Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 143

LEANDER’S POV

Crossing the wooden deck in long strides, I quickly reached the door with Luca right on my heels.

“Wait,” Grace interjected softly from her position next to the entrance. “Leander, it’s important that we start Hycinth’s treatment as quickly as possible, and you may not want another male on hand.” Her eyes flickered to Luca for a brief second before returning to me.

Luca’s face fell. He immediately stepped back, his shoulders hunching. “Of course. I can wait to see her another time.”

“It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes,” Grace reassured him.

Luca’s stricken expression shifted back to hopefulness. He waited for my response.

“As long as Hycinth remains stable through the process, I see no reason to delay your visit any longer.” In my heart, I was hoping Luca’s presence might make a difference. As long as my Wolf remained calm, I wanted him to see her as soon as possible. “Wait here. I’ll let you know when she’s ready.”

“Yes…of course,” Luca agreed, sinking down into a nearby chair and placing his hands in his lap.

Turning toward the entrance again, I inhaled a slow breath and let it out. Not sure how much good it did to steady my frayed nerves. Every moment during the last few days had been consumed with a paralyzing fear of the unknown. It felt like a sledgehammer beating against my chest. But my perilous emotional condition was nothing compared to the raging war that my small and fragile mate was battling, so I pushed my shoulders back and forced every bit of wayward emotion into a locked box. I would deal with it later. For now, I had been away from Hycinth for long enough. My Wolf agreed. Not another minute needed it to be delayed.

We stepped through the doorway. My eyes dilated, adjusting to the soft interior lighting. Sydney was sitting in a chair next to the bed, holding Hycinth’s hand and lightly stroking her limp fingers. Sydney’s eyes flickered up to meet mine. She had questions. I could see it in her hesitant expression. She worried about the future as well. Not just Hycinth but all of us.

Sydney and Hycinth may have had a rocky start, but Sydney had come around to understand and accept my choice in the matter. It had been the ideal outcome after Sydney’s punishment for her bad behavior-a Wolf brought back into harmonious accord with the pack. And now, it has been obvious in Sydney’s words and actions that there was no breach in her loyalty or sense of duty. If I’d had any doubt, I certainly wouldn’t have left her alone with my vulnerable mate.

But I didn’t have the answers Sydney was seeking. I wished I did. F**k. More than anything, I wanted to say that everything would be all right. But I didn’t know what the future held any more than the rest of them. Not yet.

Lips set in a tight line, I gave no response as I approached Hycinth’s bedside.

In her usual intuitive way, Sydney understood without my silence. She nodded almost imperceptibly and quietly stood to her feet before walking out the door, careful to close it softly behind her.

As soon as Sydney left, grace began softly, “We’ll start with the feeding tube.”

I looked over to replace her collecting various sterile packaging from inside one of the medical bags. Working with smooth efficiency that belied her inexperience, gloved hands carefully unpackaged each item and assembled them on a nearby rolling tray. Once everything was in place, Grace picked up the tubing and unwound it. Holding one end at Hycinth’s nose, Grace extended it to Hycinth’s ear and then down to her stomach as she explained, “I’m measuring the appropriate length to insert.” Satisfied she had the correct distance, Grace marked the tubing with a permanent black pen.

“Since Hycinth is unconscious and cannot swallow on command, I’m going to need you to manipulate and flex her neck when I tell you.” Soft brown eyes looked up at me, gauging my reaction to her instructions.

I moved closer, anxiety crawling down my spine as I slid one hand beneath Hycinth’s delicate neck to cradle it. She felt so fragile.

“She won’t break,” Grace murmured reassurance. “Yes, this process is highly uncommon when it comes to our species, but Hycinth’s a Wolf. Her body should be able to handle it much better than any normal human.”

I didn’t know what to say that. Hycinth’s tiny body had already been subjected to more horror than any human or Wolf should have to bear. How much strength could she have left? The answer left me cold with fear.

Tearing open a small lubricant packet, Grace fed the tube inside a few inches before pulling it back out. She glanced up at me. “Ready?”

I nodded stiffly.

With great care, Grace slowly fed the tube into Hycinth’s right nostril. After about 10 cm, she stopped. “I’m feeling some resistance. Flex her neck up slightly and a little to the right.”

I did as instructed, sliding my other hand beneath Hycinth’s head so that I could carefully move her neck.

“That’s it,” Grace murmured, her brows furrowed in concentration as she eased the tubing little by little, further into Hycinth’s body.

It was a slow process, but finally, the tubing reached the previously made mark. Grace exhaled. “Okay. Now, the end of the tube should be in her stomach.” Locating a nearby waiting syringe, Grace attached it to the tubing and pulled back on the plunger. A small amount of greenish fluid filled the vial.

My Wolf and I continued to watch intently.

Removing the syringe, Grace applied to drops of Hycinth’s stomach contents to a small piece of paper. “I’m measuring her pH level to make sure the tube is placed correctly.” Grace held the pH test strip near the results chart to compare the closest color. “That’s good. Her pH is three which means it is positioned correctly.”

Hycinth’s eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t seem to be in any additional distress. I ran my fingertips along her hair and lightly pressed my lips to her forehead, whispering softly, “That’s it, love. You’re doing beautifully. You just focus on getting better. We’ll take care of everything else.”

After I pulled back, Grace positioned the tubing along Hycinth’s cheek and applied tape to keep it in place. When she finished, she gathered the leftover packaging and tossed it in a nearby trash bin.