Chapter 159
LUCIAN’S P.O.V.
The moment Teresa collapsed in my arms, my entire world tilted. Her scream echoed in my head, replaying like a broken record, and her body had gone limp before I could even react. It was as if the universe itself had chosen this moment to remind me how easily everything could slip away.
“Teresa! No, no, no—wake up, sweetheart! Please!” My voice cracked, the words spilling out of me in frantic desperation.
Rylan was at my side in an instant, clutching the twins, who were both crying and screaming for their mother. “What do we do, Lucian?” he asked, his earlier excitement crumbling under the weight of the moment.
“Take them!” I barked, my voice sharp with a fear I couldn’t hide. “Get the twins out of here and call the pack doctor. Now p>
Rylan didn’t need to be told twice. He cradled the twins, murmuring assurances I couldn’t even process, and rushed out of the office. Their cries faded as the door closed, leaving me alone with Teresa’s still form.
I dropped to my knees, cradling her as though my touch alone could bring her back to me. “Teresa, please,” I whispered, stroking her hair and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You can’t do this to me. Not now, not ever. Wake up, love. Please. Please wake up p>
Ares growled restlessly in my mind. “Lucian, she’s strong. She’ll come back to us. She has to p>
But she didn’t stir. Her chest rose and fell, steady but too shallow, too faint, as though her very life was slipping through my fingers.
Minutes felt like hours until the pack doctor finally burst into the room, his medical bag swinging haphazardly. “Alpha,” he began, his voice measured despite the situation, “what happened p>
“She screamed, clutched her head, and collapsed,” I said, barely keeping my frustration in check. “Fix her. Now p>
“Alright Alpha,” he said, kneeling beside us. “Let me examine her p>
I reluctantly eased Teresa onto the couch, watching every movement like a hawk, my hands twitching with the need to keep holding her. The doctor worked quickly, his tools glinting under the office lights, but his frown deepened with every passing second.
“What’s wrong with her?” I demanded, my voice a low growl.
He straightened, meeting my eyes with a hesitance that made my stomach churn. “I can’t say for certain, Alpha. Her vitals are stable, but she’s unresponsive. We need to take her to the pack hospital for a full evaluation—tests, scans, everything p>
“Then why are we still here?” I snapped, rising to my feet. “Get the ambulance. Now p>
The sound of the ambulance sirens was both a relief and a torment. As they loaded Teresa onto the stretcher, I walked alongside her, refusing to let go of her hand. The ride to the hospital was a blur of flashing lights and oppressive silence, my mind racing with every worst-case scenario imaginable.
By the time we arrived, I felt like I was drowning in darkness, the light the goddess had brought back into my life flickering dangerously close to extinction.
The doctors whisked her away, leaving me pacing the sterile hallways like a caged animal. The next two days were torture.
Every time a doctor approached me, my hope would flare—only to be extinguished by their apologetic expressions and vague reassurances. By the second day, I’d had enough.
“If you don’t tell me what’s wrong with my mate,” I snarled, slamming my fist onto the table in the doctor’s office that the wood cracked under the force. “I will personally ensure this entire hospital becomes nothing more than a pile of rubble p>
The pack doctor, to his credit, didn’t flinch. “Alpha, please understand. Physically, there’s nothing wrong with her. That’s what makes this so concerning p>
“What are you saying?” I hissed, my hands gripping the edge of the table so tightly it creaked.
“I believe,” he said carefully, “that magic may be involved. Specifically, witches’ magic p>
My vision blurred with red. Ares, growled in my mind, his rage a mirror of my own. “Witches,” he spat, venom dripping from the word. “They’ve dared to touch our mate p>
I didn’t waste a second. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Adrian. The call barely rang before his smooth, infuriatingly calm voice answered.
“Lucian, to what do I owe the pleasure p>
“Adrian,” I bit out, pacing the length of the hospital room. “It’s Teresa. Something’s happened to her, and the doctors think witches are involved p>
There was a brief pause before Adrian spoke, his tone like ice. “Explain p>
I did, as quickly and briefly as I could.
“I need Elizabeth here—now,” I added at the end. By the time I finished, Adrian’s voice had taken on a dangerous edge. “Juliette, Elizabeth, and I will be there soon. Hold on, Lucian p>
The line went dead, and I exhaled shakily, my fists clenched at my sides.
I immediately mind-linked Rylan. “Tell Max and Katrina to take care of the twins. Then meet me at the dungeon. Now p>
“The dungeon?” Rylan’s confusion was clear even through the mental link. “Lucian, what’s going on p>
“Just do it, Rylan!” I barked before cutting the connection.
Fifteen minutes later, Rylan jogged up to the dungeon entrance, where I was already waiting. The guards stationed outside straightened, bowing deeply as I approached.
“Alpha,” one of them greeted.
I ignored them, pushing open the heavy iron door. The air inside was damp and thick, the faint smell of mildew clinging to the stone walls.
“Lucian,” Rylan said as he followed me down the winding staircase, his tone cautious. “What are we doing here p>
I didn’t stop walking, my voice sharp as I replied, “The doctors say witches’ magic is involved in Teresa’s condition. There are a few people in this dungeon who know something and they owe me a lot of explanations p>
“And if they don’t?” Rylan asked, his usual sarcasm absent for once.
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning to face him. My eyes were cold, Ares hovering just beneath the surface. “Then today will be their last day on this earth p>
Rylan let out a low whistle, his steps faltering as we stepped into the fire-touchlight-lit corridor.. “Well, that’s…comforting p>
“Rylan,” I said warningly.
“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands. “But let me do the talking first. You’re scary when you’re this angry, and we don’t want anyone fainting before they spill their guts p>
Despite my problems, a ghost of a smirk tugged at my lips. “Fine. But if they stall p>
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll handle it. Got it p>
As we reached the first cell, the guards opened the heavy door, revealing a trembling witch,—precisely the man that burnt Mai foot—chained to the wall.
Rylan stepped forward, his tone light but firm. “Alright, buddy. You’re gonna tell us everything you know about witches. And I mean everything. Otherwise He glanced back at me.
The man’s eyes darted between us, wide with terror. “I-I don’t know anything p>
I took a step closer, my presence filling the room like a storm cloud. “Wrong answer p>
Rylan sighed dramatically. “See? Now you’ve gone and upset him. And trust me, you don’t want to see him upset p>
The man broke instantly, saying in a panicked rush that he would tell us everything we needed to know as long as we didn’t kill him.
“Start talking!” I snapped and he flinched.
Whoever was behind this would pay dearly. I would move heaven and earth to bring my wife back to me.