CHAPTER 85: ACCEPT HER

Keith’s POV

The question hung in the air of the car, and I was asking myself the same thing. What was I doing here?

After seeing the news trending about her, and catching her desperate live stream, I’d told myself it wasn’t my concern. She was the one who wanted to reject the bond, to live her own life. Let her deal with the consequences.

But then the report came in. An incident at the Queen’s Estate. Multiple individuals found unconscious, signs of a struggle.

A cold, heavy weight had settled in my chest, a sensation so foreign and unwelcome I’d almost dismissed it as indigestion. It was worry. Pure, illogical, infuriating worry.

Kieran had been the one to say it aloud. "We should go get her."

And I, against all my better judgment, had agreed. We went to the hospital with the intention of dragging her back, of demanding to know why she couldn’t seem to stop creating chaos that was now, inevitably, linked to our name.

But we didn’t see her at the hospital, and later got her location.

So here I was. Because that inexplicable weight in my chest wouldn’t lift until I saw for myself that she was in one piece. I didn’t have an answer for her that wouldn’t sound weak, so I settled for the bare, pragmatic truth.

"Your little stunt at the estate made the news," I said, my eyes on the road. "The way you handled that situation was terrible," I continued, the words coming out harsher than I intended. "And why did you leave the hospital when you haven’t fully recovered?"

She didn’t look at me, her gaze fixed on the passing headlights outside her window. "I was just standing up for myself the only way I knew how," she said, her voice quiet but steady. "And I had personal matters to settle at the Moore house."

I noticed the change in her. The usual nervous tremor was gone from her voice. This was different. This was a core part of her, something she was willing to stand her ground on.

"You work for me," I pointed out, frustration edging into my tone. "Why didn’t you come to us? The issue could have been handled immediately and quietly."

"It’s a personal issue," she countered, finally turning her head slightly. "That’s what your PR team is for, isn’t it? I don’t have to involve you directly."

The dismissal sparked a flare of annoyance. So she would rather go through faceless employees than speak to me? Most people in her position would use a crisis as an opportunity to get closer, to create a bond.

She was actively doing the opposite. She was serious. She genuinely wanted nothing to do with us, with the bond.

I fell silent, the rest of the drive passing in a heavy quiet. When we reached the estate, she offered a terse "Thank you" and was out of the car before I could respond, heading straight into the house.

I followed moments later to find Kayden and Kieran in the foyer, having clearly intercepted her. They were talking to her, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity, but she dismissed them with a few short, quiet words and continued up the stairs without a backward glance. Kayden and Kieran exchanged a look of pure confusion.

Kieran turned to me. "What happened? What’s wrong with her?"

I let out a short breath, summarizing the scene I’d walked into. "Her so-called family had their security taser her and were dragging her out in handcuffs."

Kieran’s face darkened. "Why the hell would they do that to their own daughter?"

"It seems," I said, the pieces of the night finally clicking into a clearer, uglier picture, "there are many things we don’t know about her past. Or her." The image of her standing her ground, the cold determination in her eyes even as she was being dragged away, was at odds with the nervous woman we thought we knew.

Kieran ran a hand through his hair. "Well, the PR team has cleared the immediate fallout from her live stream. The narrative is shifting in her favor, especially after the ’attack’ at the Queen’s Estate. So... what now?"

I looked toward the staircase where she had disappeared. The weight in my chest hadn’t lessened; it had just changed shape. It was no longer simple worry. It was a grudging respect mixed with a frustrating sense of being shut out.

"I don’t know," I admitted, the words feeling unfamiliar on my tongue. Eleanor had become too complex to solve with logic alone.

***

Eleanor’s POV

The door to my room clicked shut, and I threw myself onto the bed, the day’s adrenaline finally crashing down.

My leg throbbed in time with my heartbeat. After a few steadying breaths, I sat up and replaced the memory card back into my phone, and pulling up the videos again.

