ALEXANDER
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I let Faye freshen up, pretending I was heading straight to the office. That was the plan I said out
loud… because I didn’t want her trying to convince me there was no need to worry. The plan in my
head was different.
I didn’t believe for one second that she felt as “fine” as she claimed this morning.
So instead of going to the office, I made a turn–toward Dr. Adams‘ quarters.
When I reached the door, I knocked once.
She opened almost immediately.
“Alpha, you’re back,” she said, surprise flashing across her face before softening into something formal and respectful. “It’s an honor to have you here in my quarters, but–you could have sent for
- me. I would’ve come to you.”
I smiled, or tried to. “It’s not a big deal, Mrs. Adams,” I told her. “I’m already up and moving.”
Her eyes warmed with a mixture of gratitude and worry. “Still, you hardly visit the medical quarters unless something is wrong. Please, come in.”
I stepped inside. The place smelled clean. Everything was neatly arranged–she’d always been organized, the sort of doctor who labeled things with dates and lined them up by color.
She motioned toward a chair. “Please, have a seat.”
I lowered myself into it, exhaling slowly. My shoulders felt too tense for this early in the day, but concern had a way of knotting itself under my skin.
“What brings you here, Alpha?” she asked gently.
I rubbed a hand along my jaw, gathering my thoughts before speaking. “I want your honest report on what’s wrong with my Luna,” I said. “No softening… no holding back to avoid alarming me.”
Her expression grew serious immediately.
“I need to know how I can help keep her stable,” I continued. “I don’t want her anywhere close to passing out again. And since she’s pregnant, I don’t want to try anything at random. If there’s a safe way to boost her energy, I need to know. From you.”
Dr. Adams folded her hands in front of her and took a seat opposite me. “Alpha,” she began, “as I told the Luna and the Beta, medically–she is fine.”
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I held her gaze, searching for any sign of uncertainty. There wasn’t any.
“Then what’s with the weakness? She almost passed out, is that normal?” I asked.
“It’s likely because of the bath,” she said.
I blinked. “The… bath?”
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She nodded. “The ritual bath. It’s supposed to be done early, you know. If it’s delayed like this, it can drain the mother in unusual ways. Sudden exhaustion, faintness, energy depletion. Sometimes the symptoms come and go, sometimes they strike without warning.”
A sharp breath left my lungs.
Of course… of course she was right. We hadn’t talked about the bath. I hadn’t thought of it at all.
How could we have?
Chaos had surrounded us for months–before the baby was conceived, during the pregnancy, even up until the moment I finally got Marcus out of the way a few days ago. We had been reacting, fighting, strategizing… surviving. Rituals, traditions, even logical precautions had slipped through
the cracks.
But that didn’t excuse anything.
Not when it concerned Faye and our child.
I stared at my hands for a moment, jaw tight. I didn’t voice the excuses swirling in my mind- because frankly, they weren’t good enough.
“Alright,” I said quietly. “You’re right.”
Dr. Adams nodded. “Once the bath is done, it should stabilize her. The symptoms should disappear
entirely within days.”
“And until then?” I asked.
“Rest,” she replied. “Gentle routines. Reduced stress. She’ll be fine once the ritual is completed. That is genuinely all she needs right now.”
I absorbed her words silently.
Fine.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
She rose to her feet. “Of course, Alpha. If there’s anything else you need, please, send for me.”
I stood as well. “I will.”
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Chapter 220
With that, I stepped out of her quarters, the door closing softly behind me.
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The moment I stepped out of Dr. Adams‘ quarters, I exhaled slowly and reached for my phone. I just needed a minute to process everything–just one minute–but the universe didn’t care about my timing today.
My phone buzzed before I even unlocked it.
Helen.
I stared at the screen for a moment, debating whether to breathe first or brace myself. I wondered why she was calling… I answered.
“Ale–xander.” Her voice stretched my name like a scolding wrapped in silk. “Tell me what I heard is
not true.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Good morning to you too, Mother.”
She ignored the greeting entirely. “I cannot believe you neglected something so important.”
Here we go.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, don’t you dare pretend you didn’t hear me.” Her tone sharpened. “The bath, Alexander. The bath. Your Luna is carrying your child, and you–you have not even completed the first step in ensuring the child’s comfort and stability.”
I took a slow breath. Arguing with Helen was the last thing I needed today.
“We’ve been dealing with-”
“I thought you knew better,” she cut in.
I stared at the sky like it might give me strength.
“Mother-”
“No. No, I’m still speaking, Alex.”
Of course she was.
“You have responsibilities. Traditions older than you, older than me, older than your entire lineage standing behind your name. Yet you are moving around like some… some modern city boy who thinks rituals are optional guidelines!”
I closed my eyes. “Mother, I-‘
She wasn’t done.
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“How could you forget? How could you not think of it?”
I let her words settle.
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Why was she taking all this out on me? Why was it solely my fault that the ritual wasn’t done yet?
Why-
“Why are you taking it all out on me?
I finally muttered.
She scoffed. “Who else am I supposed to take it out on? Faye? She is practically a child, and she’s not the one born into a family of Alphas. She probably doesn’t know these things. You were born into this. You know how an Alpha’s child is meant to be received. It is your duty.”
I almost laughed. Not because it was funny, but because the alternative was sighing into a
headache.
“I didn’t mean Faye,” I said quietly. “I meant you.”
There was a sharp pause.
I regretted the words the second they escaped, but it was too late.
“And what exactly does that mean?” she asked, her voice dangerously polite.
I didn’t answer.
Because I knew she already knew exactly what it meant.
If she wasn’t so distant…
If she wasn’t so detached from the role she once held…
Maybe she would have been the one to tell me these things early enough.
Maybe she would have noticed the signs before Faye nearly collapsed.
Maybe she would have cared a little more about what her son did or didn’t remember.
But of course I didn’t say any of that aloud.
She exhaled sharply. “My problem with you, Alexander, is that you are too detached from tradition. You’re too modern. You behave as if being Alpha is simply a title and not a mantle passed down through centuries. Tradition exists for a reason. Rituals exist for a reason. And this-” Her breath hitched in frustration. “This could have been avoided.”
I shook my head, pacing slowly across the walkway.
Faye had woken up in good shape; it wasn’t an illness, wasn’t a medical issue–just a ritual we had forgotten.
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And now I was being scolded for it like some trainee wolf who forgot his first shift lessons.
“Mother,” I said finally, cutting through her words, “how did you even find out about this?”
Silence.
“That is irrelevant,” she finally said. “Someone told me.”
The truth was nothing could be kept from Helen unless she didn’t care to know. If she wanted information, she got it, no matter the distance or secrecy.
“Regardless,” she went on, “I expect this to be handled immediately. That child’s wellbeing is not something to postpone. And Faye–poor girl–she must have been so frightened.”
I stopped pacing.
Faye… frightened?
She had looked pale, yes. Weak, yes. Exhausted, in a way. But frightened?
No. She had been smiling at me, brushing off my worry, calling herself fine even when she wasn’t
sure.
“Alexander,” Helen snapped, pulling me out of my thoughts, “tell me you are handling it.”
“I am, mother,” I said, steadying my tone. “The bath is already being prepared.”
She inhaled, finally sounding calmer. “Good.”
“It will take place in as soon as possible,” I added.
Only then did she exhale slowly, and the sharp edge of her voice softened.
“Very well,” she said. “I will trust you to get it done.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
