Loving the leech (Guardians of Red Moon city #4)
28. Fighting for survival

William’s POV

I’m in the car with guilty feelings, and I don’t know how to face Kaylin. The call from my cousin astounded me in more ways a one. How does Kaylin know my cousin? My baby is about to be born, and Vivienne is driving as fast as she can in the hope that we can get there in time, even though we all know that we’re unlikely to do so. Everything going on for the past couple of months hurts my heart now that I realize the truth about what actually happened. Do you know what the worst of all is? The worst part is that I’m the one responsible for how her life has escalated.

Kaylin lived a good life as a human and had dreams she desperately wanted to reach. What do I choose to do because I’m too cowardly to be alone and be seen as a weak clan leader? I kick her feet, making her tumble to the ground when she finally starts to get up on her own. Every day, it becomes more apparent that I genuinely don’t deserve Kaylin, and I don’t know how to make her forgive me. Hell, I don’t even deserve her forgiveness. Despite the dark magic used, I should’ve known and noticed the difference between the women.

Mainly because the one I love received torture while the one I hate was in my arms, trying to take my beloved’s spot.

“You need to take it easy when we arrive,” my mother says, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

“What do you mean?” I ask confusedly.

Why would I be upset? I’m not the one who needs to take it easy when we get there; it’s Kaylin. I can guarantee that she’ll feel disgusted when she sees me and not want to be in the same room.

“Don’t get upset now, William,” she says, sighing. “New information has emerged that I know you won’t like, but you’ve got to remember that it’s not Kaylin’s or anyone else’s fault.”

“Out with it!” I say and feel how my patience quickly flows out of me.

“Kaylin has a mate,” my mother responds with a sigh, and all the blood leaves my face. “Kaylin has you as her beloved but also a werewolf mate. Nathan Obsidian.”

I growl soundly when I hear the name, given our history. My mother sadly looks at me, and only then do I understand that she’s serious. I must share my beloved with my sworn enemy! Goddess, why do you hate me like that!?

“I understand that it feels difficult, but for her sake, take it easy,” mom says. “And your child.”

The thought that I soon have a long-awaited child warms my icy soul, and I smile without thinking about it. You might think I’m the one who’s pregnant because of my mood swings. Yes, I understand what my mother is trying to say; don’t kill Kaylin’s mate. Duly noted. The only question is, how can I not, especially if he’s too close to her.

“William, wait!” my mother shouts, but I don’t care about her, and hurry into the pack hospital.

A nurse stands at the reception and immediately gets nervous when I stare at her. Her hands shake as she looks down at the papers in her hands.

“Can I help you with something, sir?” she asks in a shaky voice.

“Which room is Kaylin Clarkson’s?” I ask in an impatient tone.

“She’s in room 202, but she’s with her mate at the moment.”

“What do you mean by her mate, already being there!?”

I don’t stop to wait for answers but walk with stomping steps towards the room. Without thinking about it, I slam the door open and what I see makes me angry like never before. Next to my beloved sits Nathan as if they’ve been together for years.

“Nathan,” I hiss.

“William,” Nathan growls in reply.

The anger we both feel is causing us to lose control. A baby scream makes me stop; when I turn the corner, I see my beloved. She holds a baby to her chest and shakes. Both me and Nathan look at her with a calm that takes over instead. We both step towards her when a ring of fire suddenly arises out of nowhere and surrounds them. Kaylin continues to tremble, and tears fall down her cheeks. My family comes into the room with anxiety on their faces that quickly turn into a panic when they see what’s going on.

“Kaylin,” I say, walking towards her.

She raises the flames so that they’re over three feet high. Her eyes open and panic is the only thing that reflects back towards me. Damn it, again; I scare my beloved.

“Kay, please lower the flames, and we can talk about it,” my mother says softly, walking towards her.

However, this time she suddenly disappears from the place without a trace. We all look around the room confused, and the site she was at has no sign that there was at all a fire in here.

“Teleportation,” Benjamin suddenly says, running out of the room with the rest of us behind him.

I see Nathan’s eyes unfocused and realize that must be the way it looks when werewolves send mind links. He focuses again, and we all come out of the building, searching for Kaylin.

“Aleida’s warriors have found her,” Nathan suddenly says, and the rest of us follow him into the woods.

Under a tree sits my beloved with my child in her arms, with a ring of fire around her. We try to approach but realize that it isn’t a good idea when the flames get more powerful every time any of us try. In the end, she expands the ring until we all find ourselves at a distance that she considers safe.

“Kaylin, please, we don’t want to hurt you!” I cry out over the loud sound of the fire.

“You’ve already hurt me!” she roars back with fat tears on her cheeks.

She shakes by the grief she feels and looks straight at me. I’m responsible, and I know about it. How the hell am I supposed to solve this? It hurts me to see her in this state of mind. My love, forgive me! Her crying starts to get hysterical, and I look up to the sky, where dark clouds are rapidly approaching. The thunder bellows high above us, and a strong wind that can pull everything in its path swirls around us. I understand that it’s Kaylin who causes it and begins to lose control. Queen Aleida comes to the scene, and it’s enough with a glance towards Kaylin for her to take a couple of steps back and jump over the fire.

