Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Layla
The phone slipped from my nerveless fingers and cracked against the car's floor mat. Anna was still talking, but I couldn't hear her anymore.
"Kai's having another bloodline surge."
The words looped in my head like a broken record. All the fighting, the pain, the love and hate that had been flooding out—everything shattered under a more primal terror.
"Hospital..." I grabbed Kayden's arm so hard my nails nearly broke his skin. "Go! Now!"
My voice shook. The world spun. All I could see was Kai's agonized little face.
"Look at me, Layla." Kayden caught my hand, his palm broad and warm, strangely steadying. His other hand cupped my face. "Deep breaths. Look at me."
I locked onto him like a drowning woman finding a lifeline, staring into his eyes, trying to pull oxygen from somewhere.
"He'll be okay." His voice was low and even, anchoring my fraying nerves. "We're leaving now."
I found my breath again, gasping. Kayden released me, picked up my phone, pressed it into my hand, then buckled my seatbelt. The engine roared to life, and the car shot into the night like a beast unleashed.
I bit my lip hard, my mind spiraling through every possible outcome. Outside, the scenery blurred past, streetlights streaking across the windows.
"Don't be afraid." Kayden's voice cut through my panic.
"Bloodline surges are common in Alpha pups during growth." He controlled the wheel with one hand, speaking like he was giving the most natural lecture in the world. "It hurts like hell, but with proper guidance, he'll be fine."
"But Anna said he was convulsing..." I buried my face in my hands.
"That's his body adapting to awakening power," Kayden said. The car tilted as we cornered, throwing me sideways. "Like being flooded with too much energy all at once. It'll ache, it'll hurt, but—"
He glanced at me.
"But it won't kill him. Trust me."
That certainty in his eyes gave my chaos something to hold onto.
"Okay." I heard myself say, still shaking. "I trust you."
The car tore through the streets, the engine's roar slicing through the silent night. My overloaded heartbeat made me dizzy.
A red light ahead. Kayden didn't slow.
"Kayden, red light..."
He blew straight through. A turning taxi slammed its brakes, the driver leaning on his horn, curses flying out the window. Kayden didn't even blink.
Another intersection. Another red light. Another punch of the accelerator. This time, we nearly clipped a van—brake marks scorched two black lines across the pavement.
I watched his profile—jaw clenched tight, brow furrowed, fingers gripping the wheel. He wasn't as calm as he pretended. He was scared, too. For our son.
Finally, the hospital. The car screeched to a halt in front of the ER, tires shrieking against pavement loud enough to turn heads.
I shoved the door open. My legs felt like cotton. Kayden was already around the car, catching me as I swayed.
"Come on." He grabbed my hand so tight it almost hurt—but somehow that pain was the only thing holding me together.
We burst into the hospital. Fluorescent lights stabbed my eyes. I could only follow Kayden—he pulled me, supported me, half-carrying me as we ran.
The elevator doors started closing. Kayden lunged, arm blocking them.
"Wait."
The doors reopened. The nurse inside jumped. We squeezed in. Kayden punched the button for the third floor.
The elevator was too slow. Agonizingly slow. I bit the inside of my cheek to stay present, staring at the floor indicator—1, 2...
Kayden pulled me against him, arm around my shoulders, lending me strength.
Finally, the doors opened.
We bolted out, racing down the long corridor. Disinfectant mixed with something sickly-sweet, making my stomach churn.
"Ella!"
Anna's voice.
She stood at the end of the hall, clutching a wad of soggy tissues, makeup streaked down her face.
"Where's Kai?" I rushed over, practically shouting. "How is he?"
"In-inside..." Anna pointed at a closed door, voice breaking. "The doctor said they need to stabilize him first, wouldn't let us in. He was convulsing so bad, and he threw up, I..."
She couldn't finish. Covered her mouth, sobbing.
I rushed to the door. Through the small window, I saw him.
Kai lay in the bed, his small body curled into a ball like an injured animal. His face was terrifyingly pale, his lips purple, forehead drenched in sweat.
"Kai..." My hand pressed against the glass, trying to touch his trembling cheek through empty air.
"Miss Ross." Dr. Amy hurried over from the nurses' station, white coat flaring. "You're here. Kai's unstable right now, I need you to—"
"What's wrong with him?" I cut her off, almost begging. "Why is it so bad?"
"Bloodline surge. And the intensity is way beyond what I expected." Amy sighed, flipping open her chart. "The medication I prescribed isn't working anymore."
"So what do we do?" I grabbed her arm. "There has to be something, right?"
"There is." Amy glanced at me, then at Kayden. "But it requires—"
"What?" I nearly yelled. "Whatever it is, I'll do it!"
