Chapter 163

Oscar:
The ride to Lakeshire was a blur of sharp breaths and pounding heartbeats.
I was gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles were turning white, but the ache in my chest didn’t let up. No matter how fast I drove, it clung to me like a second skin – reminding me again and again that something had gone wrong.
And worst, my wolf wouldn’t shut up.
This is your fault.
“I know.”
She needed us, and you walked away.
“I didn’t walk away-”
You did. After everything. After what she told you, what she trusted you with… and you still walked away.
I clenched my jaw as shame crawled up my spine.
She’s our mate. And you chose your pride over her.
He wasn’t wrong. No matter how hard I tried to justify it, the truth stayed ugly and bare – I had distanced myself from Evaline after that night at the cottage. I couldn’t process what she had told us, couldn’t accept it – not right away. And in my silence, I had left her alone in a storm she never should have faced alone.
And now she was in the hospital.
A bitter taste filled my mouth as my wolf growled low and unforgiving.
If she’s hurt… if anything’s wrong with her health, it’s on you.
My grip on the steering wheel tightened further.
Minutes later, I finally arrived at the hospital. I swerved into a space and threw the gear into park before jumping out, not even bothering to shut the car door properly. I all but stormed through the front doors.
“Excuse me,” I said to the receptionist at the desk, my voice sharper than intended. “There was a patient admitted here by Kieran Thorne about an hour ago. I need the room number.”
The woman blinked at me, recognition dawning in her eyes almost instantly. Of course, she knew who I was. No one in the shifter towns surrounding the Academy didn’t recognize the Rogue Alpha brothers.
“Alpha Thorne,” she said politely, tapping something on her keyboard. “Yes, your brother arrived about an hour ago. The patient was admitted to the second-floor east wing, Room 208.”
I was already halfway down the hall before she could say anything more.
My feet carried me faster than my thoughts. I had no idea what condition she was in. Was she awake? Was she in pain? Had she even asked for me?
I reached the hallway, and the first face I saw was Rowan.
He was standing leaning against the wall outside her room with folded arms and a paper cup of lukewarm hospital coffee in hand. The moment his eyes landed on me, I could feel how cold and unwelcoming they were. And utterly uninterested in anything I had to say.
“Where’s Kieran?” I asked, trying to steady my voice.
“He went to buy some porridge for Eva,” he replied coolly. “She just woke up a few minutes ago. Doctor’s still in with her.”
There was no hostility in his tone, no direct accusation. But his words still struck like ice. I could read it in his expression – he wasn’t a fan of mine. And I didn’t blame him.
“She fainted?” I asked, trying not to sound as panicked as I felt.
His jaw clenched, and he gave me a look that cut straight to the bone. Google seaʀᴄh.net
“You really want to know what happened?” he asked, pushing off the wall and stepping closer. “She cried herself to sleep last night. She hadn’t eaten properly in days. She’s been throwing up more than she’s been keeping anything down. I begged her to rest. She didn’t. She still wanted to head to the library to get some work done.”
There was a pause, one that increase the dread in my chest.
“And then she saw you,” he added quietly, “with Jasmine Bills wrapped around you like a new plaything. And not even three days after you broke her heart, her trust, and her hope.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
I didn’t respond right away. I couldn’t.
Because the image of Eva seeing Jasmine clinging to me, her arms looped around my neck, her smile so bright – Goddess.
My heart dropped.
She saw that? my wolf whispered.
Of course she did, I replied bitterly.
That’s when it hit me – the exact moment I had felt the ache earlier today… it had been moments after when Jasmine had thrown herself at me in the hallway.
Eva was there and she saw that, and she misunderstood.
And I had no one to blame but myself.
The doctor stepped out just then, removing his mask and looking mildly surprised to find another Thorne standing in the hallway.
“Mr. Thorne,” he greeted politely.
I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. “How is she?”
“She’s recovering,” he said. “The fainting was a result of extreme fatigue and emotional stress, compounded by a lack of proper nutrition. She’ll be staying overnight for monitoring, but she should be okay with rest and proper care.”
He looked at Rowan then, gaze lingering for a second too long. Something unspoken passed between them, and I picked up on it instantly.
“Make sure she eats,” the doctor said. “And that she doesn’t exert herself. She shouldn’t be dealing with any further emotional shocks, especially in her condition. You can meet her now.”
I was more than ready to storm inside, but the moment I took a step toward the door, Rowan raised a hand.
“Don’t,” he said quietly, but with unmistakable steel.
I paused. “She’s my mate.”
“I know.”
“She deserves to know I’m here.”
He didn’t move. “She deserves peace. That’s what I’m giving her right now.”
I bit down on my lip hard, trying to rein in the urge to shove past him. But his next words stopped me cold.
“Don’t cause her any more harm, Oscar,” he said, locking his warning filled eyes on mine. “You weren’t there when she needed you the most. And I’m not letting anyone – anyone – push her over the edge again.”
Something twisted deep in my chest. Not just guilt. Not just regret.
But fear.
Because for the first time, I was starting to understand the weight of what I had done. How close I had come to losing her.