Alexander

    I was knee–deep in vendor contracts for the supporter pic when my phone rang. Gabriel was pacing

    around my office, rattling off logistics about sound equipment and security protocols, but I barely heard him over the spreadsheet I was reviewing.

    The call disy showed Liam’s name, which was strange. He rarely called me directly. We’d settled into a distant sort of quasi–friendship since the time he’d spent living here, mostly just for E’s sake, but we weren’t close enough to have random phone calls for catching up.

    “Alexander, you need to get to Memorial Hospital right now,” Liam said the moment I answered.

    My blood instantly went cold. “What happened?”

    “It’s E. She got sick while we were having lunch and copsed. The paramedics brought her in about twenty minutes ago.”

    The phone nearly slipped from my hand. “Is she okay? Is the baby-b” /b

    “I don’t know yet. They won’t tell me anything because I’m not family.” Liam’s usually calm demeanor cracked audibly. b“/bJust get here. Fast.”

    I was already reaching for my jacket before I’d even hung up. Gabriel stopped mid–sentence, eyebrows

    raised.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “E fainted and went to the hospital,” I exined, tugging on my jacket. “I have to go.”

    Gabriel just looked exasperated. “Alpha, I’m sure she’s fine. Pregnant females get dizzy spells all the time. We still need to finalize these contracts-”

    I whirled around to re at him. “Did you not hear me, Gabriel? My mateb–/byour Luna–is in the hospital. The contracts can fucking wait.”

    Gabriel’s mouth snapped shut at the authority in my tone, but I was already halfway out the door, not bothering to dwell on his insubordinate reaction just yet.

    The drive to the hospital felt like it took hours instead of fifteen minutes, but finally, I arrived–probably breaking about two hundred trafficws in the process. I screeched into a parking space and barely even waited for the car to stop fully before I rushed inside, where Liam was waiting for me. He led me to her room, and I braced myself for the worst before entering.

    But when I walked into the room, E was sitting up in bed, looking surprisingly alert. She looked a little pale, but otherwise okay. On the outside, at least.

    +15 bBONUS /b

    “Alexander.” Her voice was shaky. My wolf instantly surged as I felt her fear through the mate bond, every instinct to protect her suddenly snapping into ce like a bomb had gone off in my chest.

    I was at her side in three steps, my hands immediately going to her face to check for injuries. I cupped her cheeks, turning her head this way and that, even running my fingers along her neck as if afraid I might find a seam where it was about to pop off.

    “Are you hurt?” I blurted out. “What happened?”

    “I’m okay. The baby’s okay.” She covered my hands with hers and met my gaze with a thin smile. “bI /bjust got really sick at lunch and passed out. They’re running some tests to figure out what caused it.”

    Dr. Evelyn, who was standing nearby throughout this entire exchange, cleared her throat. “E tells me she has been experiencing prolonged nausea and vomiting, which we initially attributed to typical pregnancy symptoms. However, our blood work revealed something concerning.”

    My stomach dropped and I whirled to face the doctor. “Concerning how?”

    The doctor took a deep breath. “We found elevated levels of mercury in her bloodstream. Not immediately dangerous levels, but high enough to cause the symptoms she’s been experiencing.” Dr. Evelyn consulted her clipboard. “It appears to be from dietary exposure, most likely fish consumption.”

    I looked at E, confused. “But you’ve been careful about what you eat. You haven’t had any fish that would contain mercuryb./b”

    “That’s what I told them.” E’s brow furrowed. “I’ve been following all the pregnancy guidelines. No raw fish, no high–mercury species. Lilith’s been making sure of that.”

    Dr. Evelyn sighed. “Mercury poisoning during pregnancy can be tricky to diagnose because the symptoms mimic normal pregnancy difort. The levels we found suggest prolonged, low–dose exposure over several weeksb./bb” /b

    “What does that mean for the babyb?/b” I blurted out.

    “At current levels, no permanent damage has been done. However, if the exposure had continued for another few weeks, it could have caused seriousplications. Potentially even miscarriage.”

    The words practically made me stumble backwards. We could have lost our child, and we wouldn’t have even known why.

    “I don’t understand,” E said, scrubbing her hands over her face. “I’ve been so careful. Lilith checks everything before she cooks it. She knows what’s safe and what’s not. And I trust herpletely.”

    I trusted Lilith, too. With E’s life, in fact.

    b“/bMercury can be found in unexpected ces,” Dr. Evelyn exined. “Certain supplements, some imported foods, even contaminated cookware. We’ll need to do some detective work to identify the source.”

    +15 bBONUS /b

    Over the next few hours, more tests were run, all of them confirming exactly what Dr. Evelyn said. Low levels of mercury poisoning, likely consumed over a long period of time. Thankfully, both E and the baby were okay, although more exposure could have resulted in a miscarriage or more.

    I never thought I would say this, but E’s fainting spell was probably the best thing that could have

    happened.

    By the time we were finally cleared to leave the hospital, it was nearly evening. E was steady on her feet but still looked exhausted.

    The drive home was quiet. E dozed in the passenger seat while I tried to process everything that had happened. Mercury poisoning. How the hell had mercury gotten into her systemb? /b

    Lilith was waiting for us when we got home, pacing the front hallway. The moment she saw E, she

    rushed forward.

    “Oh, sweetheart, are you alright? I’ve been worried sick since Liam called.”

    “I’m okay,” E assured her. b“/bJust tired.”

    “What did the doctors sayb?/b”

    I exined about the mercury poisoning while Lilith’s face grew increasingly concerned.

    “But that’s impossible,” she said when I was finished. “I’ve been so careful with everything I prepare for you. No fish except salmon and cod, and only from reputable sources. I check everybel, every ingredient.”

    “We believe you,” E said gently. “The doctor said it could be from anywhere. Maybe the water, or supplements, or-”

    b“/bI taste everything before I serve it to youi,” /iLilith interrupted, looking almost frantic. b“/bIf there was contamination, I would have gotten sick too.”

    She had ia /ipoint. Lilith had been preparing most of E’s meals for months, and she’d never shown any symptoms of mercury poisoning.

    “We’ll figure it out,” I said, although the whole situation felt… off. “I’ll have the house tested just to be safe. But for now, let’s just focus on making sure it doesn’t happen again.” I turned to E. “You must be famished. You should eat.”

    E nodded weakly. “I threw up my lunch,” she admitted quietly, her hand moving to cover her stomach.

    Lilith moved forward and wrapped her arm around E. “Come, dear. Let’s get you settled on the sofa and I’ll make you some broth.”

    b“/bNo, Lilith. Stay with E.” Without hesitating, I turned and began making my way toward the kitchen.

    60

    I’ll make you something. In fact, E, bI’ll /bprepare all of your meals for the remainder of the pregnancy.b” /b

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