Hailee's POV
"Callum… what are you saying?"
My voice ca out thin, broken, strangled with disbelief.
But Callum stood there… tall… unmoving… like a mountain made of anger and stubbornness.
"It is what it is," he said sharply. "Those are my conditions."
"No," Peter snapped instantly. "Back off, Callum."
Callum lifted his eyes toward him slowly, dangerously. "I wasn't speaking to you."
Peter stepped forward, his shoulders tense, fists clenched. "Then let make it clear—I WON'T allow you to manipulate my sister at a ti like this."
"I'm not manipulating her," Callum replied coldly. "I'm giving her a choice."
"A choice?" I whispered, tears burning at the corners of my eyes. "How is this a choice?"
Callum finally turned his eyes toward . And the look he gave …
It wasn't hateful.
It wasn't cruel.
It wasn't evil.
It was broken.
A shattered man begging fate not to take the last thing he loved.
"It IS a choice, Hailee," he whispered. "Nathan… or our child."
My breath caught painfully.
"No…" I choked. "No, Callum. Don't do this to . Please."
He didn't blink.
"If you want the antidote," he repeated slowly, "you marry . And you take my mark. That's the price."
My knees nearly buckled.
Behind , the healers were shouting orders as they fought to keep Nathan alive. His chest barely moved. His skin was turning pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The poison was spreading.
"Lady Hailee," the healer said urgently, stepping closer, "we cannot hold him for long. We can only sustain him for the next twenty-four hours. After that…"
She hesitated.
Her voice broke.
"…we lose him."
"No…" I whispered, clutching Nathan's hand. "No, please… please…"
She looked at with sad, helpless eyes.
"We need the antidote. Imdiately."
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
Nathan was dying.
My mate.
My soulmate.
The man fate gave .
The man who saved my brother.
The man who held through the worst pain of my life.
And Callum—father of my unborn child—was standing there demanding a price I never imagined.
"Callum, leave," Peter growled. "We will find the antidote ourselves."
Callum scoffed. "You won't. No one will. That dicine is only found in ONE place. And I am the heir of that vault. No one can access it but ."
"You can't bully her into this," Peter snarled.
Callum turned to him. "I'm not bullying her. I'm giving her a deal."
"A deal that costs her happiness?" Peter shouted.
"A deal that SECURES her child!" Callum shouted back.
Silence.
The air cracked between them.
My heart was breaking.
Nathan lay beside , unconscious, his life slipping through my fingers.
Callum stood in front of , desperate, furious, terrified of losing and his child.
Peter stood beside , angry, protective, helpless.
My world was falling apart in all directions.
"Callum…" I whispered again, wiping my tears. "Please don't do this. Please. He saved my brother. He protected . He—"
"And what about ?" Callum shot back, his voice cracking. "What about my child? What about what I feel?"
"I care about you!" I cried. "I care about what we shared—"
"But not enough to choose !"
His voice broke.
Pain slamd into his eyes.
"You chose him. You chose your mate. Even when you promised—"
He swallowed hard.
His voice fell to a whisper.
"You promised you would give a chance."
My heart twisted.
"I did," I said softly. "And I'm grateful for everything you've done. Truly. You were good to . You protected . You made feel safe."
His jaw tightened.
"But my wolf…" I whispered. "My wolf chose Nathan."
"Wolves don't raise children," Callum said in a low voice. "People do."
I flinched.
"That baby inside you," he continued bitterly, "is MINE. And I will NOT let him grow under the influence of another Alpha's bond."
His voice trembled at the end.
"This is my last offer, Hailee," he whispered. "Marry … let mark you… and I will bring the antidote."
Before I could reply, Peter stepped in front of .
"You're done here," he said coldly. "Leave."
For a mont, Callum stared at him… then at .
Pain filled his eyes.
And then—
He turned around and walked out.
My chest cracked open as he left.
The mont the doors shut behind him—
My legs gave out.
I fell to my knees beside Nathan.
"Hailee!" Peter rushed to hold . "It's okay, I've got you."
"No…" I sobbed, shaking violently. "None of this is okay… Nathan… Callum… the baby… Father…"
I couldn't breathe.
It felt like the world was caving in.
Nathan lay motionless.
Only the faint rise and fall of his chest told he was still alive.
Peter squeezed my shoulders. "Listen to —we will find a way. I promise."
But there was fear in his eyes too.
Fear he was trying to hide for my sake.
