Chapter 117

Arthur

My heart stops cold in my chest as Iris collapses. Her glass shatters against the floor, sending the greenish liquid of the cocktail spilling across the hardwood.

It all happens so fast. One moment she’s on her feet, hosting a phenomenal party against all odds, and the next moment she’s down. Her face is turning an alarming shade of red, her hands clawing at her throat as she struggles for breath.

And then, just like that, she’s unconscious.

“Iris!” I’m on my feet in an instant, lunging toward her, but somehow Caleb is faster.

He’s at her side before I can take two steps, catching her as she collapses to the carpet. I can’t help but notice that it’s almost as if he’s done this before as he lowers her to the floor, one hand carefully supporting her head while the other reaches into his pocket for something.

“Move back!” he barks at the stunned guests, then pulls out what looks like an EpiPen. Without hesitation, he shoves Iris’s dress up toward her hips and then jams the needle into her thigh.

The effect is almost immediate. The terrifying blue tinge slowly starts to fade from her lips, and she gasps, drawing in a ragged breath. Caleb cradles her head in his lap, murmuring something to her that I can’t quite make out from where I’m standing frozen in shock.

“Someone call 911,” he commands, his eyes still focused on Iris like she’s the most precious thing in the world.

Hunter is already on his phone, rattling off the address to emergency services. I drop to my knees beside Iris, gripping her cold hands in mine. “Iris,” I murmur, even though I know she can’t hear me. “Iris, I’m here.”

The look of anger Caleb gives me isn’t lost on me, but I don’t have time to decipher it right now. For a moment, just a moment, the jealousy and confusion I’ve felt for days now melts away, replaced by pure terror for my mate.

Everyone else stands in stunned silence as we wait for the ambulance, the same questions no doubt running through all of our minds: How did this happen? What is she allergic to? And most importantly, how the hell did Caleb not only know about her allergy, but also just happened to have an EpiPen on hand?

The paramedics arrive within minutes, their professional calm a stark contrast to the chaos in the apartment. They quickly assess Iris, praising Caleb’s quick action with the epinephrine.

“You probably saved her life,” one of them tells him as they carefully load Iris onto a stretcher. She’s conscious again, but just barely, and I can tell she’s in a lot of pain. I can feel it in my bones, as if I’m experiencing the same pain, and it confuses me.

Many mates feel ghost pain if their mate is hurt or sick, but it’s not as prominent with human mates. The mate bond shouldn’t be strong enough between wolves and humans for those ancient forces—biological failsafes to ensure that, if one wolf mate got hurt, the other could recognize it and get help in order to keep both alive.

But Iris is a human. I shouldn’t be able to feel her pain like this.

Right?

Pushing the thought away for now, I move to follow the procession of EMTs and guests out of the apartment. I find parents gathering their coats and car keys in the foyer, looking astonishingly unbothered by the whole situation.

“We’ll leave you to it,” my father says stiffly. “Do keep us informed on her condition, Arthur.”

“You’re not coming to the hospital?” I ask, incredulous that they’re leaving when their son’s mate and the mother of their precious heir is being loaded into a fucking ambulance.

My mother adjusts her purse strap with a shrug, like I’ve just asked her to accompany me to the grocery store. “It seems rather crowded already, and what help could we possibly provide? We would only be in the way.”

They leave without another word, their indifference to Iris’s condition making my blood boil. But I don’t have time to dwell on it—I need to get to the hospital. I need to be by Iris’s side.

I ride in the ambulance with Iris, and, to my chagrin, Caleb does as well while Hunter and Alice follow with Miles in Hunter’s car. By the time we arrive, several nurses are already waiting in the emergency room.

Within minutes, Iris has already been taken to a private room and hooked up to various monitors and IVs. After a few tests, the doctor confirms that Iris did indeed have a severe allergic reaction to something, although they’ll need to run more tests to find out exactly what it is that she’s allergic to.

“I know what it is,” Caleb says firmly without looking at me, his gaze never leaving Iris, who is still half-unconscious in the hospital bed. “Kiwi.”

“Kiwi?” I breathe, furrowing my brow. How the fuck did Caleb know that when I didn’t even know, and Iris is my mate? Does she even know?

“Well, she’s lucky someone recognized the symptoms and had epinephrine on hand,” the doctor says with a nod. “We’ll run the allergen tests anyway to be certain, but thank you for your input, Mr. Willford.” With that, the doctor leaves.

Once we’re alone, with Iris still hooked up to all those machines, I can’t contain myself any longer. I grab Caleb’s arm and pull him away from her bed, not leaving the room but far enough away so as not to disturb Iris, who is still out of it.

“What the fuck is going on?” I demand, keeping my voice low but letting every ounce of my fury show. “How did you know she was allergic to kiwi? How did you just happen to have an EpiPen in your possession?”

Baring his teeth, Caleb yanks his arm free. “That’s none of your business.”

“Bullshit. First the damned ‘etiquette’ lessons, and now this?” My wolf is practically snarling beneath my skin with jealous rage. “What’s your game, Caleb? Are you trying to seduce my mate? Is this some sick revenge for what happened with Selina? How many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t mean to hurt Selina? I never would.”

His eyes flash dangerously. “You think I’m that petty? That I’d use an innocent woman to get back at you?”

“Can you blame me?” I snarl. “Every time I turn around lately, you’ve been there, by her side. Giving her money, spending time alone with her, knowing things about her that I don’t—”

“Maybe if you paid more attention to your mate, then you would know these things too,” Caleb snaps. “Did you ever ask about her medical history? Her allergies? Or were you too busy being the Alpha President to care about the details?”

“Don’t you dare question how much I care for her,” I growl, stepping closer. Oh, how I want to throttle this fucker. My wolf is practically begging me to sink my teeth into him. “She’s my mate. The mother of my child. I care about her more than all of Ordan combined.”

“And yet you didn’t know she could die from eating a kiwi,” Caleb shoots back. “Some mate you are, Arthur. I always knew you were a selfish fucker, but this—”

“Shut the fuck up before I shut you up,” I hiss, closing the remaining distance between us until our chests touch.

I’m about to grab him by the collar when a weak voice stops me cold.

“Stop it. Both of you.”

We turn to see Iris awake in her hospital bed. She looks pale and exhausted, but her eyes are clear and focused on us.

“Iris—” I move toward her, but she holds up a hand to stop me.

“Arthur, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve been trying to tell you for days.” She takes a shaky breath. “Caleb knew about my allergy because we share it. We share it because…” She looks at Caleb, then back at me.

“He’s my brother,” she says. “I’m the lost Willford heir. And I’m a werewolf.”