Darkness lifted slowly, like fog retreating from the palace grounds at dawn. My eyelids felt heavy, weighted down by exhaustion that ran deeper than sleep. The sterile scent of healing herbs filled my nostrils, mixed with the metallic tang of the respirator tube pressed against my nose.
I forced my eyes open.
Nonna sat beside my bed in the healing ward, her face pale and drawn. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. When she noticed me stirring, her expression crumbled into relief.
"Aria, my love," she whispered.
"Gene." My voice came out hoarse, barely audible through the respirator.
She leaned closer, gripping my hand. Behind her, Richard stood against the stone wall, his arms crossed over his chest. The Royal Guard Commander watched me with an unreadable expression, though something flickered in his dark eyes. Concern, maybe. Or curiosity.
I looked around the private chamber. Moonlight streamed through the tall windows. The intravenous drip attached to my wrist glowed faintly with healing magic. My body ached, but I was alive.
I had wanted to die. I remembered that with startling clarity. The pills, the numbness spreading through my limbs, the blessed silence as consciousness slipped away. But I woke up anyway, rescued before death could claim me.
"How long?" I asked.
"A day," Nonna said. "You've been unconscious for a full day."
Richard straightened. "I'll inform the healers." He left without another word, his boots silent against the marble floor.
Nonna waited until the door closed. "You scared me, Aria. I thought I lost you."
"I'm sorry." The words felt inadequate. "I'm so sorry, Gene. My emotions, they clouded everything. I couldn't think straight."
"I don't want apologies." Her voice hardened. "I want a promise. No matter what happens in the future, suicide is never an option. Do you understand that?"
I nodded slowly. "Yes, I understand."
She wasn't satisfied. "Say it. Promise me this will never happen again."
I thought of Cody. My son, who I hadn't seen in weeks. He was too young to understand abandonment, too innocent to grasp why his mother would choose death over fighting for him. I couldn't do that to him. I wouldn't make him grow up motherless like I had.
"I promise," I said. "This will never happen again."
Nonna raised her pinky finger. "Swear it properly."
Despite everything, I smiled. We had made promises like this as children, back when pinky swears felt sacred and unbreakable. I raised my own finger and linked it with hers.
"I swear."
She squeezed gently, then released. "Good. Now rest while I get you something to eat."
Hours passed. Nonna spoon-fed me broth and bread, her movements careful and patient. I managed half the bowl before exhaustion won. My wolf remained dormant, too weak to surface. The healers said it would take days for my strength to fully return.
"I'm full," I told her.
She set the dishes aside and offered me water. I drank a little, then leaned back against the pillows.
A knock interrupted the quiet.
John entered the healing ward, his presence commanding immediate attention. The Alpha King's younger brother moved with predatory grace, his silver eyes locked on me. Unlike Jack, who wore cruelty like armor, John radiated warmth. He had always been kind to me, even when his brother made my life a nightmare.
"Aria." He approached the bed and pressed a gentle kiss to my chin. "I'm sorry about everything that happened."
His eyes went hazy with emotion. I remembered the last time we spoke, at the restaurant before Jack found us. Before the Alpha King dragged me away and punished me for daring to be seen with his brother.
John took my hands in his. "I know everything you've been through with Jack. How he treated you, humiliated you. But I promise that ends now."
I wanted to believe him. The desperate, broken part of me clung to his words like a lifeline.
"My brother wasn't always this way," John continued. "Something happened that changed him, hardened him into what he is now. But he will change, Aria. And no one will stop you from being with your son. That's my promise to you."
Tears burned my eyes. I raised my head and met his gaze, unable to form words. I just nodded.
John pulled me into a careful hug, mindful of the tubes and wires. He kissed my temple before stepping back. "Rest now. Focus on healing."
He left as quietly as he came.
Nonna returned with fresh bandages. "The prince seems to care about you."
"He feels guilty," I said. "That's all it is."
She didn't argue, but I saw the doubt in her expression.
Two days later, Nonna brought news that made my chest tighten. "Cody's been enrolled in the Royal Academy."
"What?" I sat up too quickly, pain lancing through my ribs.
"The Alpha King changed his surname to Hudson. He enrolled him in the most prestigious academy in the kingdom. Only noble pups attend that school, Aria. Children from the highest-ranking families."
My hands trembled. Jack was erasing every trace of me from our son's life. He gave Cody his name, his status, his world. Everything I could never provide.
"He has bodyguards now," Nonna added quietly. "Professional nannies. A private chauffeur. The Alpha King spared no expense."
I closed my eyes. Cody was being given everything. The best education, the finest protection, a life of luxury and privilege. But he was being raised without his mother.
Nonna squeezed my shoulder. "We'll figure this out."
I didn't respond. What could I say? That I would fight the most powerful Alpha in the kingdom for custody of my son? That I would challenge Jack Hudson when I could barely stand without assistance?
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Richard appeared in the doorway, his expression grave.
"The Alpha King just received an anonymous message," he said. "I thought you should know."
My blood ran cold. "What did it say?"
Richard's jaw tightened. "I don't know the contents. But whatever it was, it made him furious."
Nonna and I exchanged glances.
"This can't be good," she whispered.
I stared at the window, watching storm clouds gather over the palace. Something was coming. Something that would change everything again.
And I had no idea if I was strong enough to face it.