Ryder, known for his cold and decisive demeanor, showed a rare hint of warmth the moment he saw me. A faint but unmistakable smile touched his lips.
Darren threw himself into my arms, but the moment he noticed the blood on my hand, his expression shifted with concern. “Mommy, what happened to your hand? Did someone hurt you?”
The
moment he called me Mommy, the room fell silent. I heard a collective gasp as everyone turned to look.
The guests who had just moments ago been sneering and watching me with disdain now stared in stunned disbelief.
Darren always had a way of sensing when something was wrong with me, just like Ryder. His concern warmed my heart, instantly sweeping away the gloom I’d been carrying.
I pulled him close, pressing a gentle kiss to his soft cheek. “I’m fine.”
But Darren carefully lifted my hand, his face full of worry, and gently blew on the injured spot. His eyes were starting to mist over. How can you be fine? Mommy, tell me. Who dared to hurt you?”
“I
Even though Ryder had always taught Darren that boys shouldn’t cry, he was still just a pup. Seeing my injury, he couldn’t hold back
his emotions.
I looked at him, heart aching, and gently patted his hand to comfort him.
By then, Ryder had already reached me.
He didn’t need to say anything. Just by standing there, he radiated such an intense presence that it felt as if the air around us stopped.
The crowd instinctively parted, giving him a big space. I could feel his gaze fall heavily on my injured hand, and my heart skipped a
beat. I didn’t need to look at his face to know that he was furious.
Ever since I got pregnant with our second pup, the pregnancy symptoms had been much worse than before. Because of that, Ryder had been devoting almost all of his attention to me.
If he hadn’t been caught up with urgent matters, there was no way he would’ve sent someone from the Aurelis pack to pick me up. Had I known August would be the one coming, I never would’ve agreed to arrive early.
Holding Darren in my arms, I walked toward him.
The bright red of my wound was glaring, making the injury look even more horrifying. The sharp scent of blood hit my nose, and a wave of nausea rose in my chest.
Ryder merely frowned slightly, and Darren immediately signaled for me to let him down.
With a face that almost mirrored Ryder’s, he looked unusually solemn. “Daddy, someone hurt Mommy. We have to find out who did it and make them pay.”
Ryder’s expression darkened as he examined the wound on the back of my hand. Then, without a word, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wrapped it around the injury.
His fury was palpable, thick and suffocating, as if it was about to explode at any moment.
“Honey, tell me. What happened to your hand? Which bastard dared to hurt you like this?”
