Chapter 29: Desperation That Tears Us Apart

CONNOR

The chaos around me was overwhelming: Elaine’s body lying in a pool of her own blood, her screams echoing in my ears, Sorin’s frantic calls for help, Yuki’s curses, and Regulus’s voice, demanding to know what had happened.

I felt sick. Sick to my very core. I wanted to sink into a deep sleep and never wake up.

A sudden jolt on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. The pack doctors were rushing in and out of Elaine’s room. Regulus was on the phone, while Sorin was nowhere to be seen.

Dizziness washed over me. Panic started to creep into my mind as I felt something inside me shatter.

I didn’t know what it was, but a gut feeling told me it was connected to Elaine.

Desperate to find out what was wrong, I tried to push past some pack doctors when someone grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around.

As I turned, my vision blurred with black spots and I stumbled back against some chairs.

“Enough!” Regulus intervened, stepping between me and the other person.

I blinked, holding my jaw.

“He doesn’t know what he did!” Sorin’s voice boomed as I finally recognized him.

I stood there, silent, feeling too defeated to respond.

“Calm down!” Regulus ordered, gripping Sorin’s shoulder. “You need to calm the fuck down.”

Sorin snarled, his face shifting. It was the first time I’d seen my brother react like this.

“I didn’t do anything to Elaine,” I mumbled.

“You didn’t?” Sorin shot back. “You killed your own son!”

I flinched, looking down at the floor. Clenching my fists, I turned away from him.

“You’re a piece of shit. And you dare call yourself king!”

At that, I snapped. I spun around and slammed him against the hospital wall.

“I am king! And that has nothing to do with Elaine!” I growled, baring my teeth.

Sorin’s eyes blazed with fury as he half-shifted. He raised his hands, his long nails scratching my face, forcing me to let go of him.

“An honorable man would have stepped down after what you did, not continue to gain power at the expense of innocent people. This isn’t a game, Connor!” Sorin spat.

I studied him before responding.

“Why are you so worked up?” I asked.

“Because I love Elaine!” he shouted, drawing everyone’s attention. “I love her, and you don’t, you selfish fucker.”

I reacted instinctively, grabbing his neck and squeezing. Regulus started telling me to stop, trying to pull me away.

As I struggled against him, another pair of hands grabbed me from behind, pulling me away from Sorin.

“Enough!” Yuki intervened. I hadn’t noticed before, but he was only wearing some gear pants. “This isn’t the time to be fighting.”

“Move, Yuki,” I commanded, but he raised a hand, blocking me from getting closer to Sorin.

“I told you to move.”

“And as the alpha of the pack, I’m ordering you to back off,” Yuki snarled. I snarled back as Khan growled loudly in defiance.

“Stop!”

We all turned to look at the shaky voice coming from the doorway.

Elaine, pale and with blood trickling from her mouth, stood there, gasping for breath while a doctor supported her. She looked so frail it made my heart ache.

“Elaine,” Yuki rushed to her side as she slumped against the doctor.

“Let’s get her back to bed,” Regulus sighed, hurrying to join them.

I looked away from the group as I heard her arguing, fighting to stay on her feet.

“No! Connor!” Elaine choked out. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice.

Slowly, I turned back. She was crying, her arms reaching out to me.

I didn’t need to hear anything else. I quickly crossed the room and scooped her up in my arms, letting her snuggle against me.

I heard Regulus asking the doctor something as I lay down with Elaine in my arms. The pack doctor approached us, his eyes filled with worry.

“She needs you,” he said, looking at Elaine, who was clinging to my neck.

My gaze shifted to the door where Yuki and Regulus were whispering to each other. Behind them, I saw Sorin, his face so devoid of emotion I thought I was imagining it.

“She needs to take some medicine and rest,” the doctor said, pulling my attention back to him.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, frowning. “This is beyond our understanding.”

I frowned, confused by his words.

“You don’t know?” Regulus echoed.

“Yes,” the pack doctor sighed. “The queen is weak. After losing the pup, her body seems to be experiencing some side effects.”

“Like what?” I asked.

He looked at me before answering.

“I can’t say for sure, but the more stressed she is, the worse she will get. I need you to help her feel better, and having her close to you like this will help her health improve.”

