Chapter 166

Kayla

I woke to the sensation of cold metal against my chest. My eyes fluttered open to find a doctor, the same one from Bluemoon, leaning over me with a worried expression on his face. He was pressing his stethoscope to my sternum, his brow furrowed as he listened to my heartbeat.

It only took a moment for the pain to set in. When I tried to swallow, it felt like someone had taken sandpaper to my trachea, and my chest felt like I had swallowed lava. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a pathetic wheeze.

“Don’t try to talk,” the doctor said. “Your larynx has sustained significant trauma.”

The memories crashed back into me then—chairman William Straud and Isabella in the cottage, Liam’s hands crushing my windpipe, the look of satisfaction on my old friend’s face as she watched me struggle for air.

Vanessa.

She’d almost let me die. No, not just let me—she had had a hand in it herself. She had conspired with all of them to take my whole family down.

My gaze darted around the room until I spotted Nicholas. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed, his elbows braced on his knees. His jaw was clenched, amber eyes dark with barely contained rage.

I lifted my hand weakly, reaching for him. He was at my side in an instant, taking my hand in his.

I opened my mouth to ask about Isabella and William, but no words came out. Somehow, though, Nicholas almost seemed to read what I was going to say before I said it.

“They escaped,” he said, his grip tightening on my hand. “They disappeared before the warriors could stop them. We’ve got trackers still searching for them, but they haven’t found a trail.” He shook his head.

I closed my eyes, frustrated. Of course they had slipped away. Of course Vanessa had been turned into a rogue before I could question her about my father, and of course the only other people who might know anything were missing.

“Liam, though,” Nicholas went on, “he’s currently enjoying the hospitality of Nightshade prison. I’ll deal with him personally once you’re better.”

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Perhaps not all was lost. Surely Liam knew something, anything, about my father’s coma and the attempted takedown of Bluemoon. Just then, however, the doctor cut in.

“We need to discuss your condition,” he said, pulling up a chair on the opposite side of the bed. “We did an ultrasound while you were unconscious.”

My free hand flew to my stomach, panic surging through me.

“The baby is still there,” the doctor assured me quickly. “But it was a very close call. The oxygen deprivation and physical trauma… it’s a miracle the pregnancy is still viable.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, but then fell into a coughing fit that felt like fire burning through my chest. Nicholas and the doctor waited until I was finished, and the doctor gave me a small cup of ice chips. I sucked on one, feeling soothed by the cool water melting down my throat.

“However,” the doctor continued once I was settled again, “I need to be frank with you, Kayla. This pregnancy was already high-risk given your… unique situation. Now, it’s become significantly more complicated.”

I furrowed my brow, glancing between him and Nicholas.

“Your body is healing at an extremely slow rate,” the doctor explained. “Without your wolf, you already have slower healing than most werewolves possess. And now, with a baby inside of you, your body is… choosing to keep the baby alive rather than heal you.”

“I tried to heal you through our mate bond,” Nicholas said, glancing at me. “But it’s not working like it should. The baby… it’s drawing on all your strength, leaving nothing for your own recovery.”

I tried to swallow again, wincing at the pain that shot through my throat. I felt it then—a bone-deep exhaustion unlike anything I’d ever experienced. My limbs felt like they were made of lead, my head fuzzy and disconnected. No wonder I’d struggled so much to fight Liam off. The pregnancy had sapped my strength, leaving me completely helpless.

“I cannot, in good conscience, recommend continuing this pregnancy,” the doctor said then, pulling a small bottle from his pocket and placing it on the bedside table. “These pills would terminate it safely. You could try getting pregnant again later, when your body is stronger, when your wolf has emerged.”

I shook my head violently, ignoring the stab of pain the movement caused. No. I wasn’t giving up my baby. Nicholas’s baby. Our family. For all I knew, my wolf might never emerge.

Nicholas tensed beside me. “That’s a last resort,” he said firmly.

The doctor looked at him, then at me, weak and limp and unable to even fucking speak. “How much worse does it need to get before you call in that last resort?” he asked.

