Chapter 344 Safe but Shackled
That single line-“She’s asleep“-sent every werewolf listening at the broadcast into cheers once
more.
On television, the station’s Facebook and Twitter accounts exploded, crashing under the flood of traffic.
Henry couldn’t see any of it, but he seemed to sense the uproar. Speaking into the phone, he said with solemn weight, “Thank you.”
Then he looked down at Aubrey’s face, battered with scratches yet resting peacefully against him, and finally let out a long breath.
“Good night.”
With that, he ended the call.
The world outside erupted. They wanted details of the rescue, to hear more of those heart- stopping words spoken between them. They longed for interviews, reactions, anything at all.
But Henry ignored it all.
Among the crowd watching them leave were Charles, John, and Justin.
Charles, who had been listening to every word through the broadcast, had witnessed Henry’s reckless dive. Seeing Aubrey safe at last, he exhaled in relief–but almost instantly, a wave of bitterness rose in his chest.
He had been the first to learn of her plight. And yet in the end, it was Henry who had saved her. He had hesitated, worried too much, held back.
His heart ached as he followed their retreating figures, lips pressed tight. He didn’t even realize until the gates of the Miguel estate slammed shut before him that he had trailed Henry all the way there.
“Don’t lose hope, Charles,” his wolf, Soren, murmured in his mind. “You were only one step too late. You still have a chance.”
“Only one step?” Charles’s will faltered. No, it wasn’t just a step. He had lost far more than that.
But he had no right to resent anyone. The Moon Goddess had given him a chance, and it was he who failed to grasp it.
John and Justin had seen it all too. When they reached the cliff, Henry had already leapt for Aubrey. For John, it was shattering–his idol, the Alpha, had risked his life for that beautiful omega. If Henry ever discovered that Aubrey’s heart belonged to another, would he lose himself to madness?
For the first time, John felt regret. “I might have made a mistake… Maybe I shouldn’t have given her that potion.”
He muttered it under his breath. But at his side, Justin’s eyes lit with sudden clarity. Aubrey had drunk the witch’s potion? Then she must already be his.
At eight o’clock the next morning, Aubrey awoke.
Discomfort hit her immediately. Her face was wrapped like a mummy, both hands swaddled in bandages, her body strapped in multiple places. Moving at all felt impossible.
“What… happened to me?”
When her eyes, dazed and confused, landed on Henry, his first thought was that perhaps it was good she was injured–at least this way, she wouldn’t run off again.
Henry himself was already healed. His Alpha body had mended the worst of the blows, though he had been bloodied hours earlier.
“You’re awake?”
He strode to her bedside, his long legs purposeful, his gaze heavy with disapproval.
“All you did was step outside, and you managed to come back like this. What next? Do I need to keep you tucked in my arms every second just to keep you safe?”
The teasing edge in his voice made Aubrey flush faintly. “My face…”
Henry bent down, hooked a finger under her chin, and tilted her head toward him. Her face was buried in bandages, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed his amusement.
“You scraped yourself on the cliff, remember? Don’t worry. Even if you turn into a monster, I’m still keeping you.”
Aubrey wanted to swat his hand away, but both arms were useless.
Her left wrist had been broken, her right dislocated against the cliffside. And worse–she couldn’t let Ella heal her. If her Alpha–level wolf mended those wounds too quickly, it would expose everything: her secret, her true nature, her bond to Henry.
Which meant she really was helpless now.
She lifted her bandaged hands, staring at them like clumsy paws. She couldn’t see her face, but Henry only chuckled at the frustration in her
Adorable.
eyes.
Unable to stop himself, he cupped her cheeks and brushed his lips against hers. Then he leaned back, grinning smugly.
“Now I kiss you whenever I want. Go on, try and fight me.”