Chapter 4

I grabbed the car keys and ran after them, my Golden Goose sneakers squeaking against the concrete.

The garage smelled of WD-40, and its lights were dim and flickering.

Alpha Clark rushed ahead, cradling Omega Taylor in his arms. I followed closely, the heavy thud of my heartbeat echoing in my ears.

Blood had soaked through her white dress. The sight made my stomach turn.

"Clark... why didn’t you answer my calls earlier?" Omega Taylor’s voice was barely audible, soaked in weakness.

But her French manicure gripped Alpha Clark’s Ralph Lauren polo like a lifeline.

I couldn’t see his face—his back was to me—but I could see how he held her. Tighter.

He didn’t respond.

"You love me, don’t you?" Omega Taylor whispered. "Otherwise... why would you agree to have a baby with me?"

She smiled then. A haunting, stubborn smile that sent a chill down my spine.

I froze in place; the car keys clenched so tight in my fist that the metal edges bit into my skin.

And then I heard it.

"Mm."

Just one sound. But it was enough.

Like a blade to the chest, the breath left my lungs.

My vision blurred. The world tilted sideways.

Omega Taylor closed her eyes and slumped against him.

Alpha Clark’s expression twisted in panic. "Taylor! Taylor, stay with me!"

He tugged at the car door, frantic—then realized he didn’t have the keys.

I remembered a time when I was the one in his arms, burning up with a fever. I remembered his arms around me, his shirt soaked with my sweat, his voice trembling as he whispered, "Don’t be scared. I’ve got you."

But that tenderness—wasn’t mine anymore.

I stepped forward.

His head whipped toward me. The moment his eyes landed on the keys in my hand, they lit up.

"What are you standing there for? Drive!" he shouted, desperate.

He’d never yelled at me like that before.

I didn’t speak. I didn’t flinch. I just walked to the driver’s seat, opened the door, and started the engine.

Alpha Clark sat in the back, holding her like she was his entire world.

We arrived at the hospital in minutes. The hospital waiting room reeked of Lysol and family drama.

Omega Taylor was rushed into the ER.

The pack doctor glanced at us and snapped, "What’s wrong with you people? One more second and you’d have lost both mother and baby!"

Alpha Clark didn’t even flinch. His eyes were empty as he stared at Omega Taylor’s unconscious form, his shirt-stained crimson.

The doors shut behind her.

I sat outside the OB department, numb.

He leaned against the wall like he was the one barely holding on.

Blood still clung to him, but he didn’t seem to notice. He kept muttering under his breath.

"It’ll be okay. It has to be okay..."

And then I heard footsteps—fast, urgent.

His parents.

I stood up. "Mr. and Mrs. Calderon”

SLAP.

The sting exploded across my cheek.

I reeled back, stunned, as Alpha Clark’s mother glared at me.

I looked at Alpha Clark. He didn’t move. Didn’t say a word.

His mother stepped closer, her voice shaking with rage. "You bitch. You can’t even give my son a child, and now you won’t let another Omega woman carry on the family name? Are you trying to end the Calderon bloodline yourself?"

I blinked through the burn in my eyes.

"I’m sorry," I whispered. Then I turned and walked away.

I didn’t look back, even when I heard his voice call after me.

The second I stepped out of the hospital, the sunlight hit me hard—too bright, too cruel.

I pulled out my phone with my fingers shaking and pressed the number I’d been too afraid to call.

"...Brother?"

My voice cracked. I swallowed hard, forcing back the sob rising in my throat.

"I regret it," I whispered. "I want to sever the bond with Clark, and I want to see you."