Chapter 372
Olivia
I awoke with a start, following a very strange dream. The details of it were fading already as my eyes blinked open, but the feeling of it remained. I vaguely remembered being trapped in the Council building, where the hallways turned into a maze and all of the doors disappeared.
That was strange, I thought. I hardly ever set foot in the Council building, and whenever I did, it was nothing but welcoming now that Nathan was the Alpha.
But then again, dreams were just dreams. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. A quick glance at the clock told me that it was past nine PM; I had been asleep for two whole hours. I felt a slight sense of panic begin to rise into my throat as I grabbed the baby monitor and checked the nursery, but the twins were fast asleep.
“Huh,” I muttered, setting the monitor back down. “Guess they’re sleepy.”
I sat there for a few moments, just taking it all in and enjoying the silence. The room was bathed in moonlight, and there were no sounds save for the occasional whistling of the wind against the eaves of the house or the sound of crickets chirping in the grass beneath the window.
All was calm.
But then it hit me; a soft breeze on my cheek, so subtle it was almost like a breath of air. Instantly, it was as if my body went into survival mode. I jolted up off of the couch, my head whipping around to face the window.
“Hello?” I called out, feeling the prickling sensation of being distinctly not alone. “Nathan?”
There was no answer. I padded cautiously across the living room and toward the kitchen, figuring that maybe Nathan was in there making a cup of tea or getting a glass of water. Maybe he just didn’t hear me, that’s all.
But when I stopped in the doorway, the kitchen was empty. Everything was just as dark as I had left it, the sink still full of dishes from the day. The only movement was the green light blinking on the dryer, indicating that the laundry had finished. Other than that, everything was as still as ever.
And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. My wolf stirred inside of me, her unease mirroring my own.
“I’m almost certain someone was here,” she said, her body bristling. Just like me, she was on high alert.
“You’re sure?” I said out loud, turning to look around. Everything looked the same; completely untouched. “Was it Clint, maybe? Coming to check in on us?”
“It wasn’t him,” she replied. “I recognize his scent easily. It had to have been someone else, but the scent… It’s been covered. I can’t pick it up.”
I furrowed my brow as I continued to look around. If my wolf couldn’t pick up the scent, that meant that whoever was in here had their scent covered by some sort of magic or potion. There was no other way to cover one’s scent; even those who didn’t have a wolf still had some sort of scent.
And yet, my wolf should have been able to recognize everyone in the pack. It was part of our blood. Even if I didn’t know the person normally, I should have still been able to recognize that they were part of our pack.
But this… This was different.
My eyes continued to dart around the room, seeking any sign of a disturbance. Everything appeared normal at first glance, but then my gaze landed on a window that was slightly open in the dining room, the curtains fluttering gently in the night breeze.
A chill ran down my spine. I was certain I had closed all the windows before falling asleep.
A shudder coursed through me as I slowly approached the window. I peered out for a few moments, my hands trembling slightly, but saw nothing; until I looked down.
And then I saw it.
The flowers beneath the window were crushed, as though someone had stepped in them.
The twins!
Slamming the window shut, I bolted up the stairs toward the nursery and all but burst into the room. I let out a sigh of relief as I did, though; the twins were still sleeping peacefully in their cribs.
Upon closer inspection, I could see both of their chests rising and falling. Aurora was sucking on the corner of her blanket, and Elliot was cooing softly, probably having a dream.
They were fine. But what about Nathan?
With hurried steps, I made my way to the bedroom, my mind racing with the possibilities of what might have gone on while I slept. As I pushed open the bedroom door, the sight before me stopped me in my tracks.
Nathan lay in bed, motionless, his form shrouded in the darkness of the room. He didn’t appear to just be sleeping; and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see a slight sheen of sweat caking his hair to his forehead. The sounds of his breathing carried across the room, raspy and shallow.
Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
“Nathan?” I called out, my voice tinged with concern. There was no response. My heart skipped a beat as I approached him, reaching out to gently shake his shoulder.
“Nathan, honey, wake up,” I urged, but he remained unresponsive even as I shook him. With bated breath I touched his forehead, and my blood ran cold. His skin was icy to the touch, and a sheen of sweat covered his brow. He was alarmingly cold, and his breathing was shallow and labored.
Panic surged through me, and I shook him more vigorously. “Nathan, please, you need to wake up!”
But he didn't stir, his body limp and lifeless under my touch. A sense of dread overwhelmed me. This was no ordinary illness; it was as if his life force was being drained from him. Like he was dormant, an empty husk, nothing more than a source of energy for something—or perhaps someone—else.
“Oh no, Nathan, what’s happened to you?” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. I had never seen him like this, so vulnerable and unresponsive. He was the Alpha, strong and unyielding, and now he lay in front of me looking like a shadow of his former self.
I needed to get him to a hospital, but I couldn’t call the ambulance; it would send the pack into a panic. I needed to get him to the hospital quietly without the entire pack seeing. After all, if they saw their Alpha looking so weak and helpless, then what would they think of him? Would they cast him down as Alpha? Would they see him as being unfit to lead our pack?
I paced the room for a moment, biting my lip. I had to get him to the hospital, and now. But as I tried to lift his body from the bed, he was nothing but dead weight. It was as if he had been filled with lead, and with the pregnancy, I knew that I would be putting myself in danger by trying to repeat the feat of what I had done when we got into the car accident.
“Oh, Nathan,” I murmured, pausing for a moment to look back down at his sleeping body. “I need to get you to the hospital.”
