Chapter 24 Fractures Beneath
Caspian
The door barely qualified as a door by the time I finally broke through it. The wood split clean down the middle, the hinges tore loose, and the crash echoed far too loudly down the corridor.
I didn’t care.
None of it mattered the moment my eyes landed on the one thing that made my blood freeze. Lulu lay completely still on the bed. She wasn’t sleeping, there was no way. It hadn’t even been an hour since she’d run off, vanished from my side. It had only been minutes.
Her skin was pale, her lips drained of colour.
The world stopped.
I remembered the last time panic had crushed my chest like this—when Lulu had lost her heart. The same suffocating terror, the same instinct that hijacked my body and made an Alpha like me move without thinking.
“Lulu. For the Moon Goddess’ sake—wake up. Can you hear me?”
Nothing movement form her
I dropped to my knees, sliding my arms beneath her. Her skin was cold for a wolf. Her heartbeat was there—weak, but present. That was the only thing stopping me from shifting on the spot and tearing apart anything that got in my way.
I ran.
My footsteps thundered towards Violet’s clinic, my Alpha instincts pushing me faster than common sense ever could. The clinic door nearly came off its frame when I shoved it open.
“Allen!” My voice cracked. “Help me. Now!”
Violet appeared in her white coat, her face tightening the second she saw Lulu in my arms. She didn’t ask questions, just told me to lay Lulu down on the examination bed. Her hands were shaking. That alone told me how bad this was.
I stood there, stiff and useless, while Allen worked. The smell of antiseptic, the beeping instruments, the ticking clock on the wall; it all scraped at my nerves.
“She’s in shock,” Allen said at last. “Severe stress. What happened?”
“Treat her,” I snapped. Too fast. “Whatever it takes. Do it now. There’s no time to explain.”
Allen studied me for a long moment. I felt a low growl build in my chest before he finally spoke again.
“I can stabilise her,” he said quietly. “Lower the fever. Calm her nervous system. But, Alpha… medicine can’t fully heal wounds like this.”
My jaw tightened. “She’s in pain.”
“I know.”
“She’s my mate,” I hissed, my Alpha voice slipping out without permission. “The bond demands that I protect her. You can’t just…”
“And precisely because of that,” Allen cut in calmly, “you need to step up. Lulu’s injuries aren’t just physical. Her past trauma, losing her wolf, it’s crushing her spirit. One of the strongest ways to reduce her stress is honesty.”
I knew exactly where this was going.
“Tell her,” Allen continued, “about your status. About the mate bond.”
I froze.
Silence stretched between us, heavy and brutal. I looked at Lulu. Her exhausted face, the slight frown between her brows even while unconscious. How could I drag her into a fate she wasn’t ready to face?
“No,” I said at last. “Not yet.”
Allen sighed. “Then let me do what I can. But remember this, Alpha Caspian—you’re delaying something that can’t be avoided forever.”
I nodded stiffly. “Just do it.”
When Allen got back to work, I turned and left. I couldn’t stay, not with those thoughts tearing at my head.
I found Niobe in the back garden, standing beneath the old cedar tree, its leaves whispering softly in the breeze. She turned the moment she sensed me. Her eyes held grief that never truly faded.
“She collapsed,” I said flatly. “Lulu.”
Niobe didn’t look surprised. She gave a small nod. “You look like a wolf who’s just fought through a storm.”
“I can’t tell her,” I said. “About the bond.”
Niobe folded her arms. “Why not?”
“Because of the Dark Sorcerer,” I shot back. “Because she’s already lost her wolf and because anyone close to me always becomes a target.”
Dylan’s shadow surfaced without warning. My brother. Exiled. Stripped of his magic—of everything that made him whole—just so I could live.
“I won’t let Lulu end up like Dylan,” my voice dropped. “Sacrificing herself for me.”
Niobe studied me for a long moment before stepping closer. “Dylan doesn’t regret it,” she said softly. “He did it because he believed in you. Because he knew you’d carry it forward.”
She was hurting too. She’d lost the one she loved, yet somehow, she stood stronger than I did.
I clenched my fists. “That’s exactly what scares me.”
Her gaze went distant as she took my hand. I felt her draw more of my supernatural energy to see ahead. Her body tensed as the power flowed.
“The Dark Sorcerers are gathering in the west,” she said finally. “In a place they call Eldermere Hollow. Where elements collide and secrets are traded like currency.”
I snapped my head towards her. “You’re going there?”
“Maybe we’ll find answers to your problem,” she said steadily. “I’ll go, if you allow it.”
I nodded. I immediately assigned a hunter to guard her. Before we parted, Niobe touched my arm.
“If you want to win Lulu over,” she said gently, “start as her friend. Let things grow naturally. When her wolf returns, she’ll feel the bond herself. And try not to fight so much.”
That night, I returned to Lulu’s room. Her fever had eased. I sat beside the bed, wiping the sweat from her forehead, changing her compress, making sure her breathing stayed steady—just as Violet instructed. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep in the chair.
A weak tap on my hand woke me.
“Alpha…?” Lulu’s voice was hoarse.
I was alert instantly. “I’m here. I’ll call Dr Allen.”
I reached out through the mind link. Violet arrived quickly, checked her over, and ordered total rest. Lulu—being Lulu—was already trying to get up, talking about an invitation to the Crystal Ice pack.
\[Your task is to rein in your stubborn woman, Alpha.\]
“That’s why we argue so much,” I muttered. “She wants to look strong, even though she’s the most fragile wolf I’ve ever known. You can go now, Violet.”
\[One more day of rest. No arguments.\]
“I understand.”
Once we were alone, Lulu broke down.
“I just… I don’t want to see Scott,” she sobbed. “I don’t want him to know I’m still alive.”
She told me everything. The betrayal. The pain of having her heart stolen. I barely managed to keep my rage under control.
“Do you still love him?” I asked, even though the question hurt me just to say it.
“No,” she said firmly. “I just want to be free. Focus on my pup.”
Something inside me shrank. She wasn’t thinking about her second-chance mate at all—me. Still, I smiled.
“I’ll be a good friend,” I said. “I promise.”
The mind link pulsed. Beta Rohan informed me that my trusted hunter had arrived. I called Dalila to stay with Lulu, then left.
In the front hall, the hunter knelt.
“My respects, Alpha.”
“Stand.”
He did.
“Any news from Alpha Scott… Elite Hunter Erick?”
He nodded. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, Alpha Caspian.”