Chapter 63 Warm Up

Chapter 63 Warm Up
LAURA What’s going on?” I asked Mack, my voice trembling as fear gripped me. She snapped the phone shut and grabbed my arm. “The hospital is under attack. It’s Blade,” she said, her tone sharp. “It has to be.” I glanced down the hall where the scream had come from. Guards were running toward the noise, weapons drawn. My breath came faster as the reality of the situation hit me. Both the castle and the hospital was under attack. “We need to get back to the hospital!” I said, panicking. “James is there,” Mack interrupted, her voice firm. “He will keep Julian safe.” I wanted to believe her, but the gnawing anxiety in my chest wouldn’t let me rest. “What if he can’t? What if Blade gets to him before we do?” Before Mackenzie could respond, another loud crash echoed through the castle, this time much closer. I instinctively ducked, my heart racing. “We have to leave,” Mackenzie said, tugging at my arm. As Mackenzie and I sprinted toward the car, my ears rang with shouts and the sound of steel clashing against steel. Suddenly, I heard a sharp whistling sound, and before I could react, a knife flew past me, barely missing my shoulder and embedding itself in the wall beside me. I froze, my chest heaving as terror coursed through me. “Mack!” I screamed, grabbing her arm and yanking her forward. She didn’t argue as we raced toward her car. We jumped into the car, and Mackenzie started the engine with shaking hands. “Where now?” she asked, her voice trembling. “The hospital’s under attack. It is not safe.” “I don’t care,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “If Blade wants to kill Julian, then I want to be there when it happens. He’s my mate, Mack. If he dies, I’ll die anyway whether it’s from this cancer or from losing him.” She shot me a look but she didn’t say anything, just gripped the steering wheel tighter and sped toward the hospital. When we arrived, the scene before me was worse than I’d imagined. The hospital was in complete disarray. Windows were shattered, smoke billowed from the front entrance, and rogue wolves were everywhere, fighting with Julian’s men. “There’s no way in,” Mack said, scanning the chaos with wide eyes. I didn’t respond instead I pointed to an open window on the side of the building. “There!” I said. Without waiting for a reply, I ran toward the window, Mack right behind me. We hoisted ourselves through, landing hard on the floor inside. My heart pounded as we walked through the eerily quiet hallways which was opposite of the chaos outside. “Julian,” I whispered, as his scent filled my nose. I could also feel his pain like a sharp ache in my chest. “He’s close.” We ran through the passageways, dodging debris and broken equipment. Suddenly, a rogue lunged out of the shadows, grabbing me by the arm. I screamed, struggling against his grip. His claws dug into my skin, and I thought this was the end until a movement caught my eye. Julian. With a feral growl, he appeared out of nowhere, tackling the rogue to the ground. His movements were quick and lethal, and within moments, the rogue was dead. “Julian!” I cried, rushing to him as he staggered to his feet. But before I could reach him, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. Blood pooled beneath him, staining his shirt. “No, no, no!” I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands hovering uselessly over his wounds. “Julian, stay with me!” His eyes fluttered open, and he gave me a weak smile. “Laura,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. Julian’s men had finally gained the upper hand. The rogues lay scattered, either dead or retreating, and the hospital’s halls began to clear. Despite the chaos calming down, my heart was still pounding as Julian was rushed into the emergency room. The doctor worked frantically, pressing down on the wound that continued to bleed profusely. Blood soaked through his gloves, and Julian lay there his face was pale and lifeless. “Why isn’t the Alpha’s wound healing?” I demanded, my voice trembling. The doctor looked at me grimly. “The poison in his system is slowing down his healing process. If we can’t stop the bleeding soon, he won’t make it.” Those words struck me like a physical blow. My knees buckled, and Mack grabbed my arm to steady me. “Laura, stay calm,” she urged. But I couldn’t. Tears filled my eyes and my entire body began to shake with fear and helplessness. I felt guilty since I fed him the poison that was killing him. Then it happened. A strange energy surged through me, starting from deep in my chest and spreading outward like a wildfire. My breathing hitched, and I clutched my chest, the overwhelming sensation nearly knocking me off my feet. “Laura!” Mackenzie shouted, catching me as I collapsed to the floor. She held me up, panic in her eyes. “What’s wrong? Talk to me!” But I couldn’t speak. The energy wasn’t painful; It was powerful. It filled me with warmth, strength. My skin began to glow with a faint blue light that grew brighter. “Laura,” Mack whispered, staring at me in awe. “What’s happening?” I knew. Somehow, I knew. Something had awakened inside of me, something ancient, powerful, and unexplainable. “I have to help him,” I said, the glow intensifying as I moved toward Julian. Everyone in the room, Mack, the doctor, stared at me in wonder and confusion. I placed my hands on Julian’s chest, directly over the wound. The moment my skin touched his, the mate bond came alive, surging through me like electricity. My body tingled as the bond intertwined with the strange energy inside me. The glow from my hands grew brighter, and the bleeding began to slow. Julian’s body twitched, his eyes fluttering open as he gasped. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice weak. “I… I don’t know,” I stammered, the truth as baffling to me as it was to him. I focused on the bond, on the energy flowing between us, willing it to heal him. Slowly but surely, the wound began to close. The bleeding stopped, and his breathing steadied. Julian stared at me, his hand weakly reaching up to grab mine. “Laura,” he whispered in disbelief. “What is that?” I pulled back, the glow fading from my hands and I staggered in exhaustion. Mackenzie caught me before I could collapse again, holding me upright as I swayed on my feet. “What was that?” She asked, her voice shaking with both fear and awe. I shook my head, looking as confused as her. “I don’t know, I don’t understand too” I admitted, glancing down at Julian, who was now stable. “I’ve never felt anything like it before.” The room was silent, but one thing was clear, whatever this power was, it had saved Julian’s life. Whatever had just happened left me utterly drained. My legs trembled, and I felt weak and dizzy, barely able to stand without Mack’s support. My breaths came in shallow gasps as everyone around me kept staring in silence, their asking questions I couldn’t answer. I didn’t have an explanation for them or for myself. Julian’s hand suddenly reached for mine, gripping it tightly and before I realized it, he pulled me closer. I stumbled slightly and landed on his chest. His heart was beating as fast as mine. Maybe It was the mate bond but I felt something deep and profound. His breathing matched mine, and for a moment, it felt like we were sharing the same heartbeat, the same pain, the same hope. His eyes locked onto mine, filled with questions and emotions he couldn’t yet put into words. “Laura…” he whispered, his voice low and strained. I couldn’t speak. I could only hold his gaze, feeling the intensity of everything unsaid between us. His hand brushed against mine, his fingers grazing my palm, and I felt the same surge of energy that had just healed him. It wasn’t as overpowering this time, but it was still there, humming beneath the surface like a faint spark waiting to ignite again. The moment shattered as Mack’s voice broke through the silence. “Your phone,” she said, pressing it into my hand. I blinked, shaking off the haze, and looked down. The caller ID sent a chill racing through me. Blade. My hand trembled as I brought the phone to my ear. “What do you want?” I demanded, Hus voice came through, sharp and furious. “This attack was just a warm-up,” he spat angrily, his voice filled with venom. “You think you can side with Julian and walk away unscathed? War is coming, Laura. You chose your side, and now you’ll pay for it.” My grip tightened on the phone. “Blade, stop this! You” He cut me off chuckling. “The next victim will be your MOTHER.” His words hit me like a slap. My blood ran cold, and my knees buckled, but Julian’s hand tightened around mine. “Blade!” I screamed into the phone, “Don’t you dare!” But the line went dead.