ARIA'S POV
The loud sound of the ambulance siren broke through the chaos, silencing the frantic murmurs of the crowd for a moment.
Dante didn’t wait for the paramedics to take charge. With a sense of urgency I hadn’t seen in him before, he picked up Linda in his arms. Her pale, lifeless body looked even more fragile in the bright light of the ambulance as Dante climbed in, shouting for them to hurry.
I watched him go, his desperation etched into every line of his face. His eyes never left Linda’s bloodied form as the ambulance doors slammed shut behind them.
For a brief, fleeting second, I felt a pang of something close to pity. But it was quickly swallowed by a flood of bitterness as the whispers began.
“This is all Aria’s fault,” someone muttered from the crowd, loud enough for me to hear. “Yes,” another voice chimed in, filled with hate. “If Linda’s baby dies, the pack won’t spare Aria. That child is the pack’s future heir.”