Chapter 322
No Turning Back
Third Person POV
Aubrey lowered her head, long lashes casting a faint shadow across her pale cheeks.
A
Her gaze lingered on Henry’s face as he lay unconscious. This was the proud alpha who had never once bowed his head, who had quarreled with her in the cruelest of words–yet still, he had walked into the lab on his own, just to shoulder even a fraction of her suffering.
Always, his actions cut deeper than his pride, each one a silent surrender.
The sight pierced Aubrey’s chest like a fine needle, stirring an ache she could neither name nor chase away. She blinked quickly, forcing back the dampness that threatened to blur her vision.
Silence stretched. At last, she lifted her eyes, her voice low, steady only by sheer will. “We won’t reconcile.”
Xavier studied her pale, stubborn profile and sighed heavily. Two people, each more unyielding than the other, each giving everything in silence, and each wounding more deeply for it. He opened his mouth, but the words died there. He was no hand at matters of the heart.
Because Henry’s condition needed close watch, Aubrey stayed in the lab, lying down on the cot she often used. With the antidote showing no major problems and only minor refinements left, her lips curved faintly before she shed her coat and surrendered to sleep.
By midday, Henry stirred awake, sore from head to toe. He sat up at once, the first words rasping out of him-“Where’s Aubrey?”
“In the next room,” Xavier replied. “I’ll fetch her.”
“The next room?” Henry stopped rubbing his temples. “No–let her rest.”
Then, more sharply, “Tell me. Am I cured?”
“Not fully,” Xavier answered carefully. “You’ll need more tests, and for a while you may feel discomfort. That’s the serum’s side effect. But aside from the pain, no other issues have shown. The bloodwork is clear–the virus is gone.”
Relief flickered in Xavier’s face as he added, “Congratulations, Alpha. Welcome back to the living.”
Henry’s lips twitched in the barest smile. “Good.”
13:17 Wed, Sep 24
Chapter 322 No. Turnuis Back
A
+ Pearls
After a pause, his tone grew practical. “Those wolves Ulrich framed and locked in quarantine- you remember them? Once the serum’s stable, use them as volunteers. I suspect they’ll be eagerenough.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“And tell my parents the news.”
Xavier tilted his head. “You won’t tell them yourself?”
“I can barely move.” Henry winced as he stretched, then rose. He wanted to see Aubrey more than anything.
He pushed open the adjoining door.
Aubrey lay on her side, her cheek pressed deep into the pillow, shadows of exhaustion under her eyes. Even draped in fatigue, her beauty held–fragile as a white rose after storm, yet still resilient enough to stand.
Henry knew what it had cost her: a week of sleepless, relentless trials, all to push the serum to its third version.
He slipped off his shoes and lowered himself onto the cot beside her.
The memory of the injection surged back–the fire tearing through his spine, the urge to rend the world in half with a roar. Yet thinking of her, thinking that she had endured that agony time and again, thinking that at least this last time she hadn’t had to–he endured.
And in that crucible of pain, he realized something with startling clarity.
He had never once let her go.
Fights, cold wars, bitter words–it made no difference. Beneath every cruel retort lay a truth he could not uproot: Aubrey was, and would remain, his only chosen mate.
The Moon Goddess’s birthplace–he would face it, and soon.
Closing his eyes, he slid an arm around her waist. When she didn’t stir, he exhaled softly, lips curving upward.
If he couldn’t let go, then he would hold tighter. Let dignity burn, let pride fall away. After all— what warmth could dignity bring at night? What future could pride cradle in its arms?
No, better to keep her close. Better to dream of the small wolves they might raise together.
13:17 Wed, Sep 24