Chapter 88: Tingling Senses
Hi, I’ve cleared up the repeated the last Chapter, feel free to check it out now. Read it before this one, to understand this Chapter.
Thank you!😊
...
Luna Selene absolutely knows this is a fight she can’t win. Slowly, reluctantly, but understanding exactly why...she reluctantly nods.
Because despite everything screaming inside her that this has gone too far;
Because Adrian is her son. And Darius is her mate.
They have both already spent years protecting this one secret, done things they’re both not proud of.
She cannot suddenly abandon him now.
Besides, no one would dare question the Alpha about the missing doctor. Just a few pieces of paperwork, and a new doctor would be brought in from another pack by the end of the day.
This one gone as if he’d never existed.
Alpha Darius nods back, quickly pulling out his phone to call his Beta sworn to loyalty to him, Mr. Ramon.
When a new Alpha is sworn in, a Beta is too, alongside a few rituals, and then they are given the Beta mark that links them to the Alpha they serve.
Alpha Darius isn’t concerned about Ramon betraying him, because the moment he does, he dies.
"Bring me a fresh set of clothes," he orders in a calm voice. "And have someone discreetly come clean up the hospital counselling office. Immediately."
Ramon doesn’t need to ask what ’clean up’ means.
"Yes, Alpha," he answers quickly, and the call ends.
Efficiently, the man in his late thirties appears almost immediately, with a fresh bag of clothes.
He doesn’t ask questions, already preparing to have the body removed.
Darius washes his hands in the sink quickly, then pulls on a change of clothes. Quietly, he wraps a hand around his mate and leads her out of the room, back into the hospital hallway.
Selene swallows and follows him quietly as they approach Adrian’s room again.
There, all the teenagers have gathered together again, sitting on a bench in front of both rooms. Leah has a small bandage on her head, the others look tired but are still refusing to leave.
Her heart sinks with guilt.
Julian immediately stands when he notices him. "Alpha."
The others also stand, greeting him respectfully.
"How are they?" Darius asks.
"Still unconscious," Julian answers. "The doctor hasn’t come in yet. We’re still waiting for an update."
Darius nods, looking around at the exhausted teenagers. "You’ve all been through a lot tonight. Thank you for taking care of them."
"They’re our family too. I personally adopted Nyra." Lena cuts in, making everyone laugh.
They exchange a few words, Darius asking a few more questions about the attack, and the children answer readily.
None of them notice that the future Luna hasn’t said a word since they came back out, the usual fire in her eyes dimmed significantly.
She stands a few feet away, watching them quietly. But they all just assume she’s tired.
They all are.
A few minutes later, the sound of wheels cuts through their small chatter. The source is several medical workers pushing equipment toward them.
Drips, portable monitors, two moving hospital beds, and some other supplies.
They all exchange confused looks as the personnel stop right in front of their rooms.
Julian turns to the Alpha again. "What’s happening?"
Darius nods at the medics to continue, before turning to the confused group. "We’re moving Adrian and Nyra."
"Moving them?"
"To the Blackwood estate. After everything that happened, we want total privacy for them, and security."
Oh.
Perfectly understandable, Julian thinks. He can’t imagine how they must be feeling seeing their child lying unconscious on the bed like this.
"But will they get proper treatment there?"
"Our private physician has a fully equipped clinic inside the mansion," Darius explains. "They’ll be able to receive the same level of care there, with far fewer people knowing about their condition."
It sounds reasonable. Like exactly what powerful parents would do.
"You’re all welcome to come with us," Darius offers them.
The response is immediate, like they had all been waiting.
"Of course!" Julian says first.
Naya and the others nod rapidly. "Yes. Of course."
Even Leah, despite the injury on her head, agrees to tag along first, before finally retiring for the night.
"In that case..." Darius pulls out his phone again. "Prepare the other van," he orders to the person on the other side. "We have several additional passengers."
He ends the call.
