CHAPTER 211: ONE OF YOU

Nathan’s POV

The smell of antiseptic and blood hit me the moment I stormed into the hospital.

Everything was chaos: nurses running, healers chanting low spells, and the echo of stretchers rolling across the floor.

"Hailee!" I barked at the woman behind the counter. "She was just brought in from an accident!"

The nurse looked startled but quickly pointed down the hallway. "Emergency wing, third door to your right!"

I didn’t wait for another word. I ran.

When I reached the corridor, Callum was already there, pacing. His hands were bloody from helping the rescue team. His usually calm face was pale, tight, and hollow.

The moment he saw me, he looked up. Before either of us could speak, another figure appeared from the opposite side.

Dane.

Of course, this was his pack hospital. The moment word spread of the crash, he must have gotten the news.

"Nathan," he said quietly, his eyes searching mine. "I just heard. They’re all in there."

All three of us—me, Callum, and Dane—stood outside the emergency room, the tension thick enough to choke on. None of us spoke for a while. There was nothing to say. We just waited, each lost in the storm inside us.

Then the door opened.

A doctor and a healer stepped out, both looking worn and shaken. The healer’s hands glowed faintly from lingering spell energy.

"Alphas?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," I said quickly, stepping forward. "How are they? Tell me they’re okay."

The doctor hesitated before speaking. "The woman is stable. She has some bruises and mild internal bleeding, but she’s responding well to treatment."

I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. "Thank God."

But then the healer spoke softly, her tone more serious. "It’s the boys."

My head snapped up. "What about them?"

"They’re alive," the healer said, "but they’re weak. Two of them lost a lot of blood, and one—" she paused, glancing at her chart, "—one’s heart stopped for a few seconds before we brought him back."

Callum’s hands clenched at his sides. Dane’s jaw tightened.

"They’ll make it, right?" I asked, my voice barely steady.

"We’re trying," the healer said gently. "But we need something from the father. A blood sample could help with the healing match. Their bodies are rejecting ordinary restoration spells."

The three of us froze.

The doctor looked between us, confused. "Who’s the father?"

No one answered at first. The silence was heavy, suffocating.

The healer frowned. "Please, we need to know. The children’s lives could depend on it."

Finally, Callum spoke, his voice low. "It’s complicated."

Dane’s eyes flicked toward me. "Very."

The doctor frowned again. "One of you must be—"

Before he could finish, the door to the emergency room opened slightly. A nurse stepped out and whispered something. The healer turned to her and nodded.

"She’s awake," she said. "Hailee is awake."

Without waiting for permission, the three of us moved, almost tripping over each other to get to her.

Inside, Hailee lay pale against the white sheets, her skin bandaged in places, an IV line in her arm. Her eyes fluttered open weakly when she heard us.

"Hailee," I said softly, moving to her side. "You’re okay. Thank the moon, you’re okay."

She blinked slowly, her lips parting. "The boys," she whispered.

"They’re alive," Callum said beside me. His tone was tight. "But not doing well. The healers said they need the father’s blood to help."

She froze. Her breathing grew uneven.

The doctor stepped forward. "Please, ma’am. We need to know who the father is. A blood sample can stabilize their condition."

Hailee’s eyes darted between us—me, Callum, and Dane. All three of us were standing there, waiting.

Then she said it.

Her voice was faint but clear. "One of you are their father."

The words cut through the room like a knife.

Callum’s brows furrowed. Dane’s eyes widened. My heart dropped to the floor.

"What?" I breathed.

She shut her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I lied," she whispered. "I didn’t know what else to do. I thought it would protect them."

The silence that followed was deafening.

I took a slow step forward. "You lied?" My voice shook. "Hailee, what are you saying?"

Her lips trembled as she met my gaze. "One of you is the father," she confessed, her words barely holding together. "I just didn’t want any of you to know."

My chest tightened. Callum blinked, stunned. Dane rubbed the back of his neck, whispering, "What do you mean, one of us?"

The doctor looked between us, uneasy. "Please, we don’t have much time. The boys’ vitals are dropping."

Hailee turned her face away, crying softly. "I never wanted it to come out like this."

I couldn’t breathe. My thoughts were spinning—anger, confusion, fear. But above all that, something inside me knew.

The same gut-deep pull I’d felt all morning, the same pain that ripped through me when the crash happened—it wasn’t random. It was them.

I took a step forward, my voice steady now, even though my heart was breaking. "Test us," I said quietly.

Hailee looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Test all three of us," I repeated, turning to the doctor. "Run a paternity test right now."

The doctor hesitated. "Alpha Nathan—"

"Do it!" I snapped, my voice cracking. "If any of us match, use our blood for the transfusion."

Callum let out a slow breath. "Fine," he muttered. "Let’s get it over with."

Dane didn’t argue either. He just nodded stiffly.

The doctor motioned to a nurse, who hurried forward with three kits, her hands trembling slightly as she handed them out.

As the needles went in and our blood filled the vials, no one said a word.

Hailee turned her head away, silent tears falling onto the sheets.

And I stood there, staring at her, my heart pounding with a mix of anger and fear, knowing that when those results came back, nothing between us would ever be the same again.