Love and Conflict (Mpreg)✔️

Chapter 21

For the fourth time in as many days, Zayn woke up screaming Liam's name. This time he leapt out of bed so forcefully that the needles in his hand were torn out, spouting blood everywhere.

Louis, at his bedside, screamed in shock as he jumped to his feet. Zayn stood there looking around wildly, eyes wide and crazed, already streaming with swift tears.

"Liam," he whispered lip trembling.

Just then, the door opened and Niall swept in, frowning unhappily at the sight of his patient out of bed, covered in blood. Harry limped in after him, his midriff bandaged tightly. Louis hurried over to his fiancé, supporting him as he walked over to the armchair next to Zayn's bed and sunk into it.

Zayn threw Niall's hand off when the older man tried to get the Alpha back into bed.

"I don't need any of this rubbish!" Zayn growled. "Have you found out where Liam is?!"

"Alpha, I must insist you get back into bed," Niall replied softly. "For if you don't, you won't heal. And if you don't heal, you will not regain your strength. And if you don't regain your strength, you will not be strong enough to go rescue your bonded Omega. Get back into bed."

Zayb glared at him, trembling visibly until he sagged where he stood, burying his face in his hands and sobbing heartbreakingly into them.

"Zayn," Harry sounded very near tears himself as he reached out and placed one hand on Zayn's back. "We're getting him back. We're going to get Liam back."

"We don't even know where he is!" Zayn sobbed. "My Liam, my precious, I don't even know what they've done to him. I'll—I'll die if anything happens to him, I'll actually die!"

"You won't die," Harry growled. "Liam will be fine, he's fine! He's stronger than he looks, that kid! He'll make it, I promise you!"

"What the fuck am I going to do?!" Zayn shook with sobs. "How can you all expect me to lie here in bed when my Liam is in danger?!"

"Because, as your Healer said, there is no chance you'll be strong enough to go rescue him unless you heal first. And I don't usually see eye to eye with Nial Horan."

Zayn whipped around. Two men stood in the doorway, the one slightly in front of the other being the one who'd just spoken.

He had long black tresses that fell down his back, and dark grey eyes that sparkled. Although older than Zayn, he was himself rather handsome, tall and lithe with several tattoos peeking out from under his clothes.

"James," Zayn whispered, rushing forward. "James!"

And then Zayn was sobbing like a child into his godfather's shoulder, trembling in his arms while the man soothed him gently. Zayn was taller and way more muscular than him, but at that moment, he seemed like a desperate little child.

Zayn pulled away, wiping his eyes and clapping James on the shoulder. "It is so good to see you, James." Zayn turned to the man behind him, taller than James by a couple of inches but more slender, with fiery red hair and light green eyes, a kind and gentle face with thin scars running across it. When Ed Sheeran stepped forward, Zayn hugged him too. "Ed," he breathed, holding him tightly. "I can't even remember the last time I saw you."

"Your seventeenth birthday," Ed reminded him softly, tightening his grip around Zayn as the young Alpha's legs buckled under him. Together, James and Ed helped Zayn back into bed, Harry standing up to embrace both men, Niall stepping forward to stiffly shake their hands.

"We come bearing news," Ed said seriously, and then glanced at his husband.

"Simon Cowell has moved residence to the previously abandoned Payne's Mansion," James informed the room at large. "Word is that he's had it refurbished and plans to reign from there, seeing as that's where he resided before he went into exile."