Steel 7 (Multiple Love)

Connor confirms the detail, and the man continues staring at the screen. "She's in the Elizabeth Ward. It's on the eighth floor. You can use the main lifts." He points further into the hospital to what looks like two closed elevator doors. His eyes scan our large group. "Only relatives will be allowed into the ward."

"I'm her fiancé," I say.

"Tell the nurse on the ward. I'm sure that will be fine."

As we make our way to the elevators, I catch Connor looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Fiancé? Does that mean you want to be the one to go in?"

"Yep," I say with determination. I might be one of seven men that were in a relationship with Luna, but all that means is I have as much right as anyone else. I know I can be a comfort to her. We built up a loving connection in the time we spent together that was closer than any other relationship I've had in my life.

"Hudson's going to be the one to go in," Connor says. It's a clear order, not a statement to be disputed or argued over. I know every one of my brothers would want to be the man to get into the hospital ward with Luna, but they also know that having a fight about it in the hallway isn't going to help anyone.

In the elevator, I take a deep breath. I have no idea what I'm going to find. Luna might be really sick. She could still be unconscious. How will I deal with seeing her like that?

It would kill me to see her in pain.

"Make sure you ask the doctor questions," Ben says. "We want to know exactly what's going on, so you're going to need to find out."

"Make sure she's got enough water," Asher says. "This hospital is so hot. She's going to get dehydrated really quickly."

"Reassure her," Mo says. "Tell her that everything's going to be alright. She'll need to hear it."

"Hold her hand," Elijah says. "Physical contact's important."

"Don't be too serious," Jax says. "She'll need you to cheer her up. She'll be scared, so make sure you at least try to make her laugh."

"Are you saying I'm not funny?"

Jax shakes his head. "We all have our strengths in this group."

"And our weaknesses," Connor says. "Just be her rock. Be the man she needs."

"I'll do my best."

At that moment, something passes between us. I’ve felt it before when we’ve been in the line of fire. There’s a bond that runs a deep connection from man to man, and it’s been activated again by our joint love of this one woman. They’re placing her wellbeing in my hands. Trusting me to do whatever needs to be done. In this moment, I feel our connection strengthening. The unity we need to do right by Luna is there. We’re not seven individual men who want one woman, we’re a pack who are seeking their mate.

At the huge double doors to the Elizabeth Ward, there's a buzzer to gain entry. I push it and wait, bouncing on my toes. "Elizabeth Ward," a deep voice says.

"I'm here to see Luna Evans," I say. "I'm her fiancé."

"Are you really? I haven't read about an engagement in the newspaper," the nurse replies with a smile in her voice. I'm about to answer when the door clicks open.

"I'll call you guys when I know anything, okay?"

Inside, the hallway is clean and smells fresh. Everything is modern and organized. The nurse who buzzed me in is at a desk. "So you're the fiancé," she says with a wink. "Our resident celebrity already has more of an entourage than we usually allow." Nodding her head to the corner, I can see exactly what he means. Two bodyguards stand like sentries at the foot of a cubicle surrounded by curtains. "Where are the rest of them?" I ask.

The nurse smirks, her brown eyes widening with amusement. "We sent them down to the coffee shop. This is a secure ward, and it's intrusive to the other patients. She also has another visitor. A woman."

I nod, expecting to find Angelica inside the curtains, and I'm bracing myself for her wrath. If she wanted us to come, she would have told us the hospital.

"You can go on over. I'm taking it that the two bodyguards know who you are."

"They do," I say.

As I near the cubicle, the bodyguards step forward. "You're not supposed to be here," one of them says.

"We've had orders not to let anyone in," the other growls.

"I don't give a shit what you've been told. I'm going in to see Luna."

"Let him in." Luna sounds furious and frustrated, but all I care about is that she's awake and speaking. The bodyguards look at each other, then the biggest one shrugs.

"Her majesty has spoken," he mutters, and for a flash, I get the urge to punch this asshole in the face. Then I remember where I am and how important it is that I don't get thrown out of this hospital for violent behavior, so I cut him a narrow-eyed look as I walk past.