"He needs his father's guidance," Amy said. "An Alpha pup's bloodline is too powerful. He needs an adult Alpha of the same bloodline to help channel that power. Otherwise, these surges will get worse and worse, could even affect his development."
My knees buckled. Kayden caught my elbow, letting me sag against him.
"I'll do the guidance." Kayden looked at Amy. "I know how."
Amy's gaze shifted between us, thoughtful.
"You are...?"
"Kai's father." Before I could speak, Kayden said it. Calm and certain.
Amy blinked. Then her eyes lit up.
"That's wonderful, Miss Ross. With his father's guidance, Kai will recover quickly." She turned, fishing keys from her pocket.
"Follow me. We'll need a quiet space, at least an hour undisturbed..."
As Kayden moved to follow, I finally found a shred of clarity and grabbed his arm.
"Save him. Please..." I pressed my forehead against his arm, tears streaming down, soaking his skin.
"He's your son... for that alone..." Sobs broke my words apart. I couldn't go on.
Kayden sighed. He stroked my hair gently, then firmly but tenderly cupped my face, thumb wiping my tears.
"Trust me." He said, forehead touching mine, our breaths mingling. "Layla, trust me. This is just bloodline guidance. I went through it many times with my father. Kai will be fine. I swear it."
Then he kissed my forehead. Feather-light, barely there, but that spot burned.
"I'll protect our son." He whispered, only for me. "With my life."
He released me and followed Amy deeper into the ward.
The door closed in my face. Click. Like something locking shut.
I stood there, staring at that pale blue door, hand still suspended where I'd grabbed his arm.
"Ella..." Anna came over, taking my hanging hand. "It'll be okay."
"Yeah." I nodded mechanically, walked to the hallway bench, and sat. Hands clasped on my knees, back rigid, repeating silently.
It has to be okay.
Time turned thick. Every second felt like wading through mud. The wall clock ticked away. To me, the hands crawled like snails. I stared at that door, unblinking, afraid to miss anything.
What was Kayden doing in there? Was Kai still hurting?
What did guidance even look like? Could it be dangerous?
A million thoughts swarmed my brain like crazed ants.
Anna sat beside me, squeezing my hand now and then.
"Want some water?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Want to walk around?"
Another shake.
I didn't want to go anywhere. I just wanted to sit here, staring at that door, waiting for it to open.
Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Half an hour.
My palms were slick with sweat, my back soaked cold, shirt clinging to my skin like mold.
This is all my fault.
Kai always wanted a father. He'd dream of a blurry silver-eyed man. He'd ask me, "When's Daddy coming home?" He'd secretly draw on Father's Day—a tall man holding his hand, labeled "For My Superhero Dad."
Even his bloodline surges... when they first started, Amy told me a father's guidance was best. But I was stubborn, scared. To avoid Kayden, I insisted on medication. I made Kai suffer...
I bit my lip until the cut reopened, blood blooming metallic in my mouth.
I told myself I was protecting Kai. But really? I was weak. Running. Too afraid to face the past. Too afraid to love Kayden again—
But what about Kai? What did he need? He needed a father.
The doorknob turned.
I shot to my feet.
The door opened. Kayden stepped out. His face was pale, forehead sheened with sweat, shirt soaked through and clinging to the ridges of muscle beneath. But he was smiling. Tired, but his eyes shone.
"How is he?" I rushed over. "Is Kai—"
"Asleep," Kayden said. "Peaceful. The guidance went well. He's just exhausted now."
The wire inside me finally snapped. My rigid spine collapsed. Kayden caught me, pulled me into his arms. That embrace was warm and solid, smelling of salt-sweat and his cedar scent.
"Um, I just remembered I might not have locked the car..." Anna looked at us, mumbled some excuse, yawned, stood up, practically fled.
"It's over," Kayden murmured in my ear, hand patting my back. "Layla, it's over."
All the pent-up terror found its outlet. I sobbed into his chest, shoulders shaking violently, breath ragged.
Kayden didn't speak. Just held me, that hand rhythmically patting my back, over and over, soothing a broken child.
"It's over." He kept repeating, like a spell. "He's fine. He's safe."
Eventually, I calmed. Pulled back from his arms, roughly wiping my face with the back of my hand.
"Sorry. I just... lost it."
"No," Kayden said, pulling tissues from his pocket and handing them over. "You were just worried about Kai."
I took the tissues, cleaned up my tears and snot.
Must look like hell. But I was past caring about appearances.
"Thank you." My voice still hoarse, scorched. "Thank you, Kayden."
"He's my son." When Kayden said those words, something I'd never seen before lit his eyes—tenderness, joy, something close to pride.