I studied every frame, every face that flickered across the screen. The doctor, the nurses, the other new mothers in the background.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. Even if I went to Evergreen Hospital, what then? Would they just hand over confidential records from over two decades ago to a random woman claiming to be a switched baby?

I hadn’t thought this through at all. I sighed, running my hands over my face. How was I going to do this?

A soft knock at the door broke my spiraling thoughts. Probably Sir Alfred.

But when I opened the door, I froze. It was Kayden.

His soft blue eyes, usually so intense and unreadable, were filled with a quiet worry. He was holding a small tray with a steaming cup of milk and a few biscuits on a delicate plate.

"Ummm," I managed, my brain short-circuiting. I stepped aside to let him in.

He moved with a silent grace, placing the tray on my bedside table. Then he turned to me, his hands moving in the fluid, expressive patterns of sign language.

My cheeks heated with embarrassment. "I... I’m sorry, I don’t understand sign language."

He simply nodded, not seeming offended, and pulled out his phone. A second later, my own phone buzzed on the bed.

I picked it up and read his text: Keith said you were tased. This will help you rest.

"Oh," I said, my voice softer. "Thank you."

I sat down on the edge of the bed, and before I could process it, he carefully picked up the tray and sat down right beside me. The mattress dipped under his weight, and I was acutely aware of how close he was.

He picked up the cup of milk, brought it to his lips, and blew on it gently before holding it out to me, a silent signal that it was hot.

I took it, my fingers brushing against his, and took a small, hesitant sip. The warm, sweet liquid was comforting, but it did nothing to calm the sudden nervous flutter in my chest.

Being this close to him was... overwhelming. He was so devastatingly handsome, and the quiet, gentle care he was showing was completely disarming.

My eyes kept drifting to the strong line of his jaw, the way his eyes kept roaming. And of course, Beatrice chose that exact moment to pipe up.

Mmm, look at those hands. So strong. I bet they know exactly what to do. Imagine what he could do without saying a word.

Beatrice, for the love of the Moon, shut up! I screamed internally, taking another gulp of milk to hide the blush I could feel creeping up my neck. How was I supposed to act normal when my own wolf was doing...whatever she is doing?

I finally stopped sipping, the cup feeling dangerously empty in my hands. "Thank you," I said, my voice a little steadier. "You really didn’t have to do this."

Kayden simply picked up his phone, his thumbs flying over the screen. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

I do. You’re my mate.

The words were a simple, stark statement. My breath hitched. Did that mean he accepted the bond? I didn’t think so. He was just being... decent.

But he was here. He was being kind. And I was desperate.

"Umm," I started, fiddling with the edge of the duvet. "I don’t know how to say this, and I’ll understand completely if you think I’m asking for too much after everything..."

He tilted his head, his expression shifting to one of open curiosity. What is it? His eyes seemed to ask. For a moment, I was dazed, lost in the deep blue of his gaze before I shook myself back to reality.

"I... I need to make an appointment at Evergreen Hospital," I blurted out. I quickly opened the hospital’s website on my phone, my fingers trembling as I scrolled through the staff directory, hoping to see that familiar doctor’s face from the video. Nothing.

I looked back at Kayden, who was watching me intently. "I want to help a friend get an appointment with an Obstetrician," I lied, the words feeling clumsy on my tongue. "If that’s alright?"

He gave me a slightly confused look, but it was quickly replaced by a resolve that made my heart skip a beat. He typed on his phone again.

Consider it done.

Just like that. No questions, no demands for an explanation.

I finished the milk and ate the sweet biscuits, the simple acts feeling strangely intimate with him sitting silently beside me.

When I was done, he took the tray, our fingers brushing again, and stood. I walked him to the door.

"Thank you, sir Kayden. Really."

He gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod before disappearing into the hallway.

I closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a long breath. That was... surprisingly easy. Or was it? A part of me wondered if I was making a deal with a devil I didn’t fully understand.

But the larger part, the desperate part, was just relieved. I had a path forward.

I went back to bed, clutching my phone. Tomorrow, I would go to the hospital. I just had to hope I would find what I was looking for.