Chapter 15: The Target on Her Back

Sebastian’s POV

“Any changes in her condition?” Margaret’s strained voice came through the phone, the tremor betraying how close she was to breaking down. These past few days had been hell for everyone. We’d come so close to losing Thea.

“She woke up briefly yesterday before falling back asleep. The doctor says it’s normal for patients with head trauma,” I heard her relieved sigh. Since Alpha Sterling’s death, Margaret had been different, desperately trying to reconnect with Thea. Too bad Thea had already decided she wanted nothing to do with any of us.

“Will she make a full recovery?”

“The doctors are confident, but they’re monitoring for complications from the new wolfsbane toxin.” That was what terrified me most. Honestly, I just needed her to be okay. “Don’t worry though. Thea’s strong. She’ll pull through. I need to go, but I’ll call when she wakes up. Last time she was asking about Leo.”

After hanging up, I found myself staring at her sleeping form. Her dark honey-brown hair fanned across the white pillow like spilled silk, a striking contrast against her pale skin. When had I started noticing every detail about her? The delicate arch of her cheekbones, the gentle sweep of those impossibly long lashes against her cheeks, the natural rose-pink tint of her full lips that no makeup could replicate. Even with bandages marring her face, she looked so beautiful in the soft morning light filtering through the hospital windows.

Because you never wanted to see it before, my wolf whispered. You were too busy hating her to notice anything good about her.

I sighed, knowing it was true. I’d gone to great lengths to block her out, and it had worked until now. This new Thea demanded attention. Demanded to be seen.

Taking her hand in mine, I was struck by how small and soft it felt. I’d been constantly rubbing her wrist, feeling her pulse, just to reassure myself she was still alive. That the bombing and poison hadn’t taken her from us.

Every time I thought about that Sunday, my chest constricted painfully. I’d called to warn her about Aurora, who’d come to me crying about something Thea had said. The moment I heard the explosion and people screaming, my breath caught. I’d been left shouting her name into the phone.

When they told me her car had been rigged with wolfsbane and she was critically injured, my heart stopped. The feeling went beyond fear or anguish; it was something I couldn’t understand.

Her hospital room was filled with fresh flowers and colorful balloons. Gift baskets and cards piled up so quickly that the nurses had to start sending them to her house. Most came from her students, who visited in groups daily and constantly called the nurse for updates. Those pups adored her.

I’d never cared about the work she found after the divorce, assuming she must be failing at it like everything else. But seeing her students’ devotion changed my perspective. They wouldn’t show such love if she wasn’t an exceptional teacher. Her colleagues spoke only praise, making me realize how little I knew about her life.

“Sebastian.” Aurora’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She stood in the doorway with Roman. Unlike Aurora’s perfect composure, Roman looked wrecked. The attack had shaken him deeply. Not just him—all of us. Nearly losing his sister seemed to finally be sinking in.

“Has she woken up?” Roman asked softly.

“No.”

“You need to go home, Sebastian,” Aurora insisted. “Shower, change clothes, then come back. You look like death.”

“I’m not leaving, Aurora.” My wolf bristled at the suggestion. What if something happened while I was gone?

They eventually wore me down. Before I left, Aurora pressed a kiss to my lips—our first since deciding to try again. But something felt wrong. Her lips felt wrong. The kiss felt wrong. Why the fuck would I feel this way?

After the world’s fastest shower, I meant to nap for thirty minutes but slept three hours. Racing back to the hospital, I found Kane in Thea’s room while Aurora and Roman waited outside, apparently banished.

Hearing Thea’s laughter through the door set my wolf on edge. Inside, Kane sat beside her, going through get-well cards. Despite the bandage on her head and scratches on her face, she was smiling, transforming her entire face.

The smile vanished when she saw me. “Get out,” she demanded.

Ice Thea was back. “Not happening, Thea.” I took the seat on her left.

Fury blazed in her eyes. “I don’t want you here, so just fucking leave. Take those two with you… I don’t need any of you here.”

She’d been cordial yesterday. Something must have happened when I left her with Aurora and Roman.

“You need to calm down, Thea. Remember you’re not well. You shouldn’t stress yourself,” Kane interrupted, squeezing her hand gently. She looked at their joined hands, then his face, her expression softening.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to tear her hand from his. Shouldn’t I be relieved she’d moved on? That her supposed obsession with me was over? So why did seeing that soft look directed at Kane instead of me make me want to shift and rip his throat out?

The police chief’s arrival interrupted my violent thoughts. I’d known him since my teen years, back when my father was Alpha. He united several Packs to take down an underground black market preying on Pack members for years. His strength earned him respect across the region, and even years later, it hadn’t faded.

“Detective,” he nodded to Kane before turning to us. The casual greeting did nothing to mask the gravity in his expression.

“Miss Sterling, I understand this is difficult, but we need to establish a timeline.” He pulled out a notebook.

Thea nodded, and I noticed Kane hadn’t released her hand.

“Walk me through Sunday morning,” he continued, his pen hovering. “Any unfamiliar scents? Territory markers that seemed out of place?”

Thea’s fingers twisted in the blanket. “Nothing unusual. Just a normal Sunday. I had breakfast and went to head to the Moon Temple. It’s neutral ground, like always.”

“And Saturday? Any disturbances in your territory boundaries?”

“I wouldn’t…” she hesitated, a flicker of old pain crossing her face. I knew what she wasn’t saying; without a wolf’s senses, she couldn’t detect territory markers or Pack boundaries the way we could.

Kane squeezed her hand, and my wolf snarled silently. His scent was becoming too entwined with hers.

“Let me rephrase,” the chief said smoothly. “Did you notice anyone paying unusual attention to you or your property? Anyone who seemed out of place?”

“No.” Thea’s voice grew stronger. “But then, plenty of people think I don’t belong anywhere. It’s nothing new.”

The subtle dig wasn’t lost on me. The chief’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he made another note.

“The wolfsbane device was installed while you were in temple and activated by your car remote. Did you notice any unusual sounds before unlocking your car?”

My guilt surged—she’d been distracted because I’d called to yell at her about Aurora.

“Chief,” I cut in, unable to stay silent, “I thought this was connected to the criminal organization targeting Pack leaders?”

He looked between us, his expression grave. “That was our initial assumption with the first rogue’s attack. But after Sunday’s attack, we have reason to believe Miss Sterling is being specifically targeted.”