When Nicholas didn’t reply, the doctor sighed, standing up. “The choice is yours, of course. But please consider it. I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow.” He packed up his equipment and headed for the door.

The silence in the room grew heavier than ever once the doctor was gone. Nicholas ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flicking to the bottle. When he met my fiery gaze, tears welling up in my eyes already, I knew that he could tell that I had no intention of taking those pills.

Not yet.

“You could have died,” he finally said. “Do you understand that? If I had shown up just a few minutes later…” He trailed off, his jaw clenching tightly. “Goddess, Kayla, what were you thinking? Running off like that, confronting them alone?”

I wanted to defend myself, to explain that I hadn’t expecting a fucking chairman of the guild to be there, actively conspiring against me. I hadn’t expected the man who once said he loved me to try to kill me. I hadn’t expected my ex-best friend to stand there, smiling, while it had happened.

But all I could manage was a weak rasp that sent fresh pain shooting through my damaged throat.

Nicholas’s expression softened at that. He reached out, brushing a strand of red hair away from my face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be lecturing you right now. I was just… I was terrified, Kayla. Finding you like that, seeing him…” He stopped, taking a deep breath. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

I squeezed his hand, trying to convey everything I couldn’t say out loud. That I was sorry for scaring him. That I wished I’d been more careful.

And also that I wished he hadn’t turned Vanessa into a rogue before I could question her about my father.

The thought sent a fresh wave of anger and grief through me. Vanessa had been my best friend. She’d known everything about me, about my life, my fears, my dreams.

And she’d betrayed me in the worst possible way. Worse even than sleeping with Liam, she had taken my father—my only living parent—from me.

But most importantly, she knew something; not just about the coma, but about the attack on my people. And now that knowledge was potentially lost forever, locked away inside the mind of a wolf who would never speak again.

Nicholas stood reluctantly. “I need to go,” he said. “I need to check on the efforts to find Isabella and Liam, and try to figure out whether it’s safe to tell the guild or not.” He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I nodded weakly, trying to smile for him despite everything. But it was a weak, empty sort of smile, and we both knew it.

Once Nicholas had gone, I lay staring at the ceiling, feeling more alone and vulnerable than I ever had before. My hand drifted to my stomach, resting there. Inside of me grew a life—half me, half Nicholas. A pure miracle at this point, after I’d nearly died. But a curse, too, because now I was stuck healing at the slowest rate imaginable.

My gaze shifted to the small bottle of pills on the bedside table. They represented the sensible choice, the safe choice. Without my wolf, this pregnancy might not make it. The baby could die. I could die.

But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give up this little life. Not yet.

I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks. If only my wolf would just emerge already. That would solve everything. I’d have the strength to carry this baby, to heal from my injuries, to lead my pack and face anyone who dared to defy me. To help my father and find out what happened to him.

Just then, the soft click of the door opening made me open my eyes. Jade slipped into the room, her face lined with concern. She was carrying a small bundle of dried herbs tied with twine in the shape of a tiny person.

“Hey,” she said softly, approaching the bed. “How are you feeling?”

I gestured weakly to my throat, then gave a small shrug.

Jade nodded in understanding. “I brought you something,” she said, placing the bundle of herbs on the table next to my bed. “It’s a healing charm. The herbs have properties that promote recovery, and I… well, I said a little blessing over them too.”

She gave me a small, almost embarrassed smile. “I know it’s not much, and I know you don’t really believe in witchcraft, but I thought it might help you heal faster. A little good luck charm, you know?”

I reached out and squeezed her hand in thanks. As I did, something clicked in my mind. Jade had always been interested in herbal remedies and old folk magic. Maybe…

Suddenly, a stupid, desperate idea formed in my mind. If Nicholas couldn’t heal me through our mate bond, if modern medicine couldn’t help me keep this baby safely, maybe there was another way.

A way to help me heal faster, or perhaps something… more.

Before Jade could pull away, I tightened my grip on her wrist. I forced my damaged throat to work, ignoring the searing pain.

“Jade…” I rasped. “Do you know… a witch?”