Chapter 4

Donovan POV:

The hospital waiting room smelled of antiseptic and fear. My wolf, Titan, was pacing in my mind, agitated. But strangely, Titan wasn't howling for Chloe. He was growling at me.

Something is wrong, Titan rumbled. We are missing something.

"Shut up," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

The doctor, a gray-haired Beta named Dr. Evans, burst through the double doors. He looked pale.

"Alpha," he said urgently. "Miss Sanders has internal bleeding. Her liver is lacerated. She needs a transfusion immediately, or she won't last the hour."

"Take my blood," I said, rolling up my sleeve. "Take it all."

"We can't," Dr. Evans shook his head. "Her body is rejecting standard donors. It's a reaction to the dark magic residue in her system from... whatever supplements she's been taking. We need a donor with a bloodline strong enough to override the rejection. Ancient blood."

My heart stopped. "Find a donor. Fly them in. I don't care what it costs."

"There is no time, Alpha. She has minutes."

"I can do it."

The voice was quiet. I turned. Isabella stood by the vending machine, still wearing the dusty clothes from the accident scene. She looked frail, like a strong wind could blow her away.

"You?" I stared at her. "You're a Miller. Your bloodline is diluted. It won't work."

"Check me," she said, extending her arm. The arm that I knew was covered in burns beneath her sleeve.

Dr. Evans didn't hesitate. He dragged her into the trauma room.

Ten minutes later, he came out. He looked shaken. "It's a match. It's... incredible, Alpha. Her blood markers aren't just compatible; they're pure. Like the White Wolf legends. It's neutralizing the toxins instantly."

I watched through the glass window as they hooked Isabella up. She lay on the bed, her face waxy pale. The bag filled with dark, rich crimson. She was giving life to the woman who tried to destroy her marriage.

My nostrils flared. The scent of the blood in that bag didn't smell like iron and rust. It smelled like ozone and electricity. It made Titan howl with recognition.

Why? I wondered. Why would she save her rival?

Because she is good, Titan whispered. Better than us.

An hour later, Chloe was stable. I sat by her bedside, holding her hand. Isabella was in the next room, recovering, but I hadn't gone to see her yet. Guilt was a heavy stone in my gut.

Chloe's eyes fluttered open. "Donny?"

"I'm here, baby," I soothed.

"Is she... is she here?" Chloe's voice was weak, fearful.

"Isabella? She saved your life, Chloe. She gave you blood."

Chloe's eyes widened in terror. She gripped my hand with surprising strength. "No! No, Donovan! It's a curse! She put a curse in the blood! I can feel it! It's burning me!"

"What? Chloe, that's crazy."

"She's a witch!" Chloe sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "She wants to kill me from the inside! You have to break the bond! You have to prove you don't belong to her!"

"Shh, calm down."

"The Moon Lake!" Chloe shrieked. "Throw her in the Moon Lake! The cold water purifies dark magic. If she survives, she's innocent. If she drowns... she was a witch! Please, Donovan! I can feel her magic eating my heart!"

I looked at Chloe's terrified face. The scent of her fear was overwhelming. It triggered my protective instinct, burying my logic. And deep down, I wanted to test Isabella. That scent... that powerful blood... it didn't match the weak Omega I knew. I needed to see if she would break.

"Okay," I said, my voice hollow. "Okay. I'll do it."

I marched into Isabella's room. She was sitting up, drinking juice. She looked up at me, expecting a 'thank you'.

"Get up," I said.

"Donovan? Is she okay?"

"We are going to the lake."

I dragged her out of the hospital. I ignored her questions. I ignored the way she stumbled. I drove to the Moon Lake, a glacial body of water on the pack border. It was freezing, even for wolves.

We stood on the pier. The water was black and ominous.

"Chloe thinks you cursed her blood," I said, staring at the horizon. I couldn't look at her.

"I saved her life!" Isabella cried, her voice cracking. "I gave her my blood!"

"If you are innocent, the water won't hurt you. It's an old tradition."

"Donovan, please. I'm weak. The silver burns... I can't swim in this."

"Jump."

I used the Alpha Command.

I saw her body stiffen. I saw the betrayal in her eyes-a look so profound it felt like a physical blow. She stepped to the edge.

And she fell.

Splash.

The water swallowed her. I waited. One minute. Two minutes.

She didn't surface.

Panic, cold and sharp, pierced through the haze of Chloe's potion. What have I done?

"Isabella!" I dove in.

The water was like knives. I swam down, my wolf eyes adjusting to the gloom. I saw her sinking, her red hair floating like a halo. She wasn't fighting. She was letting go.

I grabbed her waist and kicked for the surface. I dragged her onto the wooden planks. She wasn't breathing.

"Breathe, damn you!" I pumped her chest. "Breathe!"

Water expelled from her lungs. She coughed, a ragged, terrible sound. She curled into a ball, shivering violently.

"Free..." she mumbled, her eyes glazed, looking right through me. "Just... a few more hours... free..."

I froze. "Free from what? From the water?"

She didn't answer. She passed out.

I picked her up, holding her close to my chest. She felt so small. My heart was pounding a rhythm that felt dangerously like regret.

She wants to be free of us, Titan growled. And after today, I don't blame her.