I'll find you?

The phone continued to ring.

Each shrill chime felt like a countdown, every passing second tightening the knot around my chest until I could barely breathe.

"Braxton, please." I reached for the phone again, my fingers brushing against his hand before he lifted it higher, effortlessly keeping it out of my reach. "Please, give it back."

He looked down at me without a trace of sympathy. "I've never seen you beg before."

"I..." My voice caught in my throat. "Please."

The call ended and my heart dropped.

"No..." I whispered.

Before I could snatch the phone from him, the screen lit up again.

The same number, the same ringtone again.

Relief and terror crashed into me at the same time.

"They're calling again." I took another step towards him, tears blurring my vision. "Please, Braxton. I have to answer it."

His jaw tightened.

"So persistent." His gaze flickered to the glowing screen before settling back on me. "Who is he?"

"What?"

"The man who's calling you." He scoffed.

"It's not…" I protested.

"You've refused to come back to the pack." He cut me off coldly. "You won't tell me why. Now you're ready to throw yourself at me over a phone call."

His laugh held no humour.

"Should I be impressed by your loyalty?"

"It's not what you think."

"Then tell me what I'm supposed to think."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

How could I explain without explaining everything?

How could I tell him the truth without dragging Micah into the middle of a past I'd spent five years trying to bury?

My silence only darkened his expression.

"I knew it." He glanced at the phone again as it continued vibrating in his hand. "Your lover must be getting worried."

"No!" I shook my head so hard my vision blurred. "Please don't say that."

"Then who is it?"

I looked at the phone and it kept ringing.

Every instinct inside me screamed that something was wrong.

Hospitals didn't keep calling unless something had happened.

My breathing became shallow.

"Braxton..." I whispered, barely able to force the words out. "Please... I'm begging you."

Braxton's gaze lingered on my face for a long, unreadable moment before it dropped to the phone vibrating in his hand.

The ringtone refused to stop.

It rang again and again.

Each second felt like another grain of sand slipping through an hourglass I couldn't turn over.

"You're shaking," he observed quietly, though there wasn't an ounce of concern in his voice. "Whoever's on the other end must be very important."

"It is." My voice trembled. "Please... just give it back."

His eyes narrowed. "So you admit it."

"No, that's not what I…"

"You've been lying since the moment you walked into this room." He lifted the phone a little higher, studying the bright screen instead of me. "You disappear for five years without a word. I find you dancing in a club, wearing a mask so no one recognises you. Then you refuse to come back to the pack because of some mysterious reason you won't explain."

His jaw hardened. "And now you're begging me over a phone call."

I took another cautious step toward him, terrified that if I moved too quickly he'd think I was trying to snatch it away.

"I know how this looks, but you're wrong." I tried to convince him.

His bitter smile returned. "Am I?"

"Yes." I nodded quickly.

"Then convince me." He titled his head

My lips parted but nothing came out.

Every explanation ended with Micah. Every truth led back to the secret I'd protected for four years.

The phone continued to ring between us.

Please… Please answer… Please don't let it stop.

Braxton watched the panic spreading across my face, and whatever he saw only seemed to confirm the story he'd already written in his mind.

"You love him." The accusation landed like another slap.

"What?" My eyes widened.

"The man calling you." His voice was frighteningly calm. "That's why you won't leave."

I stared at him in disbelief.

How could he believe that?

How could he look at me falling apart and still think this was about another man?

"It's not him," I whispered.

"Enough." His single word cut straight through me. "I'm done listening to excuses."

The ringing stopped and my stomach lurched so violently I thought I might be sick.

No… No, no, no...

I squeezed my eyes shut, silently praying they would try again.

One second, two and then three.

The phone lit up once more with the same number.

A sob escaped before I could stop it.

"They're calling back." My voice cracked as I reached for him again. "Braxton, please. They wouldn't keep calling unless something was wrong."

"They?" His brows knitted together for the first time.

"The..." I swallowed hard. "Please."

He searched my face, his expression unreadable.

For a fleeting moment, I thought he might hand it back. Instead, his thumb hovered over the glowing screen.

My heart lodged in my throat. "What are you doing?"

"If this really isn't your lover," he said coldly, "then you shouldn't have a problem with me answering."

My eyes widened. "No."

He ignored me.

"Braxton, don't." I said, my lips trembling.

His thumb moved closer to the green icon.

"Please don't answer it." I begged.

"Why?" His gaze locked onto mine. "Afraid he'll hear my voice?"

"No!" I lunged forward, but he caught my wrist before I could reach the phone.

His grip wasn't painful, it was unbreakable.

"Braxton, please." Tears spilled freely down my cheeks now. "I'm begging you."

"I noticed." He swiped across the screen.

The ringing stopped and my entire body went rigid.

He lifted the phone to his ear without taking his eyes off me.

"This is Braxton speaking."

A woman's professional voice immediately came through the speaker, clear enough for both of us to hear.

"Good evening. Am I speaking with Ms. Scarlett?"

Braxton's gaze never left mine.

"No." He answered.

There was a brief pause before the woman continued.

"This is St. Catherine's Children's Hospital. We're trying to reach Ms. Scarlett urgently regarding her son, Micah. His condition has suddenly worsened, and we need her here as soon as possible."

The world stopped. My knees nearly gave out beneath me.

"Micah..." I breathed, every ounce of colour draining from my face. "Oh God..."

Braxton didn't move. He didn't even blink. His fingers slowly tightened around the phone as the nurse continued speaking.

"Is Ms. Scarlett with you? If she is, please tell her to come immediately."

I reached for the phone again, my entire body shaking.

"Please..." My voice came out broken. "Please give it to me."

Braxton finally lowered the phone.

His eyes searched mine with something I couldn't recognise.

Shock and disbelief.

Then, just as quickly… it turned Ice cold again.

"Your son," he repeated quietly.

I nodded frantically, tears streaming unchecked down my face.

"Please... I have to go."

His jaw clenched. For one impossible second, I thought he understood.

Then he looked away with a bitter laugh that shattered every hope I had.

"So that's it."

I frowned through my tears. "What?"

"The reason you wouldn't come back." His eyes met mine again, colder than before. "You had a child with him."

"Please, Braxton." My voice shook violently. "Whatever you think of me, whatever you want to do to me later... Please let me go to my son."

He stared at me for a long moment before stepping aside.

"I'll be back," I promised immediately, not caring what I had to say to leave that room.

His eyes narrowed. "You think I'm letting you walk out because I believe you?"

I froze. "I don't."

He took one slow step closer until barely a breath separated us.

"I believe there's a child." His voice turned dangerously quiet. "I also believe that child belongs to the man you've been hiding from me for the last five years."

The accusation pierced straight through me. I opened my mouth, but he raised a hand, stopping me before I could speak.

"I don't want your excuses."

He picked up my handbag from the floor and shoved it into my hands.

"You have one hour." He said.

I stared at him.

"If you're not back..." His gaze hardened. "I'll come looking for you."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"I'll come back." I nodded frantically.

"You'd better." He said, eyes hardening.

His eyes held mine for one final second before he stepped aside and gestured toward the door.

"Go." He turned away.

I didn't wait for him to change his mind.

I turned towards the door and ran.