CHAPTER 73: THE PERFECT MATCH...

Charis

When we arrived at the hospital, there was already a group of doctors and nurses waiting for us in an underground passage with a gurney. The efficiency was impressive and somewhat intimidating—clearly, this wasn’t their first emergency involving Rhett.

Immediately, they surrounded Rhett and transferred him from the ambulance stretcher to their equipment.

Slater, Kael, and I followed the gurney using a VIP elevator that required a special key card to access. We ascended to what was the VIP floor. Everything here was more luxurious, quieter, with wider corridors and expensive artwork on the walls.

Rhett was immediately wheeled into surgery, disappearing behind the doors marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." The finality of those doors closing hit me harder than I’d expected.

Kael settled onto one of the leather benches in the waiting area, but for some unknown reason, I felt incredibly anxious. I tried not to overthink the situation, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. I started pacing the length of the corridor, my nervous energy needing an outlet.

Slater wasn’t pacing, but he was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone with the kind of forced casualness that suggested he was just as worried as I was but handling it differently.

After watching me wear a path in the expensive carpet for several minutes, Kael stood up and gently stopped me from pacing.

"I-I don’t know how they’re in there," I admitted. "I’m scared, Kael. He was just fine this morning. Didn’t we all eat together?" As I spoke, my voice shook with tears.

"Rhett will be fine," he said quietly, his voice carrying that steady confidence I was beginning to rely on. "Dr. Maxwell is a good doctor."

I nodded, wanting to believe him, and let Kael pull me to sit on the waiting bench beside him. Without saying anything, he pulled off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. The gesture was so naturally caring that it made my chest tight with emotion.

We all fell into silence, the kind of heavy quiet that settles over people when someone they care about is fighting for their life just beyond their reach.

Almost an hour later, I heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. When I looked up, it was Rhett’s father, Alpha Terry.

Now in the well-lit hospital corridor, it was easy to see he was definitely Rhett’s kin—the same bone structure, the same proud bearing, though his red hair was streaked with grey hairs. He had changed from his formal suit into dark jeans and a casual sweater, looking more approachable but no less commanding.

Alpha Terry was as handsome as his son and must have turned a lot of heads in his days.

None of us acknowledged his presence initially. He took the other waiting bench without saying a word, settling down quietly.

As soon as he was seated, Slater came over to where Kael and I were sitting. "I’m starving," he announced. "I’m going to look for something to eat. I’ll be back later."

Then Slater left, leaving the three of us in an even more awkward silence.

We spent the next four hours barely speaking. Occasionally, the operating room doors would slide open, and a nurse would rush out, then rush back in with additional supplies or equipment. Each time it happened, my anxiety spiked higher.

Suddenly, Alpha Terry broke the silence. "It’s getting late, and since you’re students, you should return to Ravenshore. I’ll stay here and give you updates later."

Kael turned to him with a polite but firm smile. "We don’t mind being here, and we won’t leave until the surgery is over."

Another pause stretched between us before Alpha Terry spoke again, his tone more conversational this time.

"So, you’re Rhett’s friends. I’m assuming you’re Kael," he said, pointing to Kael, "And the one who left—the one who looked like he might fight me-would be Slater." Then he turned to me. "I don’t think Rhett ever mentioned you. I can’t seem to place you in any of his descriptions."

I rose to my feet tentatively and bowed respectfully. "My name is Eamon Riggs, Alpha. I’m from Duskveil Pack, and I’m Slater’s stepbrother."

"Interesting," Alpha Terry nodded thoughtfully.

From my observation, Alpha Terry didn’t seem like a bad person at all. He had this calm, collected air around him.

"How long have you known my son?" he asked.

"Not very long, Alpha. Just since I started at Ravenshore a few weeks ago."

"And you’re already here at the hospital with him?"

"Rhett has a way of making people care about him quickly," I said honestly.

Alpha Terry smiled slightly. "That he does. What year are you?"

"First year, Alpha."

