Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Nolan POV
Lance and Cassian sat in the waiting room, close together, exchanging worried looks. I couldn’t bring myself to sit with them. Instead, I paced a few feet away, my heart racing-rage and fear a heady mix that refused to let me rest.
We had been rushed here straight from the chaos, and I felt like a clown pacing around in this damn suit, surrounded by the sterile smell of bleach and lemon- scented cleaners.
Everything was too bright, too sharp. Hospitals were always liminal spaces-caught between real life and the unthinkable—and the weight of that truth pressed on me until it felt like if I stopped moving, I’d never be able to start again.
The automatic doors swished open. A doctor approached, his face stern, carefully blank, but his eyes betrayed him. There was a storm there. Fear.
“Alpha,” he greeted.
“How is she?” I demanded, stepping into his space, unable to restrain the aggression I usually kept in check.
“It was wolfsbane,” he said evenly. “The injection contained a high concentration of it. Ellie is in critical condition, but we’re hopeful she’ll recover, fortunately He hesitated, his tone shifting softer, almost apologetic. I don’t think there’s anything we can do for the babies p>
The words didn’t compute. They stuck in my brain like static, refusing to form sense. The look on my face must have told him enough, because he pressed on.
“Alpha, you need to understand-Ellie is going to lose the twins p>
Behind me, I heard Lance’s footsteps, but I couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink. The reality was too harsh, too cold.
I had suspected Ellie was pregnant-half-convinced, really-but to hear it confirmed now, like this, was cruelty beyond measure. She was going to be a mother. I was going to be a father. And now-
“Nolan,” Lance said gently, like he was approaching a spooked animal.
I turned, half-crazed, and saw him watching me carefully.
“Maybe you should sit down p>
I shook my head once and looked back at the doctor. My voice was raw. “The twins p>
The man’s shoulders sagged. “Yes, sir. The injection-it was like he was aiming for her womb. It hit too close. We’ll do everything we can for Ellie. But the babies Something gave out inside me. My knees, my will-I couldn’t tell. Lance’s arm caught me, steadying me.
“I’ve got him,” he told the doctor. The man gave me one last look before hurrying away.
Lance guided me to a chair and forced me down. My body folded forward, elbows on my knees, head in my hands. The world spun.
Everything about Ellie these past months made sense now-her moods, her anger, her eating habits. I’d seen it all. I’d suspected. But why had I been so stubborn, so willfully blind?
If I had faced the truth sooner, if I had protected her-protected them-things could have been different.
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But it was too late. She hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me. And that was on me. Now it was all gone.
Third person POV
Nolan hadn’t moved in several minutes, and it unsettled Lance more than he wanted to admit. His brother was responsible for creating this situation, yes, but seeing him like this, broken, raw, it was rare.
Lance hadn’t even witnessed this kind of emotion from Nolan when their parents died.
He was completely devastated, curled in on himself defensively, his eyes hidden behind his hands. Lance couldn’t be sure, but the occasional shudder in his shoulders gave him away. He was almost certain Nolan was crying.
And who could blame him? Lance wanted to cry too. He already had, earlier, on the ambulance ride over.
Ellie had clutched his hand while drifting in and out of consciousness, whispering about her legs feeling numb, admitting she was afraid. The memory shattered his heart.
Hurried footsteps broke the silence. Lance looked up to see Rae rushing toward them. She didn’t say a word at first, but the panic in her eyes was question enough.
“The doctors think Ellie will recover,” Lance said quietly, “but… the babies p>
Rae’s tears came instantly. She didn’t bother to hide them as they streamed down her face.
“Oh God,” she gasped. “We should have been quicker-we shouldn’t have waited.” “Don’t blame yourself. We couldn’t have predicted this,” Lance reassured her.
“I saw the footage,” Rae explained, her voice breaking. “It’s already all over the news. There are crews outside. Nolan’s security won’t let them into the building, but they’re like vultures p>
“Damn reporters,” Lance muttered lowly.
“Who was that man?” Rae asked, looking up at him.
Lance shook his head, but before he could answer, Cassian stepped up beside them, resting a hand comfortingly on Rae’s shoulder.
“My father’s having it investigated,” he said softly. “Your pack is focused on security, on locking things down and making sure none of his accomplices escape. So my father’s using his resources for background research. It looks like he was a rogue. There’s not much else yet p>
“A rogue? Why would he attack Ellie like that?” Rae pressed, an edge of desperation in her voice.
“He said Ellie was supposed to be his p>
Nolan’s voice cut through the room, raw and strained. All eyes turned toward him.
He still hadn’t moved, but his
words carried.
“He kept telling Ellie not to pretend she didn’t know him,” Nolan went on. “It sounded like he was an old lover. Maybe p>
“From when she was younger. In the Rogue Lands,” Cassian finished, nodding slowly. “That would make sense p>
“But why attack her now?” Lance asked. “Why suddenly, out of the blue like that? It doesn’t add up p>
“Maybe he just tracked her down,” Cassian suggested. “Or maybe something in the news caught his attention. He
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seemed unhinged. I doubt he was thinking logically p>
“Did Ellie ever mention an old lover like that?” Lance asked, turning to Rae.
“No,” Rae answered. “But she never talked much about that part of her life. It didn’t seem like she was hiding anything she just didn’t like to bring it up. And with her memory problems after the accident Her voice faltered. “Even if she had known him, I doubt she would have recognized him. For a long time she barely knew who any of us were p>
“That’s true,” Nolan said finally, lifting his bloodshot eyes toward them. His voice was hoarse. “If he’s telling the truth, Ellie wouldn’t have known the difference. Not with her amnesia p>
“We’ll keep digging into it,” Cassian said firmly. “We’ll find out the truth. In the meantime, all we can do is wait for word about Ellie’s condition p>
“My cousin’s on her surgical team,” Rae added. “I know they’ll do everything possible. She’s in the best hands p>
Nolan gave a slight nod, accepting her reassurance without speaking.
Lance and Cassian returned to their seats, Rae joining them. Cassian held her hand, offering silent reassurance as her tears continued to fall.
Lance kept his own hands firmly on his knees, the stiffness in his shoulders only
growing.
But the tension in the waiting room didn’t lift. If anything, the heaviness grew, pressing down on all of them. They knew action was being taken-the man would be questioned, justice would be done, and Ellie would be protected.
Yet the helplessness of waiting, of not being able to do anything for her in this moment, was unbearable. The four of them sat together in silence, staring at the doors, waiting for someone to come out and tell them what was happening.
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