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Everything blurred, and I struggled to speak. “Y-you have—”

“I have Pan, of course.” Walden pulled Pan close and dropped a kiss on his head. “But it would be at his expense, and yours. I’ve tasted you between us and now I’m hungry all the time.”

Lloyd reached out and grabbed my elbow as I swayed. My insides churned like a storm.

“Tully, are you alright?”

“I-I don’t…”I don’t feel good.That’s what I wanted to say, but my throat closed in.

“Tully?” Ajax pulled me into his arms and hissed. “She’s burning up.”

The world span and I whimpered as Pan massaged my shoulder, right where Chase’s teeth scraped.

Walden’s face swam in front of mine, worry etched deep like a tattoo, and my tenuous grip on reality shuddered as he said.

“We need to get her to a hospital.”

40

Pan

Dr. Stanson pressed his clipboard to his chest with a thin-lipped frown. The urge to tear him limb from limb crawled under my skin. I could turn the insulting white of his coat red in the blink of an eye. Behind the scuffed silver hospital door was my heart and they wouldn’t let us in.

“You’re not family. I haven’t thrown you out because I respect the Baylark Pack.” He shot Walden a ‘get your pack in line or else,’look before he added, “my patient needs rest.”

A growl bit the back of my teeth. Dr. Stanson was right; the four of us crowded the hallway, periodically rumbling and stomping. It had been at least an hour since we brought Tully in and there had been no update. Outside, paparazzi lurked. Chewing their gum and scrolling their phones. One photo of usemerging from the hospital would pay their bills for the month, and they knew it.

I couldn’t stop the panic looping through my mind. The sight of Tully’s knees folding out from under her and the rush of my senses. Walden’s helpless thump on the wall brought me back, startling a beta nurse as she rushed by.

“Please, we might not be bonded, but she’s part of this pack.” He clasped his hands in front of him.

Dr. Stanson pursed his lips and let out a deep sigh. “I refuse to be emotionally manipulated into giving information about Tully. She’s not the only one who needs care in this hospital and if you continue, I’ll have you thrown out.”

There was no choice except to slink out into the crowded waiting room. I scanned the crowd, biting my tongue as I saw phones pointed in our direction. Even in our weakest moments, we were still the Baylark Pack. Walden put his arm around my shoulder and I let out a wet breath into his chest. Ajax watched with a zombie expression. He’d shut down when the ambulance came, and they wouldn’t let one of us ride with her. Lloyd chewed his bottom lip and tracked the doors that led into the hospital.

I spotted a familiar dark-haired bob weaving through the crowd. Two red spots appeared on Beatrice’s cheeks when we converged on her.

“What did they say? They won’t let us in,” Walden said.

“Lucky, I thought ahead to ask Tully to add me as her emergency contact. I always take extra good care of my clients, and future sister-in-law seemed like something that required extra attention.”

Her fingers kneaded my shoulders. “She’s not lucid, and they think you might have something to do with it.” Beatrice cringed at Walden’s answering growl, and she gave him a slap on the shoulder.

“Stop before you get kicked out of the hospital,” she muttered. “There are phones recording us right now. I answered all their questions and told them about the attack.”

Was Tully’s fainting because of something Chase did to her? She’d been sluggish and withdrawn, but I never once suspected there were any lingering aches and pains. Walden rubbed his chest, and his lungs emptied in a violent exhale.

“Please, daddy, breathe,” I whispered to the other half of my heart.

If Walden had a meltdown in the middle of the waiting room, it would ruin all our efforts.

Lloyd wrung his hands. “Can you get us back there?”

Beatrice frowned as her gaze drifted over our shoulder to the white doors where Tully was hidden.

“I’m hoping Tully will wake up so I can check with her. I don’t want to put her in a position where she can’t trust me.”

“We would never hurt her,” Ajax’s voice wavered.