Chapter 8

Chapter 8 When Eddie entered the hospital room, Kalea was resting peacefully, propped up against a mountain of pillows. “Is it difficult for her to breathe?” Renee asked anxiously as she sat down on the edge of Kalea’s bed. “Not at all, Your Highness. There are several heated blankets tucked behind her under the pillows so that heat continues to radiate around her whole body, not just from above or below,” Dr. Martin explained as he scanned Kalea’s chart, where every intervention performed by the nursing staff had been meticulously recorded for his review. “Mother, can you heal her?” Tobias asked, turning toward Amelia with desperate hope in his voice. “I would need to know what is wrong with her first, my Prince,” Amelia replied softly, placing a gentle hand on Kalea’s forehead and shaking her head. “My Queen, can you enter her mind and see if it can tell you anything?” Eddie asked, pulling up a chair on the other side of Kalea’s bed and taking her hand. “No, Edward, I can’t,” Amelia responded softly, looking down at her granddaughter with deep concern. “With her being so weak, entering her mind while she is in this state could kill her. It already puts a massive strain on a werewolf—I couldn’t imagine what kind of toll it would take on Kalea right now.” Eddie sighed and nodded in understanding. He looked at Kalea, watching the color in her cheeks slowly return to normal and feeling her skin, which was no longer freezing to the touch. “This visit truly isn’t going as we initially planned,” Renee sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair and shaking her head. “That’s putting it lightly,” Tobias agreed, resting a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Is she going to be okay?” Hailey asked from the doorway. She, Kurt, and Jared hadn’t wanted to crowd Kalea’s room while the entire royal family and Eddie were inside. So, along with Benny, they had patiently waited out in the hallway, peering in through the open door with worried eyes. “She’s stable for now, Beta,” Dr. Martin repeated, looking toward Kurt and the others in the doorway. “As I told the Alpha and the Royal Family, we’ll be keeping her for observation and monitoring. I suggest you all get your days started. Alpha, I’m sure morning training has been delayed because of your absence,” Dr. Martin told everyone. “I’m not leaving her,” Eddie snarled at the doctor, his eyes flashing as Durango surged to the surface at the mere suggestion of leaving Kalea's side. “And you shouldn’t, Edward. I’m sure Beta Kurt and Gamma Jared can handle the troops in your absence. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Amelia said smoothly, placing a calming hand on Eddie’s arm to keep the tension in the room from escalating. “Yeah, man, you stay here. We got this,” Kurt stated, tapping Jared on the chest with the back of his hand before gesturing for Hailey to follow. Per Dr. Martin’s words, morning training had been severely delayed because the pack leadership was absent. So, when Kurt, Hailey, and Jared finally made their way out onto the training field, half of the pack was already gone. “Where is everyone?” Jared asked, looking around the nearly deserted, dew-covered grass. “Duh, Jared. They all probably did what they could and left. A lot of the pack have jobs, remember?” Hailey said, rolling her eyes affectionately. “Is it really that late?” Jared questioned, pulling out his phone to check the screen. Sure enough, the digital clock read almost eight in the morning—long past the time everyone usually wrapped up drills to shower, change, and head out of the territory to make it to their jobs in the human world. Kurt let out a low whistle, rubbing the back of his neck. “Man, time flew while we were in that hospital. Guess today’s formal session is officially scrubbed.” “For the morning shift, maybe,” Jared said, snapping his phone shut and tossing it from hand to hand. “We can run the evening session with double intensity to make up for it.” “Ugh, whoever thought planning a wedding could be so difficult?” Hailey grumbled, rolling her shoulders to work out the tension. “Whoever thought having a Luna that was human could be so difficult?” Jared grumbled in response. “Hey! She’s only human now because she gave up her wolf to save our species, Jared!” Hailey shouted, pointing an angry finger directly at his chest. “I know that, Hailey!” Jared held up his hands defensively, though his jaw remained set. “I’m not discounting what she sacrificed. But it doesn’t change the fact that if she so much as sneezes, Eddie initiates a code red for the entire packhouse. First the chickenpox, and now a sudden ailment no one can explain?” Kurt stepped between them, putting a hand on both of their shoulders to push them apart before their squabbling turned into a shouting match right in the middle of the training field. “Knock it off, both of you,” Kurt warned, his voice firm with Beta authority. “Jared, watch your mouth. Kalea saved all of our asses, including yours, and Eddie has every right to lose his mind when her life is on the line. And, love, Jared didn’t mean anything bad by what he said. He was merely stating a fact. Kalea is human, and it does make her a liability, but it’s a fact the pack accepts and honors.” Jared sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at the dirt. Hailey sighed as well, taking a deep breath to bring her anger under control. It