Chapter 33 – Luca’s Recovery

(From Luca's perspective)

My paws hit the ground, each step like thunder pounding through the earth as I tore through the trees. Every muscle in my body burned, but I couldn't stop—I wouldn't stop. The forest blurred around me, branches whipping past, snapping under my weight. None of it mattered. I chased after the Echo and fortunately in the opposite direction to the Inn where Quinn was.

It must have been an hour already and I felt like this thing was playing a game with me. Suddenly a voice popped into my head uninvited.

"You think you can save her? You think you can keep her safe from me?"

I roared, pushing forward, my eyes locked on the dark figure slipping through the woods ahead. I wasn't going to let it get away. I couldn't.

But something was wrong. The forest around me started to shift, the trees twisting into strange, unfamiliar shapes, and the ground beneath my paws felt unstable like it was shifting under me.

"Luca…" The Echo's voice taunted, closer than it should've been. "You can't catch me. You can't stop this."

I let out a growl and forced myself to look past my light-headedness, following the dark shape through the trees. However, no matter how quickly I ran or how near I got, it was never quite in reach.

And then, suddenly, the ground was gone.

I didn't even see it coming. One second, I was charging through the forest, the next, I was falling as I was led straight off a cliff by the Echo, and as I fell into the darkness, I could hear its laughter echoing in my ears. The wind whipped around me, the roar of water below filling my senses as I slammed into the river with bone-crushing force.

The world went black.

I was hurting all over when I woke up. Every part of my body ached, as though it had been shattered into a thousand pieces. I groaned while trying to shift position, but my arms and legs felt as weighty as metal. Upon hearing the rushing water, I realized I was partially submerged and laying on the river shore with a fractured and battered body.

I attempted to sit up, but I had to fall back down because of a sharp pain in my side. My head was pounding and my vision was fuzzy, but I could see my good friends Trent and Ash rushing toward me.

"Luca!" Trent shouted, his voice distant, like I was hearing him through a fog. "We've got you."

I sensed their hands holding me, raising me, their voices filled with urgency as they attempted to evaluate the extent of the harm, and I could hardly stay awake from the agony and fatigue.

"Quinn..." I murmured, my voice just a whisper.

"Don't worry," Ash said, his tone unusually soft. "We'll get you home. You'll heal."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

(From Marcus' perspective) 

The moment Ethan walked into the clan's house, I knew something was wrong. His face was ashen, jaw clenched, and there was a dangerous edge to his movements. Whatever had him rushing over here wasn't good news. I had just come back from a patrol just outside town and I came back earlier because I couldn't get hold of Luca. My body involuntarily tightened, instinctively bracing for the worst. Ethan entered the family room in a rage, giving me only a quick glance before tossing his jacket onto the chair as if it had insulted him.

"Ethan," I growled, trying to get his attention. "What the hell is going on?"

He looked at me, his eyes briefly flashing gold before darkening once more. "It's Quinn's dad," he whispered while running his hand through his hair. "He's trying to do some... trick. And it will destroy every single thing."

"What kind of stunt?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, and crossing my arms over my chest.

Ethan hesitated, and for a moment, I thought he wasn't going to tell me but then he let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Quinn's parents - they are turning their new inn into some kind of paranormal tourist trap, ghost hunts, werewolf sightings—"

I suddenly rose, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. "What did you say?" I let out a growl as anger surged within me. "Are they out of their minds? Do they have any idea what that would do to us? To the packs?"

Ethan locked eyes with me, his gaze intense. "I don't think they care. They're thinking about money, not the consequences. Not the fact that it'll draw attention to the supernatural. Our kind."

I tightly squeezed my hands together while walking back and forth in the room. "That could expose all of us. Not just our pack, but every single wolf across the state… hell, across the country! If they start digging—"

"I know," Ethan interrupted, his voice tight. "Which is why we need to figure out how to stop it. But right now…" He trailed off, looking guilty, his gaze drifting toward the hallway where our fellow clan members' voices could be heard in the distance.

"What is it? Why do I feel like you're not telling me something?" I narrowed my eyes, noticing his hesitation.

