Chapter 397
Chapter 397:
“Henri,” I called out to the driver, my voice tight with sudden worry. “Change of destination. Take us to Chelsea. I need to check on Carmella immediately p>
Carmella POV
My Chelsea apartment felt like a tomb. I had drawn every blackout curtain, sealing myself in the suffocating darkness. The air was thick and sour with my own chaotic scent—rosemary and rain tainted by absolute, soul-crushing despair.
The sudden click of the front door lock made me flinch.
“Carmella?” Adelina’s voice pierced the gloom. Her familiar scent of wild roses and storm flooded the entryway, laced with sharp, undeniable panic. She had used the spare key I gave her months ago.
She found me curled on the living room floor, my knees pulled to my chest. I hadn’t showered or eaten in two days. Adelina dropped the two warm lattes she had brought onto the marble kitchen island and rushed to my side, dropping to her knees.
“What happened?” she breathed, her hands hovering over my trembling shoulders.
𝘑oi𝗇 o𝘂r 𝘤𝗼𝗆𝘮𝘶ո𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝗈𝘯 ѕ.𝘤𝗈𝗺
I couldn’t speak. I just reached out and shoved the decrypted medical file across the glass coffee table.
Adelina picked it up. I watched her eyes scan the clinical black text detailing the silver ambush, the emergency C-section, and the permanent dormancy of my Inner Wolf. But when she reached the final page—the birth certificate stamped by The Continental Pack Council—her entire body went rigidly still.
Infant Status: Alive. Transferred to Blackstone Pack NICU.
A violent shudder wrecked my frame. “I had a pup, Adelina,” I choked out, the tears I thought had dried up spilling hot down my cheeks. “They cut him out of me, and I forgot him. For seven years, I lived a lie while my baby was out there. I’m a monster p>
“No, you’re a victim,” Adelina said fiercely, pulling me into a tight, grounding embrace. “You survived a lethal attack. We are going to find him, Carmella. Kain and I will tear the continent apart. We have the power of the Lycan King now p>
“Grant is already helping me,” I whispered into her shoulder, clinging to the only lifeline I had left. “He promised we would find my son together. I trust him p>
Adelina slowly pulled back. Her scent spiked with a sudden, sharp anxiety. She looked down at the file again, her eyes lingering on the word Blackstone. A strange, horrifying realization seemed to flash in her eyes, but she quickly masked it behind a wall of forced calm.
“Carmella,” Adelina started, her voice tight, choosing her words with agonizing care. “Grant is a Lycan. He is cut from the exact same cloth as Kain. Their world is built on absolute power, possession, and control. Please… just be careful about how much you trust him p>
I shook my head, frustrated by her prejudice. “He’s the only one with the clearance to bypass the Council’s seals. He’s my only hope p>
Adelina looked at me with profound, heartbreaking pity. She didn’t argue. Instead, she reached into her designer bag and pulled out a thick, gold-embossed envelope bearing the Blackstone family crest.