Chapter 109 109. Cold
Tabitha’s POV
The car ride to the hospital feels unreal. I sit in the back seat, wedged between my thoughts as I stare out the window without really seeing anything. It feels like I am floating—dreaming with my eyes wide open.
And it’s not a very good dream. It's almost like I haven’t truly woken up from the nightmare I had just a few minutes ago.
Even as my thoughts tear me apart, I notice the way the brothers keep watching me. Luca, who is driving this time, glances at me through the rearview mirror every now and then, like he is afraid I might suddenly lose it and fling myself out of the moving car. Evren does the same from the front seat, quiet but alert.
Jace sits beside me. Unlike Luca and Evren, he does not bother hiding it. He watches me openly, almost intently, as if he is memorizing every small change in my expression. Reed had tried to claim the seat next to me earlier, but he lost the argument and is now stuck on the other side of Jace, pressed against the door.
No one speaks for a while, which is very unlike them. But I guess for the first time, they’re unsure what to say in this kind of situation.
Honestly, I don’t know what to feel too.
My mother just had a miscarriage.
The thought keeps echoing in my head and I still can’t bring myself to process it. She was pregnant! She was carrying a child that never even existed in my mind until it was suddenly gone.
My supposed sibling. And strangely enough, a sibling tied to the Aldair brothers in a way that makes my stomach twist.
It’s crazy how the possibility of my mom getting pregnant with Alpha Emery’s child did not even cross my mind. I mean, sure, she’s healthy even in her mid forties and is still very capable of conceiving—not even considering the fact that she’s also a she-wolf. She’s practically as healthy as the women in their mid twenties. But still, the idea of her being pregnant again never occurred to me.
My thoughts drift back to the blood on her hand earlier. The dark stain smeared across her skin. My chest tightens. Was that when it happened? Was that blood because of the miscarriage?
No. That does not make sense.
I may feel shaken right now, but I know what I saw before I lost consciousness. My mom was in Alpha Emery’s office! She was digging through his things—something that she should not be doing. I even warned her about it! That room is off limits, even to his sons unless they are summoned. It always has been. None of us are supposed to be in there, let alone touch Alpha Emery’s things!
But why was she there?
What was she looking for? I wish she had given me a proper answer. I just don’t understand why she would steal something from her own husband.
I remember the day my mom introduced me to her new fiancé, who turned out to be Emery Aldair. She looked genuinely happy, like she had finally caught a break. She talked about us having a better life, about things finally falling into place.
The engagement caught me off guard, but I gave her my blessing anyway. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to have a second chance at love. Alpha Emery might come off as strict, especially with his sons, but he seemed like a decent husband. At least, that was what I believed. They looked happy together. My mom was happy.
So why would a happy woman sneak behind her husband’s back and steal something from his office?
My thoughts spiral further.
Is Alpha Emery cheating on her or something? Is my mom investigating a possible affair, is that it?
“Tabitha, do you miss your dad?” her words echo in my head. “Me too. It’s good to hear that you miss him as much as I do.”
“I did what I had to do. What I promised him. I did all of this for him.”
Those cryptic words. That’s not something a happily married woman would say. I remember the strange look in her eyes. The way she touched my forehead before everything went dark.
What did all those things mean?
I don’t know.
My head feels like a mess. Questions pile on top of each other until I can barely breathe. Still, all of them shrink in the face of one truth. My mom is hurt. She lost a child. She is probably broken right now.
My questions be damned, for now I want to be there for her.
“Dad is probably still at the hospital,” Jace says suddenly, finally breaking the silence. “He was the one who rushed your mom there.”
I swallow and nod, even though my throat feels tight.
As we drive, the brothers fill in the gaps. Apparently, after they were summoned to the naval station, they met with their father. A short briefing took place until his phone rang. He answered it, and everything changed. He told them he had to return to the estate right away and ordered them to finish the meeting in his stead.
When they finally returned home, my mom was already gone. She had been found in the bathroom, bleeding, and rushed to the hospital. Alpha Emery drove her himself with a few maids. And the weirdest part? I had been asleep in my room the entire time.
At least, that is what they believe.
None of it makes sense to me. I was not asleep when my mom and I talked. I know that for a fact. Still, there is no time to untangle it now. The only person who can answer my questions is my mom. And I don’t think she’s in the right headspace to give me the answer, not after what just happened.
The car pulls into the hospital parking lot. Luca parks, and we step out. My legs feel stiff as we walk through the halls. My heart starts racing the closer we get to her room.
Luca opens the door.
I see my mom lying on the bed while Alpha Emery sits beside her. Three maids are inside the spacious VIP room as well. Rose is peeling fruit, Sibyl is arranging flowers in a vase, and Greta is checking something on a tray near the bed.
“Mom!” I say, rushing to her side.
She looks pale, but when she sees me, she manages a small smile. I wrap my arms around her carefully, pressing my face against her shoulder.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, my voice trembling.
“I’m fine,” she says softly. She does not sound like herself.
Alpha Emery clears his throat. “She will need to stay here for a few days so the doctors can monitor her condition,” he says.
I nod and hastily wipe the rogue tears from my eyes.
“Greta, Sibyl, and Rose will stay tonight to keep watch over her. I cannot stay. I need to return to the station,” he continues.
“I’ll stay too,” I say immediately.
“That’s not necessary,” my mom says. “The girls will be here. It’ll be okay.”
I stubbornly shake my head.
“No, I want to stay,” I insist.
“I can stay as well,” Luca offers.
My mom shakes her head. “I appreciate it, but it really isn’t necessary. I’ll just sleep the night off. You’ll only get bored.”
“I’m still staying,” I say firmly. Then, I turn to Luca. “I’ll be fine here with Mom and the girls,” I tell him. “You should go with your father. You and your brothers probably have things to take care of.”
He hesitates, but eventually nods. Reed chews on his lip, looking displeased at the thought of leaving me here, but he eventually relents.
“I’ll switch places with you tomorrow as soon as I can,” Alpha Emery tells me.
I smile faintly. “It’s okay. I know you’re busy.”
He strokes my mom’s hand and leans down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” he says.
She smiles, but something about her eyes feels distant. Cold. I notice it only because I am watching closely. Well, this is not the first time they have shown affection, but it is the first time I sense a gap between them.
I say nothing.
Alpha Emery says his goodbyes and leaves with the brothers. Luca pauses at the door. “We’ll come get you tomorrow,” he says.
Reed winks at me, and his voice slips into my mind. “Try not to miss us too much, princess.”
I roll my eyes. “Stop being such a flirt and just go.”
I hear him cackling in my mind before he exits the room. The door closes and they are gone.
I am left standing beside my mom, surrounded by the quiet hum of the hospital room and the three maids who remain at her side.
I turn to my mom, and our eyes meet. For a moment, I hesitate, unsure if I should ask about what happened earlier. My gaze drifts to her hand resting on the sheets. It looks clean now. The blood I saw before is gone, as if it never existed.
“Rose, Sibyl, Greta?” my mom says, her voice calm. “Can you give us a moment? I’d like to rest, and I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Greta says softly.
The three of them move at once. One gathers the fruit tray. Another straightens the flowers. The last checks the curtain by the window. Within moments, they quietly file out of the room, closing the door behind them.
The silence settles. Suddenly, the room feels too big for the two of us.
My mom slowly pivots her head toward me. The softness in her expression fades, replaced by that same chilling calm I saw earlier. Her unreadable eyes lock onto mine.
“You probably have a lot of questions, darling. Go on. Let me hear them.”