Ethan's jaw tightened as if he was debating whether or not to say more. Finally, he spoke, his voice low. "Luca… you don't know."

The room seemed to close in around me. My skin prickled with unease. "What about Luca?" My voice was sharp, demanding.

He sighed, his face softening with a rare display of vulnerability. "Luca's been injured. Badly. He's at the family home."

For a moment, everything froze. Luca—injured? That wasn't possible. He was the strongest of us, the one who always had my back. Panic gnawed at my gut, but I pushed it down, forcing myself to focus.

"When?" I demanded. "How bad is it?"

Ethan looked away, his voice strained. "A few days ago. We didn't want to tell you until we were sure he was stable. The last time I saw him, he chased after the Echo and then the next thing, he was found in the river - Trent and Ash barely got to him in time."

My heart dropped to my stomach, my blood turning cold. Without another word, I stormed out the door, my mind racing. Ethan's footsteps echoed behind me, but I didn't slow down. Every second felt like an eternity, the distance between the house and where Luca was, too much.

By the time I reached their family home, I was barely holding it together. My thoughts were consumed with one thing: Luca. I rushed inside, ignoring the house's comforting familiarity, and headed straight for his room. The smell of antiseptic filled the air, and the sight of Luca lying in bed, battered and unconscious, hit me like a punch to the gut.

I stood there, frozen. My best friend, my brother looked… broken. His usually strong, imposing figure was now bruised and pale. Bandages covered his chest, arms, and side, and his breathing was shallow. The wolf in me raged, wanting to tear apart whoever had done this to him.

Ethan stood next to me, his face grim. "He's healing, but it's slow," he said quietly. "We've been taking turns watching him, making sure he's comfortable."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My throat felt tight, and I swallowed hard, trying to control the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

The next few days passed in a blur as I barely left Luca's side, bringing him food when he was awake, helping him sit up, and talking to him about everything and nothing just to keep him sane as he was also quite restless because every now and then, he'd mutter something under his breath—usually complaints about how weak he felt or how he wanted to get back on his feet—but mostly, he slept.

In a calm moment, after ensuring he had finished eating, I chose to reveal what Ethan had confided in me. "I began, speaking quietly, "Luca, there's something you should be aware of regarding Quinn's parents."

His eyes flickered open, groggy but alert. "What about them?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.

I hesitated for a moment, then told him everything. The inn, the paranormal tourism, the risk to our world. As I spoke, I watched the anger slowly build in Luca's eyes. By the time I finished, he was fuming.

"They can't do this," he growled, his voice strained but fierce. "Do they have any idea what kind of danger this will put us in? What kind of war they're inviting?"

I nodded with a somber expression. Ethan and I have been attempting to find a solution to halt it, but we must take action quickly. If word gets out—"

"No," Luca cut me off, struggling to sit up. "We stop this. No waiting. No half-measures. We can't afford to play it safe. This isn't just about our pack. It's about every wolf in the country. If they bring attention to the supernatural, the clans will be wiped out."

This had escalated beyond a regional matter. It was larger than that - larger than the both of us. However, a concrete plan was necessary. And swiftly.

"We'll get the other clan leaders involved," I suggested. "Make sure the packs are warned, but discreetly. And we'll confront Quinn's parents ourselves. They need to understand the gravity of what they're doing."

Luca's eyes darkened, a fierce determination settling in. "Good. We'll start planning tomorrow."

The next morning, I stayed behind as Ethan returned to his parents' Inn. Luca was feeling stronger but still not fully recovered. Then, on the first day of school, I watched him while we walked to the school entrance, but settled on the side waiting for our other pack members to arrive. Quinn arrived in Ethan's truck and that's when we realised this was her new school and I saw his eyes hard, his jaw set with an intensity I hadn't seen in a long time.

When Ethan kissed Quinn in front of everyone, the look on Luca's face was like a storm brewing. He glared at them as if he wanted to tear the world apart. His eyes burned with something darker than jealousy—something close to hate.

This was not good – not good at all.