My beloved doesn’t raise the flames when Aleida jumps over as for the rest of us, and it must be due to their friendship. I listen to their conversations and hope that the queen can persuade my beloved.

“Kay, you don’t want to hurt any of them, do you?” Aleida asks cautiously.

“They hurt me!” Kaylin cries hysterically, still with my child hugged to her chest.

“I know you feel betrayed by those you love; that’s understandable. But you don’t want to hurt your family the way they hurt you, do you?” Aleida asks and caresses Kaylin’s cheek. “Relax, I’ll protect you and your baby girl. I promise.”

Thick streaks of blood flow out of Kaylin’s nose, and she breathes in a few times before the flames disappear. The moment the last spark fades, she collapses on the ground, and Aleida takes my child in her arms. Both me and Nathan are at Kaylin at the same time. We don’t even growl at each other despite the hatred between us because our beloved is more important than our brawl.

“Why is she bleeding!?” Nathan exclaims anxiously.

“She has used more and stronger power than her body can handle. That’s how it works. Every time she uses her powers, it takes a toll on her body in one way or another; it’s a sacrifice that needs to be made,” Elijah responds expertly. “She felt threatened by us and used her powers to protect her child. It was too much.”

Nathan lifts Kaylin in his arms, and I growl at him when I see him touching my mate. A look from my mother full of anger immediately makes me silent. It doesn’t take long to get back to the hospital and plug Kaylin into all the machines again. Aleida comes in with my child in her arms, and when I look at her with interest, our eyes meet in a quiet, intense brawl.

“You haven’t at all shown any interest in your child as your beloved gave birth to,” she says in a harsh tone that makes me swallow hard. “Treat your daughter better than you treated your beloved.”

She lays the girl in my arms, and when I see her correctly for the first time, tears fall from my eyes. How can the goddess grant me a beloved at all? It isn’t enough that others treated Kaylin poorly, but now I neglect my child too. I don’t deserve any of what I have, and I know it; you don’t have to point it out.

“What’s her name?” I whisper without letting go of my daughter with my eyes.

“Aurora,” Aleida answers, and I smile.

“When was she born?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

“Dawn.”

❀✿❀ Flashback ❀✿❀

“What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever experienced?” I ask, and Kaylin looks away from the stars above to focus on me.

She ponders, and the sweetest little wrinkle arises between her eyebrows. My god, she’s beautiful! Kaylin blinks slowly and smiles at the end.

“Northern lights,” she replies. “I had the opportunity to experience it once many years ago when I was little, and we went away on a ski holiday. It’s also called aurora borealis, in other words. I’ve always liked that name. That’s why I’m going to name my future daughter that if I ever get one. Aurora means “dawn” and comes originally from the Roman goddess of dawn. In addition, the princess in the fairytale Sleeping beauty’s real name is Aurora, and my daughter will be my princess, hence the name.”

I smile at her words and see the love reflecting in her eyes as she talks about her possible future child. Does she want to have children with me in the future, or is it a dream we can’t fulfill since she might not get over what I’ve exposed her to? The thought scares me, but thankfully it disappears just as quickly when she starts talking to me.

“What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever experienced?” she asks, and when I look into the two shining diamonds that put shame to the deepest seas, I already know my answer.

“You, the answer will always and forever be you,” I whisper and caress her soft cheek.

Her eyes hold tears of joy that don’t disappear, but instead, she lets them fall and presses her lips against mine.

✿❀✿ End of flashback ✿❀✿

Obviously, my Kaylin had a plan with the name, but I suspect it has nothing to do with any goddess or storybook. Rather, about the fact that she knew even then that her daughter would be her princess, who’s the most beautiful thing she ever experienced. The machines start to beep continuously, and Aleida is immediately at Kaylin’s side. The nurses rush into the room, and no one knows what’s going on. In the end, Aleida orders us to leave the room. We do as she says, waiting for an explanation of what’s going on.

“Can I hold my grandchild?” my mom suddenly asks, and only now do I remember that there are more worried people than me.

I look up at her smiling face and let her take Aurora. Mom gently cradles her in her arms with a cooing Vivienne next to her, who loves her new niece. Aleida suddenly comes out of the room and walks towards us with sadness written over her face.

“What’s wrong with her?” Nathan anxiously asks, and Aleida breathes in.

“Her heart,” Aleida replies, and the rest of us look at her, confused. “That’s all I know.”

Gratefully, the doctor comes only a few minutes later with a troubled facial expression. Both me and Nathan rise from our seats, ready to fight for our beloved regardless of her diagnosis.

“Hello, everybody. I’m Dr. Callum McGregor, and it’s me who takes care of Kaylin,” he says, introducing himself.

“Just tell us what’s wrong with her!” Nathan snaps at the doctor, who lowers his head in submission.

