Chapter 27

Esther’s POV

I pressed my hand to my lips, feeling the imprint of him still there as if the room itself had recorded the memory. My chest felt tight, my heart still thundering in a rhythm that refused to slow.

I hated that part of me. I hated that the mate spark still flared whenever he was near, hated that even after everything—humiliation, danger, lies—I could still feel drawn to him.

And yet… there it was. Burning, maddening, impossible to ignore.

A sudden crash against the door jolted me, breaking the haze of lingering desire and fear. Kevin barreled into the room, eyes blazing with fury I had only ever seen when a threat had dared touch one of his people or one of his children.

“Esther!” His voice was sharp, full of alarm and anger, and I flinched at the force of it. “What the hell happened in here? What did he do to you?”

I froze, caught between the truth and the lie I had cultivated for so long. Nicholas had kissed me, claimed me in a way that sent shivers through my body and ignited the bond I had tried to ignore.

What Kevin didn’t need to know, what he must never know, was that part of me had responded. That part of me had burned, trembling with the forbidden pull of him. I couldn’t let him see that. I couldn’t let him see me fall apart under Nicholas’s impossible gravity.

“It’s… nothing,” I said, voice tight, too controlled. “Just… a misunderstanding. He left.”

Kevin’s brow furrowed. “Nothing?”

He stepped closer, eyes scanning my face for evidence of injury, for signs of struggle. His wolf, taut and ready, pressed against his skin like armor, resonating with my own agitation.

“You look… shaken. That’s not nothing. What did he do to you?”

I shook my head, forcing a laugh that sounded brittle even to me. “Kevin, you have to trust me. I’m fine. Really. It’s over.”

He didn’t move, didn’t relax. His gaze, sharp and probing, cut into me, but I held firm. I had to. I had to protect the truth, protect Kevin’s heart, and protect the fragile balance of my life here.

He exhaled sharply, wolf huffing softly in frustration. “If anything ever happens to you, if he lays a hand on you—” He stopped, jaw tightening. “I won’t forgive myself.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “I’m fine.”

The room felt smaller with every moment, the air heavy with tension and unspoken truths. I pressed my hand again to my lips, tasting faintly the memory of him, hating that even as I tried to steel myself, part of me still longed for the fire he ignited.

We didn’t speak again. Kevin’s fury was palpable, simmering just beneath the surface like a storm that could break at any moment. There was nothing more to say. Nicholas had left, and for now, the immediate danger had passed.

We returned to the pack together, walking through the familiar corridors of Blue Lake with the weight of unspoken words pressing down on us.

Kevin’s hand occasionally brushed against mine, a protective reminder that he was there, that he would shield me from the world, and yet I flinched at the proximity, torn between gratitude and guilt.

When we reached the common hall, the room was quiet, the pack unaware of the storm that had just passed in my private space. I tried to settle, tried to focus on the mundane—the way the chairs were arranged, the faint scent of brewing tea—but my thoughts kept returning to Nicholas.

The kiss, the way he had pressed against me, the ache in my chest where the mate bond had flared all haunted me. I hated that it had, hated that even now, hours later, my body remembered every detail.

Kevin’s presence was steady beside me, and yet the moment passed in silence. Finally, he spoke, voice low and deliberate.

“Esther… I need to know. What exactly did he do to you?”

I hesitated, weighing the truth against the lie I had built for survival. If I told him everything about the kiss, the spark, and the pull of the mate bond, it would break him. It would shatter the careful balance we had created here, exposing him to the chaos that Nicholas always carried in his wake.

I shook my head slowly. “Nothing. Truly. Just… a confrontation. That’s all. He didn’t touch me beyond what was… unavoidable.”

Kevin’s gaze lingered, assessing, almost distrustful, but he didn’t push further. He seemed to sense the delicate balance, the edge I was teetering on. For now, my words were enough.

I let out a long breath, trying to force calm into my ragged chest. But the relief was short-lived. My phone vibrated in my hand. A message from the hospital flashed across the screen: Carl’s symptoms are worsening. His vitals are unstable. Please come immediately.

My stomach dropped. The sudden shift in focus erased Nicholas Crawford from my thoughts, replaced by the fear that had been gnawing at me for weeks, the fear I had tried to suppress, the fear that my son, my little boy, was in danger.

Kevin noticed immediately, eyes narrowing as he read over my shoulder.

“Carl?” His tone shifted from protective anger to cold concern in a heartbeat. “What happened?”

“I… I don’t know yet,” I said, voice tight, trembling slightly. I stuffed the phone into my pocket, trying to steady my racing heart. “They said it’s urgent. We need to go now.”

Kevin’s wolf stirred, tense and alert. He grabbed my hand, his grip firm but steady. “We’re going. Now. No delays. Tell me everything on the way, and I’ll handle it. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

We rushed through the corridors of Blue Lake Pack, my suitcase abandoned in the room, my heart hammering not just from the adrenaline but from fear. Fear for Carl. Fear for the fragile balance I had spent years maintaining.

Fear for the consequences of everything that had just occurred with Nicholas.

In the car, Kevin drove with a quiet, focused intensity, his hands gripping the wheel like he could control the world through sheer force of will. I sat beside him, knees pressed together, fists clenching and unclenching in my lap.

The drive to the hospital felt interminable. Every red light, every curve in the road, every passing shadow set my nerves on edge. I could barely breathe, barely focus, barely think beyond the image of Carl. His small, trembling body, his frightened eyes, the way he had asked me if he was a monster.

When we arrived, the hospital was a blur of white lights and quiet urgency. A nurse met us at the entrance, face pale.

“Alpha King Kevin? Dr. Arden? We’ve been monitoring Carl’s vitals. His symptoms have escalated. He needs immediate attention.”

I nodded, barely registering her words, my mind a storm of fear and guilt. Kevin guided me forward, his presence a steady anchor against the panic threatening to consume me.

I clenched my fists, pressed my lips together, and took a deep, shuddering breath. Whatever came next, I would face it. For Carl. For Sofia. For the family I had fought so hard to protect.