Chapter 12 #2
We walked out of the room together. Noah was waiting in the hallway, his expression carefully neutral. He didn’t say anything about the way we smelled, which I appreciated more than I could express. Thank the goddess for brothers-in-law with discretion.
The police officers were waiting in the main ICU hallway, Sarah already there chatting with them in that friendly way she had with everyone. She caught my eye as we approached and gave me a small, reassuring nod.
“Mrs. Raven,” the officer said as I approached. He was the same one from the crime scene, Officer Daniels. “Thank you for waiting. We have some updates on our investigation.”
“You found something?”
His expression was complicated. Part disappointed, part hopeful. “The security cameras near your shop were all wiped. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. They erased the footage before we could access it.”
My heart sank. Of course they had. Nothing about this situation could be easy.
“However,” Officer Daniels continued, “we were able to recover footage from a car that happened to be parked nearby. It had a dashcam that captured part of the incident.”
He pulled out his phone and showed me the screen. The image was grainy and blurry, clearly taken at night with poor lighting. But I could make out the shape of a woman. Blonde hair. Slim build. Running away from the direction of my shop.
I squinted at the picture, trying to make out any distinguishing features. Was that Mary? The hair color was right, but the image was too unclear to be certain.
“Additionally,” Officer Daniels said, “a neighbor was in the area when the suspect was fleeing. She got a good look at her face. Between the video footage and the witness description, we were able to create a composite sketch.”
He handed me a piece of paper. A police sketch, the kind you saw on crime shows. A woman’s face stared back at me from the page.
I studied it carefully, looking for any sign of recognition. Blonde hair. Sharp features. Cold eyes.
It wasn’t Mary.
I didn’t know this woman at all.
“Do any of you recognize her?” Officer Daniels asked, looking between me, Knox, Noah, and Sarah.
We all shook our heads. Knox took the sketch from my hands and examined it closely, his brow furrowed.
“She’s not Mary Thorne,” he said finally. “This is someone else entirely. She seems familiar, though…But she’s no one I know.”
Officer Daniels looked disappointed but nodded.
“That’s what we suspected. The witness description didn’t match the information you gave us about Ms. Thorne.
” He took the sketch back. “We’ll keep looking.
Canvass the area again. See if anyone else recognizes her.
In the meantime, we’ll leave you a copy of the drawing in case it jogs any memories. ”
He handed Knox a second copy of the sketch, then shook our hands and left with his partner.
We stood there in silence for a moment, all of us processing this new information. If it wasn’t Mary behind the attacks, then who was it? And were they working with Mary, or was this something else entirely? Someone else who wanted to hurt me for reasons I couldn’t understand?
“We need to go back to Ravenshollow,” Knox said finally. His voice was gentle but firm. “I’m sorry, baby, but we need to be where we have wolves to defend us. The pack house, the territory, our people. We’re too vulnerable here.”
I wanted to argue. Wanted to stay near Mika until she woke up, until I could see her eyes open and hear her voice and know for certain she was going to be okay.
But Knox was right. We didn’t know who this woman was or what she wanted. We’d been operating under the assumption that Mary was behind everything, but now that assumption had been shattered. We were flying blind, and that made us targets.
“I’ve called four guards to come here,” Knox continued. “They’ll watch Mika and the shop around the clock. Nothing will happen to her while we’re gone. They should be here soon.”
I nodded slowly, the fight draining out of me. “Okay.”
As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and four young wolves stepped out. They were barely older than twenty, eager and alert, their eyes scanning the hallway for threats. When they spotted Knox, they straightened to attention.
I approached them, studying their faces. They looked nervous to be in front of their Luna, which was somehow both flattering and exhausting.
“My friend is in that room,” I said, pointing to Mika’s window. “She was hurt protecting my shop. I need you to guard her with your lives. Can you do that?”
The guards stood even straighter, their expressions fierce with determination.
“Yes, Luna!” one of them said. “On our honor! No one will touch her while we’re here.”
“We’ll die before we let anything happen to her,” another added.
I wanted to tell them that dying wasn’t necessary, that I just needed them to be vigilant and alert, but I appreciated the enthusiasm. These were good wolves. Loyal wolves. They would take care of Mika.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “All of you.”
I turned back to my family. Sarah was gathering her things, Noah was texting on his phone, and Knox was watching me with that protective gaze he always had. Like he was ready to throw himself between me and any threat that might appear.
We walked out of the hospital together, the night air cool against my skin. Hunt was waiting by the car, leaning against the driver’s side door with his arms crossed. He must have been watching the perimeter while we were inside.
When he saw me, his face softened into concern. He pulled me into a quick hug, careful of my belly, before stepping back.
“You okay, Lina?”
“I’ve been better.”
“You’ve been worse too.” He grinned. “Remember that time you accidentally set your hair on fire trying to light birthday candles?”
“That was one time, Hunt. Let it go.”
“Never.”
We sorted ourselves into cars. Noah took his with Sarah, the two of them already bickering about music choices as they climbed in. Hunt slid behind the wheel of the second car, and Knox helped me into the backseat before climbing in beside me.
“I feel like a chauffeur,” Hunt complained as he started the engine. “Next you’re going to ask me to wear a little hat.”
“The hat would be cute on you,” I offered.
“I’m not wearing a hat.”
“What if I ordered you to?”
“You’re not my Luna.”
“I’m literally your Luna.”
“Fine, but I’m still not wearing a hat.”
Knox snorted beside me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as Hunt pulled out of the parking lot.
Despite everything, despite the fear and the uncertainty and the woman in the sketch that none of us recognized, I felt myself relaxing into Knox’s warmth.
We were going home. We would figure this out. Together.
The drive was quiet after the initial banter faded. Hunt focused on the road, pushing the car faster than was probably legal but not quite as recklessly as Noah had driven on the way here. Knox held me against his side, one hand resting on my belly where our baby was shifting and kicking.
About an hour into the drive, I started to feel strange.
Not strange in the normal pregnancy way, where my back ached and my feet were swollen and I had to pee every fifteen minutes. This was different. A weird tightness in my lower belly that came and went in waves. Uncomfortable but not painful.
I shifted against Knox, trying to find a more comfortable position.
Then it hit.
A pain, sudden and brutal, exploded through my abdomen. I doubled over with a gasp, my hands flying to my stomach.
“Lina?” Knox’s voice was sharp with alarm. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“My stomach,” I managed, trying to breathe through the pain. “It hurts. It’s-”
Another wave hit before I could finish the sentence. Stronger this time. Different from the cramps I’d had after the chocolate cake incident. This wasn’t digestive distress. This was deeper, lower, more intense.
Oh no. Please no. It couldn’t be. It was too early, I still had weeks left. The baby wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready.
But the moment I thought that, I felt something warm spill between my legs.