Chapter 66 SICK
(Adam's POV)
I must have slipped in and out of consciousness a couple of times because I’ve lost sense of time and I feel horrible.
That was the first clear thought I managed to hold onto. Everything else felt smeared. Sounds came before meaning. Pain came without shape. My body felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore, like I was borrowing it and doing a terrible job of keeping it intact.
Someone was talking…
No, someone was begging.
“Adam, baby, stay with me. Keep your eyes open. Please. Please.”
Kael.
I tried to open my eyes. My lashes felt heavy, stuck together by exhaustion. When I managed it, the room swam. Stone ceiling. Soft light. Shadows moving.
Another voice layered beneath Kael’s, steady and rhythmic… It's like a chant. The voice is low, old, and familiar in the way nightmares are familiar.
The physician.
My fingers twitched, and I realized my hand was being held. Tight. Too tight. Kael is holding my hand like if he loosened his grip, I might turn to dust.
I swallowed. My throat hurts.
“What’s… going on?” I croaked.
Kael sucked in a sharp breath. His grip tightened. “Hang on, baby. You’ll be fine. I promise. You’ll be fine. I'm sorry, I promise I won't ever leave you outside alone again.”
I frowned weakly. “Kael…?”
He didn’t answer. He just leaned closer, his forehead pressing against my knuckles, his breath uneven.
The physician stepped into my line of sight. “Alpha,” she said gently but firmly, “help him sit up.”
“Yes yes, I will. I can.” Kael said immediately, his words rushed and jumbled together.
Even with the urgency in his words, he moved carefully; sliding an arm behind my back, lifting me like I was made of glass. A pillow was placed behind me. I slumped against his chest, my head lolling slightly until he adjusted me again.
“There,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
The physician watched my face closely. “Adam, can you tell me how you’re feeling right now?”
I blinked. “Disoriented,” I said slowly. “And… light-headed.”
She nodded. “Have you been sick?”
I hesitated…
Kael stiffened behind me. I could feel it.
“I—” I licked my lips. “I’ve been tired. For days. Weak. Like… like my bones are heavy.”
Kael sucked in a breath.
“I thought it was boredom,” I continued. “Or laziness. I keep feeling nauseous, but I never throw up. I get feverish, but there’s no fever. And sometimes…” I swallowed again. “Sometimes my vision goes black for a few seconds.”
The room went very quiet.
The physician straightened slowly and turned to Kael.
“You didn’t report this,” she said flatly.
Kael’s voice broke. “He didn’t tell me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How did you not notice? I asked you to pay close attention to him.”
“I’m sorry,” Kael whispered. He squeezed my hand. “I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head weakly. “It’s not your fault. I hid it from you,” I said. “I thought it would go away. I didn’t want to bother you. You’re always busy.”
Kael let out a sound that hurt to hear. “You are never a bother. Please tell me everything from now on.”
The physician sighed and stepped closer. She pressed two fingers to my wrist, then my neck, her expression tightening with every second.
“I don’t even know how to tell you this,” she said quietly.
Kael went rigid. “What is it?” he demanded. “Is he going to be okay? Is it something bad?”
Her brows furrowed. “I don’t understand his body,” she admitted. “How this is even possible—”
“What possible?” I asked sharply, panic cutting through the fog. “Am I dying? What is wrong with me again?”
“Adam,” she said firmly. “I need the two of you to calm down. Alpha— soothe your mate. He’s going to need it.”
Kael didn’t hesitate. He shifted closer on the bed, kneeling, pressing his forehead to my shoulder. Warmth rolled off him in waves. His pheromones filled the room, grounding me into some steadiness.
“I’m here,” he murmured. “Breathe with me. Just breathe, okay? Relax.”
My heart was racing, I wasn't relaxed at all.
The physician watched carefully, then spoke.
“He has the pulse of a pregnant omega.”
The world stopped…
I didn’t hear the rest at first. The words echoed, hollow and wrong, like they’d been spoken in another language.
Pregnant.
Omega.
Me.
“I… what?” I whispered.
The physician continued, her voice heavy. “I don’t know how it’s possible, Alpha. But he’s pregnant. He’s carrying your pup.” She paused. “And your pup seems to be fighting something in his body. That’s why he’s getting sick, and he'll only get more sick. I have no way of assuring you this is going to end well.”
Kael made a sound that was half a sob. He pulled me closer, his hand moving instinctively to my stomach, trembling.
“Our pup,” he breathed.
“No.”
The word slipped out before I realized I’d spoken.
“No,” I said again. Louder. “No. That’s not— I’m not—”
My chest tightened. My skin felt too small.
“I’m not a woman,” I said, my voice cracking. “I’m a male. I’m human. I can’t— this can’t be happening.”
“Adam,” Kael whispered desperately. “Look at me.”
“No,” I said again. “No, no, no.”
I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “This is wrong. Something’s wrong. Fix it. Please. Make it stop.”
“Baby,” Kael said, panic bleeding into his voice. “Please, breathe. I’m right here. Nothing is wrong, I promise it'll be okay. You just have to relax.”
“I don’t want this,” I cried. “I don’t want my body like this. I don’t want— I can’t—”
My breath came too fast. My chest burned. I clawed at Kael’s arm, not even realizing it.
“Get me out,” I sobbed. “Please. Get me out of this. I don’t want to be in this body anymore.”
Kael wrapped himself around me, holding me tight. “I’ve got you,” he repeated over and over. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you go. You’re safe. Nothing is wrong with your body. Please don't think too far. It'll be okay. You're fine. I'm here with you…”
I cried into his chest, shaking, my thoughts tearing themselves apart.
Pregnant.
Omega.
Pup.
None of it felt real. None of it felt like me.
“I don’t want this,” I whispered brokenly. “Please. Make it stop.”