Hayes

n babies pierced the sterile room,

trembling with every shallow breath. I turned m

-a boy and a girl. Their tiny faces were flushed red, their delicat

my heart, but a deep voic

e cutting a sharp silhouette against the doorway. "Pre

sped, my throat

hority in his expression softened completely. He took a warm, damp

on the family jet right now. Ethan, your oldest brother, and

ad? Br

, the brother standing beside me now. And somehow, I was the

mes, scraping by on stale bread and discarded carving tools.

encrypted incoming video call. He tapped the screen and activated

hless and trembling with tears. "Ray! Is she bre

ice answered from the other end, thick wi

ck his own tears. "Mom, Dad, she's safe. Aria just delivered healthy

s. That frantic, desperate mater

ere blankets. On either side, clear acrylic infant incubators were secured, allo

Ray barked as the team

w stood pinned against the concrete walls, their heads bowed low, their faces pale with dread. They had finally re

ors swung open, letting

ors whipping up a rush of wind. Flanking the aircraft stood two dozen priv

ne as the medics loaded my bed i

glanced out the window. The detention center shr

hermal flask. He held a straw to my cracked lips,

leather wallet. "Your real name is Aria Sterling. Twenty-three years ago, our pack's maternity clinic was

rli

d you honestly believe that having slightly pointed

Sterling dynasty-the family that commanded the global

athered photograp

er, cradling an infant in her arms. The baby's ears had the exact same

appeared," Ray murmured, swallowing hard.

son and daughter slept quietly, their t

resolve harde

He had stolen my sketches and my years of labor, blind to the fact that the woman he

elipad of St. Hope Hospital, where a specialized team