Chapter 0171

“What do you need?” Alexander and Zachary ask at the same time.

Isabella starts writing a list as I watch Brianna fade out of consciousness.

“Hurry. But stay alert—we don’t know where Gabriel is.” She murmurs as the men vanish through the back door.

Isabella cleans Brianna’s stomach carefully, preparing for whatever comes next. I can’t move. I was this close to getting my revenge for what she did to me. And yet, I couldn’t say the words.

“Alexander will never forgive me if she dies.” Isabella whispers, carefully pushing intestines back into the open wound.

My eyes lift toward her, but she isn’t looking at me. She’s completely focused on saving Brianna.

If I stop her from helping Brianna, it could break her matebond with Alexander. She would hate me for destroying her chance at happiness. I couldn’t lose my only friend.

“Can you save her?” I ask quietly.

“I think so.” She gives me a tense smile. “The upper wound has already healed—that’s a good sign. But her stomach might be like my leg. I won’t know until I can see properly inside.”

She sighs. “I know you have history with her, Athena. I know a thousand thoughts are racing through your mind right now. But this is what I chose. Saving lives has always been my dream. Please don’t make me abandon her.”

It's your choice. I will stand by you no matter what you decide. Nyx murmurs softly.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Forcing the words out was harder than I expected.

Isabella offers a faint smile. “Give me your hand.”

She takes my hand and places it gently on Brianna’s neck. “Normally I would listen for her pulse, but it’s unclear. Her body is under extreme trauma—you have to trust what you feel. Do you feel it?”

I nod.

“Tell me if anything changes. Even the slightest flutter.”

The men return after what feels like an eternity. They’re accompanied by Sebastian, Theodore, and Sebastian’s boys. The boys’ eyes go wide when they see Brianna, but Sebastian guides them quickly past and into another part of the house. I hear one of them ask if the woman on the table is dead.

I watch Isabella work. She is patient. Calm. Completely in her element. The only sounds come from her movements.

“Now it’s up to her.” She steps back, examining her work. Brianna was lucky. There was enough tissue that once everything was back in place, it began knitting itself together.

I stumble out of the kitchen, still in disbelief that I let her live.

Alexander’s hand catches mine, stopping me. “Talk to me, Athena.”

“There’s nothing to say.”

“You were going to let her die.”

“But I didn’t, did I?” The words come out sharp. “I… I helped.”

His hands move to my shoulders. “I wish you would talk to me more.”

“I do talk to you.”

“Not lately. You’ve been short-tempered. When you’re not, it only lasts five minutes before you snap. No matter how many times I ask, Nyx keeps blocking me from reading your mind. I can’t help if you shut me out.”

His crimson eyes hold mine, making me feel small and exposed.

I open my mouth to speak, but the words vanish before they can be heard.