Chapter 160: No One Can Touch Me... Except My Alpha...

The doctor’s voice carries the weight of genuine relief, but beneath it lies something else—something that sounds almost like disbelief.

"Thank God, Mr. Ellis, you brought him here on time."

He shakes his head slowly, as if he’s still trying to make sense of it himself.

"His fever was over 105°F." He looks up, meeting my eyes through the thin wire of his glasses. "Normally, a person with a temperature that high wouldn’t even be conscious. They’d be slipping away. Close to the edge."

He pauses, adjusting his glasses slightly. "But your husband was fully conscious. He was walking, talking, and functioning as though nothing was wrong." Another pause. "I’ve rarely seen anything like it."

I stay silent. I don’t know what to say.

Over 105°F.

"Fortunately, we’ve brought his temperature down with emergency treatment and started intravenous fluids. We’ll continue to monitor him, and if he remains stable over the next two hours, you can take him home."

I nod—a small, barely perceptible motion. He turns and walks away, his footsteps disappearing into the hushed corridor, leaving me alone with the weight of what I’ve just learned.

Over 105°F. And he was walking. Smiling. Cooking. Like nothing was wrong. Like his body wasn’t burning from the inside out.

I stand outside the door for a long moment, my hand resting on the cool metal handle. I don’t know what I’m feeling—anger, fear, confusion—all of it tangled into a knot I can’t untie.

Then I push the door open and step inside.

The room is quiet—too quiet, the kind of silence that makes every sound feel louder than it should. Silas lies on the bed, an IV tube running into the vein in his hand, his skin pale against the white sheets.

The moment his eyes find mine, his face transforms. A bright, unguarded smile spreads across his lips, as if I’m the only thing in the world worth smiling for.

He starts to sit up.

I stop him with a look.

"Don’t move. Just lie down."

He obeys immediately, sinking back into the pillows without a word. His body relaxes against the mattress, but his eyes never leave my face. They follow me as I cross the room and lower myself onto the small couch beside his bed.

The leather is cool beneath me, a small anchor in the middle of this strange, unsteady moment. My face remains blank, but beneath the surface, something is churning—something I can’t name, something I don’t understand.

The silence stretches between us, thick and heavy. Silas breaks it first.

"Can we go home?" His voice is soft. "I really don’t need to stay here."

I don’t answer. I just stare at him.

He blinks innocently.

"Ellis..."

"Maybe you should try jumping from a tall building instead." My voice is quiet, almost distant. "Or drowning yourself in a river. It would be quicker."

Silas blinks, his expression softening into something almost childlike.

"But I want to live." His voice is barely above a whisper. "I want to stay with my Alpha. And... we’re going to be parents soon."

I rub my temple, the familiar ache of frustration blooming behind my eyes. The words come out sharper than I intend.

"Do you even understand what I’m saying? Your fever was over 105°F. What if you had died?"

He falls silent.

The quiet stretches between us, filled only with the distant sounds of the hospital and the weight of my words. His eyes lower to the white sheets, and for a moment, I think he isn’t going to answer.

Then a soft smile slowly spreads across his lips.

"You care about me."

I freeze.

Just for a second—a crack in the armor I’ve been trying so hard to keep intact. I quickly look away, toward the glass, toward the pale sky beyond, anywhere but him.

"Who cares about you?"

His hand finds mine. Warm. Steady. His fingers wrap gently around my own, firm enough to stop me from pulling away.

"My Alpha does."

"Daydreaming."

"I’m not."

I look at him—really look at him. My voice comes out rough, sharp with frustration.

"Don’t get your hopes up. I only brought you here because of my parents. We’re still married."

The last words leave my lips in a mutter, barely above a whisper, yet loud enough to be heard in the quiet room.

"Who would’ve thought Enigmas were this fragile? Falling sick like this."

He stays silent for a long moment, his gaze dropping to our joined hands. His thumb moves across my skin in a slow, soothing rhythm.

"This is the first time I’ve been sick in my entire life."

I frown.

"And why?"

He lifts his eyes to mine.

"Because I was away from you."

I freeze.

"...Away from me?"

His fingers tighten around my hand ever so slightly. "Just as an Alpha can become sick after being separated from their bonded partner, an Enigma can too."

My knitted brows slowly relax.

He holds my gaze.

"When you were suffering from nausea and morning sickness, my body developed sympathetic symptoms." His thumb continues its slow path across my skin. "Because you’re my Alpha. You’re carrying our child. And because we were apart."

He pauses, his voice dropping even lower.

"But don’t worry. It’s nothing serious." A faint smile touches his lips. "Please don’t worry yourself like this."

I stare at him. The words settle heavily between us.

He was suffering too.

Before I can speak, a soft knock at the door breaks the moment.

The door opens, and a nurse steps inside, her footsteps quiet against the polished floor. She carries a small tray, setting it on the bedside table with a gentle clink.

"Sir, to help lower your fever, let me apply some cold patches."

She peels one open and reaches toward his temple.

Silas moves first.

His hand catches her wrist, gently but firmly pushing it away. His voice is low, cold—a tone I’ve never heard from him.

"No need."

She hesitates, her hand hovering in the air.

"But, sir—"

He looks at her. Just one glance. It is enough. She flinches, taking an instinctive step back, embarrassment and unease flashing across her face.

I rise from the couch, my movements slow and deliberate.

"Give them to me."

She quickly hands me the patches, visibly relieved to escape the tension. I take them without a word.

"You may go."

She nods and quietly leaves, the door clicking shut behind her.

I turn to Silas.

The coldness is already gone.

He looks up at me with the same soft, patient expression as before, as though the man who had just intimidated the nurse never existed.

I step closer and lean over him, pressing the cold patch gently against his temple. My fingertips smooth the edges, making sure it stays in place.

"Do you think you’re still in X Country?" My voice is calm, steady. "Threatening people like that?"

He pouts, the expression so dramatic it almost makes him look like a child being unfairly scolded.

"She was touching me."

I smooth the edge of the patch one last time.

"Then what’s the problem?"

His arm suddenly slides around my waist. Before I can react, he pulls me down until my chest collides with his. My eyes widen, a sharp breath catching in my throat.

His voice is barely a whisper against my skin, warm enough to send a shiver down my spine.

"No one can touch me."

A pause. His breath brushes the curve of my neck, his lips grazing my skin.

"Except my Alpha."