Chapter 193

[Ella’s POV]

I knew I should have asked more about where Arthur was going. For him to say that he was going to run a quick errand didn't exactly sit right with me. I think the reason why I held myself back was because I probably would have tried to stop him or go with him.

And I was in no position to want to leave Liam’s side.

I would have felt torn between the two and it wouldn’t have been fair. With a heavy heart, I watched Arthur leave Liam’s hospital room. Unfortunately, that meant that I was now stuck with Aaron who was still recovering from the massive blood donation he’d given Liam.

Because of him, Liam was able to make it through the rest of his surgery and was now able to recover. The moment Arthur and I were allowed to enter the room, I rushed to Liam's side and took his hand in my own.

I fought back the stream of tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes.

He’s going to be okay. He’s going to make it out of here. He’s still with us.

That was the self-made mantra that I had developed since I sat down by his side. I was desperate to get over the fearful, ugly feelings that had consumed me.

Part of me was also in a heavy debate on whether or not I should address Aaron, much less acknowledge his presence.

I should have been grateful for what he did. But my anger from earlier was still deeply intact.

I was fairly certain that he knew I was going out of my way to ignore the man on every account.

He may have saved Liam, but it doesn’t erase the fact that he let it slip to Cecilia about the nature of Liam and I’s relationship.

“You know, I never meant for any of this to happen,” Aaron said gruffly from across the room.

It took everything in me to not sneer at the man.

“You’ve done nothing but pin Liam and Arthur against each other. You’ve turned their lives into a sick competition and for what?! To see who becomes the next head of the Winslow family?” I asked with a hiss. “I think your family should be dismantled. Some of you should be hunted the way that my own lineage was wiped out of existence.”

He dragged a hand roughly over his tired face.

“I never knew about the hunter,” he claimed.

I narrowed my eyes. “But surely you knew of your own family’s demented history,” I said back bitterly. “I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t have been able to put two and two together.”

“Yes, I knew of my father’s deranged and volatile decision to go after the Moon Wolves,” he conceded. “I genuinely always thought that the man was paranoid and a bit deranged for putting so much faith in some impossible myth. I never took any part in his hiring of hunters and mindless killings.”

“Well, forgive me if I happen to think you’re full of shit. The hunter who attacked Liam tonight admitted to being hired by Cecilia,” I stated coldly.

“I didn’t,” he sighed. “If I knew such a remark would have put Liam at risk, I would have never said anything.”

I bit back a scoff. “Surely, you knew about her meeting with Arthur at the school. She demanded that I bond with Arthur so that he could enhance his status. Was that not your intention when it regarded Liam and me?”

Again, Aaron lowered his head in shame.

I’m sure getting a verbal lashing from a girl old enough to be his daughter was probably the last thing Aaron Winslow ever thought would happen.

Nevertheless, I didn’t care. It needed to be said. I hadn’t realized how long I’d been sitting on those thoughts that once I let them all come out, I felt slightly better.

“Ella?” A soft feminine voice called out from the doorway.

I turned my head to see Bonnie and Olivia with mirrored looks of worry on their faces.

“Hey, you guys can come in,” I told them. “Thanks for coming.”

“We wanted to come as soon as we heard what happened,” Bonnie said. “But Arthur said it would be better to wait until he was stable.”

“How is he?”

“The doctors say that he’s very weak but will be able to, hopefully, leave in a few days,” I told them.

Once they sat down, Olivia gave me a stern look and gestured her chin toward Liam’s resting form. She was the one who broke the silence.

“Alright, you know I have to ask...Who the hell was that guy and why was he attacking you three?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Aaron staring at me. Normally, I would have either brushed off the topic or gone as far as to lie. Perhaps it was because of how exhausted I was because I didn’t have it in me to do either.

So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours that I genuinely didn't care who knew the truth about my lineage.

“The man you two saw last night, wasn’t a mere stranger...He was a hunter—more like a hired hitman.”

Bonnie sat back in her seat, growing paler by the second whereas Olivia raised an inquisitive brow and crossed her arms over her chest.

“A hitman?” she questioned. “Why?”

“It’s a long story, but it’s mainly because of my background,” I explained. “Do you two remember when I first transferred to Eastwood under the label of just being human?”

They nodded their heads.

“Well, in all honesty, I really believed that my entire life I was just a regular human. I knew nothing of my father or the lineage that I descended from. Moon Wolves. According to some people, my pack was considered highly dangerous and a threat to others which led to the majority if not all of them being killed off.”

Bonnie let out a devastated gasp.

“Well, that explains the hitman,” Olivia muttered.

I gave a slight nod. “Yes, this hunter discovered my connection to the Moon Wolf Pack and made it his mission to dispose of me. Thankfully, Liam and Arthur made it very difficult for that to be achieved.”

“So, is that what happened last night?” Bonnie inquired. “Was this just another attempt to kill you?”

The knot in my stomach churned. “No...Last night was different. The attack was meant to take out Liam, not me.”

“But why?”

Suddenly, Liam’s hoarse voice spoke out, causing a million goosebumps to break out over my skin. “Ella is special...”

I let out a cry of relief. “How are you feeling?”

Bonnie quickly got up to flag down one of the nurses. Liam slowly opened his eyes.

“Weak,” he said. He slowly glanced around the room. “Where’s Arthur?”

“I’m here.” At that same moment, Arthur came bustling through the doorway.

He reached out to rest his hand on Liam’s shoulder and turned back to face his father.

“The trials are over,” he said sternly. “I’ve forfeited my position.”

Aaron’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Looks like you got what you wanted,” I muttered under my breath.

“How does your mother feel about that decision?” Aaron asked cautiously.

Arthur rolled his shoulders back and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. The decision was mine to make and I did.”

Aaron slowly stood up and gave us all a pensive look.

“I know I shouldn’t have to say this, but I’m going to anyway. Be careful of Cecilia. The woman is ruthless and has never been one to accept defeat.”