was almost funny to think back on how things used to be. For someone who had spent her entire adolescence tormenting Kalea as children, Hailey had essentially become Kalea’s glorified bodyguard. She wasn't just upholding their deal of waiting on Kalea hand and foot to make up for all the ruthless bullying from their younger years—somewhere along the way, the forced atonement had morphed into genuine loyalty. Over the past few months, Hailey and Kalea had become the best of friends, and Hailey took any threat to her former target’s safety as a personal insult. “Look, I’m sorry,” Jared said softly, breaking the silence as he kicked a stray pebble across the grass. “I shouldn't have snapped. I’m just on edge with everything going on.” “I know,” Hailey admitted, offering him a small, repentant smile as her shoulders relaxed. “I get defensive when it comes to her now. I just... I hate seeing her helpless. She gave up everything to keep our species from turning into a distant memory, and every time she gets hurt or sick, it feels like we’re failing to protect her.” “You feel like you’re failing her; imagine what Eddie feels,” Kurt stated, his tone sober and heavy. “Kalea’s his mate, his fiancée, his Luna, his best friend, and his forever partner. It’s his duty as her man to keep her safe. If she gets sick, injured, or anything like that, it falls directly on Eddie’s shoulders. Not just because he’s everything to her, but because he’s the Alpha of this pack.” Hailey went quiet, the truth of Kurt’s words sinking in. She lowered her head slightly, looking out over the empty practice field. “He carries the weight of every single person in this territory,” Kurt continued, turning to face both of them. “Every warrior, every child, every elder. But Kalea? She’s his entire heart. Seeing her like that while he’s standing right there, unable to fight whatever’s doing it—it’s killing him inside.” “Not to mention what it’s doing to her parents,” Jared added, nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just added fuel to the flame a few moments ago. Hailey shot him a sharp look, raising an eyebrow at his quick shift in attitude, but decided to let it slide. “That’s why, as their second and third in command, we shouldn’t be going at each other’s throats,” Kurt said with finality. “We need to keep the pack running smoothly while they’re out of commission. The Royal family is here on vacation, not to act as monarchs over our territory right now. Let’s do our best to ensure their stay is warm and comfortable, despite the emotional discomfort they’re feeling because of Kalea.” Hailey and Jared both nodded in agreement; the earlier tension between them completely dissipated. “Alright, well, I guess that means we should get going?” Jared said and turned toward the packhouse. “Where’re you going?” Hailey asked him, crossing her arms. “To get my duties done?” Jared furrowed his brows, looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “WE still have morning training to do, lazy ass,” Kurt said, pointing over his shoulder toward the open training field. “Just the three of us!?” Jared asked, staring at him in disbelief. “Yeah. Let’s go,” Kurt said, leaving no room for argument. “Ugh…” Jared groaned loudly, but did as Kurt said. After all, despite being the same age, Kurt did outrank him as the pack’s Beta. After finishing their ever-so-late morning training session—sparing no mercy on each other during hand-to-hand combat drills—Kurt, Hailey, and Jared finally showered and went about their usual duties. But Kurt’s workload was doubled, having to step in for Eddie on everything from budget approvals to pack member grievances. Meanwhile, back in the pack hospital room, the ambient air grew noticeably heavier. Eddie hadn’t moved from his post at Kalea’s bedside, holding her warm hand between both of his hands while Renee and Tobias sat nearby keeping an eye out. Stephen, Amelia, and Benny had gone to help Kurt and Jared keep the pack running smoothly. Though they weren’t visiting as monarchs, Stephen and Amelia could never seem to turn off their King and Queen auras, naturally commanding respect wherever they walked on pack grounds. One thing was certain, however: ever since the kitchen staff found out how horrible Amelia was during her last attempt at cooking, they never allowed her to take over again—per Kalea’s strict, explicit orders. “Renee, darling, I’m going to check on my mother and ensure she hasn’t burned down the packhouse,” Tobias said as he kissed Renee’s cheek. Renee nodded with a smile. “Edward, let me know if anything changes.” “Of course, Your Highness,” Eddie replied, keeping his focus locked on Kalea. Tobias left Kalea’s hospital room to check in on Amelia and Stephen. After he left, the room fell into a somber atmosphere, and Renee walked over to Kalea’s side again, sat on the edge of the bed, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Kalea’s ear. “She looks so peaceful now,” Renee murmured, breaking the silence in the hospital room as she watched Kalea’s quiet breathing. “It’s hard to believe how frantic everything was just a few hours ago.” “That’s what terrifies me,” Eddie admitted softly, his eyes never straying from Kalea’s face. “It’s like waiting for lightning to strike twice. She’s fine one second, and then the next—” “Do you have any regrets?” Renee asked out of nowhere. Eddie furrowed his brow and stared at her. “What?”