SOPHIA’S POV

I’d barely stepped into my house when exhaustion hit me.

The dinner had lasted far longer than I expected. Between Professor Archer’s praise, discussions about research opportunities, and the constant attention from respected figures in the medical field, my mind felt completely drained.

For the first time in days, I wanted silence. Nothing else. Just silence.

I kicked off my shoes and slowly walked toward the couch.

My wolf stirred inside me. She was tired as well.

"You need rest," she muttered.

"I know."

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch. For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.

Then my phone rang.

I frowned. Who could be calling me at this hour?

I grabbed the phone from my bag. The caller ID showed the hospital.

Immediately, my instincts got sharper.

Doctors never received late-night calls unless something serious had happened.

I answered "Hello?"

The voice on the other end was filled with panic.

"Dr. Sophia, we need you at the emergency department immediately."

"What happened?"

"There’s been a major traffic accident. One of the victims is in critical condition."

I stood up instantly "How critical?"

The nurse sounded stressed "Possible femoral artery rupture. Massive blood loss."

My heart skipped.

That was bad, very bad. A femoral artery injury could kill someone within minutes if it wasn’t controlled.

"I’m on my way."

I ended the call.

Before I could move, my phone rang again. This time it was Lance.

I answered immediately "Lance?"

"I’m already heading to the hospital," he said. "We have a critical trauma case."

"I know. I just got a call about it"

"Meet me there."

"I’m leaving now."

I grabbed my coat. My wolf immediately became alert. Whatever exhaustion I had felt disappeared.

A doctor’s life worked that way. The moment someone needed help, nothing else mattered.

Twenty minutes later, I rushed into the emergency department. The moment the elevator doors opened, I knew the situation was serious.

Doctors and nurses were running everywhere. Medical carts moved rapidly through the corridors.

The emergency room was in chaos.

Lance spotted me immediately.

"Over here." he said.

I hurried toward him "What do we have?"

Before he could answer, a stretcher burst through the emergency entrance. Several paramedics pushed it forward.

Blood covered the sheets. The patient wasn’t moving.

My heart immediately sank. The amount of blood alone was terrifying. Then I saw the face.

I recognized that face through photos, even if I’d never met her before.

Everything around me seemed to stop.

"No." I muttered.

The unconscious woman lying on the stretcher was Leah, Zade’s mother.

My eyes widened.

For several seconds, I simply stared. I couldn’t believe it.

Just hours ago I’d been having dinner and Zade was there too. Now Leah was fighting for her life.

"What happened?" I asked.

One of the paramedics answered quickly "High-speed collision. Massive blood loss."

Lance pulled back the blanket and his face darkened immediately.

"There." He said.

I followed his gaze and I gasped as soon as I saw it. The wound was severe. The bleeding hadn’t completely stopped.

My stomach tightened "Femoral artery."

Lance nodded "Damn right."

A nurse looked terrified.

"Can we save her?" she asked.

Lance didn’t answer. Neither did I. Because right now we didn’t know.

Then I heard a familiar voice.

"Sophia."

The voice sounded broken.

I turned. My heart clenched instantly.

Zade stood several feet away, looking totally distressed..

I’d never seen him look like that before. Never.

His suit was disheveled. His hair was messy. His eyes were bloodshot.

The confident man who always carried himself with effortless charm looked completely shattered.

His wolf’s emotions practically rolled off him in waves. His wolf’s emotions were filled with fear and pain.

"Sophia." He whispered.

My heart broke at the sight of him.

He walked toward me. His movements looked unsteady. He walked almost like he couldn’t feel his legs.

"Please." He whispered.

My throat tightened "Zade"

"Please save her."

His voice cracked. The sound nearly broke my heart.

For the first time since I’d known him, he looked helpless, completely helpless.

His eyes filled with tears "I can’t lose her. I can’t."

His hand grabbed mine tightly. He held me as if I was the only thing keeping him standing.

My wolf whimpered softly. She felt his pain. She felt how terrified his wolf was.

