Page 57 of Haze

“Finn.” Dinah looks at me after they’ve hooked her up to various machines. I pull my eyes away from my mate to look at her. “We need to do a pelvic exam in order to figure out this bleeding. Then we’ll do some other tests. If you can’t handle us touching her, you’ve got to go outside. We’re trying to help.”

Don’t you dare leave her, my wolf presses. We’ll be calm, but we can’t leave her.

My wolf is willing to compromise. He sits in my mind anchoring us both.

I nod to her but don’t move. Dinah takes it as enough of an answer. My phone buzzes in my pocket. Pulling it out, I force my eyes away from the two of them and their various medical instruments. None of which I have any idea what they do. I glance down only to read it.

Cade Alden:

I’m here. Come let us in. I know Dinah’s probably working. I hear we need to talk.

“Cade’s arrived,” I explain.

Hesitantly, I’m turning to leave when Dinah gives me an encouraging nod. She doesn’t bother lying to me and saying it’ll be alright. The truth is my mate is sick. We’re not sure if she’s living or dying.

My wolf riots over leaving her, but Lena is where she needs to be. She needs help.

If I want to have a chance to be here when she’s better, or until she gets better at the very least, I need to make sure Cade doesn’t kill me first. I need to give him a reason not to kill me. Obeying orders is always a good first step toward allegiance.

Opening the door for Cade, I step aside. His blue eyes turn gold as he examines me before smoothly guiding his mate in front of him, letting her lead the way into the building. My stomach hangs low in my gut, filled with shame at seeing them.

How much does he blame me for this? How much am I to blame for this?

Deacon Alden stalks in behind them. I’m unsure why, but I wasn’t expecting him even though he’s her brother too. Chills ripple through my body as he walks past.

I follow the three of them. Cade either knows where we’re headed or follows my scent back to where Lena is.

“Cade, Lena would kill me if you came in here right now,” Dinah calls as we approach the door.

Patiently and respectfully, I wait with them. Cade is so still that the hair on the back of my neck rises.

My wolf paces, unsettled with the tension between The Leviathan and myself. I don’t blame him. With Magnus, I knew where I stood. Our relationship as brothers, raised from pups, gave us the strength to work together as a team despite both being strong Alpha wolves. The Leviathan is a different creature altogether. Our single pack run wasn’t enough to establish any sort of understanding of each other.

A few minutes later, Dinah opens the door to the room where they’d been looking after Lena.

I watch the Aldens rather than looking at Dinah. Thalia clings tightly to Cade’s arm and darts her eyes back and forth as she studies Dinah. Struggling, I pull my eyes from Thalia to look at the woman who looks so much like my mate.

“She’s stable and running a fever. The bleeding appears to be similar in nature to, but significantly more intense than, the start of another heat cycle.”

I expect her to be looking at Cade, but Dinah addresses me.

Cade cocks his head, looking between us before settling his gaze on Dinah.

“We’re running bloodwork to see what that’ll entail. It could possibly be more like a menstrual cycle in humans. It’s a lot of blood, and that’s cause for alarm. We’re getting the portable MRI down here to take a look and maybe a CT scan. Her body is strong. I can tell you took excellent care of her. She’s well hydrated and hasn’t lost any weight.” Dinah’s voice is warm as she explains what she knows.

Her hand finds my shoulder and rests there for a moment.

I wasn’t expecting her reassurance in this.

Dinah turns to Cade before looking to Deacon. “Before you go all big brothers on Finn, listen to this again. He took excellent care of Lena. She’s strong going through whatever this pill is doing to her. I do not believe Finn did anything to cause this. We’ll have to see what we can do. I’m consulting with a few physicians I know who developed the original versions of the heat suppressants. While it’s not the same medications she took, I’m wondering if they ever had such a violent reaction in the earlier days. I don’t know a lot about any of this, so I don’t know what to expect. Doctor Thorpe is combing the data but...” Dinah takes a minute. “It could be a combo of taking a med to start her heat and then doing this. It could be the drug she created. I don’t have an answer for what’s going on. But whatever it is, Finn is the reason she’s still here.”

Without a word, Cade nods and raises the hand not attached to his mate in surrender.

Looking at Deacon, she gives him a warm smile. “She’s asking for you. She’s decent. Want to come back with me?”

Deacon nods. “Yeah.”

Turning to no one, Deacon snaps, “Fuck’s sake, stay here.”

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