DR LUNA: The Lycan's Stolen Heir

Chapter 17

Aria

Every breath I took felt like I was swallowing a mouthful of broken glass. The pain in my stomach was no longer just a sting; it had turned into a slow pulsing that radiated through my entire body. My skin felt clammy, and the roar of the helicopter blades above us sounded like they were inside my own skull.

But even through the haze of the toxin, I couldn't help but find the situation a little bit amusing.

I looked at Dante. He was hunched over the controls of the helicopter, his knuckles white as he gripped the stick. His jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might shatter, and his golden eyes were fixed on the horizon with a terrifying intensity. He looked like he was watching his entire world go up in flames. Which was strange considering we'd just met like yesterday.

"Are you...obsessed with me, Dante?" I wheezed, the words catching in my throat. I tried to make it sound like my usual teasing self, but it came out as a pathetic rasp. "Can't bear to see me... kick the bucket?"

Dante didn't laugh. He didn't even look at me. "Don't be ridiculous, Aria. You're my wife now. If you die, Leo has no hope. I’m not losing the only person who can save my son because some coward decided to play chemist."

His voice was harsh, but I could hear the slight tremor in it. He was terrified. It wasn't just about Leo, and we both knew it, even if he was too proud to say it out loud.

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to settle the fire in my gut. My mind went back to the room. The shattered glass. The nanny’s shaking hands.

"Dante," I whispered, forced to pause as a fresh wave of nausea hit me. "How long... has that nanny been with you?"

"Three years," he answered shortly. "Why are you asking about her now? Save your strength."

"Because Leo was right. He's been wary of her for a long time. He told me he suspected her. That’s why he refused to eat anything she gave him."

I felt the helicopter tilt as Dante checked a gauge. He remained silent, but I could feel the temperature in the cockpit drop.

"I drank the water she brought for him," I continued, my head lolling against the seat. "It wasn't meant for me. It was meant for your son. She’s been trying to poison him from the start. Probably in small doses... but this time, she got greedy."

I didn't have to see Dante’s face to know he was seething. I could practically feel the waves of murderous rage rolling off him. He wanted to turn this helicopter around and tear that woman apart, but he couldn't. He had to save me first.

"I'll deal with her. I promise you, Aria. She will pray for death before I'm done with her. But right now, you need to stay awake. Look at me."

I tried to obey, but the darkness was becoming so heavy. My eyelids felt too felt heavy. I felt myself drifting, the sound of the helicopter fading into the darkness. I was back in the snow, back in the Dead Lands, feeling the cold seep into my bones.

Suddenly, a warm, heavy hand grabbed mine.

Dante reached back with one hand, squeezing my fingers with a force that should have been painful. But it wasn't. It felt like an anchor. It felt like he was literally trying to pull me back from the edge with his own strength.

"Stay with me, Aria!" he shouted. "We're almost there. Don't you dare close your eyes. You’re the Viper, remember? You don't die in the back of a helicopter. You're stronger than this."

It was strange. As he held my hand, I felt a weird sensation. It was like a jolt of pure energy was flowing from his palm into mine. It was warm and steady, pushing back against the icy chill of the poison. It gave me just enough strength to keep my eyes open, to keep my heart beating for one more minute.

When the helicopter finally touched down on the roof of my hospital in the city, the world was a blurred.

I felt Dante scoop me up. He was running again, his boots thundering against the pavement. I caught glimpses of familiar hallways, the white walls, the smell of high-grade antiseptic, the blue-tinted lights of the private wing.

My heart warmed for a second, even through the pain. My hospital was still functioning. Even with me gone, my staff was here, doing what they were trained to do. They hadn't fallen apart.

"Dr. Vale?" someone gasped.

"Is that the boss?"

The shock in their voices was clear. They weren't used to seeing me as the patient. They were used to me walking through these doors in a red suit, giving orders and saving lives. Now, I was a crumpled mess in the arms of a man who looked like he was ready to kill anyone who got in his way.

"Get a stretcher!" Dante roared. "Now!"

The nurses and doctors moved instantly. They didn't ask questions, seeing the state I was. I was lifted out of Dante’s arms and placed onto a stretcher.

The movement made my stomach flip, and I groaned, clutching the sides of the bed.

"Move! Clear the way!"

They started rolling me toward the emergency room. Dante followed, his hand still trying to reach for mine.

"Sir, you can't come in here!" a male nurse shouted, blocking the doors to the ER.

"Get out of my way," Dante hissed, his eyes glowing gold.

"Dante..." I managed to whisper, looking at him.

The staff pushed the stretcher through the double doors, and for a split second, I saw him standing there, looking smaller than I had ever seen him. He looked lost.

Then the doors swung shut, cutting him out of my sight.

The second he was gone, the mask I had been holding onto finally shattered and I let out a ragged, high-pitched cry of pain that tore through my throat.