Chapter 17

Esther’s POV

The sharp tang of antiseptic clung to the air, mixing with the faint sweetness of herbs. I hated hospitals. The smell always made me think of sterility, of loss, of waiting rooms filled with whispers of doom.

But I had no choice.

My hands pressed over my stomach as I sat on the edge of the narrow hospital bed, my heart thudding against my ribs like a prisoner begging to be released. My pregnancy reactions had worsened these last few weeks—morning sickness so severe it stole my appetite, exhaustion so heavy that even rising from bed left me trembling. Kevin, ever calm and calculating, had noticed.

So he arranged this: a private hospital wing, a doctor chosen specifically for me, and nurses sworn to secrecy.

The doctor’s kind eyes met mine as she placed the results on the counter. “You’re carrying twins,” she reminded me gently, as though I could ever forget. “But not ordinary twins. Their father’s blood runs strong. Children of an Alpha King King come with greater strain than most pregnancies. Your reactions—fatigue, nausea, dizziness—will always be amplified. You’ll need more rest, more nutrition, and constant monitoring.”

Her words slid into me like a blade cloaked in silk. I nodded mutely, clutching the sheet of test results though I already knew what they would say. Yes, the children still lived. Yes, they were strong. But so was the toll they took on me.

When the doctor left, I gathered my cloak, covering my pale face. My fingers shook as I smoothed the paper against my chest.

Outside, the corridor hummed with hushed voices. A cluster of nurses lingered near the end, their eyes sharp with curiosity. I tried to pass unnoticed, but their whispers rose like arrows loosed into the silence.

“Look at her—walking like she owns the place.”

“A slave who escaped pregnant, strutting around like Kevin’s Luna?”

My body went cold.

I stopped. Slowly, I turned toward them, my voice trembling. “Where did you hear that?”

Their lips curled in mocking smiles.

“Everyone talks. A woman like you doesn’t hide forever.”

“She’s good at spreading her legs, I’ll give her that. First Alpha King King Nicholas, now Kevin? How long before she finds another to seduce?”

Their words seared hotter than fire. My hands clenched until my nails cut my palms, but before I could speak, a voice thundered through the hall.

“Enough.”

Kevin’s presence filled the space, his tall figure cutting through the gossip like a blade. His gaze swept over the nurses, sharp as steel. “If I hear so much as one more whisper against her, you’ll regret your place in this pack. Get out.”

The nurses paled, bowing their heads before scattering like frightened birds.

I stood frozen, my breath trapped in my throat.

Slowly, I turned to him. “Kevin…” My voice cracked. “How did they know? How do they know who I am? Does that mean Nicholas—” My heart raced so fast it drowned my words. “Does he know I’m alive?”

For once, Kevin hesitated. That hesitation told me everything.

“Tell me the truth,” I demanded, though my voice shook.

He exhaled, then said quietly, “Nicholas has been searching everywhere. He’s combed through other packs, demanded records, bribed healers. But he hasn’t found you. Not yet.”

I staggered back, gripping the wall. My world tilted, panic rising like a tide I couldn’t hold back. Nicholas hadn’t given up. He was still chasing me. Still hunting me.

“Why?” I whispered, half to myself. “Why won’t he let me go? Does he want to drag me back into chains? To hurt me again?”

Kevin’s hand came to my shoulder, steady and firm. “You’re safe here. He won’t touch you while you’re in my pack.”

I stared at him, confused. “Why? Why are you so good to me? You barely know me.”

His eyes darkened, his mouth curving in a faint, unreadable smile. “Because I won’t see people like you broken and turned into slaves.”

The answer felt too simple, too evasive. But his tone left no room for questioning.

Still, guilt gnawed at me. I had brought danger to his doorstep. “Maybe I should leave,” I whispered. “I’ll find somewhere else. Somewhere Nicholas won’t come.”

Kevin’s grip tightened, his voice low and firm. “No. You’re staying. I won’t allow you to wander into more danger. You’ll only destroy yourself and your children.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the sharp clatter of boots echoed from outside. Shouts followed, hurried and tense.

A guard burst into the hall, breathless. “Alpha King Kevin, Nicholas is coming.”

The world stopped. My blood turned to ice.

Nicholas. Here.

I pressed back against the wall, every muscle locking. My heart screamed run, but my body betrayed me, rooted in place.

Nicholas’s POV

The air around the Blue Lake Pack stank of cedar and deceit.

I strode across the courtyard, flanked by Dan and my guards, the weight of fury pressing against my chest. Every stone of this place, every face that bowed to Kevin, was an insult.

And there he was—Kevin, waiting with that infuriating calm. His smile barely touched his lips.

“Nicholas,” he said smoothly, as though greeting an old friend instead of a rival.

“Don’t pretend,” I snapped, my voice low with the weight of my anger. “You know why I’m here. Hand her over.”

He tilted his head. “Her?”

“Esther.” Her name left my lips like a curse and a prayer in one.

Kevin’s brows rose in mock surprise. “Esther? I had heard she was dead. Besides…” His gaze flickered with pointed amusement. “Is a slave worth all this trouble?”

He knew something. I felt his mockery. Even still, to hear the words that Esther might be dead set a rage inside of me I didn’t understand.

If she was dead, I’d kill Kevin first as payback.

My teeth ground together. “Even if she is a slave, she is mine. She is mine. She is of my pack and one of my people. This is not your concern. You are meddling in things you shouldn’t be, and I won’t have any of it.”

“Careful, Nicholas. This isn’t your territory. It’s mine. I’ll do what I have to in order to protect it and everyone in it.”

“Do you think I’m afraid of you?” I scowled. Kevin had a way of aggravating me unlike anyone else, expect for maybe Esther. The idea that he might have her, that he might be trying to take her away from me, was worse than anything I could imagine.

I wouldn’t have it.

The space between us crackled with tension, two Alpha Kings teetering on the edge of war.

Kevin’s expression didn’t change, but his men shifted, bracing themselves. My guards mirrored them, the courtyard charged with unspoken threat.

It was Norman who broke the silence. She’s here.

The voice in my head was sharp, insistent.

I can smell her, feel her. She’s close. Very close.

My gaze swept the buildings until it landed on a ward door. My pulse surged.

I moved without thought, my steps hard and fast. Kevin didn’t stop me this time.

The door swung wide beneath my hand.

Inside, a woman stood with her back to me, her shoulders trembling, her dark hair spilling down her cloak.

“Esther.”

Her name left me in a voice I didn’t recognize, the sound raw and unguarded.