Chapter 23

"We must get her to the hospital quickly. Her wolf is so very weak, and she is quickly losing her strength."

A strong wave of shame coursed through Ethan's heart. This was his fault. He'd failed to serve her, and the pups as well. Now she had to pay for that.

"Ethan." The doctor snapped him out of the sleeve of thoughts he'd lost himself in. "We need to move. Now."

Ethan nodded and then carefully took Ayla into his arms. "I will be driving."

"No, Ethan, you have to be with her in the back. I'm driving," the doctor said, already moving out of the mansion.

Nothing, Ethan said, climbing in back and sliding all the way across the seat to sit as close to the farthest corner as he could, trying to keep Ayla's head pressed into his chest and say soothing things that doubtless were lost in all the prattling noise the waterfall inside his heart was making. The drive to the hospital was interminable. Every pulsing moment deepened his fear.

It came down to the drive to the hospital, speeding Ayla to the ER, and then leaving Ethan standing alone in that corridor, helpless in the sense that he could do nothing but stand there and watch the doctors and nurses struggle to save Ayla's life.

Hours slid into minutes as he prowled back and forth across the hall, going over in his mind what more he could have done to prevent this situation from happening. He had been tasked with keeping Ayla safe, yet she lay in the operating theater fighting for her life due to his failures.

The door leading into the emergency room opened, and a doctor emerged, rather fatigued.

"How is she?" Ethan asked barely above a whisper.

"She's stable for the moment," he said. "But her wolf is very weak. She's gone into shock, a deep state of it, and it will be time before she heals if she does."

Ethan felt his legs give out from under him and sank into one of the chairs in the hallway. "This is all my fault."

He put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Ethan. She's a strong woman; she'll get through as long as she just gets enough rest and time."

He nodded, his heart filled with the guilt of sinful weight now making its residence in his chest. He should be strong for Ayla, he must. Just the thought of it was crushing.

Ethan rocked back in his chair as the doctor turned around once more. His mind kicked into overdrive to figure out how he could right things. First, he needed to find those pups, then he needed to find whoever did this to Ayla.

He pulled the phone from his pocket. His delta, Luca’s voice came through. "I need your help. Ayla's in the hospital," he hesitated, then added, "and the pups are missing again. I don't have time to explain. Meet me at the hospital."

The other side was silent for a long, drawn-out breath before Luca's arrival with serious lines etched into his words and concern threading into his voice. I'll be there in fifteen minutes.

Ethan slammed the phone shut and looked at the hospital doors in front of him, beyond which Ayla lay, fighting for her life. His fists clenched as his mind, set to come up with a resolve as solid as stone, said he was not going to let her down. He was going to find those pups, no matter what it takes, then he was going to make their abductor pay dearly indeed.

Still, with all of that, Ethan's mind was spinning into plan even as he waited for Luca. It was crazy, eccentric, and it would take him down to the very depths of the shadows of the world from which he himself had once tried to escape. But for Ayla, he'd do it. Whatever it takes.

He only prayed he wouldn't be too late.

"Ethan, what in the name of all hell happened?" Luca's voice ripped through the hospital corridor, his features torn between concern and anger.

"It's a long story," came the low tones of his return, and with it, features turned grim, "but I'll give you the short of it—Ayla was kidnapped and she was found unconscious in a room filled with poisoned gas. Her wolf is weak and the pups were taken again, just last night. I need your help to get them back."

His eyes narrowed. "Did you find out who did this?"

Ethan growled lowly in his throat. "Not yet. But I'm going to find out, and when I do, whoever is responsible won't live to see another day."

Luca nodded, working his jaw. "For this you know I am with you. What is the plan?"

And now, as fast as Ethan's mouth developed equine fluency, his mind was racing. "First order is to smoke them out. Whoever is behind this. Somebody, somewhere in that forsaken mansion must know something, some guard or servant, anyone acting suspiciously."

"Traitor?"

"It can't be eliminated. We wouldn't want to suspect anybody just yet. We'll start from within."

The next moment was silent, and he did not say a word more, whilst he nodded. "I'll ask the staff discreetly. we don't want them to catch on to what we are really searching for."

"That'll be fine," replied Ethan. "I'm just going to sit right here on the seat with Ayla. Maybe, if she's up to it, she'll give us some information about this issue."

At that moment, he re-entered. The doctor's face told his worry: "Ethan, Ayla woke up. She is looking for you."

Another wave of relief, recently struck with an added touch of more worries, came over Ethan again. Surely, he had no idea in what condition Ayla would be found, but he had to check up on her.

“Luca, wait for me, I'll be right back," Ethan murmured to him before he pushed into the room to join the doctor and passed him to Ayla's bedside.

She was so debilitated, in such atrocious contortion of her face, so labored in her breathing. Her eyes were open, and they found Ethan right at the moment he moved closer.

"Ethan…" she whispered.

"I am here," he said very softly, sitting next to her, holding her hand so tightly. "You are going to be alright, Ayla. Everything is going to be alright."

“Liam?” She said, trying to look behind Ethan, and her eyes returned to him with raised eyebrows, when she didn't see him anywhere.

A pang of jealousy hit Ethan, but he didn't show it. He had to keep his emotions in check. This was not the right time to show that he was affected by their mate bond.