Chapter 175

Theo's POV I lay completely still in the pre-dawn darkness, my hand resting lightly on Claire's waist as she slept beside me. The exhaustion that had been plaguing her for weeks was evident even in sleep—dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her breathing carried the deeper rhythm of someone whose body was working overtime to maintain basic functions. Whatever was happening to her was getting worse, not better, despite my insistence that she rest. The rational part of my mind had already decided she wouldn't be joining me at the office today. Her health took priority over any research deadlines or corporate obligations. I'd handled the company before she came into my life, and I could manage whatever emergencies arose while ensuring my mate received the medical attention she clearly needed. But as I watched her sleep, something made me pause. Beneath the steady rhythm of Claire's heartbeat, something else pulsed with its own distinct pattern. Faint, rapid, but unmistakably present. My bl