The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 27

Laila's POV

The sharp, sterile tang of antiseptic hung heavy in the hospital air, stinging the back of my throat as I shifted against the stiff sheets. Every muscle in my body screamed from the fall out of that car, the sprint through the warehouses, the rough hands of fear dragging me from one second to the next.

My veins still pulsed with the poison Brittany had slipped me, the drugs clinging stubbornly even though the IVs had flushed most of it out. I felt raw, brittle, like one wrong move would splinter me into pieces.

The buzz of my phone startled me. It rattled against the metal bedside table like a warning bell. The number flashing across the screen froze me in place. It had been years since I'd seen it, but I recognized it instantly. My stomach knotted as I answered.

"Mrs. Harper?" The voice on the other end was careful, familiar. "It's Nurse Patricia from the medical center where you... where we met a few years back."

My blood went cold. Patricia—the only person who knew the whole truth. She'd been there the night I'd given birth, terrified and alone. After I'd built my company and become successful, I'd helped her get a better position at a private practice. In return, she'd quietly erased my medical records from the old system.

"Patricia," I forced out, keeping my tone steady even though my pulse thundered in my ears. "It's been a while."

"I wanted to warn you. Someone's been asking questions. A private investigator. He was digging for information about you. About… that night."

The words set me further on edge. My grip tightened on the phone, fingers trembling. Jason. It had to be Jason. Still digging, still obsessed with the past, unwilling to let go even when I'd built a life, even when I'd buried myself under a new name.

"Did you tell him anything?"

"Of course not," Patricia said firmly. "There's nothing left to find—I made sure of it, but he was thorough. Professional. This wasn't some casual inquiry."

"Thank you for letting me know."

After I hung up, I stared at the ceiling tiles and tried to calculate my next move. If Jason was digging this deep, how long before he uncovered the truth? How long before he realized Vanessa Harper and Laila were the same person?

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