CHAPTER 153: INSIDE MY TERRITORY

"Leia, what’s going on? I heard strange noises—" Azalea’s voice trailed off, her words catching in her throat.

Her eyes widened in horror as she stepped into the living room. A hunter stood there with a silver dagger gleaming in her hand, while Leia, already shifted into her wolf form, was bleeding heavily from her stomach.

Azalea gasped, her trembling hand flying to her mouth.

Eshira smirked at the sight, her expression twisted with delight. Leia caught the glint in her eyes and, despite the searing pain tearing through her body, she pushed herself forward. With a growl, she staggered in front of Azalea, shielding her from the advancing hunter.

"You really think you can protect her in this condition?" Eshira taunted, laughter bubbling from her lips. "Pathetic. Look at you, barely standing, and yet you dare defy me?"

Her mocking voice filled the room and she marched towards Leia.

"You’re going to die today along with this old hag!" Eshira shouted, raising the silver dagger high.

Before the blade could descend, a powerful hand clamped around her wrist. Ronan’s grip was unyielding as he twisted her arm and hurled her through the air. She crashed into one of the marble pillars with a loud thud and the dagger clattered across the floor.

Wincing, Eshira scrambled toward it, and Ronan acted faster. His eyes carried a merciless expression by now.

Her gaze flicked toward the open hallway for an escape. She turned, but before she could move, Ronan stepped into her path. In one brutal motion, he drove the silver dagger deep into her shoulder.

"Ahhhh!" Eshira screamed painfully, collapsing to her knees.

Ronan seized her by the throat and hauled her upright, his eyes blazing. "You touched the wrong person," he growled. With a tight pull, he wrenched the blade free from her shoulder, angling it toward her heart, ready to end her.

But before he could strike, a sharp cry pierced the room.

"Leia!" Azalea’s voice shook with terror.

Ronan spun around. Leia had collapsed, her wolf form limp and bleeding out across the marble. His chest tightened. Eshira seized the moment, finally finding a chance to flee.

This time, she didn’t get far. Draven stood in her path, and his hand struck her neck. Eshira slammed into the floor, turning unconscious.

"Ronan, I’ll handle this hunter," Draven said.

Ronan hummed. He dropped the dagger, rushing to Leia’s side. With a single motion, he yanked down the heavy velvet curtain hanging from above, wrapping it around her trembling body. At that instant, her wolf form dissolved away and she lay unconscious in her fragile human shape, concealed beneath the fabric.

Ronan was quick to scoop Leia into his arms. Azalea hurried behind him, her body trembling as she tried to keep pace.

"Grandma, call the doctor!" Ronan’s voice cracked with desperation, echoing down the hall.

Azalea nodded quickly, veering toward the landline. Her old fingers fumbled over the numbers, but she forced herself to be steady as she couldn’t afford to falter now.

By the time she lifted the receiver, the house butler rushed in. His eyes widened in horror at the overturned furniture, shattered glass, and blood smeared across the marble floor.

"Madam, what happened here?" the butler stammered as he rushed to Azalea’s side, his eyes darting nervously across the wrecked living room.

"Call the pack’s doctor. Leia... Leia is injured," Azalea gasped in a trembling voice.

The butler didn’t waste a second. He snatched the receiver, quickly dialing the doctor. Once he rested the landline back on its cradle, he turned.

"Madam, who did this? What exactly happened?"

"I don’t know," Azalea said, clutching her forehead as a sharp pain stabbed through it. "A woman came to harm Leia. But where were the servants? And the guards, why wasn’t anyone here? Where was the security?"

Her breathing turned unsteady, so her heart beat.

Before the butler could respond, another feminine voice came.

"Mom! What’s this?" Fleur rushed inside, her face pale with panic, her two children hurrying close behind her.

"The guards at the gate... they were unconscious," Travis explained breathlessly, his gaze sweeping over the blood on the marble floor. His eyes widened. "What happened here? Who was attacked?"

Azalea swayed where she stood, her hands trembling. Fleur quickly steadied her, caressing her arm gently. "Mom, calm down... please."

The butler snapped orders to the servants who had just returned, and they began clearing the blood and debris.

"Mom, here, drink this," Fleur said quickly, pouring a glass of water with trembling hands and pressing it into Azalea’s palms.

"Leia is injured," Azalea whispered at last.

Travis froze and so did his younger sister. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"Ronan took her upstairs," Azalea answered, taking a shaky sip of the water. "Call Lucien. He must know about this," she said.

