The high point is it sounds like mere morning sickness. But what if it’s more? What if something’s wrong with the baby? What if there’s something risky about the pregnancy?
What if there’s something wrong with Hudson?
As sick and cold as it sounds, it’s still super early on in the pregnancy, so early I’m not sure any of us have truly acceptedthe fact our omega is carrying our future heir. Meaning, we could try for another.
But Hudson…
As voices drone on around me, I raise a hand and press the heel of my palm to the center of my chest as an ache builds at the mere thought of losing him.
Haven’t I already, though? Hadn’t we already intended for this entire thing with him to be semi-temporary?
And then I marked him during his heat cycle. Me. The fucking pack lead and the one who’s supposed to be stable, and in control at all times.
A hand waves in front of my face and earns a deep rumbling growl from the depths of my soul.
That hand yanks away quickly, and I turn to see it’s my assistant attempting to gain my attention.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you have a phone call,” she says. Poor thing looks terrified and her normally neutral and calming beta scent smells stressed.
“My apologies,” I say, reaching over and gently touching her shoulder as I turn my chair to push to my feet.
I need a break anyway. I’ll take the call in my office and let Des fill me in on anything I need to know after the meeting.
Line one is flashing on my office phone. Hitting the extension, I put the receiver to my ear. “This is Mason Anders,” I say.
“Hey,” Alex says.
A frown draws my brows together. “Why didn’t you call my cell?”
“I did.” He’s whispering. Why is he whispering? “You didn’t answer.”
Reaching into the inside jacket of my suit, I pull my phone free and check. Shit. When had I turned the ringer off?
“Sorry. It was on silent. What’s up?”
“He’s in the hospital,” he says in that same hushed tone.
I lunge to my feet and grab my keys before I ask, “What happened?”
I need to grab Desmond. We need to go. We need to be by Hudson’s side.
“After his bout of sickness, he was really off. His skin was too pale, and his temperature kept rising. He got…dude, it was almost like he was incoherent and kept trailing off midsentence and wasn’t able to focus as I spoke to him. I called an ambulance this morning. They ran some tests and I’m still waiting for someone to come in with the results.”
“Wait, you fucking called an ambulance this morning and you’re only calling me now.” My voice has risen and I’m sure the whole office can hear me by how silent the entire place has suddenly grown.
Either Des hears my outburst or feels the stress and fear through the bond because he hurries into the room, concern etched into every line of his handsome face.
“What happened?” he asks.
He’s already gathering what he’ll need to take home with him before I tell him, “Alex had to call an ambulance. Hudson is in the hospital.” Shoving my keys into my pocket, I tell Alex, “We’re on our way. Text me the room number. And call me if you get any results before we get there.”
I end the call and half jog, half brisk walk through the office and to the elevators. I swear the few seconds it takes for one of the cars to arrive on this floor feel more like an eternity.
He has to be okay. Hudson has to be okay.
I’d kept the bond shut between us, unwilling to allow him to feel how deeply he’s embedded into my heart, mind, and body. We told him he was allowed to live his life as he pleased, that this situation is temporary.
When I’d bitten him, marked him, bonded him into the pack, feeling him there beside Des and Alex felt so normal.
