Chapter 392

Nathan

I jerked awake out of nowhere, and the harsh, sterile scent of the hospital instantly filled my nostrils.

Confusion and disorientation clouded my mind for a moment. I looked around with a furrowed brow; tubes and IVs were attached to me, tangled together like some sort of web of plastic and needles.

Panic gripped me in that moment, and without thinking, I sat up abruptly, gasping for air.

The nurse who had been tending to me let out a startled shriek, nearly dropping the tray of medical supplies in her hands. She stumbled back, her eyes going wide, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Are you alright, sir?” she asked.

I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my mind. “I’m uh… Fine,” I managed to say, my voice hoarse. The memory of what had brought me back into the physical world flooded back into my mind, and my heart began to race.

“Where is my wife?” I blurted out.

The nurse furrowed her brow. “Miss Olivia?” she asked, sounding more and more confused with each passing second. “She left several hours ago, sir. Perhaps she went home.”

I narrowed my eyes, thinking for a moment. Everything felt so fuzzy at first, as though I had just had an intense dream that had immediately begun to fade the moment that I woke up. But then it began to come back, and I knew that I needed to get out of here.

Olivia was in danger, and I couldn’t afford to stay here a moment longer.

“I need to go,” I said, meeting the nurse’s gaze. “Where are my things?”

The nurse’s face was pale as she spoke. “Sir, let me get the doctor,” she said, slowly and cautiously setting down the tray of medical supplies in her hand. “We can’t let you go until you’re officially discharged.”

“But I—”

“I’m very sorry,” she said. She was already inching out of the room. “It’s hospital policy.”

With that, the nurse slipped away, and I was left sitting there in the hospital bed. I cursed under my breath, running a hand through my hair.

I didn’t have time to wait for some doctor to let me leave. My fiancee and our unborn child were in danger, the twins were potentially in danger as well, and I needed to get out of here.

I wasted no time. I looked around for a moment and spotted my clothes, which were neatly folded on a nearby chair. Without hesitation, I tore the IV from my arm, gritting my teeth against the sharp pain.

The urgency of the situation left me no room for patience. I dressed quickly, my movements fueled by determination.

But as I made my way to the door, alarms began to blare, and the commotion outside grew louder. Doctors and nurses rushed in, their faces a mixture of surprise and concern.

“Sir?” the same nurse from earlier said, holding her hands out cautiously. “Sir, please get back in your bed—”

But I wasn’t about to let them stop me. I slipped past all of them and managed to slip out the door, where I burst into the chaotic hospital corridor. I spotted a bright green exit sign, which I made a break for, ignoring the doctors’ calls for me to stop.

My focus remained on one singular thing—I had to find Olivia. She was out there, somewhere, in danger, and I couldn’t waste a second longer in this hospital.

“Sir! Wait!” A doctor’s voice called to me. “Wait, please!”

But I wasn’t listening.

I sprinted down the hallway, my breath hitched in my throat. Every corner I turned, every door I passed, I strained my senses, trying to pick up the faintest trace of Olivia’s scent. But I couldn’t make anything out over the smell of the sterile hospital. I needed to get outside.

But as I raced through the maze-like hospital corridors, it became clear that I wouldn’t be able to navigate this place alone. Doctors and nurses were hot on my heels, their voices growing louder as they closed in.

Just as I felt like I was going to be cornered and brought back to my hospital bed, though, a familiar face rounded a corner.

“Angela,” I breathed, rushing up to her. “You have to help me.”

“Shh,” she hissed.

Without hesitation, she grabbed my arm and forcibly yanked me with her into a nearby supply closet. The space was cramped, filled with supplies and white lab coats, but it kept us hidden just as the doctors and nurses who were searching for me went running past.

“How the hell did you wake up?” she whispered, confusion and concern drawn across her face. “You were in a coma.”

I took a deep breath, my chest still heaving from the run. “I don’t know, but Olivia is in trouble,” I explained quickly. “I need to find her. It’s urgent.”

Angela nodded, her expression turning to one of determination as soon as she heard that Olivia was in trouble.

“I knew something was off earlier,” she whispered. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll help you get out. Just promise to bring her home, okay?”

I nodded. There was no need to promise; I wouldn’t let anything happen to Olivia and our family. I couldn’t.

Angela peered out of the closet cautiously, checking for any approaching hospital staff, and then she motioned for me to follow her. We slipped out into the corridor and began to move quickly and quietly through the hospital’s hallways.

The alarm bells continued to ring, creating a cacophony of chaos around us. Doctors and nurses rushed past, and each time we heard them approaching, we would duck into another closet or sprint down another hallway or slip into another room.

At one point, we slipped into a room just as two nurses quickly rounded a corner, managing to slip out of sight just milliseconds before they spotted us.

Angela and I pressed ourselves against the walls in the dimly lit room, out of breath and frantic. The elderly patient in the bed continued to watch the soap opera on the TV, completely ignoring our presence.

Once the nurses were gone, Angela nodded her head for me to follow. We slipped out, looking both ways before we bolted down the final hallway where a glaring red fire exit sign was posted overhead.

As we reached a side door leading outside, Angela turned to me. “Go find Olivia,” she said, determination in her eyes. “I’ll make sure they don’t follow you.”

I nodded. “Thanks, Angela.”

She gave me a small, reassuring smile and pushed the door open, allowing a sliver of fresh air to rush in. I stepped through, and as the door closed behind me, I was left standing alone in the cool night air.

I took a moment to center myself, using my wolf’s heightened senses to pick up any sign of Olivia’s scent. There was nothing at first, nothing but the scent of trees and the ocean.

But then I sensed it.

It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there—that tantalizing, familiar scent that was so perfectly Olivia.

“I’m coming, Liv,” I whispered, picking up my pace as I began to race toward that scent. “I’ll be there soon.”