Their Secret Obsession (A Reverse Harem) by Pippa Moon novel Chapter 326

Knox's POV

Darkness enveloped me like a thick fog, heavy and impenetrable. Voices echoed somewhere in the distance, muffled and indistinct. I tried to focus, to latch onto any sound that could anchor me, but it was like grasping at smoke.

A sharp sting jolted me briefly into consciousness. Blurred shapes hovered above me. I recognized Chase's voice—urgent, tinged with panic—as he spoke to someone I couldn't see.

"He's not responding! We need to do something now!" Chase's words sliced through the haze, but I couldn't grasp their meaning.

I tried to turn my head to see who he was talking to, but a blinding white light seared into my eyes, forcing them shut. Pain radiated from somewhere deep inside me, but I couldn't pinpoint its source. My throat felt like it was on fire, raw and searing. I attempted to speak, to call out, but only a raspy croak escaped my lips.

Havoc stirred weakly in the recesses of my mind, his usual fiery presence reduced to a feeble ember. He howled in pain, a sound that resonated with my own distress.

"What's happening?" I thought, but no answer came. My memories were a fragmented puzzle, pieces missing and edges frayed. As the white light intensified, I squinted, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Shadows danced at the periphery of my vision. Panic bubbled up within me.

"Where am I?" I spluttered, my voice barely more than a whisper. The effort sent a jolt of agony through my chest. I attempted to push myself up, but a searing pain tore through my side, stealing my breath. I gasped, collapsing back. Desperately, I tried to lift my hands to clutch at the source of the pain, but they felt heavy and numb, unresponsive to my commands.

"What is happening?" I murmured, confusion and fear intertwining. Footsteps approached, and suddenly Liam's face loomed above me, his expression etched with concern.

"Liam? What are you doing here... Where is here?" I managed to ask. He placed a cool hand on my forehead.

"You're burning up," he said softly. "Try to stay still." His touch was calming, but it did little to alleviate the growing dread.

"His wound is black, look," Liam called out to Chase, his voice strained. Black? What did that mean? Panic clawed at me.

"Wound?" I echoed. "Who's hurt?" But even as I asked, a sharp throb in my side provided the answer. It was me.

"You don't remember?" Chase appeared beside Liam, his face drawn tight with worry. His arms were smeared with blood—too much blood.

"Whose blood is that?" I asked nervously, my gaze flickering between them. With great difficulty, I lifted my hand, noticing it was slick with dark, crimson stains. "Mine?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Liam asked gently as Chase exchanged a grim look with him. I closed my eyes, trying to sift through the fog clouding my mind. Images flickered—disjointed and fleeting.

"I remember... Kane, Adam, and you," I said slowly, my brow furrowing. "You were telling me that Lottie was missing."

"Good," Liam encouraged. "What else?" I dug deeper, the effort exhausting.

"We... we went to find her. There were tunnels, and... Sebastian." The name left a bitter taste in my mouth. Flashes of confrontation surged forward—anger, betrayal.

"Sebastian," I repeated, the memory sharpening. "He ambushed us." A surge of adrenaline coursed through me as pieces began to align.

"Why isn't it healing?" I whispered.

"We're not sure," Liam admitted. "But we think the blade was poisoned—or worse."

"Poisoned?" I felt Havoc recoil at the thought.

"It's affecting both of us," Havoc murmured. "I can't heal you." Fear tightened its grip, but I pushed it down, focusing on those I loved. If this was how it ended, so be it. But I needed to know that Kane and Lottie were safe before I gave in to the fight.

"What about the others? Kane, Lottie—are they okay?"

"They're with Adam, we think," Chase nodded.

"Think?" I gasped, trying to pull myself up. A surge of desperation fueled me. "You think?" I growled, but pain ripped through me, forcing me back down. The agony was unbearable, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I clenched my teeth, frustration and helplessness washing over me.

"What is that light?" I asked. A bright white glow was growing behind them, intensifying by the second. It was so vivid it almost seemed to pierce through the haze clouding my vision. "Can't you see it?" I whispered. But Chase and Liam exchanged puzzled glances, their attention solely on me.

"Knox, calm down and save your strength," Chase urged, his voice steady but laced with worry. Suddenly, Liam's eyes widened in sheer terror. He grabbed Chase's shoulder, shaking it frantically. "Chase! Look! Behind us!" he shouted, his voice cracking. Chase turned just in time to see a blinding white light flooding the tunnel, its intensity growing by the second. "What the hell is that?" Chase gasped, fear gripping them both as the light enveloped everything in its path.

Including us.