BXBX NOVEL Chapter 162 - Half-breeds
Lara was brought to another room, and Roxy decided to help her take care of Scarlet. The little girl was as frightened as her mother, but no one had the nerves to console her because everyone's attention was on Jaden.
The most troubled was Nate.
He knew his son was going to be okay. It sure was. Yet, his heart was aching at every beat. How could anyone hurt a little pup? Jaden was five years old, but he looked younger. He was frail, half-human.
«Where is Samantha?» he inquired while waiting for the doctor's response.
He couldn't allow Mayford's Alpha to get away with hurting his family. It was too much.
He didn't mind when he had attacked his company in the past, for he thought it was part of the business world. A game between them, sometimes.
But then, he had dared to target his mate and his kids.
«Still not answering,» someone replied from behind him. Roxy was with Lara, so he couldn't even inquire if she had found out where that she-wolf had disappeared.
He didn't worry about her, though. She knew how to protect herself differently from his family. Yet, where was she when they needed her?
It was not like her to disappear during a crisis.
«Alpha Nate,» the doctor called from the room.
Nate crossed the door and observed Jaden's face, relieved he was getting less pale. His cheeks were turning rosy, and his breathing was stable. There was no adrenaline anymore, except for a few traces in his sweat.
He was recovering, Nate realised. That thought lifted his mood and transformed that damned night into bright dawn. He had made it in time, after all.
«Yes?» he asked the doctor.
«Everything is all right. The pup will wake up soon. His healing capabilities are slower, but they seem to work perfectly. He broke two ribs, but they're already back to normal. The pup might feel tired for the next few days, but he won't feel pain anymore.»
«He's slower at healing?» Nate said. For once, he had someone to ask that question. How were half-blood pups supposed to be?
«Yes, he is. But it's not serious. The extent of what he can heal from is pretty much the same as with the other pups, and I expect him to improve as he grows up.»
«Does it happen like this with half-bloods?»
«More or less, yes. Their wolf nature tends to win over time, and they're almost indistinguishable from the others as teenagers.»
«But what about the rest? The mate links, life in a pack... Is that just slower? Will he feel part of the pack when he grows up?»
«I can't answer that, Alpha. It depends on a number of different things, and every wolf is different. But I'm positive it will be all right. After all, they already turn halfway, don't they?»
«Who told you?» Nate inquired, narrowing his eyes. How could the doctor know?
«Rumours travel fast, Alpha.»
«Answer.»
«The pups would talk about it with their families, and the caretakers confirmed it to one of the mothers inquiring.»
«Ah, you meant it like this,» Nate sighed. «But... How could Mayford Alpha find out about my children? Could the voice have reached that far?»
The doctor shrugged. He didn't know anything about it, just what everyone else would say from time to time. No one in the pack would have had any reason to contact the wolves in Mayford.
Nate sat on a chair next to the bed, observing Jaden with a worried expression on his face. He would have waited there for the boy to wake up, lest Jaden started panicking if left alone.
«Reinforce security,» he ordered. He knew someone was listening, so he didn't need to move his eyes away from Jaden.
The little boy was going to be all right; he knew it. Yet, he couldn't leave him alone. He couldn't divert his gaze for a single moment.
«We're going to war,» he continued. «After this breach into our defences, we can't close an eye anymore. I want the executive team in the meeting room tomorrow at eight o'clock. And recall the soldiers from their missions.»
Some of the warriors would serve the army or join the special forces to keep themselves fit and ready to fight. Nate knew peace was preferable, but he also was aware of how it could allow people to forget how to fight or deal with emergencies. For that reason, he had permitted some of the pack members to find a job outside of the company. They needed to train if they required them for an actual fight.
«We will hit them from all sides. From military to economy,» Nate continued. «To reputation and legal affairs.»
He would have found every single weakness of that man, and he would have hit as hard as to prevent him from getting up ever again.
«Let's start digging,» he then sighed. «I want a report on my desk before tomorrow's meeting.»
He sensed Lara's walk in the hallway, her unique way of stepping on the floor, her beaten sighs.
If only he wasn't guarding his son, he would have walked out to console her. Like that, however, he had to wait for someone to bring her to him.
«Let everyone know what happened,» he whispered. «And let Lara come here. She's worried about her son.»
Her steps made him relax a little. He still needed to check on her, to find out how frightened she was. To tell her Jaden was going to get up soon and that no one would dare to touch her ever again.
The fight had taken its toll, but there had been no casualties on either side. It would have been easier, though, if only...
«And find out where the heck Samantha is!» he added.