Chapter 6

The group arrived at the hospital in a frantic haze, only to find Kaelen standing guard outside the emergency room. He was covered in blood, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes wide with terror and helplessness.

It was the first time Elara had ever seen this powerful Alpha look so utterly distraught. Members of the pack surrounded him, urgently demanding to know what had happened.

Kaelen tore at his hair in frustration, his voice thick with remorse and agony. "It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have said those things to provoke Serafina. I shouldn't have let her leave alone. She was driving that fast to get back at me, that's why she crashed..."

Listening to him shoulder all the blame, Elara's eyelashes trembled slightly.

If his cruel words were merely a tactic to provoke Serafina, then what was the truth? Had he been waiting at that crossroads all along, hoping she would turn back, praying for a reconciliation?

Perhaps, Elara thought. And with that thought, she forced herself to stop digging deeper.

Just then, a nurse emerged, her expression grave. "The patient has lost too much blood, and the blood bank is critically low. Is anyone here Rh-negative? We need an emergency donation."

Kaelen's friends looked at one another in dismay; they all had common blood types. No one could step forward.

Only Kaelen was Rh-negative. Without a second thought, he stripped off his jacket, changed into sterile scrubs, and followed the nurse into the operating room.

Time became a torment for everyone waiting. Half an hour later, the nurse walked out supporting Kaelen, whose face was as pale as paper. Heaven only knew how much blood he had given.

His steps were unsteady, his body swaying precariously until he collapsed straight into Elara's arms.

The nurse did not leave immediately but announced, "The patient's condition is slowly improving, but we still need another 400 milliliters of Rh-negative blood. Do you have any friends with this blood type who can rush over?"

They had already contacted everyone they could think of, to no avail. A deathly silence fell over the group.

Anxiety and restlessness spread through the air. Kaelen forced himself to stand upright. "Is it only 400 milliliters short? Take mine."

The nurse’s eyes widened in shock. "You've already given 600 milliliters. You want to continue? Do you have a death wish?"

His friends’ faces turned ashen, and they rushed forward to stop him.

"Kaelen, don't be reckless. I'll have my assistant check the company records; we'll definitely find someone."

But Kaelen shook his head, his tone absolute. "Serafina can't wait."

With that, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bruise from the needle that had not yet faded.

Seeing him care so little for his own life, Elara could no longer remain silent. "The doctors are doing their best to resuscitate her. We can request blood from other hospitals. You don't have to do this."

Kaelen paused for a second, yet said nothing. He turned his back and walked resolutely back toward the operating room. Everyone watched his retreating figure; his steps were so determined. No one spoke another word.

A heavy sigh escaped from his friends, a mix of helplessness and indignation.

"Whenever it involves Serafina, Kaelen completely loses his mind! Remember that time he fought another pack for her and broke his leg? He laid in the hospital for three months. And the moment he was discharged, he went right back to settle the score with the guy who started it!"

"Tell me about it. Back at the academy, just to win her that necklace, he bet on a skydive and jumped from sixteen thousand feet. The equipment malfunctioned halfway down, and he nearly lost his life. Now, he's gambling his life for her again."

"I used to think he still had feelings for Serafina and wanted to help them get back together. Who knew... this is just a disaster!"

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot Elara was standing right there.

Hearing these stories for the first time, something within Elara finally settled into dust. It wasn't until this moment that she realized how foolish she had been to stand up at the wedding that day.

Elara had always believed that even though she was late to Kaelen's life, she could win his heart if she just tried hard enough to catch up. But in the end, it was nothing more than delusional wishful thinking.

If Kaelen had never loved her from the start, he certainly wouldn't start now. She had bet on the wrong horse from the very beginning. Now, standing amidst these ruins, she had no choice but to accept it.

She didn't know how much time had passed before the red light above the operating room finally extinguished. The doctor wheeled out two gurneys. The group’s hearts tightened as they immediately crowded around.

The doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead, glanced at the still-unconscious Kaelen, and sighed. "Are they a couple? You don't see men this devoted much anymore."

Elara retreated to the back of the crowd, staring up at the blinding overhead lights, a helpless, bitter smile spilling from the corner of her lips.