Chapter 4

I woke up in agony.

My entire body ached like I’d been trampled by a stampede—which, come to think of it, wasn’t far from the truth.

The sharp scent of antiseptic clung to the air. I blinked up at the unfamiliar white ceiling, confusion tugging at the edges of my foggy mind.

Then I turned my head—and saw him.

Kane.

He was sitting beside the bed, eyes shadowed with exhaustion, the blue-tinged hollows beneath them deep and bruised. The moment our eyes met, his shoulders sagged in visible relief.

"You’re finally awake," he breathed, placing his hand gently against my forehead. His voice was low, soft—too soft. "Where does it hurt?"

I parted my lips to speak, but my throat was dry. Scratchy. Useless.

The last thing I remembered was screaming his name as the horses charged—screaming for him. Watching helplessly as he ran… in the opposite direction.

To save Lilian.

He hadn’t looked back.

Now, sitting here beside me, he must’ve felt the weight of my silence, the sting of my wordless accusation. Still, he chose not to face it. He glanced away and said, too casually, "Lilian’s a little hurt. You know how fragile her health is."

Right. Of course. Fragile Lilian.

I just stared at him.

He cleared his throat and added, "The blood bank’s running low. And your blood type matches hers..."

My chest tightened.

He leaned closer, taking my hand, his voice lowering into a hoarse whisper. "I know you don’t like her… but Julia, you’ve always been the stronger one. You never hold things against me, right?"

I blinked at him, my heart slowly curling in on itself.

He was right. I’d never truly fought him. Never screamed. Never said no. I’d always been the one who understood, the one who forgave.

But not this time.

Something in me cracked.

I yanked my hand away from his like it burned, the sudden movement wrenching at something inside me. Pain exploded through my side and I gasped, clenching the sheet in my fist.

"Julia..." His voice cracked, gravelly and desperate. "Just this once, okay? Once. After the baby’s born, things can go back to normal—if that still means anything to you."

I stared down at the hand he’d just held. It didn’t even feel like mine anymore. And his… his looked like it belonged to a stranger.

Just yesterday, this man left me to die under a storm of hooves.

Now, he wanted me to save someone else?

A knock came from the door. One of the healers peeked in and said quietly, “Alpha Kane, Miss Lilian can’t wait much longer.”

His eyes flickered—frustration flashing beneath the concern.

“Julia, please don’t make this harder than it has to be—”

He caught himself. For once, he realized how hollow he sounded. His tone softened. “Come on. I’ll go with you. Please.”

I didn’t answer.

Didn’t fight.

Just got up and followed him.

The moment the needle slid into my arm, I stared blankly at the ceiling. I didn’t flinch. Didn’t cry. Didn’t even blink. Whatever the healer was saying sounded like background noise underwater.

All I could hear was a memory—one that wouldn’t let go:

"Julia, wherever you go, I’ll be right behind you."

He said that when he was twenty.

Now?

Now, he was outside the room, checking his watch over and over, not even bothering to come in and see how I was holding up.

When it was over, I stood on shaky legs, blood loss making everything tilt. But I didn’t ask for help. I walked back to my room alone.

Halfway there, I paused.

Lilian’s door was slightly ajar. Something made me look.

She was pale, her wrist wrapped in gauze. Kane sat at her bedside, gently pulling the blanket up around her like she was made of glass.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “Everything’s okay now. The pup is safe too.”

My gaze slid to her neck—and my stomach dropped.

She was wearing his silver plate.

The one he used to wear around his neck. The one I had knelt in the snow for three years ago, praying beneath the stars before clasping it around his neck with trembling hands.

“Let it keep you safe, for the rest of your life,” I had whispered.

Now it was hers.

He had given away the very thing I begged the heavens to protect him with… to another woman.

And she wore it like it belonged to her.

I turned and walked away before I did something I’d regret.

The next day, the healer brought me a clipboard.

“Time to finalize your medical records,” she said, not unkindly.

I filled in my name. Age. Species. Pack.

When I got to "Marital Status," my pen hovered.

Then I wrote slowly, firmly: Unmarried.

The healer blinked. “Wait—did you make a mistake? Isn’t Kane your mate?”

I looked her dead in the eye, my voice calm. “No.”

The door burst open.

Kane stood in the doorway, disbelief written all over his face. “What did you just say?”

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