intrepidity

Chapter 44

Aurora, too, was trembling—her body stiff with fear, her face as pale as death, her eyes wide and locked onto Aiden with that helpless look, as if expecting him to fix this, to make everything okay.

But Aiden had no answers.

He never had answers for moments like this. No one had answers when the world felt like it was coming apart at the seams.

The silence in the room was deafening, oppressive, the weight of the situation hanging in the air. Aiden's thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind, his mind desperately trying to push aside the sharp tendrils of fear that threatened to suffocate him. His brothers—his family—were his world. They had all suffered, had all fought to make it through the dark places, but this? This was different. This was one of them lying in an operating room, alone, without anyone there to hold his hand, to tell him everything was going to be okay.

But it wasn't okay. And deep down, Aiden knew it might not be.

He couldn't afford to break. Not now. Not with everything on the line. Not with his brothers' lives hanging in the balance.

He forced himself to breathe, to push away the rising panic in his chest. They had trained him for moments like this. His father's voice echoed in his mind—In a crisis, you act. You don't hesitate. You don't have the luxury of being human, son. He'd heard that a thousand times, but now, it didn't feel like enough.

"Get the car. We're going to the hospital," Aiden's voice cut through the silence, colder than usual, more controlled. It was a command. No room for hesitation. No time for fear.

He didn't wait for anyone to respond. He didn't need to. His brothers knew better than to question him now. They knew there was no room for debate, no time to sit around and discuss what they should do. Every second counted. Aiden's instincts had kicked in, and that was the only thing he could rely on.

Alec stood up first, his arm dropping from around Aurora as he moved toward the door, his face pale but determined. Roman and Elias followed quickly behind, the silent understanding between them sharper than any words they could have said. They didn't need to speak to know what had to be done. 

They were a family, bound by blood, and no matter how chaotic, no matter how frightening, they would never leave one of their own behind.

Aurora remained still, her gaze flickering between Aiden and the door, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Her eyes were full of fear—fear for Marcus, fear for what might happen.

"Aiden..." Her voice trembled, barely a whisper, but it cut through the air like a plea. She wasn't asking for reassurance. She wasn't asking for anything. She was just reaching for something to hold onto, anything to keep her grounded in this storm of emotions.

Aiden's gaze softened for just a moment, but only just. His eyes softened because she was his sister, his responsibility, his anchor in a world that was too often filled with violence and chaos. 

But the moment passed, and he pushed it down, locking it away. He couldn't afford to let her see how badly this was affecting him. He couldn't show any weakness.

"We'll make it," Aiden said, his voice steady, but hollow. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.

But before she could respond, he was already moving, pushing open the door and stepping out into the dark night, his mind already miles ahead, already at the hospital, already fighting with everything inside him to save his brother.

The sound of his brothers' footsteps followed closely behind, but Aiden didn't wait for them to catch up. He didn't have the luxury of waiting. He was already in motion, already focused on the only thing that mattered. Marcus. He was going to save him. He had to. Because if he failed, there would be no going back from this.