The children begin talking among themselves, relieved that Adrian and Nyra will be somewhere more private.
They don’t see Selene’s expression, or how tightly her fingers curl into her palm.
---
About an hour later, everything is ready.
Adrian and Nyra have been carefully transferred into separate ambulances equipped for the journey.
The teenagers gather beside them, preparing to follow.
Julian, however, suddenly remembers something.
"Alpha." Darius turns. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of course."
They step several feet away from the others. "There’s something that’s been bothering me about everything."
The Alpha’s face has returned to its usual stillness. "What is it?"
"It’s about Anna." He lowers his voice. "Jason shot her before she could hurt Nyra again. But when we checked afterward, her body was gone."
Darius nods. "I got the report a few hours ago. The police are actively--"
"Yeah. I know the police team went back to look for clues. But that’s.." Julian rubs the back of his neck. "...but that’s not the reason I’m feeling uneasy."
"Then what is it?"
Julian hesitates, wondering if he should reveal what he’s about to say. But then he remembers the ride back from the old oracle’s house.
Adrian had told Nyra that he intended to confront his parents, so clearly they already know?
There’s no point hiding anything now. Besides, after what all of them saw in the clearing, the terrifying form of Adrian, he needed to make sure they knew exactly how serious the situation was.
Julian lowers his voice further. "I think Anna might have seen Adrian’s true form." He clears his throat. "I mean, the other men with her too. They all did."
Bingo.
Alpha Darius’s eyes light up just a second, before they quickly return to stillness. So he’d been right, these kids had also seen something in the woods.
He had expected it, especially because Adrian doesn’t have full control of his abilities yet, anything can trigger it.
Julian doesn’t notice his expression, and keeps talking, believing he is doing the right thing.
"If someone helped her escape," he continues, "I’m worried she could tell the wrong people about what she saw."
Darius studies him silently, doesn’t ask any more questions about what Julian is referring to.
Just hums. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely look into it."
Julian visibly relaxes. "Thank you, Alpha. I was really worried."
"Thank you for worrying so much about him, but that won’t be necessary anymore." He pats his back. "Thank you for telling me this."
His voice is warm, almost fatherly. "I’m very glad you did."
Julian smiles, feeling oddly proud that he was able to help, not knowing the meaning behind those words.
---
Soon, the medical team finishes securing Adrian and Nyra inside the ambulances.
The second vehicle, a silver van, waits nearby, already prepared for them.
Alpha Darius and Luna Selene would drive in their own car, while the four of them would go with the van.
That’s the arrangement.
But then Julian looks toward his truck that had carried them through the entire ordeal. "I think my friends and I can just come in mine."
"No!" Alpha Darius cuts him off before he can even finish the last word. "You all ride with the van."
Julian blinks in confusion.
Darius catches himself in time, softening his tone. "What I mean is, you’ve all had an exhausting night. You shouldn’t be driving yourselves anywhere. You’ll ride together in the van."
Something about the insistence makes Julian pause. He glances at the others, who look tired and not really interested in the vehicle arguments.
It’s not a big deal. Yes. But why does the Alpha care so much about which vehicle they use?
Before he can question it, Selene steps forward.
"He’s only worried about you children," she says quickly. "Please. Just listen to him."
"Yeah, Julian. Just let it go, we can always come for your van later." Lena cuts in, and the others nod tiredly.
Julian sighs, already feeling bad. Fine, since they’re all tired, he won’t push.
He nods, sliding his keys back into his pocket. "Fine. Let’s go with the van."
They climb into the van, the doors sliding shut behind them.
Inside, Naya immediately begins talking about what they should do when Nyra wakes up.
Leah agrees.
Lena starts complaining about classes and how much notes they’ll miss.
But Julian isn’t listening, eyes fixed on the hospital behind them as the van slowly pulls away.
He doesn’t know why he can’t just sit still, he can’t explain it...but his senses are tingling.
Something is definitely wrong.