Free Web NovelChapter 24: Chapter 24
Consciousness returned to Christian like a reluctant tide, dragging him upward through layers of pain that seemed determined to keep him trapped in darkness.
Every nerve in his body protested the effort. A dull ache throbbed through his shoulder, spreading across his chest and down his arm in relentless waves, while a persistent ringing filled his ears.
The sterile scent of disinfectant assaulted his heightened senses long before he managed to open his eyes, and when he finally did, the harsh white lights above him forced him to squint against the brightness.
For several moments, he remained still, gathering his bearings while the steady beeping of medical equipment echoed around him. The room smelled of antiseptic, medicine, and human anxiety. It was a smell he despised.
A hospital.
His jaw tightened immediately.
As his vision sharpened, he noticed several doctors and nurses standing nearby, speaking quietly with Syrus. Their hushed voices blended together into an irritating hum that scraped against his nerves. The Alpha wolf lurking beneath his skin was already agitated by the weakness in his body, and the constant murmuring only worsened his mood.
"Where the hell am I?" he demanded, his voice rough from disuse.
The conversation ceased instantly. Several faces turned toward him, relief flashing across them before concern quickly followed.
Before anyone could answer, Christian glanced down at the tubes running into his veins. His expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he gripped the IV lines and tore them free.
The needles ripped from his skin, drawing blood, but he paid no attention to the sharp sting.
"Christian!" Syrus crossed the room in seconds, relief flooding his features. "Finally."
The relief vanished almost immediately when he realized what Christian was doing.
"What are you doing?"
The nurses hurried forward.
"Sir, please lie back down," one of them pleaded as she carefully reached for him. "You’ve suffered significant blood loss and—"
Her words died in her throat when Christian’s gaze snapped toward her.
The room seemed to grow colder.
"Take your hands off me."
The warning emerged as a low growl that carried unmistakable Alpha dominance.
The nurse froze. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to retreat.
Even though she was human, she felt the crushing pressure of his authority, and she quickly stepped back, her face pale.
The doctor attempted a more diplomatic approach.
"Mr. Wayne, you need to remain in bed. Your injury was severe, and your body requires time to recover. Some of the silver melted into your tissues, this requires treatment."
As he spoke, he placed a hand on Christian’s shoulder.
The Alpha immediately knocked it away. The movement was swift enough to startle everyone present.
The doctor stumbled backward, his expression draining of color.
Christian barely looked at him.
His attention had already shifted elsewhere.
"How is Fleur?"
The question silenced the room.
Syrus released a weary sigh. Of course that would be the first thing Christian asked. Not about his injury. Not about the attack. Not even about how close he had come to death.
His thoughts had gone straight to Fleur.
"She’s safe," Syrus replied. "She’s already home."
Something eased in Christian’s expression.
It was subtle. So subtle that most people would have missed it.
But Syrus noticed.
Christian inhaled deeply before releasing a slow breath, as though he had been carrying a weight on his chest ever since the shooting.
Only after hearing that Fleur was unharmed did he seem willing to acknowledge his own condition.
Unfortunately, that moment of peace lasted only seconds.
"Did you find out who was responsible?"
The warmth vanished from his face. His voice became cold. Lethal. frёewebηovel.cѳm
The atmosphere in the room shifted so dramatically that even the doctors exchanged uneasy glances.
Syrus looked toward the medical staff.
The message was clear. Within moments, everyone except the two men had left the room.
Once the door clicked shut, Syrus finally spoke.
"Our people tracked them down."
A dangerous gleam appeared in Christian’s eyes.
"Good."
He swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Syrus immediately frowned. "No."
Christian looked up.
"No?"
"No, you’re not going anywhere."
Syrus folded his arms across his chest.
"The doctors said you need at least a week of bed rest. You lost enough blood to kill an ordinary man. The bullet missed your heart by sheer luck. Your body will rot from silver if you don’t clear it out."
Christian rose to his feet. Pain shot through his body immediately, but he ignored it.
His wolf had endured far worse. His enemies certainly would.
"I don’t have time for a week."
"Christian—"
"Someone tried to kill Fleur."
The simple statement ended the argument.
Christian’s expression hardened into something frightening.
"I am not lying in a hospital bed while the people responsible continue breathing."
Syrus stared at him for several seconds before muttering a curse under his breath.
There was no point arguing. Once Christian reached a decision, even a mountain would have an easier time moving than changing his mind.
A guard quickly brought over a fresh set of clothes.
