<h4>Chapter 18: Defend Me</h4><subtxt> Hailee’s POV


    I was just about to go to bed when I heard voices downstairs. It sounded like Mom was arguing with some men, and it made me worry. Who could it be at this hour? It waste... far toote for visitors. Concerned for Mom’s safety, I quickly threw on a robe and stepped out of my room. As I reached the top of the stairs, her sharp voice carried up to me.


    "Hailee would never do that!" she yelled, full of anger and fear.


    But before she could say anything more, they all noticed my presence. Every head turned towards me. That’s when I realized the men standing there were guards from the pack house—Stephen and Tony.


    Tony stepped forward, his expression unreadable.


    "Hailee, you have toe with us... the Alpha demands your presence."


    I frowned and continued descending the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I crossed my arms, my heart pounding.


    "Why?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, not wanting to show my fear.


    Stephen and Tony exchanged uneasy nces before Tony finally answered.


    "We’re not supposed to tell you this... but you’ve been used of using a dark spell on Nathan."


    "What?!" My eyes widened in shock.


    Stephen gave a reluctant nod. "You just have toe with us, Hailee. Now."


    I wanted to scream—to shout that I hadn’t done such a thing, that I would never, ever use dark magic on Nathan or anyone—but I knew it wouldn’t help. No matter what I said now, they wouldn’t believe me. It was better to go and face this head-on.


    I swallowed hard and shrugged. "Okay," I said quietly, turning to look at Mom, whose face was pale with worry.


    "I’ming too," she said firmly, stepping beside me.


    I nodded.


    Without another word, we were led out of the house and into the waiting car. The drive to the pack house felt long, thick with silence and tension. I couldn’t calm my racing heart, and neither could Mom—she kept wringing her hands in herp, ncing at me as if afraid this might be thest time she saw me free.


    When we arrived, I saw it immediately—the tension in the eyes of the staff. They looked afraid, whispering behind their hands as we passed.


    Something was seriously wrong.


    We were taken straight to Nathan’s room. The door opened, and everyone was there—the pack elders, a few warriors, even the Beta—but my eyes went straight to Nathan.


    He was lying on the bed, pale and sweating, his chest rising and falling fast as if he couldn’t catch his breath. His face was ghostly white, his usually strong body trembling slightly.


    How was this possible?


    He had been perfectly fine just an hour ago...


    A cold shiver ran down my spine as fear wrapped itself around my heart.


    What in the world was happening to him? And why was I being med?


    Before I could say anything, Alpha Dominic stepped forward, his gaze dark with usation.


    "Hailee," he said, his voice low and filled with anger, "tell me the truth. What have you done to my son?"


    My mouth went dry. Everyone was staring at me. Judging me.


    "I didn’t do anything," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I swear... I would never hurt Nathan."


    But I could see they didn’t believe me.


    And Nathan... he was too weak to speak for himself.


    Before I could defend myself more, ra stepped forward, arms folded tightly across her chest, a look of hate for me on her face.


    "She’s lying," ra said sharply. "I saw them. Nathan and Hailee kissed. That’s how she gave him the spell—through the kiss. She did it."


    The room filled with whispers. Gasps.


    I froze.


    My mother turned sharply towards me, her face filled with shock and confusion.


    "Hailee... is that true? Did you... kiss Nathan?" she asked, her voice trembling.


    I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking fast. There was no point denying that part.


    "Yes," I admitted softly, lifting my chin. "We kissed. I won’t lie about that... but I never—never—used any spell on him! I would never do such a thing!"


    ra stepped forward again, clearly enjoying the moment.


    "She’s lying! It is obvious she wants my brother... first she seduced him into kissing her, and then she used a dark spell to make him fall for her—"


    "Shut up, ra!"


    The sudden, weak yet authoritative voice echoed around the room.


    Everyone froze.


    I turned sharply towards the bed.


    It was Nathan.


    His pale body trembled as he struggled to lift his head from the pillow, his gaze zing with anger despite his weakness.


