Chapter 117
Astor’s Pov
I ran as fast as I could with Faith in my arms.
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My shirt was already stained red because her nose was bleeding onto my chest. The sight of her just collapsing like that ripped a hole in my heart. there’s nothing more scary than seeing you mate in this condition.
The pack hospital came into view. And it gave me a small sense of relief.
“Doctor! Nurse!” I erupted through the double doors, not bothering to kick them open gently.
“Alpha!” The pack doctor Samuel was already moving, his face drawn.
I laid Faith gently onto the rolling cot they shoved forward. My hands were shaking. I watched Samuel and the nurse whisk her down the hall and into a private room. It took every ounce of my control not to follow, not to rip the door off its hinges and scream at them to hurry.
I paced the waiting area with every second filled with images of her still and pale face. I saw something in her eyes today that I don’t know whether to fear or be proud of.
She was like a goddess but before she passed out I felt like there was something consuming her and it just felt very scary.
Finally Samuel emerged, wiping his hands on a cloth. He didn’t look relaxed. He looked
cautious.
“Alpha” he started, immediately dropping the formality.
“What is it? Is she okay? What happened?” I demanded, grabbing his elbow.
He pulled me slightly aside, lowering his voice until it was barely a breath. “She’s stable. But her body is completely overwhelmed.”
I frowned. “Overwhelmed by what?”
“Her wolf, It’s draining her. Her body is not adapting in the way we usually see new wolves adapt. It’s like her human side and her wolf side are fighting over the same energy source, and the wolf is winning, taking everything. It’s demanding too much from her system.”
He hesitated, glancing around the empty hallway. “And Alpha, her wolf is not normal. It’s different. It’s powerful, yes, I can feel that, but it has a signature I’ve never seen before. It’s growing stronger and her body cannot accommodate it.”
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“Listen to me doctor ” I said, my voice turning to gravel. I leaned into him, my eyes hard. I wasn’t the worried lover anymore; I was the Alpha protecting a catastrophic secret. “If you ever mention that her wolf is not normal, if you ever tell another soul–not the nurse, not your mate, especially not the Council–I swear, you will regret the day you were born.”
He paled immediately. He was a good man, but he understood the weight of my threat.
“Alpha, I swear on my life. I won’t say anything. I’ll write it off as extreme energetic exhaustion linked to stress. Nothing more but I should warn you that it’s only going to get worse from here and if she doesn’t get control of her wolf then I don’t know how she will be
able to survive.” he said
I left him standing there because I don’t know what to say or do right now so I went to her
room.
I sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair from her face. I leaned down and pressed a
long, tender kiss to her forehead.
“I love you, Faith,” I whispered, tasting the fear still lingering on my tongue. “So much.”
I looked at her, so fragile and beautiful, sleeping and I couldn’t help the dark thoughts that rushed in, thoughts I couldn’t share with anyone.
What will happen when she finally finds out who she really is?
Will she be able to forgive my father? Will she be able to forgive me, for keeping her in the
dark?
If she couldn’t, if the truth turned her against us, then we would be forced onto two separate sides of the coming fight. She would fight for revenge, and I would fight for my people.
What happens if she fails to control her wolf and it just gets too much for her.
I stayed until I couldn’t bear the helplessness anymore. I had a war to manage.
I let out a shaky breath, squeezed her hand one last time, and slipped out of the room.
George was waiting for me outside.
“How is she?” he asked immediately, concern etched around his eyes.
“She’ll be fine. Exhausted,” I lied easily, keeping my voice neutral. “What did you do?”
“Alice is in the dungeon. Secure.”
I just nodded once. “Good.”
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“I want extra guards stationed at this hospital. Two wolves on the grounds at all times, rotating every four hours. No one gets near Faith’s room.”
“Consider it done, Alpha.”
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“And George,” I added, meeting his gaze, “Kyle knows we’re onto him now. He knows we know Alice was working with him. That means he might come for us tonight or any time soon.”
I thumped my chest. “I want the best trained wolves patrolling the border tonight. We are on high alert.”
“Yes, Alpha”
I turned and headed straight toward the dungeon. When I reached the bottom, the sight of Alice made me stop short.
She was curled up against the cold stone wall of her cell, the silver bars caging her in. She was writhing, the silver wasn’t just physical pain, it was preventing her wolf from healing the damage. It was agony multiplied. Her skin was blistered where she had touched the bars, and she was groaning, a low, guttural sound that was heartbreaking and satisfying all at
once.
I think she’s lucky that Faith passed out when she did because I have no doubt she would have killed.
“Alice,” I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion.
“Astor,” she whispered, struggling to sit up.
“All this,” I swept my hand toward the silver bars, “it could stop right now. All the pain, all the suffering, it will just goes away if you tell me where to find Kyle.”
She just stared at me and kept quiet.
I sighed, shaking my head slowly. “You know I’m giving you a chance. A way out.” she didn’t seem interested and I’m not interested in begging her.
I had only taken two steps toward the door when her weak voice cut through the air.
“Wait! Stop!”
I paused, but I didn’t turn around. I listened for the lie, for the manipulation.
“I… I don’t know where he is right now,” she choked out, her voice ragged. “He doesn’t tell me when or where he sleeps. But I know where he usually meets me. We were supposed to meet there tomorrow night.”
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I finally turned and looked at her. The pain in her face looked genuine enough to be the truth. She told me the directions and I nodded curtly, not offering any thanks or comfort. “Enjoy your stay, Alice.”
I walked back up the stairs, leaving her to the misery she has earned.
As soon as I was outside, I relayed the information to Liam.
“Anything else, Alpha?”
“Yes. Tell everyone. I want a meeting early tomorrow morning. All high–ranking members. We prepare for war.”
After making sure Liam and George had the situation under control, I rushed back to the hospital. Faith was stirring slightly now, her eyelids fluttering.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I murmured, leaning over her.
The doctor gave me a final update. the more her wolf surfaces the more danger she gets in but for now she was stable just needed sleep and reluctantly let me take her. I scooped her up gently, lifting the IV out of her arm and carrying her easily against my chest.
I took her straight back to our house, driven by the need to keep her close and safe.
We arrived, and the door opened before I could even reach the handle. Kimberly was in the livingroom with the guards stationed around the house.
“Alpha, is she alright?” She asked her hand flying to her mouth.
“She’s resting. She’s fine now,” I said, my tone brooking no argument. ” you can go I’ll take care of everything here but thank you”
She nodded and left immediately and I took Faith straight to our room and settled her into
the middle of the bed.
Then my parental instincts hit with the force of a punch.
I went to the kids‘ room. They were fast asleep in Marco’s bed but I couldn’t leave them here. Not now. Not with the possibility that Kyle might manage to slip in or worse, use a moment of distraction to breach the house. He would come for the children. They were my weakness.
I couldn’t bring myself to let them sleep there alone.
I walked over to Marco and I scooped him up he stirred but didn’t wake up.
I repeated the process with my daughter, holding them both tight against me.
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I carried them both into my room and carefully placed them on either side of Faith. I stood there for a moment, looking at my family three heartbeats, all safe within arm’s reach.
I stripped off my shirt and climbed into bed beside them, and pulled myself close to Faith. My children snuggled against their mother and father, completely unaware of the dangers. closing in, completely unaware of the war that was about to break wide open.
