Third POV

Hazel leaned over Asher’s shoulder, peering at the phone screen with interest. Her breath tickled his ear as she read the messages flooding in.

“Seems like Estelle went for the reunion but didn’t find the time to reply to your messages and calls,” she commented, her tone casual but pointed.

Asher’s jaw tightened. The observation struck a nerve he didn’t want to acknowledge. His fingers gripped the phone harder.

“Look at all these notifications,” Hazel continued, scrolling through the group chat. “She clearly had time to socialize with everyone else there.”

Heat rose in Asher’s chest. The entitled part of him that expected Estelle to be available whenever he needed her was rearing its head. She should have answered his calls. She should have at least sent a quick text explaining where she was.

Asher stayed silent, but his breathing grew heavier. Hazel noticed the change in his demeanor.

“I mean, it’s just strange,” she said, her voice taking on a concerned tone. “A member of the pack who doesn’t respond to her Alpha’s calls? That seems... disrespectful.”

She watched his face carefully as she spoke, planting seeds of doubt with surgical precision.

“Maybe she’s just busy catching up with old friends,” Asher said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“Busy enough to ignore her Alpha?” Hazel pressed. “Come on, Asher. We both know that ignoring the Alpha’s command is basically treason. Look at these messages. She caused some kind of scene and then just left!”

Asher’s nostrils flared. The more Hazel talked, the more irritated he became. Why hadn’t Estelle answered? What was so important that she couldn’t spare two seconds to text him back? She had already ignored him for so long.

Without responding to Hazel, he scrolled up in the group chat. His eyes scanned message after message, piecing together the evening’s events.

Hannah had been bragging about her mate. She’d claimed to be fated to the Beta of the Blackmoon Pack. Then Estelle had shown up and called her out publicly. There had been a phone call that proved Hannah was lying. Hannah had been humiliated in front of everyone.

“Wow,” Hazel said, reading over his shoulder. “Estelle really went for Hannah’s throat, didn’t she?”

Asher continued scrolling, absorbing more details. The confrontation had been brutal. Hannah had been left crying while Estelle walked away victorious.

“That’s so heartless,” Hazel said, shaking her head. “I mean, I get that Hannah was lying, but to embarrass her like that in front of everyone? That’s cruel.”

“Estelle doesn’t tolerate liars,” Asher said, surprising himself by defending his fake mate. “If Hannah was making up stories, she deserved to be called out.”

Hazel’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “You’re defending her?”

“I’m not defending anyone,” Asher snapped. “I’m just saying Hannah brought it on herself.”

He remembered the way Hannah was, even back during the program. From the likes of these messages, it seemed Hannah hadn’t changed one bit. She was always someone quick to brag, and she never particularly liked Estelle. Neither did Estelle like her.

“Right,” Hazel said, her voice cold. “So you’re taking Estelle’s side.”

Asher looked up from his phone, seeing the hurt expression on Hazel’s face. This was dangerous territory. He couldn’t afford to make Hazel feel like she was competing with Estelle for his attention.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. “I just think—”

“You think what, exactly?” Hazel interrupted. “That your precious Estelle can do no wrong?”

“Stop putting words in my mouth,” Asher said, his voice rising. “I don’t have any romantic feelings for Estelle. You know that.”

“Do I?” Hazel shot back. “Because every time someone criticizes her, you jump to her defense.”

“I am not jumping to her defense!” Asher yelled.

The room fell silent. Both of them stared at each other, breathing hard.

Asher ran a hand through his hair, immediately regretting raising his voice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

Hazel’s expression softened slightly, but her eyes remained guarded. “I just don’t understand why you always—”

A sharp knock on the door interrupted her sentence.

Asher frowned. It was late, and the pack house staff knew better than to disturb them unless it was urgent.

“What?” he called out impatiently.

“Alpha Asher,” came an omega’s trembling voice. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but it’s about Finn.”

Asher’s irritation spiked. He strode toward the door, ready to scold whoever was on the other side for bothering them over something trivial.

“This better be important,” he growled, yanking the door open.

The young omega servant stumbled backward, fear evident in her wide eyes. “Alpha, Finn’s sickness got worse. He’s running a very high fever right now.”

All of Asher’s anger evaporated instantly. Behind him, Hazel gasped and rushed to grab a robe. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“How high?” Asher demanded.

“He was brought to the healers earlier. They said it spiked suddenly an hour ago,” the maid replied. “They’ve been trying to bring it down, but nothing’s working.”

Asher was already moving, pulling on clothes as fast as possible. Hazel was right beside him, her earlier frustration forgotten in the face of their son’s emergency.

They bolted from the room, following the maid through the corridors toward the infirmary. Asher’s heart pounded with each step. Finn’s sickness had come and gone repeatedly. For some reason, it would never go away for good. Every time they thought it was cured, it would return with vengeance.

The infirmary was brightly lit when they arrived. Two pack healers were already there, bent over the small bed where Finn lay.

The little boy looked tiny under the white sheets. His face was flushed red with fever, and his breathing was shallow and rapid. Sweat dampened his blond hair, making it stick to his forehead.

“What happened?” Hazel asked immediately, rushing to Finn’s bedside.

“We’ve tried cool compresses, fever reducers, and even human medication,” one of the healers replied grimly. “But nothing’s working.”

Asher felt his blood run cold.

“How long has it been like this?” he asked.

“About an hour,” the second healer answered.

Hazel was stroking Finn’s hair with shaking hands. The little boy’s eyes were closed, but he was restless, turning his head from side to side.

“What else can we do?” Asher demanded.

The two healers exchanged a look that made Asher’s stomach drop.

“Alpha,” the older healer said carefully, “we need to be honest with you. We’ve never seen a condition like this before.”