! I am his mother!"
The voice was familiar, sharp, and filled with anger. It was Lady Hailee, Oliver’s mother. I felt Oliver’s hand tighten on mine, but it wasn’t a comforting squeeze. It was a reflex of tension. He groaned, a deep, irritated sound that showed just how much he didn’t want to deal with her right now.
"Let her in," Oliver told the guard standing nearby, his voice sounding tired and fed up.
The doors swung open, and Lady Hailee rushed in. Her eyes were red, and her hair was slightly messy, as if she had been pacing for hours. She didn’t even look at me; she went straight to the other side of the bed and knelt beside him.
"Oliver! Oh..." she cried, reaching out to touch his forehead. "Are you okay? Let me check your wounds. Let me see what they’ve done to you."
"Don’t," Oliver snapped, pulling his head back from her touch. "I’m fine. I don’t need your help, Mother."
"Stop it, Oliver," a voice boomed from the doorway. I looked up to see Alpha Oscar, one of Oliver’s brothers, walking in with a frown on his face. "Let Mother help. You know she is a great healer. Don’t be stubborn when you have silver moving toward your heart."
"I said I don’t need her help," Oliver repeated, his voice cold as ice. He looked directly at Lady Hailee. "She should stop acting like she cares for me now. It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?"
Lady Hailee flinched as if he had slapped her. "What are you saying, Oliver? Of course I care for you! You are my son. I’ve been out there praying to the Moon Goddess for your life!"
Oliver let out a dry, bitter laugh that ended in a pained cough. "One of your sons, Mother. Just one among the others. And we both know I’ve always been the least important one to you. Why the sudden interest? Is it because you are scared that if I die, you’ll no longer be called or respected as the Alpha King’s mother?"
The room went silent. The healers stepped back, looking uncomfortable. Oscar looked like he wanted to punch something, but he stayed silent.
"Hailee," Oliver continued, his voice dropping to a low, dismissive tone. "You can see that I am fine now. I am awake. I am breathing. Now, please... leave."
"Oliver, how can you be so cruel?" Hailee whispered, her voice trembling. "What did I ever do to you? What have I done to make you hate me this much?"
Oliver turned his head away from her, looking back at me instead. The warmth returned to his eyes for a split second, but the bitterness was still there. It was clear that the silver bullets weren’t the only things causing him pain; the wounds in this family went much deeper than any weapon could reach.
I watched as Lady Hailee’s face crumpled. She looked like a woman who had been struck, her hand hovering in the air where Oliver had rejected her. Behind her, Alpha Oscar’s face darkened, his jaw set in a hard line. The tension in the room was so thick it was difficult to draw a breath.
"Oliver... I demand to know what I ever did to you... why... why do you hate me this much?" She sobbed in pain.
"What did you do?" Oliver whispered, his voice gaining a sharp, angry tone despite his weakness. He turned his head back toward her, his green eyes flashing. "You spent my entire childhood making me understand that I was a spare. I needed your presence while growing up, but you ignored me because you were too busy doting on Oscar and Ozzy. You only care about this ’son’ because he wears a crown."
"That’s enough, Oliver!" Oscar stepped further into the room, his anger flaring. "She’s been a mess since the news broke. Show some respect."
"Respect is earned, Oscar. Not given to those who only show up when the cameras are rolling," Oliver barked back, followed by a harsh, rattling cough that shook his whole frame.
I felt his pain in my own chest. I squeezed his hand, desperate to ground him. "Oliver, please," I whispered. "Don’t do this. Your heart... the silver... You need to stay calm."
He frowned and glared at his mother... "Get out."