Chapter#54

Chapter#54
Liam’s POV

“Goddamnit!” I scoffed under my breath as I hit hard on the ground. 

A soft thud crossed my ears, which caught my attention. I could see Kaelen coming out of the main halls. I stood near the back with my arms crossed as my eyes tracked her as she slipped through the crowd toward the arched exit. 

Something was off. Her shoulders were slumped, her steps were dragged, and her face… gods, her face looked lifeless. My stomach twisted as a cold dread sank in. 

“Kaelen!” I shouted, shoving past a cluster of gawking recruits. She didn’t turn, didn’t even pause, just kept moving like a ghost drifting through fog. My heart pounded as I broke into a run. My boots pounded the stone floor, and my breath caught when I saw her stumble. Then her knees buckled, and she dropped.

I lunged, catching her just before she hit the ground. My arms wrapped around her trembling frame. “Kaelen!” My voice cracked, raw with panic, as I sank to my knees, pulling her against me. 

She was cold. Her skin was clammy under my hands, and her breath was shallow and ragged. Her gray eyes fluttered half-open, unfocused, staring through me like I wasn’t even there. 

“Hey, look at me.” I  gave her face a few light taps. “Stay with me, okay?”

Her lips parted, but no sound came, just a faint wheeze that sent ice down my spine. I brushed her damp hair back as my fingers shook. My mind raced with possibilities of what could have happened. She was fine some hours ago. 

“Kaelen, please,” I begged as my hands cupped her face, willing her to hear me. “Say something. Tell me what happened? Why were you in the main halls?”

A shadow fell over us, and pain exploded across my jaw. A fist slammed me back. I hit the floor hard, and my vision sparked as blood flooded my mouth. Kaelen slipped from my grasp, dropping to the ground. 

Rowan loomed above me. He grabbed my collar and pulled me up to face him. “Stay away from him!” he roared, “I told you, Liam, don’t get near him again!” Then he shoved me back with such force that my head smacked against the ground with a sharp thud, ringing in my skull.

I spat blood, my jaw throbbing, but my gaze snapped to Kaelen, crumpled on the ground. Her chest barely rose. “He’s dying, you idiot!” I scrambled up, ignoring the ache. My hands reached for her again. “Look at him!”

Rowan’s fist froze mid-swing as his eyes darted to her. “What did you do?” he snarled, stepping closer, “What did you do to him!”

“Nothing!” I grabbed Kaelen’s shoulders, pulling her back into my arms. Her weight was limp against me. “He came out of the main halls like this. He’s not okay, Rowan. He needs a healer!”

Rowan’s face twisted. His hands clenched, but he dropped to her side, shoving me back with a glare. “Give him to me,” he growled. His arms slid under her, lifting her like she weighed nothing. “You’ve done enough.”

“Stop it!” I surged to my feet as my voice rose, sharp and desperate. “Look at him, Rowan! He’s shivering, he’s pale… he’s barely breathing!”

He froze. His gaze dropped to her face. Her skin was gray, sweat dripping down her temples, her body trembling in his hold. “Kaelen,” he whispered, “Come on, wake up. You’re tougher than this.”

A crowd gathered around us. I could hear low murmurs. I turned to the crowd and barked, “What are you all looking at? Mind your damn business!”

Kaelen didn’t stir. Her head lolled against Rowan’s chest, and my chest tightened as a scream clawed up my throat. “Caden,” Rowan urgently said, “He’ll know what to do.”

I nodded as I made way for Rowan and Kaelen through the crowd. The crowd’s whispers were buzzing like flies, but I didn’t care. All I could see was her; her blue-tinged lips, her fluttering lashes, the way her hands twitched like she was fighting something I couldn’t touch. 

What’s happening to you? Don’t leave me. Please!

The barracks door crashed open, and Caden jolted upright. “What the hell…” His brown eyes widened as Rowan laid Kaelen on the nearest cot. Her body sank into the mattress, shivering uncontrollably.

“She… she collapsed.” My voice was hoarse as I stepped closer.

Caden knelt beside her. His fingers pressed to her wrist, and his face hardened. “Her pulse is thready,” he muttered as his gaze flicked over her.

“The hell she is!” Rowan hissed as he paced around the room. He stopped and turned toward us. “She’s freezing, and her color’s gone. She looks like a damn corpse, Caden!”

“What’s happening to her, Caden?” My hands balled into fists. “Why is she like this?”

Caden’s eyes stayed locked on her face as he pried her eyelids open, studying them closely. “I’m not sure,” he muttered, brows drawn. Then, after a tense pause, he turned to me and Rowan, his voice low and urgent. “Her wolf,” he said. “I think it’s dying. And if it goes… she might not survive either.”

“What?” Rowan snapped. “How can that be…”

I cut him off. “Can we save her?”

“I’m not sure if this works,” Caden nodded, “But there is a way…”

A horn blared, sharp and piercing, cutting him off, followed by a voice booming through the barracks: “All trainees are required to report to the assembly hall within five minutes.”

My blood ran cold. The words were a punch to the gut. Kaelen was slipping away. Her breaths were weaker now. We couldn’t leave her.

“I’ll stay with her,” I said, stepping forward. My voice was firm despite the tremor in my hands. “You two go. I’ll watch over her.”

Rowan’s head snapped up as his eyes blazed. “You? Leave her with you?” He scoffed. “Not a chance in hell I’d leave her with a scum like you!”

“Rowan, stop!” Caden grabbed his arm, his voice cutting through. “This announcement… It’s probably Leandro. We have to go. Liam can stay. I’m positive he won’t hurt her.”

Rowan’s glare burned into me, his fists trembling, but he knew Caden was right. He leaned in, “If you lay a finger on her,” he hissed, “I swear, it'll be the last time you ever lay a hand on a woman.”

He stormed out, Caden following with a tight nod. The door slammed shut behind them. Silence fell, heavy and suffocating, leaving me alone with her. I sank to my knees beside the cot, my hands hovering over her. “Kaelen,” I whispered through my tight throat as my fingers brushed her cheek. “Just hold on in there. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to save you.”

Her eyes fluttered as a faint moan escaped her lips. My heart shattered looking at her in so much pain. What Caden meant was crystal clear to me. I had to figure out how to save her. She was everything, and I’d failed her too many times already.

Then the cot creaked, and her hand twitched, grasping weakly at mine. “Liam…” Her voice was a ghost, barely audible. Her eyes cracked open, clouded with pain.

“I’m here,” I choked out, squeezing her hand. “I’m not leaving you. Tell me what you need.”

“My wolf…” she rasped as her fingers tightened, then slackened as her eyes rolled back.

“Kaelen!” I gripped her shoulders as panic surged through me. “Stay with me! What about your wolf? What do I do?”

No answer. 

Her head lolled, and her breath slowed. I cursed, my hands shaking as I pressed them to her chest, feeling for a heartbeat. It was there, but fading. Her wolf is dying. Caden’s words echoed like a puzzle I couldn’t solve. 

Does she need a healer? A ritual?... Maybe she needs me?