Haanshil Manor's medical wing smelled like antiseptic and blood, and Hart was getting really tired of watching people get stitched up because of decisions he'd made.
He sat next to Mira's bed while a pack healer checked her vitals, his hand wrapped around hers like he could physically keep her safe through sheer stubborn will.
"I'm fine," Mira said for the third time, though her voice still shook. "Hart, seriously, I'm not hurt. Stop looking at me like I'm about to break."
"You were kidnapped by werewolves and held hostage in a building that exploded," Hart said flatly. "I'm allowed to be worried."
Across the room, Lewis sat with Sera, who'd been given enough sedatives to knock out a horse and was finally sleeping.
Her broken arm was splinted, her other injuries bandaged, and Lewis hadn't let go of her hand since they'd gotten back.
"She thinks she hallucinated all of it," Lewis said quietly, his eyes red from crying or smoke or both.
"The healers said the trauma combined with the sedatives is making her brain try to rationalize what she saw. When she wakes up, she's going to think it was a nightmare."
"Maybe that's better," Hart said, though he wasn't sure he believed it.
"Is it?" Lewis looked up, and his expression was haunted.
"She's my girlfriend, Hart. We've been together for two years. And now I have to lie to her about what actually happened, about what I know exists, because apparently werewolf secrecy is more important than honesty."
Hart didn't have an answer for that, because Lewis was right and it sucked and there was nothing Hart could do to fix it.
The door opened, and Cole walked in looking exhausted. He'd been bandaged up by the healers, his shoulder wrapped where Liam had torn through muscle, his face cleaned of blood but still showing bruises.
Behind him, Jethro carried a tablet that was probably full of terrible news.
"How bad is it?" Hart asked, because he could read the tension in Cole's posture.
"The human media has footage," Cole said without preamble.
"Blurry, shot from distance, but clear enough to show wolves fighting. It's all over social media, local news is covering it as gang violence with exotic animals, and the Werewolf Council is losing their minds about the exposure."
"Exotic animals," Hart repeated. "They're going with exotic animals?"
"The alternative is admitting werewolves exist," Jethro said, setting the tablet on the medical table and pulling up news footage.
"Which would violate approximately three thousand years of secrecy and probably cause mass panic.
So yes, the official story is gang violence involving illegally owned wolves. Veilridge PD is already spinning it."
Hart watched the grainy footage on screen, seeing shapes that were definitely too large to be normal wolves, seeing the building collapse in fire.
"And people are buying that?"
"People believe what they want to believe," Cole said, sitting heavily in the chair next to Hart.
"Most humans don't want to accept that monsters are real, so they'll rationalize anything to avoid it.
But it's still a problem because now we have human authorities investigating, which means pack members need to avoid that entire district until this blows over."
"What about the Council?" Hart asked, though he suspected he knew the answer.
"They've summoned us to appear within twenty-four hours," Cole said, his jaw tight.
"You and me, Hart. They want an explanation for why we violated mate claim protocols, destroyed a building in human territory, and exposed werewolf existence on camera."
"That sounds fun," Hart said without any humor.
"It's going to be a nightmare," Cole agreed. "Elder Thorne is furious, the Oathed Clan is threatening to withdraw from negotiations, and apparently Silimg Mooner has filed a formal complaint claiming I'm unfit to lead because I prioritized my mate over pack security."
Hart's hands clenched. "That's bullshit, we saved two innocent people from being murdered!"
"I know," Cole said, and his hand found Hart's knee, warm and grounding.
"But werewolf law doesn't care about human lives, not officially. And we're going to have to answer for every decision we made tonight."
Mira squeezed Hart's hand, drawing his attention. "Hart, I need to tell you something. About what happened in that warehouse, about what Liam said."
"What did he say?" Hart asked, dread pooling in his stomach.
"He told me things about you," Mira said, her voice small. "About your mother, about her family."
" Hart, he said our mother was a werewolf, that she came from some pack that was destroyed before we were born. He said that's why you can bond with the totem, why you're connected to all this."
Hart had already suspected that after Dr. Sofia Vergara's comments about his DNA, but hearing it confirmed made it real in a way that hurt.
"Did he say anything else?"
"He said that you're the last of the Original Bloodline, that there's a prophecy about you either uniting all the packs or destroying them." Mira's eyes were bright with unshed tears.
"Hart, what if he's right? What if you're supposed to be part of this world and I'm just a normal human who's going to watch you disappear into it?"
"You're my sister," Hart said fiercely, pulling her into a hug. "That doesn't change no matter what supernatural bullshit I'm apparently part of. You're stuck with me, okay?"
"Promise?" Mira whispered against his shoulder.
"Promise."
Cole's phone buzzed, and he checked it with a frown. "We have another problem. Jasmine BlackY is requesting sanctuary at our gates with approximately thirty wolves.
She's claiming the rest of her pack turned on her after the factory fire, and she needs protection."
Jethro's expression went dark. "That could be legitimate, or it could be a trap. After tonight, I don't trust any BlackY Wolf."
"Neither do I," Cole admitted. "But if she's telling the truth and we turn her away, we lose a potential ally who has information about Liam's operations.
And if Liam survived that collapse, we need every advantage we can get."
"You think he survived?" Hart asked, cold dread settling into his bones.
"I think I didn't see a body," Cole said grimly. "Which means until proven otherwise, we assume he's alive and planning his next move."
Hart looked around the medical wing at the wounded wolves, at his traumatized sister, at Lewis holding his girlfriend who thought she'd hallucinated monsters. Eight wolves were dead because of tonight, dozens more injured, and Liam was potentially still out there waiting to strike again.
"What happens at the Council meeting?" Hart asked quietly.
"We tell them the truth," Cole said. "That we broke their rules to save innocent lives, that we don't regret it, and that if they have a problem with that, they can take it up with the Original Bloodline heir who apparently has enough power to bring down buildings."
"No pressure then," Hart said. Cole gave a tired but genuine smile. "None at all."
Outside, Hart heard howling again, and this time he recognized it as the sound of a pack mourning their dead.