Free Web NovelChapter 95: Chapter 95 High Fever
Hudson’s POV
Hudson was already moving before the maid finished speaking.
He took the stairs three at a time, reaching the second floor in seconds. Without stopping, he pushed open the bedroom door.
Christina lay buried under thick blankets, her face bright red. Her skin had been ghostly pale just thirty minutes ago after nearly drowning. Now she looked like she was burning from the inside.
Her eyes were squeezed shut.
"She started heating up about ten minutes ago," the maid said behind him. "I checked her temperature. It’s over one hundred and four and still climbing."
Hudson crossed the room and pressed his hand to her forehead. She wasn’t just warm. She was scalding.
He scooped her up, blankets and all, and turned toward the door.
"Get the car ready," he told the maid. "Now."
His beta, Dominic, appeared in the hallway. "Should I call the family doctor?"
"No." Hudson’s voice was sharp. "I’m taking her to the hospital myself. Right now."
Downstairs, the party guests watched in stunned silence as Hudson carried Christina through the main hall. His footsteps echoed off the marble floor. He didn’t look at anyone as he headed for the front doors.
The car was already waiting. Hudson slid into the back seat with Christina in his arms. The driver pulled away immediately, tires squealing against the pavement.
Inside the mansion, shocked whispers filled the room.
"He just left? During his grandfather’s birthday party?"
"Hudson’s the pack leader. What happens to the celebration now?"
"The old man’s still here. The party continues, right?"
In the middle of the chaos, Isobel remained kneeling on the floor. Blood streaked her face from where she’d slapped herself. Her dress was still damp and wrinkled. No one knew what to do with her.
Then the sharp tap of a cane on marble cut through the noise.
Edouard appeared at the top of the stairs, his face dark with anger. He struck his cane against the floor again.
"Enough with this racket. What are you, a bunch of gossiping old women?"
Even though he was retired from active leadership, the old Alpha’s presence commanded instant silence.
He scowled, muttering, "Finally get the whole family together, and that boy walks out in the middle of it. He clearly doesn’t care what this old man thinks."
Beside him, his youngest grandson Declan shrugged. "Not his fault, Grandpa. Blame Quentin’s crazy girlfriend. She started this mess. Hudson’s not going to sit through dinner while Christina’s sick." freewёbnoνel.com
Edouard’s expression grew darker. He knew Hudson wasn’t wrong. But leaving a family gathering for any woman wounded his pride.
His gaze fell on Isobel, still on her knees.
"You think this is some charity shelter?" he barked at Quentin’s parents. "Bringing strays into the family home?"
Quentin’s mother went pale. She looked ready to faint.
"I’m sorry, Uncle Edouard. We’ll remove her immediately."
She grabbed Isobel’s arm. "Get up! You’re embarrassing all of us!"
Isobel didn’t respond. Her face was a mess of mascara and blood. Her designer heels were broken. Her dress clung to her like a wet rag.
Edouard slammed his cane again, making the chandelier shake. "All of you, out!"
Quentin and his parents froze for a moment. Then they bolted, dragging Isobel with them like damaged luggage.
***
In the back of the car, Christina was wrapped so tightly in blankets she looked like a cocoon, but her body still shook violently.
"Drive faster," Hudson ordered.
Christina’s hand felt like fire in his. Hudson hated how small it seemed. He hated the way her jaw trembled, the soft chattering of her teeth.
His chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing his ribs.
He touched her cheek gently. Her skin burned against his fingers.
"Are you afraid of water?" he asked quietly. freewёbnoνel.com
She wasn’t fully unconscious. Her eyes stayed closed, but her lips moved.
"Scared... yes..."
Hudson pulled her closer until her forehead rested against his chest.
"Why?"
She mumbled slowly, the fever making her words thick and confused.
"Almost drowned... once. In high school."
Hudson went still.
"She nearly drowned before?" Lycaon’s voice was sharp in his mind. "What bastard put her through that?"
Hudson held Christina tighter. "We’ll make sure whoever hurt her pays for it."
Christina shifted against him, seeking his cooler body temperature. Her cheek pressed into his chest. Even through the blankets, he could feel her soft curves, the quick flutter of her breathing.
She smelled like chlorine and the hot chocolate someone had brought her earlier.
He touched her face again. Still burning.
"Was Isobel there? In high school?"
Christina’s forehead wrinkled like she was trying to grab a memory that kept slipping away.
"Yeah... she was there..."
Hudson’s expression turned cold. "Did she push you then too?"
"No..." Christina blinked slowly, her pupils unfocused. She was trying to remember, her face scrunched with effort.
Hudson stroked her arm. "Don’t worry about it now. Just rest."
"Where are we going?"
"To the hospital."
She frowned. "I don’t like hospitals."
Before he could ask why, Christina started mumbling against his chest. He had to lean down, press his ear close to her lips to understand.
Fragments spilled out in broken pieces. Isobel’s name. Something about a drink. Rogues waiting for her at some abandoned building. And then the worst part— nearly drowning in a river, water filling her lungs, no one there to help.
Hudson listened, his face like stone.
"She’s been through this before," Lycaon snarled. "That woman targeted our mate twice."
"I should have broken my own rules," Hudson replied silently. "Should have made Isobel pay properly."
His thoughts turned darker, heading toward places he usually kept locked away. Until the wail of a siren cut through the night, snapping him back to the present.
The hospital loomed ahead, bright lights cutting through the darkness.
Hudson looked down at Christina’s flushed face. "We’re here. You’re going to be fine."
