Chapter 95: ⁹⁵: lockdown

Kael’s POV:

As soon as we entered the room, the attendants Ryan had arranged stood up respectfully.

"No need for the formalities. Be at ease," I said, waving them off as I moved across the room toward the hospital bed.

As soon as I sat down beside it, I looked at the doctor. "Make arrangements to draw my blood."

The moment the words left my mouth, the entire room fell into utter silence...

Everyone froze.

I rubbed my temples, already knowing this was a huge request for them. Still, I needed them to do exactly as I had ordered. "Make sure you do it as soon as possible."

"But, Sir... Alpha’s blood is sacred." The doctor’s trembling voice made me look up at him. The moment our eyes met, he seemed to shiver even more, but he somehow gathered enough courage to continue.

"My license will be revoked if I do this!"

"Don’t worry. I will handle all of that. You do as I say," I told him, already developing a headache from listening to one rule after another.

A werewolf’s blood possessed healing properties. That was common knowledge, but everyone also knew that an Alpha’s blood was far more potent, powerful enough to save someone who was close to death.

That was exactly why strict rules existed around it.

An Alpha’s blood wasn’t simply another form of medicine. Drawing too much of it could drain the Alpha’s vitality and weaken their life force. If those rules weren’t enforced, everyones desire to survive could eventually put even the strongest Alpha at risk.

I knew I was asking these people to participate in something that was heavily restricted. But I had no other choice. I couldn’t stand by and watch seventy-five of my warriors die when I had the power to save them.

Those bastards had already taken enough from me. I wouldn’t let them take my people too.

I turned toward Ryan. "I know what I’m doing, and I don’t want anyone telling me about another rule I might be breaking. Make sure everyone follows my orders. Whatever happens afterward will be my responsibility."

"Yes, Alpha." Ryan nodded, and the attendants followed his example before leaving the room to prepare everything needed to draw my blood.

The moment the room was cleared, Ryan stepped closer. "Alpha..."

I looked at him.

"Saving seventy-five people will take a lot of your life force." His expression had turned serious. "Are you really..."

"I know what I am doing, Ryan. You don’t have to worry about me," I said, stopping him midsentence as I moved my legs onto the bed to lay down completely.

I looked back at him, my expression turning serious. "When they take my blood, that’s when your work will start." I took a deep breath before continuing. "You will have to race against time to make sure it is spread over every wound of every injured person."

"But, Alpha, that will be too draining for you to do in such a short period of time," Ryan said immediately. I could clearly hear the worry in his voice. "Why don’t we divide this over several days? That way, it won’t be so dangerous for you."

I sighed. "That won’t be possible, Ryan. Their wolves aren’t powerful enough to hold back that dark magic for that long. We have to make sure all of this is done within tonight."

I looked down at my hand, the dried blood from my earlier wound still visible on my skin.

"Take my wound for example. It should have healed within seconds, but it still took several minutes." I looked back at him. "Just imagine what they must be going through right now."

Ryan remained silent, his expression growing darker.

I closed my hand into a fist. "When you complete the task and come back, you will most likely find me unconscious."

I saw Ryan’s fists clench at my words. I knew what I was asking of him.

Asking someone to become your accomplice in something that was almost certain to hurt you, when their entire life’s duty was to make sure you remained safe, was not an easy thing.

But there was no other way. "I remember telling you that I would be fine by tomorrow," I said, pausing for a moment. "But the truth is, this could leave me unconscious for several days."

Ryan’s eyes widened. "Alpha, why are you putting me in such a difficult position?" His voice became strained. "Having the Alpha of our empire unconscious for days could become a national security threat!"

"I know. I know," I said quickly, trying to calm him down. I understood his concern.

The entire empire depended on me being able to make decisions. If something happened while I was unconscious, there was no telling what kind of chaos it could create.

"That’s why you’ll have to make sure the entire emergency floor is kept under lockdown until I wake up."

Ryan stared at me.

"No one should be allowed to enter, and no one should be allowed to leave. No matter who it is, nobody gets to know what happened until I’m conscious again."

"Even if it is someone as close to me as Louis, no one should know about this."

I looked at him, my eyes turning dark with determination. "Make sure every media house is informed that they aren’t allowed to publish anything related to what is happening in the hospital today until we give them clearance."

Ryan nodded, but I wasn’t finished. "The victims’ families should also be personally assured by you that they need to keep faith in me. I won’t let anything happen to their loved ones."

"But, Alpha, we can’t keep this news hidden forever. It will come out eventually. How are we supposed to deal with the press and the council then?" Ryan asked, his concern evident in his voice.

"Don’t worry about that." I looked at him firmly. "No inconvenience I might have to face is more important than the lives of my warriors."