He just dropped the phone from his ear like it had burned him.
Footsteps approached us from the other wing that led to the ER, and my heart gave a loud thud before it began a marathon.
No. Please no-
The doctor emerged from the corner.
I shot to my feet like something had yanked me up, my legs nearly giving out beneath me.
“Doctor?” I choked, taking a step forward. “How… how is she?” My voice trembled. For some reason, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. They twitched at my sides like they had a mind of their own
Kester stood beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder for support.
The doctor’s eyes said everything before his mouth even moved.
He looked like a man dragging a mountain behind him.
His gaze hovered somewhere around my shoulder, like if he looked directly at me, he’d fall apart, too.
“Miss Kasmine… Alpha Kester.”
I knew.
God, I knew.
The moment he didn’t say, “She’s stable” or “She’s awake,” I knew,
“No, I said, shaking my head, already stumbling back a step. “No. No. Please don’t.”
The world had tilted. The fluorescent lights above him blurred into lines. My heart felt like it had stammed into a wall and then shattered on impact.
The doctor swallowed hard. “We tried. We fought… We did everything we could. But the bullet…” he paused, “…it was laced with silver, and it lodged just beside her heart. The damage was catastrophic. Her body went into shock… and she… she didn’t make it out of surgery.”
The words didn’t land at once.
They floated around me. And I swear they were meaningless.
Didn’t make it out of surgery…
Didn’t make it…
Didn’t…
Claire.
My Claire.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor said, but I couldn’t hear anything anymore. There was a roaring in my ears. A wave of something merciless slammed into my chest, cracking me in half.
“No, no, no, no, no,” I was saying over and over, barely realizing I was sinking to the floor. “She was just… she was just with me. We were… I held her. I…”
My lungs seized, and my throat convulsed.
This had to be a nightmare, and I was more than willing to wake up already. Because I might never be able to live with this guilt.
KESTER.
I didn’t know the first damn thing about consoling my mate. What could I even say to patch up a wound that deep? Claire’s death had shattered her, and watching her crumble this way gutted me.
Claire’s death made me fear for my best friend’s life. He was still unconscious. The doctors said he had hit his head too hard and that his wolf had gone Mia. That was never a good sign.
The chances of Norlan waking up were painfully slim. But had faith I had to. I couldn’t lose him. No fucking way.
I had already put the culprit of this wicked act in their place. I was eager to go teach the desperate fool a lesson they’d never forget for the rest of their miserable lives.
For now, they’d remain in my basement with mild torture to keep them busy until I make time to visit them myself.
Earlier at the hospital, the decision of where to take Kasmine nearly tore me apart. She was safe at my house, but she’d be way too lonely especially now that she was grieving. Leaving her isolated could sink her deeper, and I had no one to entrust her with.
Taking her to the pack house was equally risky because I couldn’t trust Mum not to attempt to further convince her about her decision to be with me.
Kasmine was at a very fragile point right now. Exposing her to negativity could be very detrimental. But I had to choose. And it was the difficult way out I had chosen.
“Here,” I murmured, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders and tucking it gently beneath her chin. “This should keep you warm.”
Her fingers trembled where they clutched the edge of the comforter, and she sniffed.
Her eyes were red and puffy, and her voice was wrecked. She could barely make an audible sentence.
“Don’t go… please. Stay.” The words scraped out of her throat.
I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was eager to return to the hospital to stay with Norlan. I wanted to be there when he regained consciousness. Or, maybe I just wanted to be there to be sure he wasn’t going to die or something. Fuck. I was tense. My chest was way too tight.
“Baby…” I said softly, crouching by the bed. “Should I ask Mum to come stay with you? I’ll be back by morning, I swear.”
She shook her head frantically, “No. I want you, Kes. Please. Just… Stay. You can leave in the morning.”
Fuck.
She looked so broken, almost as if the slightest breeze could shatter what was left of her
“Okay. Okay,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple before climbing into bed behind her. I wrapped my arms around her, cocooning her small frame into mine. She was cold, tense, and still trembling.
I held her until her breathing steadied. She whimpered in her sleep, and I soothed her with quiet murmurs, brushing her hair back from her damp forehead.
She needed the sleep, even though she had some nightmares, which was expected.
I couldn’t sleep all night. My eyes were wide open.
I had to help her shower and dress.
She didn’t speak much. She just leaned on me and trusted me to hold her together when she couldn’t do it herself.
I made her eat… Bit by bit… Spoon to mouth.
Then I kissed her forehead, brushed my thumb across her cheek, and grabbed my keys.
“Can I come with you?” She asked, but I shook my head.
“No, babe,” I said, stepping closer to cup her cheek. “You need rest. the baby needs it.”
I kissed her temple and pulled her into a warm hug. She’melted into my chest, her fingers gripping the back of my shirt like she didn’t want to let go. And I didn’t want to pull away either.
“I’ll be back before you know it, okay?” I murmured into her hair. “Just promise me something…” She was quiet, “Make sure you stay safe. And, stay in the house. Don’t go anywhere else, please, baby. Please.” My forehead rested against hers for a heartbeat longer before I kissed her again, and she nodded.
“I overheard Mum talking about the meeting Blaine would be holding today. What would you do?” She asked when I stood up and reached for my keys.
I saw how worried she was.
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