+25 PointsÂ
Chapter 86Â
ALEXANDERÂ
I had just leaned back into my seat, rubbing my temples and trying to absorb the endless stream of financial projections being presented, when my phone buzzed against the conference table. I glanced down, ready to ignore it until after the meeting. The name on the screen–Cole.Â
I pressed the side button, silencing it. He could wait. Unless it was urgent, even at that…with Cole…any urgent matter could be handled well in my absence.Â
But then the screen lit up again. This time, a message.Â
“Faye is in the clinic.”Â
For a moment, my brain didn’t process it. My eyes traced the words again, and it was as though the ground tilted beneath me. My hand tightened around the phone, and suddenly the figures, the voices, the entire boardroom became background noise.Â
Faye. In the clinic.Â
I felt my pulse quicken. What the hell happened? She’d been fine when I last saw her.Â
The man at the head of the table was still droning on about some logistics arrangement, but his words slid right past me. I couldn’t focus. My chest tightened with the need to move, to be anywhere but here.Â
“I’ll have to stop you here,” I cut in. Heads turned, eyes wide. “We’ll continue this discussion another time. I have a family emergency.”Â
A murmur rippled across the room. Some exchanged glances, others gave me stiff nods of sympathy, though I couldn’t care less whether they understood or not. I was already on my feet, sliding my phone into my pocket.Â
My thoughts spun wildly. I needed to know what was happening.Â
As soon as I exited the building and slid into my car, I pulled out my phone and hit Cole’s number. He answered almost immediately.Â
“Cole, what happened?”Â
His voice came through, rushed and heavy. “I went into Faye’s room earlier to tell her about the council meeting. She didn’t look well, Alex. Before I could even make sense of it, she fainted, and I carried her straight to the clinic.”Â
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My knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. “Is she conscious now?”Â
“Not yet. Mrs. Adams is with her.”Â
+25 PointsÂ
“I’m on my way,” I muttered. My foot slammed on the accelerator, the engine roaring in response. “Stay with her. Don’t leave her side until I get there.”Â
“Yes, Alpha.”Â
I ended the call and shoved the phone down, my focus narrowing on the road. The drive blurred, but my mind was anything but calm. What had I missed? She hadn’t complained of anything, not to me. Was she hiding it? Was she overexerting herself? I cursed under my breath, guilt gnawing at me. Maybe there were signs, and I didn’t notice. Last night, she seemed fine.Â
“You didn’t pay attention, how could you have known?” Aiden’s voice came on, strong. Even he was disappointed.Â
What kind of mate, what kind of Alpha, didn’t notice his Luna was unwell?Â
The gates of the pack house came into view far too slowly for my liking. I didn’t bother acknowledging the guards as they swung them open. My car screeched into the compound and I was out before the engine fully stilled, striding toward the clinic.Â
Cole was there, waiting in the reception area. The instant his eyes met mine, he stood. His posture was tense, his expression worried.Â
“What’s her condition?” I demanded.Â
“Mrs. Adams told me to wait out here. She said she’d let me know once she was stable.”Â
My jaw clenched. “Stable? That’s not good enough.”Â
Before he could respond, I pushed past him and into the hallway. I didn’t care about instructions or protocols.Â
When I shoved open the door, Mrs. Adams spun around, irritation flashing in her eyes–until she saw me. Her expression shifted instantly, replaced with a polite bow of respect.Â
“Alpha,” she greeted quickly.Â
“How is she?” My gaze darted past her to the bed. Faye lay there, her skin pale, her hair damp against her forehead. My heart lurched at the sight. She looked so fragile, as though even my stare might break her.Â
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+25 PointsÂ
“She’ll be fine,” Mrs. Adams said, as though trying to calm me. “Her temperature should return to normal in a few minutes. I just administered an injection.”Â
“What caused it?” I stepped closer to the bed, unwilling to take my eyes off her. “Why did sheÂ
faint?”Â
Mrs Adams hesitated. That hesitation sent a cold spike down my spine.Â
“Well?” I snapped.Â
Her eyes flickered nervously before she answered. “Her system… appears fine. We ran some tests, and everything came out clean. No infection, no internal issue I can pinpoint.” She sighed. “Her body simply shut down for a moment. The medication I gave her should eliminate the symptoms.”Â
I stared at her, disbelief and frustration tightening my throat. “So you don’t know.” That didn’t make any sense.Â
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Not yet, Alpha. But I assure you, I will find out…we may need to run more tests when she regains consciousness.”Â
I nodded stiffly, though it did little to soothe the storm raging inside me. My gaze fell back to Faye. I reached for her hand, brushing my thumb over her cool skin.Â
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I murmured, even though I knew she couldn’t hear me. “Why did you keep this to yourself?”Â
She stirred faintly at the sound of my voice, her lashes fluttering. Relief crashed through me, though my chest still ached with unease. I wanted her awake, fully awake, looking at me, scolding me for hovering. I wanted her strong again, not lying here in this helpless state.Â
Mrs. Adams moved to adjust the IV line, and I forced myself to step back, though every fiber in me screamed to stay close.Â
As the minutes crawled by, I remained by her side, silently willing her to open her eyes. My thoughts circled endlessly–was it exhaustion? Poison? Something supernatural even Mrs. Adams couldn’t detect yet? Or was it something as simple, and as shameful as me failing to notice my Luna breaking from stress.Â
“You’re going to be fine, Faye. You have to be. I can’t…” I cut myself off, swallowing the words.Â
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