Chapter: 47

I sighed. "It's for the best, Sera. He'll be safe-"

"You're not stealing my son!" Her IV line trembled with her fury. "Our divorce agreement was clear-"

"This isn't about custody!" I barely restrained myself from slamming a fist into the wall. "It's about keeping him alive!"

Her eyes glowed with that stubborn fire I knew too well. "Then we'll protect him together. He's not leaving me."

The monitor's frantic beeping underscored what we both knew- neither of us would back down. Not when it came to our son.

"And what if Daniel had been with you in the park?" I took a threatening step forward, my voice dropping to a dangerous rumble. "You survived because you're human, but our son? A single silver bullet-"

Sera's breath hitched, her whimper slicing through me like claws. Every muscle in my body tensed to go to her-until Lucian's damned fingers brushed her cheek, catching that traitorous tear.

My hands fisted so hard my claws pierced my palms. The coppery scent of my own blood mixed with the stench of my rage.

"C-can't I go with him?" Her broken whisper shattered what remained of my control.

I forced myself to shake my head, each movement agony. "If you are their main target, wherever you go, they will follow-and that puts Daniel in harm's way."

A full-body tremor wracked her frame. I didn't need the bond to feel her devastation-it pulsed in the air between us, thick as blood. Gods, how I wished with all my might that I could take the pain-all her pain- away.

I should have been the one by her bedside, holding her hand. I was the only one who could understand the anguish of being separated from your child. Not some polished outsider who'd never spent nights aching for his child's scent.

Least of all fucking Lucian Reed.

SERAPHINA'S POV

"Are you sure you don't need me to come in and help you?" Lucian asked, his fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he studied me.

I shook my head as I unhooked my seatbelt, swallowing a wince when it pulled at the tender spot on my chest.

"I appreciate everything you've done, Lucian. But I can take it from here."

Over the past week, Lucian had become my second most frequent visitor-right after Kieran. Part of me wondered if his concern crossed professional boundaries, but after Kieran tried sneaking Celeste into my room again, I'd stopped caring about his murderous glares.

At least with Lucian around, I didn't have the energy to fight with Kieran. But each passing day was a countdown to separation from my son, and I refused to spend one more second in that sterile hospital bed.

He huffed. "Frankly, I don't think you should have been discharged yet." I cocked my head. "Remind me where you went to med school?" He rolled his eyes, his lips twitching slightly. "Ha ha."

I laughed. "I'll be fine." I reached for the door handle. "You of all people know I'm harder to break than I look."

He smiled softly and squeezed my hand. "Yeah. You are." I squeezed. "I'll see you at training.”

"Not until you're one hundred percent."

"Yeah, yeah." I got out of the car.