Chapter 280: Dangerous wolf

Kaden froze dead in his tracks at the kitchen threshold, his piercing blue eyes wide with genuine shock as he stared down at the convulsing blonde on the floor. For a warrior who had faced down endless battlefield horrors, seeing the little wolf twisting in agony made his breath catch in his throat.

Kieran’s sharp medical instincts kicked in instantly, overriding his panic. He dropped to his knees, carefully protecting her head from striking the tiles before scooping her trembling frame into his arms. The moment his bare skin brushed against her neck, he gasped—she was burning hot, her skin radiating a terrifying, unnatural heat.

"She’s having an acute febrile seizure due to hyperthermia!" Kieran snapped, his deep voice laced with hyper-focused urgency. He lifted her easily against his chest, her head lolling helplessly against his shoulder. "Kaden! Get a large basin, cool water, and clean towels up to the master bedroom right now!"

Without waiting for his brother’s reply, Kieran bolted up the floating staircase, taking the steps three at a time. Yuki was completely delirious in his arms, her body shivering violently despite the intense heat radiating from her skin.

Kieran’s mind raced through a hundred diagnostic variables at blinding speed. Wade never exhibited an acute febrile spike like this. Did her wound contract a secondary bacterial infection at the hospital, or was her physiology reacting violently to the synthetic toxin?

He kicked open the door to his spacious master suite, strode across the plush carpet, and laid her down gently on the king-sized bed.

Yuki’s emerald eyes were glazed over, unfocused and barely open as her head tossed restlessly against the dark silk pillows. Incoherent, breathless whimpers escaped her dry, parted lips. "It... it hurts... Aunt Lydia... please... Aevia... make it stop... it’s burning..."

"I know, I know, little fox. Just stay with me," Kieran murmured, leaning over her and grabbing the remote to lower the air conditioning. He steadied his voice. "I’m sorry, Yuki, but I need to get you out of these heavy clothes so your body can breathe."

She was far too out of it to register his words. Kieran took a deep, steadying breath, reminding himself that he was a licensed physician. His long, steady fingers quickly unbuttoned and pulled off her heavy wool sweater and thick undershirt, stripping away the trapped heat while keeping her covered as much as possible. Even as the cooler air hit her skin, her chest heaved as if she were drowning, her breathing shallow and ragged.

Realizing the tight underlayer was constricting her diaphragm, he unhooked her bra with clinical efficiency, set it aside, and swiftly grabbed a soft, oversized cotton T-shirt from his wardrobe. He carefully pulled it over her head and guided her arms through the sleeves, his palms still burning from the heat of her skin.

Kaden burst into the master bedroom carrying a heavy basin filled with cool water and a stack of white hand towels. He ground to a sudden halt by the foot of the bed, his blue eyes locking onto Yuki’s fragile, almost motionless form.

"She looks like she’s about to die, Kieran," Kaden stated grimly, his voice dropping into a harsh, protective growl. "We need to get her to the hospital immediately!"

Kieran stood up, his posture rigid as he met his brother’s gaze. "The second we step over the threshold of a medical facility in this condition, Kaden, she will be seized by the military intelligence unit and placed under high-security quarantine. She might never walk out alive."

"And if she dies in this bed?!" Kaden barked back.

"She won’t," Kieran stated coldly, taking the basin from Kaden’s hands and setting it on the nightstand. He wrung out a towel and handed it to Kaden. "Wipe down her neck, arms, and legs. Keep her core temperature from spiking any higher. No ice. Bring it down gradually."

Kaden looked at the damp towel in his hand, his jaw tightening in immediate resistance. "Why the hell can’t you do it?!"

"Because I need to be in the lab synthesizing the neural suppressant!" Kieran snapped, his blue eyes flashing. Then his voice softened, carrying a rare, desperate edge. "Please, Kaden... just do it."

Kaden’s fingers tightened around the cloth until his knuckles turned white. Deep inside his mind, his inner wolf bristled. ’Listen to Kieran. He’s the medical expert here. Look at her—her inner wolf’s aura is flickering out like a dying candle.’

Kaden let out a harsh curse under his breath and dropped into the chair beside the mattress. Kieran hastily recorded her base vitals with a digital monitor on the bedside table, grabbed a syringe of specialized fever reducers, and swiftly administered the shot into her upper arm.

Yuki let out a soft, pained whimper as the needle pierced her skin.

"I know," Kieran murmured, keeping his voice gentle. "It’ll be over in a moment."

He finished the injection, checked her breathing once more, and looked at Kaden. "Watch her. If her breathing changes or she has another seizure, contact me immediately."

"You don’t need to tell me twice." Kaden groaned.

Kieran hesitated at the doorway. "Don’t let anything happen to her."

Then he turned on his heel and sprinted out of the room like a man running out of time.

Left alone in the quiet, dim room, Kaden dipped the towel back into the water, wrung out the excess, and gently pressed the cool cloth against her burning forehead. The instant the moisture touched her skin, Yuki’s long lashes fluttered, her glazed eyes opening a fraction.

"Kieran...?" she croaked, her voice broken and raspy. "It hurts... so much..."

Kaden’s hand froze for a beat. A sudden, sharp memory slammed into his chest—the memory of the evening their mate bond had been severed, when she had looked at them with those exact same pained, desolate eyes.

Shoving the bitter knot down into his throat, Kaden leaned in slightly, keeping his voice surprisingly gentle. "Just relax, Snow. You’re fine. Kieran will figure something out."

He didn’t bother correcting her for calling him by his brother’s name.

With painstaking care, Kaden wiped the excess sweat from her neck, shoulders, and arms, handling her as if she were something fragile that might break under the slightest pressure. It was an absurdly delicate task for a battle-hardened General—he was the hot-tempered, destructive triplet, not the meticulous healer—yet moving the cool cloth over her flushed skin felt strangely, frighteningly natural.

Down the hall, Kieran’s racing heartbeat echoed faintly through Kaden’s heightened hearing. Kaden let out a low, humourless scoff. In all their years growing up together, he had never seen Kieran lose his cool—not during high-stakes surgeries, nor during brutal battlefield triage. Yet here Kieran was, completely unravelled by a little wolf.

’She really is a dangerous wolf,’ Kaden thought, a cynical smirk touching his lips as he refreshed the towel. ’Making the strict, rule-abiding Doctor Ravencourt break every law in the book.’