“So you’re saying that without Connor she can’t get better?” Yuki asked, frowning.

“Yes,” the doctor nodded. “The queen needs her king. The bond between lycans is unique, so for her to heal, she will need him by her side until she is fully recovered.”

“What about the mating season?” Regulus asked.

“Have you mated?” the doctor asked, causing me to blush. I lowered my gaze. Elaine was finally asleep, her chest still rising and falling with the effort of breathing.

“No…,” I muttered.

“Could I have a moment with the king, ~alone~?” the doctor requested, turning to Yuki and Regulus who seemed reluctant to leave Elaine and me alone.

Once they had left and the door was closed, I turned my attention back to the doctor, who sighed tiredly and sat down on a chair next to the bed.

“Speak,” I commanded.

He looked at Elaine and me, rubbing his temples.

He looked worn out, and I couldn’t blame him. His night had been a nightmare.

“I need you to be honest with me,” the doctor said.

I frowned. “About what?” I asked, just as a knock sounded on the door. I muttered under my breath as the doctor got up to answer it.

“Elaine?” Jyn’s voice faltered as he took in the scene. He frowned at the doctor. “What happened?”

The doctor seemed at a loss for a moment before I settled Elaine in bed and stood to speak with him.

“Don’t!” the doctor cautioned. “She needs you, my king. If you need to talk, do it here, by her side. Always stay with her, together.”

Jyn’s jaw clenched as I nodded calmly. For Elaine’s sake, I had to follow orders.

With a nod, the doctor left and Jyn glared at me.

“How could you?” he asked once the door closed, leaving us alone in the quiet room. “How could you?”

I didn’t need him to spell it out. I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to explain why I’d hurt Elaine.

“Speak, you bastard!” Jyn growled. I shot him a glare and sat back down by Elaine’s side.

Her eyes fluttered open. They were empty, as if she was in a trance.

I quickly lay down next to her, allowing her to touch me. Jyn saw what was happening. Then he moved, grabbing my wrist.

“What’s this?” he asked, showing me my wrist.

“I don’t know,” I pulled away calmly. “This showed up a while ago.”

“And?” he asked.

I sighed as I gently stroked Elaine’s back.

“We don’t know. It appeared when the mating season started, and now…we are free?” I shrugged.

“Just like that?” Jyn asked, confused. “You can just stay away from each other?”

“Yes, we can. But we don’t know for how long,” I answered.

Jyn seemed deep in thought. I had no clue, but something told me he’d been looking into our bonds.

With a sigh, he sat down in the same chair the doctor had occupied earlier. His head was between his legs as he trembled slightly.

I watched him, waiting for him to say more.

After a while, he looked up, tears on his face.

“Why did you hurt her?” His question was barely audible. “Why?”

I gave him a half-smile.

“I didn’t mean to,” I answered honestly. “I didn’t know she was pregnant. Neither did she.”

“How could you not?” he asked.

I shrugged.

“I can tell you, I didn’t mean to hurt her like this. We, we just argued, and things got ugly, and then she was whimpering. There was blood, and I panicked.”

“And you did nothing?” Jyn asked, sounding shocked. “You let it happen?”

“I couldn’t do shit! I didn’t know!”

Jyn looked at Elaine as she squirmed against me. Her head was on my chest, so I reached for a cloth to wipe the blood from her mouth.

“I hurt her, Jyn. I know I did. Guilt has been eating at me since that day, and if I could…,” I said, looking at him, “I would rewind everything. But now there’s nothing I can do.

“It’s too late, isn’t it?”

Jyn stayed silent as I shook my head.

“Please understand. I had no idea. It wasn’t my intention, even if I…”

“Your intention? You hate her!” Jyn grumbled, rubbing his face. “Everyone knows you both hate each other. If I didn’t know her better, Elaine wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.”

“And I would do the same,” I answered coldly. Jyn frowned.

“I can’t understand you. This,” he pointed between Elaine and me. “You think her sickness is your fault?”

“I don’t fucking know,” I cursed. “I don’t know what’s going on lately.”

Jyn stayed silent. His eyes moved down to Elaine, who was now calm and relaxed against me.

I sighed in relief.

“Let her go,” Jyn mumbled, making me look at him. “Let her go, Connor.”

“What?” I asked.

“You’re falling for her. Let her go.”