Page 228 of Knot So Lucky
"I don't know," I admit. "But we're going to find out. Before the grand prix. Before whoever this is gets another chance to hurt my pack."
My pack. The possessive claim settles in my chest with fierce certainty.
Adrian is mine. Luca is mine. Cale and Elias are mine.
And I will burn the entire racing world to ash before I let anyone take them from me.
"Get me discharged," I say firmly, already trying to pull at the IV in my arm. "I need to make a phone call.”
"Aurora, you were poisoned," Luca argues, his hand catching mine before I can actually remove the IV. "You need to rest, let the doctors?—"
"Adrian is in surgery because he drove in my place." My voice comes out harder than intended, edged with the fury I'm barely containing. "He risked everything…his life, trauma, and future, to make sure I didn't lose this championship. And you want me to rest?"
Luca holds my gaze for a long moment, then slowly releases my hand.
"Fine," he concedes. "But you're not pulling that IV out yourself. I'll get a nurse to do it properly."
He stands, and I can see the exhaustion in every line of his body.
How long has he been sitting beside my bed? Hours? Days? How much sleep has he lost keeping vigil over me while Adrian fights for his life in surgery?
"Luca?" I call before he reaches the door.
He turns back, and in this moment, he looks vulnerable in ways I've rarely seen. The commanding Pack Alpha facade stripped away, leaving just a man who's terrified of losing the people he cares about.
"We're going to figure this out," I promise. "And then we're going to win that championship. For Adrian. For Sera. For everyone who's been hurt by whoever's behind this."
A small smile curves his lips—tired but genuine.
"Yeah," he agrees quietly. "We are."
He leaves to find medical staff, and I'm alone with my thoughts.
Adrian is the target.
The revelation reshapes everything I thought I understood about these threats. Every piece of sabotage, every anonymous message, every carefully orchestrated incident—all of it designed to hurt Adrian specifically.
But why?
What did he do to earn this level of hatred?
What vendetta is so deep that someone would spend years destroying him piece by piece?
I think back to everything I know about Adrian's past. The mechanical failure that ended his driving career. His family's pharmaceutical empire and the Bravati connections that come with organized crime ties. His relationships, his business dealings, his racing history.
Somewhere in there is the key.
The moment when Adrian crossed someone, made an enemy, inadvertently threatened something that made him a target.
And I'm going to find it…with a single phone call.
Because Adrian gave me everything today.
His courage, his skill, his willingness to face trauma for my sake.
Now it's my turn to give him something back.
Justice. Truth. And if I'm very lucky and smart, his life.