Travis quickly snatched his phone from his pocket, his fingers trembling as he dialed Lucien’s number. He pressed it to his ear, pacing near the bloodstained floor.

"It’s not reachable," he muttered with a frown.

"Call Kieran," Azalea urged weakly from her seat, Fleur brought her hand on her mother’s back now.

Travis nodded, switching numbers, but the result was the same. "It’s not reachable either," he sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

He didn’t give up as he dialed Lucien’s number again, and this time, the line connected.

"Hello, Travis," Lucien’s voice came through.

"Wherever you are, you should return immediately," Travis said without delay. "Leia is heavily injured. Something happened in your house, Lucien."

The words hit like a bomb. On the other end, Lucien, who had been mid-discussion with a human, pushed back his chair so fast it scraped harshly against the floor. He stood, his pulse hammering in his ears.

"What happened to Leia?"

"I don’t know the full story," Travis admitted quickly. "I just arrived with Mom and Inara. But it doesn’t look good. Just return, now."

"Okay," Lucien said tightly, already signaling to Kieran with his eyes. His chest constricted but he ended the call.

Kieran, who had already risen from his chair, studied his brother’s face.

"Did something happen to Leia?" Kieran asked, his voice laced with worry.

Lucien’s jaw clenched. "Yes," he said lowly, forcing control over his spiraling emotions. "She’s been attacked. We’re leaving right now." Then, glancing at Yorick, he said, "We will contact you again. Thank you for the information you’ve provided us. It means a lot."

Yorick left his seat too, assuring them they could come to him anytime.

Lucien hummed and rushed out with his brother.

~~~~~~

Ronan paced outside the room with his cousins, his hands balled into fists, his face set in grim worry. Finally, the doctor emerged, and without waiting another second, they all rushed inside.

Leia lay on the bed, pale but breathing steadily. Her stomach was bandaged.

"I’ve dressed the wound on Leia’s stomach," the pack’s doctor, Jennifer, explained, pulling off her gloves. "Fortunately, the cut was not too deep. However, it’s going to take time for her to fully heal. Not long ago, she was attacked by a wolf. At this rate, her body will keep getting weaker if these assaults don’t stop."

Ronan leaned closer. "What about the medicine?"

"I’ve injected a drug into her system already. It will help ease her pain and stabilize her condition," Jennifer said. She handed Ronan a sealed envelope. "Her medicines are in here. Make sure she takes them after breakfast and dinner without fail."

Ronan accepted it with a nod. "Thank you."

But before the doctor could even step away, a thunderous voice shattered the silence.

"What the hell happened?" Lucien’s roar filled the room as he stormed inside, Kieran right at his heels. His eyes darted straight to Leia, lying weak on the bed, and then burned toward Ronan.

In an instant, Lucien was at her side, brushing a strand of hair from her face with trembling fingers. Kieran hovered protectively behind him.

Then Lucien’s gaze snapped up, and pinned Ronan with an accusing glare.

"Why is she injured? Who managed to get inside this mansion?" Lucien demanded. "I didn’t expect this negligence from you."

"Calm down, Alpha," Jennifer interjected, stepping forward with her usual composure. "Leia needs rest, not noise. Take your anger outside."

"I’ll stay with Leia," Inara quickly added, glancing at her cousins.

Lucien’s jaw clenched, but he tore his gaze away from Leia and stormed out of the room. The others followed him into the living room, where the remnants of chaos still lingered. Servants moved hurriedly to clean the blood-stained floor, their heads lowered in fear.

"I’ll return by evening to check on Leia," Jennifer said firmly, before she slipped out of the mansion.

"Lucien, it was a mistake," Ronan began.

Azalea and Fleur exchanged worried looks, watching the confrontation unfold.

"A mistake?" Lucien’s roar reverberated through the hall. His eyes blazed as he stepped closer to Ronan. "Someone attacked Leia inside my house, inside my territory, and you dare call it a mistake? Don’t think I’ll tolerate excuses, Ronan. Speak clearly. Now."

Ronan’s fists tightened at his sides, his head bowing slightly. "A hunter attacked Leia. It was a woman... I should never have trusted her, never allowed her into the shelter home. I thought she needed help. I was wrong." His voice quivered with regret as he lifted his gaze to meet Lucien’s fury. "It was my fault, and I’m ready to accept punishment."