The sirens wailed through the city as the emergency van cut through traffic, red lights reflecting off Diamant's face. He held Noah's hand firmly, refusing to let go even for a second.
Noah's skin felt too cold.
His breathing-shallow, fragile.
His head restlessly turned against the stretcher, as if subconsciously searching for comfort.
Diamant leaned closer.
"Noah... it's me," he whispered.
His thumb brushed Noah's knuckles, slow and trembling.
"Stay with me. Please."
Noah didn't respond.
The paramedics worked around them-checking vitals, stabilizing him, placing oxygen gently. They kept glancing at Diamant, intimidated yet understanding the desperation radiating from him.
Evan rode behind in a second vehicle, calling the hospital ahead, ensuring their best doctors were ready.
Diamant didn't care about anything except the unconscious Omega in front of him.
He bent his head, voice low:
"You weren't supposed to face this alone... You should've told me earlier... I should've-"
He stopped, breath hitching.
The truth clawed at him.
Noah had asked him about babies.
And Diamant... had brushed him off.
He closed his eyes in regret.
"Noah... I'm sorry."
---
The van jerked to a stop at the hospital entrance where a team of specialists had already gathered.
"Mr. Reed, we need to move him-"
Diamant didn't let go right away. His hand lingered in Noah's until the last possible second, before the doctors guided him back.
"We'll do everything we can," a senior physician assured him.
"Everything is not enough," Diamant said quietly but firmly.
"Save him."
The doctor nodded, understanding the weight behind the words.
Noah was rushed into the emergency unit, disappearing behind white double doors that swung shut with a heavy thud.
Diamant stood frozen on the spot.
His hand-still warm from touching Noah-slowly curled into a fist.
Evan arrived moments later, breath unsteady from running.
"Diamant-"
But Diamant didn't turn.
His eyes were fixed on the doors.
Silence stretched between the two dominant alphas.
Silence heavy enough to crush the air around them.
Evan finally approached, voice soft.
"My team has secured the factory perimeter. They're handling the rest. The medics said Noah was stable enough for them to work."
Diamant exhaled shakily.
It didn't ease anything inside him.
Not yet.
---
They waited.
Minutes felt like hours.
The hallway remained cold, too bright, too white.
Diamant didn't sit.
He stood still, hands clenched at his sides, shoulders rigid, jaw tight.
Evan stayed a few steps away, keeping guard in silence. He wasn't just a fellow Alpha, not just a business partner-he was Diamant's closest friend, and he understood when to speak and when to simply stand beside him.
Diamant replayed Aiden's words in his mind.
Did he tell you he was pregnant?
I got rid of it for you.
Diamant felt something inside him break all over again.
He rubbed his chest where his mark should've resonated.
But there was nothing.
Only emptiness.
The door finally opened.
A doctor stepped out, mask lowered.
Diamant was in front of him in a heartbeat.
"How is he?"
The doctor swallowed.
"Mr. Reed... Noah suffered severe trauma and extreme stress. He's stable for now, but he's physically and emotionally exhausted. We managed to prevent further complications."
Diamant nodded stiffly.
"And the pregnancy?"
His voice was too tight.
The doctor's eyes softened.
"I'm sorry."
Diamant looked down, closing his eyes.
A moment passed.
Just one.
But it felt like a century.
"May I see him?"
"Yes... but he's still unconscious. Please be gentle."
Diamant didn't need to be told.
---
The room was quiet-only the steady beep of monitors filled the air. Noah lay on the bed, pale, soft hair falling over his forehead, one side of his neck faintly bruised where a mark should've been.
Diamant approached slowly.
He sat beside the bed, reaching out with a hand that trembled-something no one had ever seen him do.
He brushed a strand of hair away from Noah's face.
"You tried to tell me..." he whispered, voice cracking.
"And I failed you."
He leaned forward, resting his forehead gently against Noah's hand.
"You should've never faced him alone. I should've protected you better. I promise you-this will never happen again."
He lifted Noah's hand to his lips, kissing the cold knuckles softly.
"You're safe now... Noah."
Evan entered quietly, stopping at the door.
He saw Diamant's bowed head, the vulnerability he never showed to anyone.
Without speaking, Evan closed the door again, guarding the hallway.
Inside, Diamant continued to sit silently, fingers interlaced with Noah's.
In that small hospital room, the world seemed to pause.
The empire, the power, the strength-none of it mattered.
Only Noah.
Only the fragile rise and fall of his breathing.
Only the faint warmth of his hand in Diamant's.
And in that quiet, Diamant swore to himself:
No one would ever come close to hurting Noah again.
Not as long as he lived.