    "Stop this nonsense," Nathan rasped, ring at everyone, then at ra. "Stop using her. Hailee didn’t do anything. She’s innocent."


    A stunned silence fell over the room.


    "No spell," Nathan muttered harshly, forcing his voice to rise. "No charm. No dark magic. If anyone cursed me... it wasn’t her. And besides, I was the one who kissed her, not she... I initiated the kiss."


    ra opened her mouth to protest, but Nathan cut her off, his sharp gaze pinning her in ce.


    "Not another word from you, ra," he growled weakly. "Or, I swear... you’ll regret it."


    I felt tears prick my eyes as I watched him defend me—despite the pain, despite his condition—he was fighting for me.


    "I know who did this," Nathan said and turned his head slightly toward the guards standing by the door. His voice was barely more than a whisper, but every word wasced with authority.


    "Go... get Arie. Gamma Stone’s daughter," he ordered.


    The guards exchanged quick nces before one of them hurried out of the room to carry out hismand.


    Nathan’s tired eyes came back to me.


    "I’m sorry I have to put you through this, Hailee..." he said softly, before copsing back onto the bed, groaning in pain.


    The room went silent as his words settled in, everyone looking confused.


    I stood frozen, watching as the healer bent over Nathan, panic clear in her eyes. She was chanting softly, her hands glowing, but it didn’t seem to be enough.


    His body kept shaking, his skin pale and drenched in sweat. He groaned again, this time louder, and my heart twisted painfully.


    I wanted to help.


    I could help.


    But I couldn’t let anyone see. I couldn’t let them know what I was truly capable of. No one in this pack knew about this part of me.


    I had always hidden it.


    But seeing Nathan like this... I couldn’t just stand and watch.


    Then I heard the healer’s worried voice.


    "This is getting out of control," she said to Alpha Dominic. "We need more healers. If we don’t act quickly, it might be toote."


    My breath caught in my throat.


    That was it.


    I couldn’t wait any longer.


    Without thinking twice, I moved closer to the bed and knelt beside Nathan. "Let me help wipe his sweat," I said softly, picking up the towel beside the basin of water.


    The healer nodded absently, focused on her chant.


    I dipped the towel in cool water and pressed it gently to Nathan’s forehead, pretending to simplyfort him.


    But that wasn’t all I was doing.


    As I touched him, I began drawing the sickness into me—silently, carefully, bit by bit. My hand trembled slightly as the dark energy moved from his body into mine. I could feel it, cold and dark, creeping through my veins like ice.


    It hurt.


    A lot.


    But I kept going, hiding the pain behind a calm face. I pretended to wipe his sweat, moving slowly, whispering soft words under my breath only I could understand.


    My body began to weaken. My knees wobbled a little. My head started spinning.


    But I didn’t stop.


    I would healter—when I got home. Right now, Nathan needed to survive.


    Suddenly, I felt a shift.


    The burning heat from his skin faded.


    His breathing evened out.


    Then, slowly, his eyes fluttered open.


    I froze.


    He blinked a few times, then looked straight at me. His eyes were no longer dazed—they were clear. Strong.


    Before anyone could react, he pushed himself upright and sat up fully, like nothing had happened.


    Everyone in the room gasped in shock.


    "Nathan?" the healer said in disbelief.


    Nathan touched his chest and looked around. "I feel... fine," he said slowly, like even he couldn’t believe it.


    The healer quickly stepped forward, checking his pulse and scanning him with her glowing hands.


    "I... I don’t understand," she whispered. "The dark energy is gone. He’s healed."


    Everyone started whispering, surprised and confused. Some looked at the healer. Others stared at Nathan.


    But I stood up quietly, keeping my face calm and nk, as if nothing had happened.


    No one noticed how pale I had be. Or how I was quietly gripping the edge of the chair for support.


    Only my mother noticed.


    Her eyes locked with mine, and in that silent exchange, I knew—she had seen everything</subtxt>