I squeezed his hand "We’re going to do everything we can."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

His breathing shook. For a second, I thought he might actually collapse.

Then Lance stepped forward "We need to move now."

The moment shattered.

Medical instincts immediately took over.

Lance and I rushed alongside the stretcher. Nurses followed behind us. Everyone moved quickly.

We moved to the emergency trauma room.

The next several minutes became a blur. The room became filled with blood, a lot of pressure, commands and the sounds of urgent voices.

Leah’s condition remained critical.

"Pressure dropping."

"Heart rate rising."

"More gauze."

"Hurry."

My hands were already covered in blood. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Lance worked beside me. He was focused and calm.

We did our best to manage her injuries and keep her alive. Still, Leah kept bleeding.

I started to panic inside me.

The wound was worse than I originally thought.....far worse.

The room seemed to shrink around us.

Nobody stopped moving. Nobody slowed down. Failure wasn’t an option.

Outside the room, I knew Zade was pacing repeatedly. I knew his wolf would be going mad by now.

An hour later, Lance finally managed to stabilize the artery enough to slow the bleeding.

I nearly collapsed with relief, not because we had won. It was because we had bought time.

It still wasn’t over but at least Leah still had a chance.

When we finally stepped outside, Zade rushed toward us immediately.

"What happened?" he asked.

I removed my gloves "We stabilized the bleeding."

His entire body sagged. He looked relieved.

Then fear returned immediately.

"Is she okay?” he asked

I hesitated. The truth mattered. I didn’t want to lie to him.

"Not yet." I whispered.

His expression fell.

"But she’s still fighting." I said.

For several seconds, he simply stared at me. Then suddenly he wrapped both arms around me.

I froze. So did everyone nearby.

Zade held me tightly, like someone drowning, like someone terrified to let go.

My heart clenched painfully.

"Sophia." He said. His voice broke. "Thank you."

I didn’t know what to say. I just simply stood there, letting him hold on.

Right now he needed someone and for some reason...that person was me.

Hours later, Leah was transferred toward surgery.

The tension never disappeared, not for a second. Everyone continued waiting.

Eventually the surgeon came out. We all stood.

The doctor’s expression remained serious.

"The surgery is progressing." He said

Everyone sighed in relief..

Then the doctor continued. "However, she has lost a significant amount of blood."

The relief vanished instantly.

"We need type A blood immediately." He said.

I blinked and said "I’m type A."

The words left my mouth without hesitation.

Everyone turned toward me.

"I’ll donate." I said.

The doctor nodded. But before he could respond, a familiar hand grabbed my wrist.

I looked up. Zade stared directly at me.

"No." he said

I frowned. "What?"

"No." His voice was firm. "You’re not donating."

"Zade-"

"No. you’re still recovering from blood loss”

"I’m fine."

His eyes darkened "No, you’re not."

For a second neither of us spoke. Then he stepped in front of me.

"You’ve been sick." He said. He looked genuinely upset. "You’ve barely recovered."

"Your mother needs blood."

"And she won’t get yours."

His answer came instantly.

The hallway fell silent. Then Zade looked toward the doctor.

"I’m type A too." he said “Use mine”

The doctor nodded. "That will work."

I stared at him. "Zade..."

He looked back at me. For a brief second, the fear returned in his eyes.

"You already saved her life tonight." He said "I’m her son. Let me protect her too."

The words hit me harder than they should have.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Finally, I nodded. The tension in Zade’s shoulders eased.

The doctor immediately led him away.

I watched him disappear down the corridor. My wolf remained unusually quiet.

Tonight, I had seen something completely different. Tonight, Zade wasn’t the playful man who constantly chased me. He wasn’t the stubborn man who refused to give up. He wasn’t the confident wolf who challenged Damien.

Tonight, I had seen a son terrified of losing his mother.

And somehow...that sight stayed with me long after he disappeared from view.

The operating room doors remained closed.

The night wasn’t over yet.

And none of us knew what tomorrow would bring.