Vincent Manor, Private Clinic Room – 4:22 AM
Max lay on the surgical table, shirtless, sweat beading on his pale skin. Blood still leaked slowly from the gash across his ribs. Lucien's hands were steady, covered in red, as he cleaned the wound with antiseptic.
"Stop moving," Lucien said calmly, eyes focused.
Max clenched his jaw. "It's not exactly comfortable, Doctor."
Lucien smirked faintly. "And yet you keep making it worse. Typical alpha behavior."
Max winced. "You're enjoying this a little too much."
"I'm enjoying that you're alive," Lucien said quietly. "That was close."
Max blinked, caught off guard by the softness in his voice. "I didn't think you cared that much."
Lucien didn't look up. "I'm not good at pretending I don't care, Max. Not with you."Before Max could respond, a sudden shockwave of pain and scent hit the room.
Sam gasped as he burst through the door, Silas right behind him, both of them drawn to the bond—the injury.
Silas stopped dead. "Max—!"
Sam ran forward, but Lucien raised a hand. "He's stable. Don't crowd him."
Sam's voice cracked. "He's bleeding."
Lucien didn't flinch. "I'm handling it."
Silas moved to Max's side, gripping his hand.
Max groaned. "You two are so dramatic. I've had worse."
Silas knelt beside the bed. "You're our mate, Max. You don't get to downplay it."
Then came the slam of the front door.
And the house fell silent.
Vincent Manor – Main Hallway – 4:30 AM
Noah stormed through the corridor, drenched in rain, his black coat clinging to his frame. His mother's voice still echoed in his ears from the interrupted meeting.
> "You walk out of a mafia summit to chase an injury?"
But Noah had already left.
He kicked open the clinic room door.
"Where is he?!"
Max looked up from the table weakly. "Calm down. I'm not dying."
Noah reached him in two strides, cupping his face, scanning his body, shaking slightly.
"You smell like blood," Noah whispered. "You reek of pain. Who did this to you?"
Lucien straightened, removing his gloves. "Rogue strike. Not random. It was them—Xander Kolt and his Eastern Pack."
Noah's eyes turned black. "He touched my mate?"
Lucien nodded. "Ambushed us at the docks. Bullet grazed Max's ribs."
Sam spoke softly. "Xander's been quiet for months."
Noah growled. "Not anymore."
He turned to Lucien and Silas, voice like death.
> "Get your gear. Get the fire. We're ending them."