Roman's POV
The moonlight from the sky was making it easier for us to see each other clearly. All five of us were frozen in our place, our minds entirely blank.
For a while, not a sound stirred—until Lucian, who had been kneeling beside her, finally moved. In a flash, his hands shot out, wrapping around her neck with brutal force as he hissed through clenched teeth.
"You bitch… You dared to show your face to us?" His voice dripped with venom, his grip tightening as though he meant to snap her neck. "How dare you even be alive? You don't deserve it, you filthy whore."
His rage snapped the rest of us out of our daze, but none of us moved to stop him. Because, deep down, we all felt the same burning fury he did.
My gaze drifted to her face. Despite being choked, she didn't fight back. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes, like she was surrendering… as if welcoming death.
Death?
She couldn't die. The thought snapped me back to reality.
"No—Lucian, let her go!" I rushed forward, grabbing his arms, trying to break his grip from her fragile neck. "We need her. For Kael's sake."
"She killed my sister." Lucian roared, his voice trembling—not just with fury, but raw, open grief. "My mother died because of her."
"I know." My hands trembled as I fought to loosen his hold. "But we need her—for Kael. If we don't have pure blood she-wolf, Sophia won't survive. Do you want Kael to lose her too?"
At the sound of their names, Lucian's fury faltered. His hands trembled, his jaw clenched—but hesitation flickered in his eyes.
I caught Rafe's eye and gave him a subtle nod. He understood instantly. For Kael's sake, Rafe would do anything.
Without a word, Rafe stepped forward and delivered a sharp, punishing kick to Lucian's side, sending him sprawling to the ground.
I turned back to her immediately. She lay motionless. Her skin ghostly pale. No rise, no fall in her chest. Her chest wasn't rising.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, panic gripping me as I bent over her. "She's not breathing!"
My eyes shot toward Kael—but he stood there, unmoving, his gaze locked on her lifeless form.
His body, his expression were tense. The way he had clenched his fists leaving all the veins along his forearm bulging out, I could feel he was barely containing his fury, a storm held just beneath the surface.
The one who lost the most because of this girl was Kael. He lost his parents, the woman he loved was stuck to hospital bed for life and even lost his unborn child.
But at this moment, he was simply holding back for Sophia's sake. Sophia, the woman he loved deeply.
I turned back to the woman on the ground, preparing to administer CPR, but someone beat me to it.
A brutal kick landed squarely on her chest, the heavy boot slamming into her ribs with a sickening thud.
She jerked violently, gasping in agony as consciousness returned. Blood spattered from her lips as she coughed, each breath ragged and painful.
I winced. That kick had likely fractured a rib—maybe more.
I shot a glare toward him. "Jason, are you trying to kill her?"
"I wish," Jason spat coldly, his eyes blazing with hatred. "But this bitch seems too damn stubborn to die. Or she wouldn't be here in the first place."
I didn't respond. His rage, like Lucian's, was understandable. They had every right to feel what they did.
But someone had to stay level-headed. And right now, that had to be me.
Saving her came first. What came after… we'd decide then.
"We need to take her to hospital," I told them, ready to lift her into my arms, but….
"Isn't she just a hybrid?" Rafe's calm yet cutting words once more shocked us. "How is she suddenly a pureblood? Are we deceived by those bastards?"
His question brought a shared memory rushing back. We had always known her as a hybrid—a weak, insignificant wolfess.
Lucian, still simmering with rage, shot up from the ground. "There shouldn't be any issue with killing her now. She's of no use to Kael."
"Wait." I stepped in his path, placing myself between him and her limp body. "They wouldn't dare lie to the Alphas. They know the consequences. We even saw the blood report—they sent results confirming she's a pureblood."
But Lucian had no interest in reason. Seething in rage, he closed the distance between us, his face mere inches from mine, his voice low and dangerous.
"Roman, we all know you've been desperate to fuck a pureblood, dreaming of kids and a sweet little family," he growled through gritted teeth. "We don't care what bitch you screw over. But this one isn't the answer to your pathetic fantasy. She dies today."
"She was a minor back then to show her true form to anyone. What if she's truly pureblood, but they hid it from everyone. You do know what happens with pureblood shewolf and how they are kept hidden?" I shot back, my own anger rising to match his. "And yes, I want a family—but right now, this isn't about me. It's about Kael. About Sophia. We can run the test again at the hospital, and if it shows she's a hybrid, I swear to you, I'll help you tear her apart and bury her myself."
"Enough."
A single word, cold and powerful, cut through the brewing storm like thunder.
We all turned toward Kael, who until now had remained silent, but seemed to have lost his patience now.
He looked between Lucian and me, then turned to Jason. "Take Lucian with you. Find out if those bastards lied to us. And if they did—make them beg for death."
Then his eyes met mine. "Take her to the hospital. Get another test done. If she's a hybrid…you don't need to tell me what you did with her."
Without waiting for a reply, Kael turned and walked away. Rafe followed him, as always, without a word.
That left only me—with her.