Chapter 280
Brad's POV
As the elevator doors closed behind me, I finally allowed myself to exhale - a long, deep breath that seemed to carry away years of tension. Mira Collins was finished. The threat she'd posed to my family, to Elle, to everything I'd built - it was over.
I loosened my tie, feeling lighter than I had in months. Lucas was neutralized, the board members who'd been wavering were now firmly in line.
Now I just wanted to see Elle. To hold her. To reassure myself that she was safe and waiting for me at home.
I pulled out my phone to call Alex. "Have the car ready. I'm going home."
The drive back to the estate should have been peaceful. The threat was eliminated, the moon was full overhead, and soon I'd be back where I belonged - with Elle and our unborn child. But as I navigated the familiar roads, an inexplicable unease began to creep over me.
My wolf was restless, pacing anxiously in my mind. Something felt... wrong.
I pressed harder on the accelerator, my hands tightening on the steering wheel. The feeling was getting stronger - a primal urgency that made my teeth clench and my vision sharpen. My Alpha instincts were screaming that something was terribly wrong.
Elle.
The thought hit me like a physical blow. I needed to get home. Now.
I was still five minutes out when my phone rang. Elle's name flashed on the screen, and I answered before the first ring finished.
"Elle?"
"Brad..." Her voice was weak, strained with pain. "Brad, you need to come home. Please, I need you to—"
"What's wrong?" I demanded, already swerving around a slower car. "Elle, talk to me!"
"The baby..." she gasped, and I could hear the tears in her voice. "Oh God, Brad, it hurts so much. Something's wrong, I can feel it. Please, just come home!"
"Just hold on, Elle. I'm on my way!"
I threw the phone aside and floored the accelerator. The speedometer climbed past eighty, then ninety, then higher. Red lights became suggestions as I tore through intersections, my horn blaring warnings to anyone stupid enough to get in my way.
The estate gates had never seemed so far away. When they finally came into view, I didn't slow down - just hit the remote and prayed they'd open in time. The tires screamed as I took the curved driveway at dangerous speed, gravel flying.
I was out of the car before it had fully stopped, taking the front steps three at a time.
"Elle!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the foyer. "ELLE!"
Martha appeared at the top of the stairs, her face white with panic. "Alpha! She's in her room - I was about to call the ambulance!"
I bounded up the stairs, my heart hammering against my ribs. The door to Elle's room was ajar, and I could hear soft whimpering from inside.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I pushed the door open.
Elle was curled on her side on the bed, her face contorted with pain, both hands pressed against her swollen belly. But it was what I saw beneath her that made my blood turn to ice.
Blood. So much blood.
The white sheets were soaked crimson, and more was seeping out with each passing second. Elle's skin was pale as paper, a sheen of sweat covering her face as she struggled against wave after wave of pain.
"Brad," she whispered when she saw me, relief and terror warring in her eyes. "I think... I think I'm going into labor. But it's too early. It's only eight months!"
I was beside her in an instant, gathering her into my arms. She felt so small, so fragile, and the metallic smell of blood was overwhelming my senses.
"It's going to be okay," I told her, though my own voice was shaking. "I'm here now. I'm going to get you to the hospital."
"The pain," she gasped, her fingers digging into my shoulders. "Brad, it's getting worse. I'm scared."
"Look at me," I commanded, using just enough Alpha voice to cut through her panic. Her eyes locked onto mine. "You're going to be fine. Both of you are going to be fine. I won't let anything happen to you."
I lifted her as carefully as I could, but even the gentlest movement made her cry out. The blood was spreading, staining my shirt, my hands. Too much blood.
"Martha!" I roared as I carried Elle toward the stairs. "Call ahead to Moonshade Bay General! Tell them we're coming in and they need to be ready!"
The elderly woman was already on the phone, speaking rapidly to someone on the other end.
Getting Elle to the car felt like a nightmare. Every step, every breath seemed to cause her more pain. By the time I had her settled in the passenger seat, she was barely conscious, her head lolling against the headrest.
I'd thought my driving was reckless before. Now I drove like a man possessed, one hand on the wheel, the other holding Elle's, whispering reassurances I wasn't sure I believed.
"Stay with me, baby," I pleaded, running red lights and cutting across lanes. "Just stay with me."
The hospital came into view like salvation. I screeched to a halt at the emergency entrance, not caring that I was blocking three other cars.
"Help!" I shouted as I lifted Elle from the car. "I need help now!"
Medical staff swarmed us immediately. A stretcher appeared, and gentle hands took Elle from my arms. I tried to follow, but a nurse blocked my path.
"Alpha Rayne?" A doctor appeared - Dr. Sarah Chen, whom I recognized from previous visits. "We've got her. But you need to let us get her into surgery now."
I watched helplessly as they wheeled Elle away, her hand slipping from mine as the doors to the operating room swung shut.
The waiting room became my prison. I paced like a caged animal, my blood-stained clothes drawing stares from other patients.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Dr. Chen emerged from the operating room. Her scrubs were stained, her face grave.
I was on my feet and across the room before she'd taken two steps.
"How is she?" I demanded, gripping her shoulders perhaps harder than I should have. "How are they?"
Dr. Chen's expression was carefully neutral, professional. "Alpha Rayne, your mate experienced severe premature labor with significant hemorrhaging. She's lost a considerable amount of blood."
"And?" My voice came out as a growl.
She took a deep breath. "I'm afraid Elle's condition is critical. She's fighting for her life."
The world tilted sideways. My knees nearly buckled as the words hit me like physical blows.
"Critical," I repeated numbly.
"We're doing everything we can," Dr. Chen continued quickly. "But the next few hours will be crucial. The blood loss was severe, and delivering at thirty-two weeks... there are risks."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The fluorescent lights overhead suddenly seemed too bright, the antiseptic smell too sharp.