"Same as Rhett, then. How many times has he failed now?" There was fond exasperation in his voice rather than anger.

"I... I’m not sure, Alpha."

He turned to Kael. "And you? What year?"

"Second," Kael grunted, making it clear he didn’t want to engage in conversation.

Alpha Terry seemed to understand Kael’s reluctance and focused his attention back on me. "What’s your impression of Ravenshore so far?"

"It’s quite different from what I expected," I said carefully.

"In what way?"

"More political than I anticipated. More complicated."

He laughed, and I could see where Rhett got his charm. "That’s an astute observation for someone who’s only been there a few days. Any particular complications?"

I thought about Phil’s setup, the Class Alpha election, and Headmistress Vale’s threats. "Just the usual adjustment issues, I think."

As we spoke, I found myself warming up to Alpha Terry against my will. He wasn’t exactly as funny as his son, but he had a sharp wit and genuine interest in the conversation that made him easy to talk to.

While we were talking, the operating room doors suddenly burst open and Dr. Maxwell came rushing out, his scrubs stained with blood. The sight increased my anxiety.

He rushed directly to Alpha Terry. "What is your blood type, Alpha?"

"AB positive," Alpha Terry replied immediately, despite how much he tried to look calm. I could see he was equally as anxious. "Why?"

Dr. Maxwell sighed in despair. "We have a complication. During the surgery, we discovered that the infection had caused more damage than we initially realized. There’s severe inflammation around the major vessels near his heart, and when we tried to remove the infected tissue, it caused significant bleeding. We also uncovered a tear in a vascular conduit near the heart, so we need to perform an immediate transfusion, but Rhett has a very rare blood type—Rh-null."

"What does that mean?" Alpha Terry asked.

"Rh-null blood is called ’golden blood’ because it’s scarce—fewer than fifty people worldwide have it. It can be given to people with rare blood types within the Rh system, but Rhett can only receive Rh-null blood. Regular blood types, even AB positive like yours, would cause a severe, potentially fatal reaction."

Alpha Terry swallowed hard. When he spoke again, his voice cracked. "What can I do?"

"The cardiovascular surgeons are doing everything they can to control the bleeding, but without the right blood type, we’re fighting a losing battle," Dr. Maxwell continued. "If we don’t get Rh-null blood within an hour, he will die, Alpha."

"No!" Alpha Terry shook his head. "You said he was getting well. I don’t understand how he’s suffering from all these complications now."

"He has not been regular with his medications to start with, Alpha. Rhett doesn’t even try to live the healthy lifestyle we’ve tried to force him to follow, and he didn’t want hospitalization..."

"But that’s not the report I get," Alpha Terry stopped the doctor halfway, staring at him with surprise. "I hear he’s doing well and recovering, at least that’s what my wife tells me. I’ve been so busy these days travelling..."

"Alpha," it was Kael’s turn to do the interrupting. "No one wants to listen to your excuse on how you’re such a shitty father, respectfully. Rhett has less than an hour to leave. What are you going to do?"

Alpha Terry immediately turned to a man I hadn’t noticed before, probably his Beta, assistant or bodyguard, who had been standing quietly in the background.

"Send out a message to all our alliances, every hospital, every health foundation, every medical research facility within a five-hundred-mile radius," he commanded. "Put out a request for Rh-null blood. Tell them I’ll pay anything—a million dollars, ten million, whatever it takes."

Before the man could leave to carry out these orders, I suddenly raised my hand. "Excuse me."

I stepped out from where I’d been partially hidden behind Kael, knowing I needed Dr. Maxwell to hear me clearly, even though I desperately didn’t want him to recognize me.

"I think we’re a match."

"You’re a what?" Dr. Maxwell rushed toward me, his face intense with desperate hope.

"Speak up, boy!" he yelled.

Kael immediately stepped between us. "Don’t talk to him that way."

I cleared my throat and spoke with as much clarity as I could manage. "I am Rh-null blood type. I can stand in as a donor for Rhett."