Chapter 71

**Chapter 71**

**Aria’s POV**

I dared not glance back.

With every ounce of strength I could muster, I tightened my grip around Peter, my heart racing as I quickened my pace.

The moment we stepped outside the bar, a chill enveloped me, sharp and biting, yet it did nothing to ease the tightness coiling in my chest. Peter’s weight felt like a leaden anchor on my shoulder, his body limp and unresponsive, each step I took growing exponentially heavier, as though I were trudging through quicksand.

“Driver—could you help me, please?” I managed to whisper, my voice trembling like a fragile leaf caught in a storm. My legs were protesting, straining under the burden of his lifeless form. Even with the wolf’s strength coursing just beneath the surface of my skin, dead weight was a relentless challenge.

The driver rushed over, his eyes widening in alarm as he took in the scene before him. Together, we struggled to lift Peter into the backseat. The moment he was settled, the pressure on my arms dissipated, and I finally drew in a breath that felt like the first sip of air after being submerged underwater.