Chapter 134: Pathetic
’You can’t keep relying on your healing abilities. They aren’t infinite,’ his wolf argued. What he needed was rest. He could feel his wolf’s disapproval. If his wolf had a human form, it would have clicked its tongue in disapproval.
Kieran said nothing. His wolf was right. His wolf knew him better than anyone. After all, it was part of his soul.
To everyone else, Kieran Ravencourt was the logical one, the composed one. The brother who never lost control and never allowed emotions to interfere with his judgement.
But his wolf knew better. Kieran used logic to bury everything he didn’t want to feel. The rejection had been plaguing him since it happened. He had thrown himself into his research because working was easier than thinking about it.
He couldn’t stop wondering about the outcome. He couldn’t stop wondering if Yuki had survived. He couldn’t stop wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t taken the backlash. And because Kieran had no answers, he worked. Day after day. Night after night. He worked until his body could no longer pretend it wasn’t breaking down.
Even his brothers hadn’t realised how badly injured he was. Killian might have suspected, but Kieran had always been difficult to read. His expression remained stoic even when his body was screaming for rest.
A soft chime interrupted his thoughts. Kieran glanced towards his phone. The name on the screen immediately caught his attention.
Eloise.
He had blocked his mind from the pack link, so she could only reach him through his phone. Kieran picked it up.
Eloise: I heard you’ve been trapped in your lab for weeks. Your brothers are worried. I booked our favourite steak restaurant. Let’s have dinner together.
Kieran stared at the message. He didn’t want to go. Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated. Eloise had always been different. But tonight wasn’t convenient. He needed to finish preparing the final drug sample, and he had no desire to leave the laboratory until he had done so.
Yet if he refused again, it would raise questions. He had already been avoiding her because of his work. Things had also become increasingly tense since Alexander’s wedding had been announced. Kieran exhaled slowly. His thumb moved across the screen.
Kieran: Sure.
Her response arrived almost immediately.
Eloise: Fine. I’ll come drag you out of that lab myself.
Kieran stared at the message for a moment before turning his phone face down. He pushed his chair back and stood. His knees nearly buckled. Kieran caught himself against the desk. His wolf immediately growled.
’I’m fine,’ he argued.
’You are pathetic,’ his wolf sneered.
Kieran ignored him. He walked towards the small kitchenette tucked into the corner of the office and began preparing coffee. Soon, the quiet room filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
Kieran poured the dark liquid into a cup, added a small amount of cream and stirred it slowly. He lifted the cup to his lips. The first sip barely reached his tongue before the laboratory door slid open.
"Dr Ravencourt!"
Kieran glanced over. An ICU nurse stood in the doorway. Clara looked as though she had run the entire length of the hospital. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her dark hair had come loose from its neat bun, and several strands clung to her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed, and she gripped the doorframe with one hand as she tried to catch her breath. Kieran’s brows drew together.
"What happened, Clara?" he asked calmly, though a faint edge of concern entered his voice.
"Sir..." Clara struggled to breathe properly before forcing the words out. "The patient in room 306 of the ICU just woke up."
Kieran’s hand froze around the coffee cup.
"What?"
The word escaped before he could stop it.
Clara straightened and eagerly explained. "The patient, sir. The girl who looks like Lady Aevia. The one you’ve been asking us to monitor." She was among the first nurses to see Yuki.
Kieran stared at her.
Clara nodded rapidly. "She woke up," she beamed excitedly.
The cup slipped from Kieran’s hand. It struck the floor.
Crash.
Ceramic shattered across the polished tiles. Coffee splashed everywhere. Kieran didn’t even look down.
He was already moving. Yuki was awake. The thought barely registered before his body reacted. He grabbed his phone, ready to leave. Kieran reached for the bond.
There was nothing.
His steps faltered.
Of course, the bond was gone. There was only emptiness where Yuki’s consciousness had once existed. Kieran’s jaw tightened. He grabbed his phone from the desk and strode towards the door.
"Sir?" Clara called, seeing him freeze.
"Take me to room 306," he said.
Clara hurried after him. Kieran moved so quickly that the nurse had to practically sprint to keep up. They reached the private ICU wing within minutes.
Kieran stopped outside room 306. The door was slightly ajar. He could see inside. Yuki was awake. She lay against the raised hospital bed, her face pale and her dark hair spread across the pillow. She looked fragile beneath the white sheets, nothing like the woman who had stood before him during the rejection ceremony. A doctor stood beside her, checking her pupils and asking questions.
"Can you hear me?"
Yuki stared at him blankly.
"Do you know where you are?"
No response.
Kieran’s fingers tightened around his phone. She was alive. She was awake. He should have felt relieved. Instead, something unfamiliar twisted inside his chest. He wanted to walk inside.
But his feet remained rooted to the floor.
What would he say?
That he had been worried?
That he had been afraid he had killed her?
That he cared?
Kieran’s expression hardened.
That was ridiculous.
He hated her.
Didn’t he?
He had rejected her. She had rejected him. Rejected mates didn’t have anything to do with each other afterwards. That was how it worked. At least, that was how it was supposed to work.
Kieran drew in a slow breath. The conflict inside his chest gradually settled. It didn’t matter. Yuki was alive, and that was enough. He turned away.
"Give me a report later," he instructed, his voice returning to its familiar coldness. "And put her on the new regenerative treatment."
Clara blinked.
"The new treatment?" she blurted.
"The trial is complete," Kieran replied evenly. "The results were successful. Start with the lowest dosage and monitor her response," he instructed. After all, the drug had been made for her.
"Yes, sir," Clara replied.
Kieran walked away. Clara remained frozen for several seconds. She had never seen Dr Ravencourt like that. For the first time, she had seen genuine panic on his face. And then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.
He was cold again, back to the calm, composed, completely unreadable prodigy they knew. Clara glanced towards room 306, then back at the retreating figure of the doctor who had just walked away without even entering.
Kieran’s wolf scoffed.
’Pathetic.’
Kieran didn’t slow down.
Kieran’s jaw tightened. He continued walking. Behind him, Clara stared after him in confusion. And inside Kieran’s mind, his wolf gave a final, deeply unimpressed huff. Kieran ignored him. He had far more important things to think about. At least, that was what he told himself.