Chapter 489

Nathan

“Now onto the matter of packs Eastwind and Crescent Moon,” Dan said as he shuffled around the pile of papers that sat in front of him. “Let us begin with their shared proposal.”

“The way I see it, if those two packs want to merge,” one of the other Alphas said, “then they should also be required to pay a proportionately higher trade tariff to the association.”

“Indeed.” Dan nodded as he jotted down some notes on his notepad. “They are two very large packs…”

As the other Alphas discussed matters of pack politics, my mind was elsewhere. My phone had been buzzing incessantly in my pocket for several minutes now, and I was afraid to take it out for fear of another reprimand from Dan.

But the more my phone buzzed, the more I realized that I couldn’t just ignore it. Whoever was calling me so much was likely not calling to chat, judging by the amount of times they called.

No, something was certainly wrong. And whatever it was needed my attention.

Checking to make sure that Dan and the others weren’t looking, I carefully slipped my phone out of my pocket beneath the table and took a peek at the notifications. Almost instantly, I felt my heart sink and my blood run cold.

Ten missed calls from Olivia. Two voicemails, seven texts. And another four missed calls from… Angela?

I had been correct; something was wrong after all.

“Alpha Nathan?” Dan’s voice suddenly pulled me away from my phone. “Your text messages can wait until after the meeting.”

I raised my gaze up to Dan, whose cold eyes flickered with anger from across the table. Normally, I would have apologized and moved on with the meeting, not wanting to disrupt my seat on the council.

But whatever this was, it had to be serious. With a pregnant wife and two babies at home, anything could have happened. Olivia wouldn’t be calling me like this otherwise.

“I’m sorry, Alpha Dan,” I said, already rising from my seat. “But it looks as if there is an emergency at home. I have to call my—”

“Nonsense. Sit.” Dan narrowed his eyes at me, his cold gray irises shooting a warning at me from across the table.

And yet, I just stood there, still clutching my phone. No. I had promised Olivia that I wouldn’t let the Alpha association get in the way of our family. And with this many missed calls, texts, and voicemails, I wasn’t about to sit through another two hours of this damn meeting at the sake of my wife and children.

“I must make a call,” I insisted. “My apologies to all of you, but it cannot wait.”

Dan’s eyes flashed dangerously. Thankfully, though, one of the other Alphas spoke up.

“Let the boy call home,” he said calmly. “I remember when my children were small and rambunctious. A bright, sunny day such as today can quickly turn into a visit to the hospital and several stitches.”

I let out a soft sigh of relief at the other Alpha’s support. Dan stared at me for a moment longer, clenching and unclenching his jaw repeatedly, before he finally waved his hand.

“Fine,” he said. “One call. But make it quick.”

“Thank you, Alpha Dan.”

With that, I slipped out of the meeting chambers, my fingers already dialing my voicemail. I stepped into the dimly lit hallway and pressed the phone nervously to my ear. And that was when I heard her voice.

“Nathan, I… I’m going to the hospital,” Olivia’s voicemail said. Her voice sounded frantic and a bit garbled on the other end, as if she was already in the car. “Something is wrong with the baby… Nathan, I need you… We need you.”

The voicemail ended after that. The silence that followed seemed to press down on me like a thousand pounds had just suddenly been dropped on my shoulders.

Something was wrong with the baby…

I had to go to her. Now. Alpha association be damned.

Without a second thought, I burst back into the meeting room. The other Alphas and Dan, who had returned to their discussion, all looked up in unison at my sudden frenzy.

“Alpha Nathan,” Dan said coolly. “Now that you’ve finished your personal call, sit—”

“I have to go.” I was already grabbing my notebook off of the table and my jacket off of the coat rack. “I’m sorry, but my pregnant wife is in the hospital.”

A few of the other Alphas gasped. Meanwhile, Dan shifted angrily in his seat. He stood to his full height, seeming to tower over the others.

“You cannot simply walk out of our meetings,” he growled. “The doctors will take care of your wife just fine. Now—”

“No.” My voice came out sharp and powerful, causing all of the Alphas, even Dan, to blink in surprise. All this time, I had been so complacent with Dan’s demands. But not today. Not while my Liv was in the hospital. Not when she needed me.

“Pardon?” Dan hissed. “Are my ears betraying me, or did you just say ‘no’?”

“Yes. I said ‘no’.” I pulled back my shoulders and tilted my chin up at Dan. “I will attend the next meeting. But today, I have to go to my wife. I won’t sit here and continue to discuss matters of pack politics while my wife and unborn child are in trouble.”

Dan’s face hardened. “It is not becoming of a youngling Alpha such as yourself to walk out on meetings, especially during his probationary period,” he said gruffly.

“Perhaps it is not. But nor is it becoming for a man to tell another man to not attend to his wife and children when it is necessary.”

My words caused another ripple of gasps to trickle through the room. The other Alphas shifted uncomfortably and murmured in their seats; clearly no one stood up to Dan like this. Especially not a newbie like myself.

Finally, though, Dan waved his hand dismissively. “Very well,” he said, his voice so low it was barely more than a growl. “This one time, I will allow you to leave the meeting. But do it again, and your position on this association will be… reconsidered.”

His words meant nothing to me. I was already at the door, flinging it open and storming out without another word.

The whole drive to the hospital felt like a blur. I must have broken at least three or four traffic laws, but I didn’t care. I had to get to Liv and our baby. I had to be there for her, just as I had promised.

When I finally made it to the hospital, my footsteps were frantic as I burst inside. A shocked receptionist pointed me to Olivia’s room when I practically shouted at her for directions, and I didn’t even stick around long enough to apologize for my outburst.

All that was on my mind was Olivia. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.

Finally, I found her room. I flung the curtain open, and there she was: Olivia, my wife, my true love, my fated mate… Curled up on her side, clutching her stomach as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Liv…”

She cracked her red-rimmed eyes open at my presence. Without a word, she just held her arms open, still sobbing.

I ran to her and pulled her into my arms. Her small body felt so frail, so weak. And all I could do was hold her tightly and stroke her hair, murmuring into her ear.

“I’m here, my love. I’m here…”