Christian dressed in silence, carefully pulling his shirt over the bandaged wound in his shoulder. The bullet had narrowly missed his heart, but the injury was still significant enough that every movement pulled painfully against torn muscle and damaged tissue.
He ignored it.
Pain was temporary. What awaited the people responsible would not be.
When he finally stepped out of the hospital, nobody dared stop him.
Not the doctors. Not the nurses. Not the administrators.
His presence alone discouraged resistance.
The aura of an Alpha King surrounded him like an invisible storm, commanding obedience even from those who knew nothing about wolves or packs.
Syrus and dozens of armed enforcers followed him out of the building.
By the time their convoy disappeared into the night, the hunt had already begun.
***
Mike Johnson, the alpha of the Dark Wing pack, had spent his entire life believing fear was something experienced by weaker men.
That belief no longer existed.
He sat inside his heavily fortified headquarters with trembling hands and a pounding heart, surrounded by armed guards who looked just as nervous as he felt.
His Beta, Lucian, had committed an unforgivable mistake.
Attacking Fleur Swann had been dangerous enough. Shooting Christian Wayne had crossed into the realm of insanity.
Everyone in the underworld knew who Christian was.
He wasn’t merely an alpha of a pack. He was an Alpha King whose reputation stretched across continents.
Stories about him circulated through both human criminal organizations and werewolf packs alike. Some stories were exaggerated.
Many were not.
When Lucian’s bullet struck Christian during the confrontation, panic had spread through the crew immediately.
The men had fled before Christian’s body even hit the ground. Nobody wanted to remain nearby when the Alpha eventually came looking for revenge.
Mike had spent the hours since then praying for a miracle. Specifically, he had prayed that Christian would die in the hospital.
Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to punish him.
The first gunshots echoed through the compound shortly after midnight.
Mike froze.
More shots followed. Then came screams. Dozens of them.
The sounds of battle spread rapidly through the headquarters.
Men shouted warnings. Others begged for help.
The crack of automatic gunfire filled the corridors. Wolves snarled and yelped in a bloody massacre.
Mike’s blood turned cold. His defenses weren’t holding. They were collapsing.
The realization settled into his chest like a block of ice.
Christian had come.
Just as Mike squeezed his eyes shut and whispered a desperate prayer, the doors to his office exploded inward.
Wood shattered. Metal twisted. Dust filled the air.
And through the destruction walked the man responsible for his terror.
Christian Wayne.
Despite the fresh injury hidden beneath his clothing, he radiated overwhelming power. His eyes resembled those of a predator who had already cornered its prey.
Behind him stood Syrus and a small army of armed enforcers, all of whom moved with ruthless efficiency as they subdued Gabriel’s remaining guards and forced them onto their knees.
Gabriel struggled to stand.
"Alpha Wayne."
The title emerged as little more than a frightened whisper.
Christian stopped several feet away. Then he raised his rifle.
The barrel settled directly between Mike’s eyes.
"Mike Johnson." His voice was calm.
That frightened Mike far more than shouting would have.
"Tell me who hired you to murder Fleur Swann."
Mike’s knees nearly buckled.
"I swear I didn’t know she belonged to you," he blurted out desperately. "If I’d known, I never would have accepted the contract."
Christian’s expression did not change.
"That is not what I asked."
The threat hidden beneath those words was impossible to miss.
Mike’s courage shattered.
"Henri Leroy!" The confession burst out of him immediately.
Christian frowned. For the first time that evening, genuine surprise flickered across his face.
"The interior designer mogul?"
Mike nodded frantically. "He’s obsessed with winning several major contracts. Fleur’s company keeps beating him. He believed eliminating her would remove his competition."
A dark smile slowly spread across Christian’s face.
It was not a pleasant sight. It was the smile of a wolf deciding how to dismantle an enemy.
"So that’s the reason."
His voice became softer, yet more dangerous. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Mike suddenly wished Christian would simply shoot him.
"He wanted Fleur dead because she stood in his way."
Christian glanced toward his assistant, Lucas. The trusted man immediately understood.
"Bring him to me."
Lucas inclined his head.
"He’ll be here before moonrise."
Satisfied, Christian returned his attention to Mike.
The Alpha King took several deliberate steps forward, each one making the other man tremble harder.
By the time he stopped, the barrel of the rifle was almost touching Mike’s forehead.
"Now tell me something, Alpha Johnson."
Christian’s smile never reached his eyes.
"What punishment would you give a man who hunted something under your protection?"
