Chapter 3: Dangerous Discovery
1647 Words
Chapter 3: Dangerous Discovery
(Elina's POV)
My arms burned as I struggled to push my mother’s wheelchair through the emergency doors of the pack hospital. Her head slumped against her chest, and her pale face drained of all color.
"Help me!" My voice cracked as I cried out. My wolf snarled inside me, frantic and protective, its energy surging beneath my skin.
A nurse rushed toward me, her expression calm but alert as she took control. Quickly, my mother was moved to a stretcher, disappearing into the examination room.
I tried to follow, but the nurse gently blocked my way. "Miss Rivers, please wait here. We’ll call you shortly."
I stood frozen, helpless as panic clawed at my chest. My wolf paced restlessly, whining in fear for my mother. How had I let this happen? The smell of gas, her collapsed body on the floor—it was all replaying in my head like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
Minutes later, Dr. Marcus, the pack’s head physician, appeared. His face was serious, his tone brisk.
"Miss Rivers, your mother is stable, but she requires immediate surgery," he stated. He held up a clipboard with a form I recognized far too well. "The procedure is costly, and per policy, you’ll need to pay the surgical fee in advance."
I glanced at the numbers. Fifty thousand dollars. My vision blurred for a moment as the weight of that figure sank in.
"Fifty thousand?" I whispered, swallowing hard around the lump forming in my throat.
"Yes," Dr. Marcus said flatly, unmoved by my shock. "It’s the base fee for the procedure. I suggest handling the p*****t quickly so we can proceed without delay."
The clipboard seemed to grow heavier in my hands. I had nothing close to that amount. He might as well have told me to move mountains.
"I... I’ll figure it out," I stammered, the panic rising further. "I just need a moment."
Dr. Marcus nodded perfunctorily and left, the sound of his shoes echoing loudly in the empty hallway.
I turned and headed for the restroom, my footsteps shaky. The fluorescent hospital lights seemed sharper, almost unbearably harsh. Inside the small bathroom, I leaned over the sink, clutching its edge tightly as nausea overwhelmed me.
Deep breaths, I told myself. In and out. Focus. But the sickness wouldn’t subside.
Then, as I counted the days mentally, realization slammed into me.
When was my last moon cycle?
My wolf whined anxiously, stirring restlessly beneath the waves of nausea clogging my body. My hands trembled as I tried to piece it together. Weeks? No—a month, at least.
The weight of the realization made my legs weak. I gripped the sink harder, staring at my pale reflection in the cracked mirror.
"No," I murmured out loud, shaking my head. "It can’t be."
But it could. Damon’s scent always lingered too long; his presence stayed wrapped around me longer than it should. What if...
I couldn’t finish the thought.
Desperate to know, I rushed to the hospital pharmacy, avoiding eye contact with anyone. My heart pounded wildly as I grabbed a discreet little box containing a pregnancy test. The cashier didn’t even look up as I handed over the cash, paying quickly and tucking it into my bag.
I couldn’t bring myself to open it—not yet. Not here.
I made my way back toward the hospital rooms. That familiar antiseptic smell clawed at my senses, but nothing compared to the overwhelming surge that washed over me when his scent hit me next.
Pine and storms. Sharp and unmistakable.
I froze mid-step, my pulse hammering in my ears. I looked to the right, and there he was. Damon, standing near the nurse’s station, his phone pressed to his ear.
He cut an imposing figure even here. His tailored suit fit him perfectly, radiating power. But his expression was different. His jaw was tight, and his brows creased with something I could only describe as... concern?
"I’m handling it," he muttered into the phone. His voice was unusually soft, almost tender as it contrasted with the hard edge that always followed him.
I stood there, unable to move, watching as he spoke.
"We’ll discuss the arrangements when you return," he added, his tone gentle but firm.
My chest tightened painfully. He was talking to Seraphina—he had to be. The thought made me sick all over again.
I turned, hoping to slip away unnoticed, but his head suddenly snapped in my direction. Those blue eyes locked onto mine in an instant.
"Elina," he called, his voice cutting across the busy hallway.
I forced myself to turn back toward him, my face a careful mask. "Alpha Blackwood," I greeted, keeping my voice polite and neutral.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, tucking his phone effortlessly into his pocket as he approached.
"My mother," I replied briefly. "She’s stable now, thanks to your earlier assistance."
