One Night

Chapter 194

Audrey

Not even an hour had passed before Edwin and I were bursting to the hospital, racing through the sterile white halls toward my mother’s room.

If I had had it my way, we would have been here even sooner, but when I had leaped out of bed and run straight for the apartment door, Edwin had reminded me that I was wearing nothing more than his oversized t-shirt, and it was freezing cold outside.

I wouldn’t have cared if I’d gotten frostbite. All I cared about was my mother.

We burst into the room she was in, both of us breathless and frantic.

I collapsed as soon as I saw her laying there.

“M-Mom…” I choked out, my knees buckling beneath me. The sight of her, so still and pale and h**ed up to all those tubes and machines, sent a wave of dizziness through me. Edwin caught me before I hit the floor, his strong arms supporting me against his

chest.

The door opened behind us, and a stern-faced doctor in a white lab coat stepped into view. “Miss Klein,” he said, nodding his head respectfully. “Alpha Brooks. I’m Dr. Winters, the one you spoke to earlier.”

I nodded numbly, unable to respond, unable to even tear my eyes away from my mother long enough to look at the doctor.

“What happened?” Edwin asked for me, knowing that I couldn’t speak.

The doctor sighed as he flipped through his chart. “Luna Klein came in late last night complaining of abdominal pain. The pain worsened rapidly, and she soon developed a fever and other severe symptoms.”

Edwin’s hand tightened on my shoulder. “Did you figure out what was causing the symptoms?”

The doctor hesitated for a moment before continuing, his eyes flickering between us. “During our tests, we found traces of silver in her system.”

I felt the blood drain from my face, a cold dread settling in my stomach. Only then could I manage to choke out a few words. “Silver? But… That’s…”

“Fatal to werewolves when ingested

or inserted into the body, yes,” the doctor finished

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Chapter 194

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for me. “Her symptoms were turning critical. We had to induce a coma so that her body. could begin to heal before the silver affected any vital o**ns.”

I looked up at Edwin, whose face had gone ashen, although he continued to hold me tightly. I was grateful for it, because I knew I would collapse the moment he released

me.

“But how… How could something like this happen?” I whispered.

The doctor shook his head. “We can’t be certain, but our best guess is that there may have been silver in something she ate last night. Perhaps she used a silver utensil and some s**gs got into her food, or maybe a pan or cooking implement had traces of silver in it.”

I thought back to our dinner last night, trying to remember every detail. Had we used any new utensils? Any unfamiliar pans? The memories seemed hazy, the panic clouding my mind making it hard to think.

“Will she…” I swallowed hard, unable to finish the question. The thought of losing my mother, after only just finding her, after eighteen years of being without her, was

unbearable.

The doctor’s expression hardened. “I won’t lie to you. Claudia is in critical condition. We’re doing all we can to help her body safely metabolize and pass the silver without it damaging her other **ns, but there is only so much we can do. The induced coma should activate her accelerated werewolf healing, which may help her pull through, but as of right now it is still touch and go.”

I let out a tiny, choked s***

“Mom…”

“What can we do?” Edwin suddenly asked, his arms tightening around me. “There has to be something we can do. If she needs more tests, I’ll pay whatever the cost-

“For now, all we can do is wait and hope,” the doctor interjected. “We’ll keep you updated on any changes in her condition. Stay here, talk to her, if you would like. Some believe that coma patients can hear their loved ones.”

Just then, the door burst open with a bang that made me jump in Edwin’s arms. Fiona rushed in, her heels clicking against the linoleum floor. Her eyes were wild, darting between Claudia’s still form, the beeping machines, and finally… Me.

“What happened?” she demanded, her voice shrill. “How did this happen?”

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The doctor began to explain exactly what he had just told us, but Fiona’s gaze remained locked onto me, her expression morphing from concern to anger. Her upper lip curled back, revealing two gleaming white fangs.

“You, she hissed, pointing an accusing finger at me. “You did this, didn’t you?

I recoiled as if she had slapped me. “What? No, I would never-

“You cooked dinner with her last night, didn’t you?” Fiona accused, her voice rising with each word. “You must have been careless and somehow got silver sh**gs into her food without thinking! Or maybe you did it on purpose.”

“Fiona, that’s ridiculous, Edwin interjected, stepping between us.

But Fiona wasn’t finished. Her eyes blazed with fury as she bit out, “Is it? Audrey is the heir to Silverbite now. Maybe she figured she could get Claudia out of the way so she could become Luna sooner. It’s convenient, isn’t it?”

Her words felt like a punch to the chest, and I felt as if I’d just had the air knocked from my lungs. I stumbled back, shaking my head vehemently. “No, I would never… She’s my mother, I just got her back…. The thought of intentionally harming Claudia, especially after all the years we had lost, was incomprehensible.

“Funny,” Fiona hissed, stepping toward me. “The Silver Wolf, using silver to poison her own mother. Who do you plan to take down next, hm? Me? Edwin?”

“That’s enough!” Edwin shouted, his eyes pure yellow now. “Fiona, you’re being rash. Audrey would never do such a thing. She loves Claudia. Even you should know that.”

Fiona’s lip curled in a sneer, her gaze sweeping dismissively over Edwin. “You’re blinded by your mate bond, Edwin,” she growled. “I know she did this, and I’ll prove it!

With that, she stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her. The sound echoed in the sudden silence, punctuated only by the steady beeping of Claudia’s

monitors.

With another small s**b, I sank down into the nearby chair, my mind reeling. Could I have done this?

I frantically thought back to last night, trying to remember every detail of our dinner preparation. We had used the usual pots and pans, the same utensils we always did. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary.

But I had been so stressed lately, so distracted. Could I have made a mistake without realizing it? The thought made me sick to my stomach, a cold sweat breaking out on

my

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Chapter 194

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“Audrey,” Edwin said softly, kneeling in front of me. “You know this isn’t your fault, right?”

I looked at him, but I could hardly see him through the tears that were blurring my vision. “But what if it is?” I choked out. “What if I did something without thinking? I’ve been so stressed, so tired… Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I…”

Edwin shook his head firmly. “No. I know you, Audrey. You would never be that

careless, especially not with your mother’s health. You’ve waited your whole life to have. her back. This isn’t your fault.”

But his words couldn’t shake the creeping doubt that had taken root in my mind. It turned back to Claudia, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, listening to the rhythmic beeping of the machines that were keeping her alive.

The mother I had only just found, the relationship we had only just begun to build, was now hanging by a thread.

And it may have been my fault.