Free Web NovelChapter 299: Chapter 299 We Were Saved
Christina’s POV
His right hand trembled violently beneath the diving glove.
I remembered asking Hudson why he always kept it on.
But now, with him burning up and unconscious before me, suspicion crept in.
"Something’s wrong with his hand," Akira whispered in my mind.
I reached for his gloved hand while he couldn’t protest. The glove peeled away easily, and when it came free, I had to clap my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp.
"Holy shit," I breathed, horrified.
His palm had a deep cut that was badly infected. His whole hand was swollen and bright red, with yellow spots where the infection was spreading. This wasn’t a new injury. It had been getting worse for days.
My chest ached with worry, but another question bugged me. When had he hurt himself? What could have done this?
I forced myself to think back. And then it hit me. That afternoon when we had dived in the deep sea. After the tsunami, when we lost our torches, Hudson had used his bare hand to feel our way. That must have been it, torn open on coral.
So the mystery was solved, but the realization brought a flood of guilt. Days had passed before I noticed, and all the while he had kept it hidden.
I understood why. We had no emergency supplies. Later, when we found the suitcase, there were only a few plasters, no medicine at all. Rather than worry me, he had chosen silence, enduring the pain alone.
"Stubborn Alpha," I muttered. "You could have said something."
"He didn’t want to worry you," Akira said softly. "That’s how Alphas are."
I understood now why he’d grown feverish.
"You idiot," I whispered, gently touching his cheek. "Your healing would’ve worked if you’d just rested."
I rinsed his wound with our limited clean water, using the few plasters from the suitcase to cover it as best I could. It wasn’t enough. He needed antibiotics, proper medical care.
The rain intensified outside, drumming against our flimsy shelter. Cold air seeped through every crack. Hudson shivered violently despite his fever.
I grabbed my remaining clothes from the suitcase and draped them across the top of our shelter where the rain was seeping through. It wasn’t perfect, but it reduced the water dripping inside.
Returning to Hudson’s side, I dried his face and chest with a clean shirt, then hesitated only briefly before stretching out beside him. I wrapped my arms around his burning body, pressing as close as I could.
His skin burned against mine. I could feel his heart racing under my palm, too fast and unsteady. Fear tightened around my chest like a vise.
"Please be okay," I whispered into his shoulder. "I can’t do this without you."
The admission startled me with its honesty. When had I become so dependent on Hudson Laurent? When had his safety become so crucial to mine?
Lycaon must be fighting hard within him, I thought. Werewolf healing should have prevented infection this severe, but exhaustion and constant strain had weakened him.
I pressed my forehead against Hudson’s.
His breath came in short, painful gasps, each one sounding more difficult than the last.
"Don’t you dare die on me," I hissed, tears mixing with rainwater on my cheeks. "Don’t you dare."
Desperation consumed me. In that moment, nothing mattered except Hudson’s survival. Not our complicated relationship, not my stubborn pride. Just him. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Without overthinking it, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his.
They were dry and burning with fever, but something inside me calmed at the contact.
Hudson stirred slightly, a low groan rumbling in his chest.
I jerked back, heart hammering.
"This isn’t a Disney movie," I chided myself, face flushing. "Kisses don’t cure fevers."
Just then, a strange mechanical sound cut through the drumming rain. A steady, rhythmic thumping that didn’t belong in nature.
Akira’s excitement surged through me. "Christina! Listen!"
I scrambled to the entrance of our shelter, straining my ears. The sound grew louder. Unmistakably helicopter blades slicing through the stormy air.
"They found us!" I gasped, adrenaline shooting through my veins.
I burst outside, rain immediately drenching me. Through the sheets of water, I spotted a helicopter circling above, its searchlight sweeping over the treetops. It dipped lower as if attempting to land, then pulled back against the storm’s fury.
Fear gripped me. What if they gave up and left?
I threw my arms skyward and screamed until my throat burned raw. "HEY! DOWN HERE!"
My voice was nothing against the roar. I stumbled forward, slipping on mud and crashing to the ground. Pain shot up my leg as a jagged rock split my shin. Blood welled hot and fast, but I barely felt it.
"They need to see us!" Akira urged. "Get to the beach!"
I forced myself up and ran, barefoot now, shoes lost somewhere behind. The ground became a treacherous mess of mud, roots, and stones. I fell repeatedly, palms torn open, knees scraped raw, but didn’t stop.
The helicopter remained overhead. That was all that mattered.
Finally breaking through the treeline onto the beach, I grabbed a fallen branch and waved it frantically overhead. The searchlight swept across the sand, then directly into my face, so bright I had to squint against its glare.
I kept waving, whole body shaking from exertion and cold, teeth chattering uncontrollably.
The roar intensified as the helicopter descended. Wind whipped around me with such force I nearly toppled over. Sand and water sprayed everywhere, but I stood my ground, branch still raised high.
They were landing. We were saved.
As the helicopter touched down on the wet sand, relief crashed through me so powerfully my legs nearly gave out.
"Hudson," I whispered, turning back toward our shelter. "I have to get Hudson."
Men in rescue gear jumped from the helicopter, shouting words I couldn’t hear over the roar of the blades. I pointed frantically toward our makeshift hut, touching my own forehead to indicate fever.
One rescuer nodded, understanding immediately. He spoke into his radio while two others grabbed medical equipment and followed my desperate gestures toward Hudson.
I collapsed onto the wet sand, watching as they rushed toward the shelter. Tears mixed with rain on my face. Tears of relief, exhaustion, and something else I wasn’t ready to name.
Hudson would be okay. We were going home.
