The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Chapter 69: Chapter 69 He Was Hurt2

Aria’s POV

Lucas drove me straight to the private airfield on the outskirts of the city. The Crescent Moon Pack’s jet was already on the tarmac, engines humming, ready to go.

"Thank you," I said as he pulled up beside it. "I owe you one."

"Just get there safely," Lucas said. "And Aria? Whatever’s going on, I hope everything turns out okay."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and climbed out of the car.

The flight attendant greeted me with a professional smile as I boarded. "Miss Smith, we’ll be taking off shortly. Please make yourself comfortable."

Comfortable. Right.

I buckled myself into one of the plush leather seats and stared out the window as the jet began to taxi. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I clasped them together in my lap, but that only made it worse.

*He’s stable,* Rick had said. *Stable* meant alive. It meant he was going to be okay.

So why couldn’t I breathe?

The jet lifted off smoothly, and I watched the city disappear beneath us. Every minute felt like an hour.

I kept checking my phone, even though I knew there wouldn’t be any signal once we were in the air.

I tried to tell myself I was overreacting. Damian was an Alpha King—he’d survived countless battles, countless threats. A rogue wolf attack shouldn’t have been enough to take him down.

But Rick’s voice had been so tight. So carefully controlled.

What did that mean?

I pressed my forehead against the cool window and closed my eyes.

*Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.*

The mantra ran through my head on an endless loop.

I’d never felt anything like this before. This gnawing terror that something terrible had happened, that I might be too late, that I might never get the chance to—

To what?

I didn’t even know what I was afraid of losing. We’d slept together a few times. We’d made each other feel good. That was supposed to be the extent of it.

But the hollow ache in my chest told a different story.

The flight felt endless. I couldn’t sit still. I paced the narrow aisle, then forced myself back into my seat. I tried to distract myself with work emails, but the words blurred together on the screen.

Nothing mattered except getting to him.

Finally, mercifully, the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom. "Miss Smith, we’re beginning our descent into the capital. Please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt."

I was already buckled in. I gripped the armrests as the jet descended, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.

The moment we touched down, I was on my feet. The flight attendant barely had time to open the door before I was down the stairs, scanning the tarmac.

A black SUV was waiting near the hangar. I started toward it, then froze.

The man and woman standing beside the vehicle weren’t Rick.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me who they were.

The woman had Damian’s sharp cheekbones, the same commanding presence that made the air feel heavier. The man beside her carried himself with the quiet authority of someone who’d ruled for decades.

These were Damian’s parents.

The former Alpha King and Queen.

My legs felt like jelly as I walked toward them, but I forced myself to keep my chin up. I might be terrified and worried sick, but I wasn’t going to show weakness in front of them.

"Aria." The Luna’s voice was warm but strained. "I’m so glad you came."

My throat tightened. "How is he? Rick said he was stable, but—"

"Please, get in the car." She gestured to the open door. "We’ll explain on the way."

That wasn’t an answer. That was an evasion.

My heart sank.

The former Alpha King opened the back door and I climbed in, my hands trembling. The Luna slid in beside me while he took the front passenger seat. The driver pulled away from the hangar immediately, heading toward the city.

"What happened?" I asked, unable to keep the desperation out of my voice. "Rick said it was a rogue attack, but he didn’t give me any details. How badly is Damian hurt?"

The Luna exchanged a glance with her mate. Neither of them answered immediately.

"Please," I said, hating how my voice cracked. "I need to know."

"You’ll see for yourself soon enough," the former King said quietly.

That was somehow worse than if he’d just told me.

My imagination went into overdrive, conjuring up horrific scenarios. What if Damian was barely clinging to life? What if he was paralyzed, or permanently damaged, or—