“Kaylin suffers from “broken heart syndrome.” Everyone, even healthy people, can suffer from a broken heart. The cause is stress, and it affects more people than previously thought. It’s known that stress hormones affect the heart, and one hypothesis is that the syndrome occurs in the brain through a nerve signal that’s given directly to the heart muscles. Since stress, especially long-term stress, is a major influencing factor, it’s known that crucial life situations are a major determining factor. Causes of the syndrome may be due to acute grief, trauma, or stress.

“It can be anything from sudden deaths or illness to road accidents, beatings and, of course, even in some cases heartache, if it’s traumatic and stressful. The prognosis has previously been considered good, but recent studies have pointed out that broken heart syndrome is more dangerous than previously thought. We don’t know if or how Kaylin will recover at present. At the moment, she’s stable, and we’ll keep her here for a couple of days for observation,” the doctor explains, and it feels like it’s my heart that bursts in my chest. “There’s no need to worry at the moment; the prognosis looks good. As long as the stress calms down, she’ll hopefully recover. I’ll come back and pick you up when you can visit her. Excuse me.”

He hurries away, and I sit down heavily in the chair again. This problem won’t go away like usual injuries. Because this isn’t physical, it’s the result of a beloved’s betrayal. That’s a crime that never goes away. With my head in my hands, I feel the guilt run over me like so many times before since I found out the truth. How will Kaylin ever forgive me?

Nathan’s POV

Seeing my mate like this... Goddess, I can’t even describe it to you. William and I let our fight go out over the woman created for us, resulting in her feeling that we were a threat not only to her but also to her daughter. When Aleida comes to the spot, I know for sure that she can calm my mate. If not my little sister, who else? I lift Kaylin when she collapses, and I can confidently announce that I’ve never been as scared as I am at this moment. My mate is breaking, and it’s not just William’s fault. I carry just as much responsibility in this, given that I increased her stress levels even more when I can’t hold back Zac.

The doctor’s words cause my own heart to hurt, and all I want to do is hold my mate in my arms. I want to hug her until everything becomes all right again, even though I’m aware that it may never be.

“It’s going to be okay, Nate,” Aleida says, caressing my back.

However, it doesn’t seem that way when several nurses and the doctor from earlier run through the corridors. We all get up to look at what room they run into, and my breathing stops when I realize it’s Kaylin’s room.

“We’re losing her!” the doctor calls, and more nurses rush inside.

Aleida looks at me with sadness and worry, which doesn’t improve my state of mind. Aurora starts screaming in her grandmother’s arms, and not even William can calm her. I hear the little girl’s heartbeat getting weaker and lift her before running into the same room Kaylin is in. William growls at me and runs after. If he seriously thinks I’m going to take his daughter away from him, he’s wrong. I put Aurora gently next to Kaylin, and my mate’s heart immediately begins to beat again. The doctor exhales as the heartbeat levels and her blood pressure stabilizes.

William quite quickly realizes why I took his daughter and no longer shows his fangs to me. Kaylin needs her daughter at her side to be all right. Aleida sends a mindlink to me that Alexander and Elias are inconsolable back home because they felt Aurora’s heartbeat subside. They need to see their mate.

“Aleida’s sons will be coming here soon,” I quietly tell William when the nurses leave the room.

“Why?” he asks.

“They’re your daughter’s mates,” I answer, and I’m preparing for the anger that’s not coming.

Instead, William smiles down at his daughter and caresses her forehead with his thumb. I feel envious that my sworn enemy has a child with my mate, while I’ve been without her for all these years, waiting for her.

“I honestly expected you to get angry,” I say quietly, and he looks at me.

“I may be considered a monster toward those who mean nothing to me, but even I don’t go against the will of the goddesses,” he replies calmly, and just after that, the boys come running in.

“WHERE’S OUR MATE!?” Alexander roars and looks to be about to shift to his little wolf.

It isn’t customary for puppies to be able to shift at such an early age when the majority of werewolves get their wolf when they reach the age of sixteen. But Aleida’s twin boys aren’t ordinary werewolves but have not only one hundred percent alpha blood but also some royal blood. They shifted to their minimal wolves when they turned three, and to be the size the boys are at present, they’re strong. In the future, even my wolf won’t be able to stand against them in a showdown. The boys see Aurora and growl at the unknown man they don’t realize is Aurora’s dad.

“Boys,” I growl, and they look at me with surprised glances since I’ve never barked at them before. “It’s your mate’s dad; behave yourself. If your mother finds out that you growl at strangers again, I can guarantee that you’ll get spanked as your dads get every time they do something stupid.”

They look away in shame and then walk up to Aurora on the bed. William looks astoundingly at the boys.

“Shouldn’t they apologize?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“An alpha never apologizes,” I reply with a grin. “Especially not when it comes to protecting our mates. So get ready; we’ll have a lot of power struggles for the rest of our lives when it comes to Kaylin.”

A/N:

Hello everyone!

I felt you needed to get the situation from Kaylin’s beloved and mate. It was fitting and necessary somehow to get a little more insight into their newfound love triangle.

❀ Can Kaylin recover?

✿ Did you expect Aleida’s sons to be Aurora’s mates?

❀ Will Nathan and William be able to get along, or are their differences too significant?

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