Hours passed.
Healers worked tirelessly, placing herbs on Nathan's chest, purifying his blood, chanting healing spells, injecting antidotes that slowed poison but didn't stop it.
None of it was enough.
His pulse weakened.
His breathing slowed.
His skin grew colder.
His lips turned pale.
Every second was torture.
I held his hand, refusing to let go.
"Nathan… please… please don't leave … not now… not like this…" I cried into his palm.
Peter left the room several tis to speak with warriors, hunters, scouts—trying to find soone who had heard of the antidote.
Every ti he returned, his face was the sa.
Empty.
Hopeless.
"He's getting worse," the healer whispered.
My heart dropped.
"Lady Hailee… we have maybe twenty hours left. Maybe less."
I sobbed harder.
Hours blurred into each other.
I didn't move.
I didn't sleep.
I didn't eat.
I just held Nathan's hand… waiting… shaking… begging.
Peter sat beside eventually.
"Hailee… we have to talk about—"
"No," I whispered. "We don't."
"You know what I'm going to say—"
"No," I repeated louder. "No. There must be another way."
He looked down at Nathan.
Then at .
The pain in his eyes was unbearable.
"I already lost Father… I can't lose Nathan too…"
"Hailee…" he whispered gently, "Callum is the only one with that antidote. And he's not bending."
Silence.
My tears soaked Nathan's shirt.
Hours passed.
And then—
The healer stepped closer to Nathan's body, her trembling hand pressed against his chest as she monitored the weakening pulse.
Her eyes lifted slowly… painfully… toward .
"His heartbeat…" she whispered, voice cracking, "…it's slowing again."
Sothing inside broke.
Not cracked.
Not bent.
Broke.
I felt it—sharp, brutal, rciless—splitting right through my soul like a blade of ice.
I fell forward, my palms landing on either side of Nathan's face as tears blurred my vision completely.
"Nathan," I sobbed, my voice shaking so hard I could barely speak, "look at … please—open your eyes—please…"
He didn't.
His lashes remained still. His lips pale. His body cold.
"Nathan… don't leave ," I begged, choking on every breath. "Please—don't do this—stay with —stay—stay—Nathan—please—"
My forehead pressed against his. My tears fell on his cheeks. My fingers shook uncontrollably as I cupped his jaw.
His heartbeat—faint and fading—echoed weakly against my trembling palm.
I felt my chest collapsing.
My world collapsing.
Peter stood at the end of the bed. Silent. Frozen. His fists shaking, jaw clenched so tight a vein stood out along his neck. He didn't say a word, but grief poured out of him like smoke.
Minutes passed.
Painful… stretching… endless minutes.
Healers rushed around us—mixing herbs, glowing their hands over his wounds, trying everything they knew—but I couldn't hear them.
All I could hear was the choking sound of my own breath as I held Nathan's face.
I don't know how long I sat like that.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty.
Ti didn't matter anymore.
Only him.
Only his fading heartbeat.
Only the mate bond ripping through my chest like a burning hook, tearing pieces of away each ti his breath weakened.
My body shook harder and harder until I couldn't even hold myself upright.
Finally…
With hands that trembled so violently I could barely see straight…
I reached into my pocket.
Pulled out my phone.
And stared at the screen through blurry tears.
Peter's voice ca out low… uncertain… afraid.
"You're… calling him?"
I swallowed hard, even though my throat felt like it was bleeding.
My voice was a whisper.
A broken whisper.
"I… I can't lose him…"
Peter closed his eyes and exhaled shakily.
He said nothing after that.
Because what could he say?
He wasn't the one feeling the pain slamming through my chest. He wasn't the one whose mate was dying under his hands. He wasn't the one about to make a choice that felt like betrayal and salvation at the sa ti.
The phone felt heavy in my hand.
It rang once.
My breath hitched.
It rang twice.
My fingers tightened so hard the phone almost slipped.
It rang three tis.
My tears fell harder.
Please pick up. Please. Please.
It rang a fourth ti—
Then finally—
A click.
A shift.
A breath.
Then his voice filled my ear, low and calm and terrifyingly certain, like he already knew why I was calling.
"Hailee?"
Just hearing him made my stomach twist painfully.
My lips trembled.
My eyes closed.
My entire body crumbled as the words clawed up my throat—
"Callum…"
I breathed out, my voice cracking in half.
"I'll do it."
Reviews
All reviews (0)