One Night

Chapter 195

Edwin

Days passed, and Claudia remained in her coma. She showed no signs of improvement, but no signs of her health worsening, either. The doctor said that that was a good thing -that stability was the best we could hope for right now.

But Audrey didn’t see that. In her eyes, her mother-the woman she had been ripped from as a baby and only just reunited with-was dying.

Audrey didn’t seem to care if she was dying herself.

Over the next four days, I watched helplessly as Audrey wasted away. Her desperation. was so palpable that I could feel it radiating across our bond, dark shadows rippling outward from her mind.

On the night of the first day, I slipped out to get a couple of coffees and something for us to eat, figuring that she would be okay on her own for a little bit. Oh, how wrong

was.

I

I was only gone for fifteen, maybe twenty minutes at the most, and I entered the room. again to find Audrey hunched over Claudia’s still form, her hands pressed against her mother’s chest.

She

Was muttering under her breath, her face pale and drawn. Her body was shaking, and tears were slipping down her face.

“Audrey,” I said softly, setting down our food and approaching her. “What are you doing?”

She didn’t respond, just kept muttering, her entire being focused on Claudia. But I knew what she was trying to do; I could feel her energy draining through our bond, her life force dimming like a flickering candle.

She was trying to heal her mother, even though she had no healing skills yet. And she didn’t care if she killed herself in her attempt to do it.

“Audrey, stop!” I lunged forward, pulling her hands away from Claudia. She slumped against me, barely conscious. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I have to save her,” Audrey mumbled, her eyes glazed over. “It’s my fault… I have to fix

I cradled her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. Her blue eyes seemed to roll

Chapter 193

in her head, as if she were struggling to keep herself awake. Or alive. Either way, I don’t think she even really saw me standing there. She was somewhere else. Somewhere far

away.

“This is not your fault. And killing yourself won’t help Claudia. You need to rest.”

But my words fell on deaf ears.

For the next three days, Audrey simply refused to leave Claudia’s bedside, not even to sleep or cat. I brought her meals, but they went untouched. I tried to get her to lay on the sofa and rest, but she ignored me.

She just sat in the same chair day after day, holding Claudia’s hand and staring at her mother’s face as if she could will her awake through sheer determination.

On the second day, I tried to physically move her to the sofa. “Audrey, you need to sleep. Just for a few hours-”

But before I could finish, she leaped up from her chair and whirled on me, het like

eyes flashing silver and her fangs bared. A snarl ripped from her throat, so feral and unlike her that I stumbled back in shock.

By the time I blinked, she was back in her chair, face expressionless once again as she clutched Claudia’s hand.

By the fourth day, the change in Audrey was alarming. She had visibly lost weight, her cheekbones sharp under her pale skin. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her silver streak seemed dull and lifeless.

I knew I had to do something drastic. “Audrey,” I said firmly, “we’re going home. Now. You need to eat and sleep.”

“No,” she rasped, her voice h**e from disuse. “I’m not leaving her.”

“You don’t have a choice.” I moved to pick her up, but she bared her fangs again, trying to bite me. However, she was too weak to put up much of a fight. Her fangs scratched my skin, but didn’t pierce it. I easily scooped her into my arms, her body frighteningly light.

“Charles,” I called to my Beta, who had been standing guard outside. “Watch over Claudia. Call me immediately if there’s any change.”

“Of course, Alpha,” Charles nodded, taking up position by Claudia’s bed as I carried Audrey out. Audrey whimpered in protest, but that was all she could manage.

Back at our apartment, Audrey could barely lift her head enough to eat. I peeled off her

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Chapter 195

days-old dirty clothes and dressed her in clean underwear and one of my shirts. She didn’t move or protest the entire time. Finally, I propped her up in bed and brought her a bowl of warm soup.

“You need to eat,” I said, holding a spoonful to her lips.

She turned her head away. “Not hungry.”

“Audrey, please.” I pleaded. “You’re wasting away. Claudia wouldn’t want this.”

At the mention of her mother’s name, Audrey’s dulled eyes filled with tears. She allowed me to feed her a few spoonfuls before exhaustion overtook her.

As she drifted off to sleep. I stroked her hair, my heart heavy with worry. I could barely feel our mate bond, just a faint flicker of her weak heartbeat. Even her wolf seemed subdued, weakened by fear and exhaustion.

She truly did blame herself. Fiona’s words had cut deep.

I knew in my bones that Audrey hadn’t poisoned Claudia. The very idea was ludicrous. But something about this situation felt off. The timing, the circumstances… there was more to this than met the eye. I knew that Fiona was up to something, but I just couldn’t be sure exactly what she was doing.

My phone rang suddenly, startling me from my thoughts. I answered quickly, moving away from the bed so as not to disturb Audrey.

“Edwin,” my father’s cold voice came through the speaker without so much as a greeting. “I’ve heard about what happened to Claudia.”

I stiffened. “Father. Yes, it’s a terrible situation.”

“Terrible indeed,” he said, his tone icy. “And one that affects us all. Claudia is a close family friend, and Silverbite has been an ally of Crescent for generations.”

“We’re doing everything we can-

He cut me off. “Are you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve let that girl of yours run wild. And now a Luna has been poisoned.”

“Audrey didn’t do this,” I growled, my grip tightening on the phone. Why did everyone think she had?

“Whether she did it intentionally or not is irrelevant,” my father snapped. “Your carelessness allowed this to happen. You let her off her leash, and she either schemed to poison another Luna or was so incompetent she did it by accident. Either way, she has

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Chapter 195

proven herself unfit to be a Luna, Silver Star or not.”

“Father, you can’t possibly-”

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“I can, and I will,” he interrupted. “I’m giving you an ultimatum, Edwin. Break up with Audrey, or Axel will be given control of Crescent. And I assure you, his first act as Alpha. will be to imprison her.”

My blood ran cold. “You can’t do that. I’m the Alpha of Crescent.”

“An Alpha who can’t control his mate is no Alpha at all,” my father said coldly. “Make your choice, Edwin. End things with her and let her ruin another pack, not ours. Stay with her and lose your pack and see her imprisoned.”

Before I could respond, the line went dead. I stared at the phone in disbelief, a mixture. of rage and fear coursing through me.

“F**k,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

50

I turned back to the bed, my eyes falling on Audrey’s sleeping form. She looked small, so vulnerable. The thought of breaking her heart was unbearable. But the thought of handing both the pack and her over to Axel, who would undoubtedly make her life a living hell and do it with a smile on his face… it was even more unbearable.

I had to do something. Fast.