"Stable isn’t fine," he said, his tone sharp. His eyes studied my face, narrowing slightly. "You look pale."
"I’ve been running around all day," I deflected, trying to hold my ground.
He stepped closer, and my heart faltered slightly. His presence was suffocating. Even when he wasn’t trying, his alpha dominance radiated off him like a weight pressing down on my chest.
"You smell... different," he noted, his voice low.
The words made my breath hitch. Did he know already? Could he tell? My wolf shrank nervously at the thought.
"I’m just tired," I lied smoothly, praying my composure wouldn’t c***k. My fingers itched to hide the test in my bag.
His eyes lingered on mine for a moment longer before he stepped back. He hesitated, as if wanting to say more, but I didn’t give him the chance.
"If there’s nothing else, I need to check on her," I said, nodding toward the direction of my mother’s room.
He gave a curt nod. "If you need anything..." his voice trailed off.
"I’ll manage," I interrupted, my tone firm. Anything more would break me.
Turning on my heel, I walked away quickly before he could stop me, my hand clenched tightly over the pregnancy test in my bag.
Inside the bathroom again, the moment of truth stared back at me. The little box in my hand weighed more than I thought possible.
With shaking hands, I finally tore it open and followed the instructions, my movements robotic and distant.
The next three minutes felt endless.
When the result finally appeared, I felt the ground fall out from under me.
Two lines. Positive.
I was pregnant. Damon’s pup.
Tears blurred my vision as I leaned against the wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the cold, tiled floor. My wolf whimpered in my chest, torn between joy and dread.
What was I going to do? Damon didn’t want pups, didn’t want me—not really. He would see this as a mistake, a complication he couldn’t afford.
I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed by everything—my mother’s health, Damon’s overbearing presence, and now this.
My phone buzzed, jolting me out of my thoughts.
A p*****t notification flashed on my screen. Damon’s supplementary card had automatically paid the hospital bill. Forty thousand, cleared in full.
My pride flared instantly. I’d ended our arrangement for a reason. I wouldn’t let him keep holding something over my head.
Gripping my phone tightly, I dialed his number.
"Elina," he answered almost immediately.
"I’ll repay the forty thousand," I said, skipping any formalities.
"Will you now?" he replied, his tone as smug as ever.
"I’ll set up a p*****t plan. Monthly installments until—"
"You think that’s how this works?" he cut me off, his alpha dominance creeping into his voice.
The frustration bubbled up inside me, but I bit it back. "What do you want, Damon?"
"Why don’t you ask your new friend?" he said, his voice dipping cruelly. "Asher Grey. I’m sure he’d love to help."
The suggestion stung more than it should’ve. He was baiting me, trying to humiliate me. My pride refused to let him win.
"When and where?" I forced out, my voice seething.
"Our usual place," he responded, smug satisfaction laced through every syllable. "Be there. One hour."
After ensuring my mother was resting peacefully in her room, I made my way to the secluded Blackwood quarters. The path was too familiar, every step pulling me closer to a moment I couldn’t avoid.
Damon was already waiting when I arrived. His presence swallowed the space as always, his alpha dominance filling every corner.
The encounter began as they always had, our bodies and wolves instinctively calling to one another. It was as if nothing else existed, just raw, overwhelming connection.
But then pain shot through me, unlike anything I’d felt before.
I gasped, stumbling slightly.
"Stop," I whispered, clutching my side as another wave of pain gripped me.
Damon frowned, his expression a mix of confusion and annoyance. "What’s wrong now?"
"It hurts," I managed, my voice thin.
"You’re being dramatic," he said, dismissing me with frustration.
A louder cry escaped me, and my wolf whimpered, the sound sharp and pained. That made him pause.
"Elina?" he said, his voice shifting to something more cautious.
I doubled over as the pain intensified, tears streaming down my face.
"Something’s wrong," I choked out.
His eyes flickered downward, and the moment he spotted the blood, his entire demeanor changed. His alpha instincts surged forward, eyes flashing with urgency.
"Don’t move," he commanded, already pulling out his phone. "Dr. Bennett? East wing quarters. Now."
He crouched beside me, his strong hands steadying me. His touch was unexpectedly tender, and for the first time in a long while, his control faltered, revealing genuine worry beneath.
His hand closed over mine, squeezing gently. "Breathe, Elina," he said, his voice firm but soft.
- Writer
