The Suspect–1
Sebastian’s POV
“What do you mean she’s in a coma?” Maximus’s voice trembled visibly.
My heart slammed against my ribcage again, feeling like it was going to fucking burst right through my chest. I tried to keep my thoughts clear, but my brain refused to function properly. Time seemed to slow down as the physician spoke. All I could hear was a buzzing echo in my ears.
I staggered backward, collapsing into the seat I’d just vacated. Damien and my father put their hands on my shoulders, but I shrugged them off. I didn’t need their comfort. I just wanted the physician to tell me the surgery had been successful and Thea would wake up
in a few hours.
“She was hit by three silver bullets in total. One struck her head, the second her abdomen, and the last hit her thigh. We successfully removed two of them, except for the one lodged in her skull. It’s embedded too deeply, and forcibly extracting it would cause her cranium
to shatter,” the physician paused, “In cases where the patient has a wolf, we could extract
the bullet during a shift because the expanding wolf form creates space around the bullet,
which remains the same size. But being wolfless…”
Fuck. I didn’t know what to feel or think about this shit. Was he telling us that Thea
would have to live with a silver bullet in her head? How was that even possible? She’d
been fine this morning, how could things suddenly get so fucking terrible?
At least she’s still alive, my wolf murmured.
I ignored it. Yes, she was alive, but would she stay that way? That was the fucking key
question.
“We’ve stopped the bleeding, both internal and external. We’ve administered the necessary medication to help reduce the swelling around her brain injury. Her heart stopped twice.
It was after the second cardiac arrest that she fell into the coma.”
If I thought nothing could be more painful than watching Thea get shot, I was dead wrong. Hearing we’d nearly lost her twice completely shattered me. It felt like being stabbed with a thousand sharp knives. I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. Not even my
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worst enemy.
“Will she wake up?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Will she recover?”
“We can’t say for certain right now. This isn’t a medically induced coma, so we can’t guarantee she’ll wake up within days. She might wake up tomorrow, in a few days, in a few months, or she might not wake up at all. For now, we’ll observe for a few days to see if there are signs of consciousness returning.”
The possibility that she might never wake up nearly brought me to my knees.
I pushed those thoughts away. I couldn’t think like that. She was strong; she would wake up. In a few days, she’d be awake and glaring at me.
“What about the silver bullet in her brain? What effects will it have?” Seraphina asked,
tears streaming down her face.
I couldn’t imagine how hard this was for her. I could never imagine facing the possibility
of losing Leo. It was too fucking heavy to contemplate.
“Since we’ve never dealt with a wolfless carrying bullet, we don’t know what consequences it might have. She could have memory difficulties, or develop speech or hearing impairments like humans do. These are just a few aspects her brain injury might affect. But we can’t be certain now. We have to wait until she wakes up.”
If she wakes up.
He didn’t say those words out loud, but they were written in the way he looked at us. That uncertainty was right there in his eyes.
Seraphina nodded, more tears sliding down her face. Maximus pulled her into his arms,
holding her tight.
The powerful Alpha couple I knew was gone. In their place stood two anxious, heartbroken parents.
The physician glanced at his watch and carefully said, “Alpha Ashworth, we’ve arranged special visitation permissions for you to Thea’s room. However, her condition has just stabilized, and the medical team still needs to do some follow–up procedures. I suggest the other family members go home and rest, then return tomorrow. It’s not that we’re
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restricting visits, but even if they stay, they won’t be able to see her until tomorrow when her condition is more stable.”
His words were respectful, but the fatigue in his eyes told me that even hospitals have their limits.
The Suspect–2
I nodded my understanding, and the physician left. My mother returned with the pups at
that moment.
Leo immediately came to my side, while Wyatt went to his father.
“What did the doctor say? Is mom going to be okay?” he looked up at me hopefully.
This was the hardest part of being a father.
Should I tell him no one knew if his mother would wake up from the coma, or should I lie
and tell him she would be fine?
“The doctors aren’t sure yet, kiddo. We can only wait and pray,” I decided on honesty.
If I lied and Thea never woke up, he would eventually hate me for the deception.
He didn’t say anything. Just looked at me, then at the floor.
After a few minutes of silence, I turned to face the others.
“Since we can’t see her now, I think we should all go home and rest, then come back
tomorrow.”
“No,” Iris and Sophia refused simultaneously, followed by Seraphina and Maximus.
I tried to convince them, saying I’d inform them if anything changed, but they refused to budge. In the end, everyone decided to stay except Aurora, Margaret, my parents, and
Jaxon.
My parents agreed to go home only after I told them Leo couldn’t stay at the hospital and needed someone with him. Jaxon also agreed for Wyatt’s sake. The pup was already yawning, though you could see the worry on his face.
After they left, Damien sat beside me. Most of the time we just sat in silence until Sheriff
Hawthorne arrived.
“I’m sorry I’m late. We had to interview eyewitnesses about Thea’s shooting. I’m truly sorry about what happened to her.”
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I nodded.
“Have you found any leads?” I asked.
“The witnesses couldn’t provide much new information beyond what we already knew and saw in the video.”
Damn. I’d hoped they’d have something. A starting point.
“Can she be questioned now?”
My expression hardened, and so did my voice. I knew it wasn’t his fault since he didn’t know the details, but it still pissed me off.
“She’s in a coma,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, but it did nothing to ease what I was feeling inside.
“Can you provide me with any information? Had she been threatened? Stalked? Any suspicious people hanging around her? Any information, no matter how small, could
help.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t have anything.”
He just nodded, then turned to the others.
Iris spoke up: “I don’t know if it was my imagination, but when she called me, she sounded tense and desperate. It might not be a big deal, but she just didn’t sound like her usual self. thought it might have been Wyatt’s situation that triggered her.”
“Who’s Wyatt?” he asked.
“Aurora’s son. She kept him hidden until Thea discovered the truth and exposed it to us,”
Roman answered.
“Why would she hide him?”
“She didn’t want him in her life, and she didn’t want us to know he existed. Jaxon is the child’s father and Aurora’s mate, though she rejected him years ago. Now he and Wyatt live next door to Thea. That’s how she was able to put all the pieces together.”
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Hawthorne was now fully facing Roman. “And how did that turn out?”
“Not well. We were all angry at Aurora, and because she was still persisting with this foolish behavior, my mother gave her an ultimatum: either fix the relationship or we’d expel her from our Pack.”
“I’m sure Aurora didn’t take that well,” Hawthorne probed further.
“Not at all. She was angry then, and still is, especially with Thea for exposing the truth.”
Hawthorne rubbed his chin, his mind working. You could clearly see the gears turning in his head. I’d known Hawthorne for a long time. He definitely had something on his mind.
“I see,” he finally said.
“See what?” Damien and I asked at the same time.
“Based on what Roman has told me, I might have my first suspect,” he said.
“What?” Roman asked, while Iris simultaneously whispered, “Who?”
He gave a serious, tight–lipped smile. “Aurora.”
The others looked at him like he’d grown a second head. I just stared at him, thinking.
From his perspective, Aurora certainly could have a motive.
The only question was: were her anger, hatred, and resentment toward Thea enough to
want her dead and actually plan an attack against her?
