HARDIN
I called Aaron once, but there was no response. Mind-linking him was pointless too. The connection kept fracturing, flickering in and out like a dying signal. That alone sent ice crawling down my spine.
What if sothing was wrong with him?
"Is everything okay?" Elara asked softly, moving closer behind . She’d managed to pull her clothes back on, but her voice was still husky, her cheeks flushed from what we’d almost done.
I adjusted my trousers, dragged a hand through my wrecked hair, and gripped my phone like a weapon, already moving toward the door. I could barely look at her.
This wasn’t normal. If I was feeling that kind of sharp, brutal pain and it wasn’t mine... then it could only an one thing. Sothing had happened to Aaron.
I was about to explain when my phone rang again. The second Father’s na flashed across the screen, I answered instantly.
"Hardin, they attacked us again." That was the first thing he said. His words hit like a gut punch.
My grip crushed the phone. I didn’t even need to ask who "they" were. Those fucking rogues again. "How did they get in?" I demanded coldly.
"Redroad Rogues," Father continued, his voice deceptively calm and sohow that made everything worse. "They took your brother."
For a second, everything went dead silent. Just like that, sothing inside snapped tight. "Fuck!"
Heat exploded through my veins like wildfire. My wolf thrashed so violently my eyes burned red it felt feral, muscles bulging, claws threatening to rip free from . Lyon snarled inside my head, echoing the fury.
The Redroad Rogues? How the hell had those bastards gotten close enough to touch Aaron? How the fuck was that even possible?
"I’m coming to Vale. Now," I snarled, already storming toward the door.
"Hardin, it’s midnight," Father growled. "Stay in the city. He’s already being treated. I only called because I knew you’d feel the bond."
I let out a harsh, bitter laugh that sounded more like a growl.
"We’re talking about my fucking brother!" I snapped, voice cracking with barely contained violence. But the more I tried, the more the rage boiling inside was getting harder to contain by the second "I don’t give a shit what ti it is. I’m coming."
I ended the call before he could argue and slamd my fist straight into the wall. The concrete cracked hard under the impact, dust raining down. Pain flared across my knuckles, but it was nothing compared to the storm tearing through my chest.
Strange guilt ripped through as I stayed there. It was a fucking wrong timing but I couldn’t shake it off... The sa brother I had almost betrayed just minutes ago. While he was out there fighting for his life, I had been on top of his mate kissing her, touching her, ready to fuck her like she was mine alone. The guilt slamd into like a freight train the second ti, thick and suffocating.
I was a selfish bastard. A traitor. And the worst part? Even now, with Aaron taken, a dark, possessive part of still felt that undeniable spark when she touched the back of my shoulder. I turned back to look at her.
She was staring at with wide, panicked eyes, her face pale. "Hardin... what’s going on?" Her voice trembled as she stepped forward, grabbing my arm. "What happened to Aaron?"
"They fucking attacked him," I tried to hide it but voice still cane out ragged, like it carried all the weight of the chaos running through my head. "I need to leave right now."
"Wait — you’re leaving right now? Like this?" Her voice rose louder now. Her grip tightened, fear and confusion flashing across her face. For a mont I saw the mate bond fighting in her eyes too, the sa pull that had her moaning my na minutes ago now mixing with terror for the other man she was fated to.
"I have to go," I said roughly, gently but firmly pulling her hand off my arm. The guilt burned hotter at the way she looked at . "Stay here. Lock the door. I’ll... I’ll co back when I can."
Elara’s lips parted like she wanted to say sothing, her breathing still uneven from everything that had just happened between us. But I didn’t wait. Hell, I couldn’t stand wasting one more second here. I turned and stord out, the weight of what I’d nearly done and what it could cost my brother chased like a shadow.
The second I reached my car, I yanked the door open, slid in, and fired up the engine. The low growl of the motor did nothing to drown out the storm still raging in my chest.
I was just about to slam it into gear when a figure suddenly stepped directly into the headlights.
My heart lurched into my throat. "Fuck!"
I slamd my foot on the brake, tires screeching. The mont I realized it was Elara, fury and fear collided inside .
"What the hell is wrong with her?" I growled, shoving the door open so hard it slamd against its limit.
She was already walking toward , barefoot, hair wild, flats in one hand and sweat glistening on her forehead like she’d sprinted down every flight of stairs. Her chest heaved with every ragged breath, and her eyes was still a little glazed from the fever and everything that had happened between us upstairs. She didn’t say anything but her eyes burned with raw determination.
"Dammit, Elara!" I snapped, storming around the car to et her. "Why the hell would you do that? I could’ve run you over!"
Like she was taking her ti to compose herself, she didn’t flinch. She just looked straight at , chin lifted, that sa fire I’d seen when she shoved out of her room earlier tonight now aid directly at .
Finally, she said, "I’m coming with you."
I stared at her, montarily stunned. "What?"
The word ca out sharper than I intended. My hands flexed at my sides as the heat pulled tight in my chest, urging to drag her into the car, to keep her close. But reality crashed in right behind it. It’s definitely not common sense, not when a lot is still waiting at ho with her father. She’s definitely not prepared to face him yet. Guilt twisted like a knife in my gut.
"You’re not coming," I said roughly, stepping closer despite myself. Her scent instantly flushed my nose. She still slled like heat, mint, and the faint trace of our almost-mistake. "You’re in no condition to go anywhere. You were burning up, and bleeding, half out of your mind just less than twenty minutes ago. Go back inside."
Elara’s eyes flashed with defiance. She stepped even closer, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off her skin. "I’m coming with you, Hardin," she repeated, her voice steadier than it had any right to be. "I care about him too and I’m still his mate, so this involves too. Whether you like it or not."
Lyon stirred inside , tense and restless. She’s right. And you know you don’t actually want to leave her behind.
I clenched my jaw so hard it ached. The guilt over Aaron, the feral need to protect Elara, and the pack crisis all warred violently inside my head.
This was a terrible fucking idea.
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