Drake’s POV:
As the doctor stepped in, his expression neutral yet calming, he said, "Alpha, everything is fine. Both she and the baby are okay; there’s no need to worry. Fortunately, her wolf’s healing abilities took effect before anything truly dire could happen. She will need a lot of rest and nutrients, as she’s due in a few weeks."
A huge burden lifted off my shoulders with those words. I hadn’t realized just how much tension I had been holding onto until that mont. Relief washed over in waves, and I could feel my heart finally steadying in my chest. I silently thanked the Moon Goddess for sparing my child, for ensuring that they were both okay. Nelly quickly asked if we could go see her, and the doctor nodded, giving us the green light.
We all filed into the room together—Nelly hurried to one side of the bed, while I took my place on the other. Seeing Lily there, her face pale but peaceful, and knowing that my baby was safe, brought a deep sense of peace amidst the chaos that had been swirling in my mind. Despite everything, despite the lack of love I held for Lily, I couldn’t deny that I cared for her. She was carrying my child, and that alone was enough to make want to protect her.
Nelly and Lily began talking softly, the tension between them dissolving as Nelly forgave her. There was a lightness to their conversation now, a bond rekindled. It was good to see, especially after all the strain and conflict that had been hanging over us lately. Nelly even joked about being the baby’s godmother and hogging all the love, to which Lily laughed, the sound more genuine than I’d heard from her in a long ti.
But then Lily turned to , her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. "I was so scared," she said softly, her voice trembling as though she were reliving the mont. "I couldn’t have forgiven myself if anything had happened to our baby."
Her words struck deeply, not because of the love between us—because that wasn’t there—but because I understood the fear she was expressing. I, too, had been terrified of losing them both. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself either if sothing had happened, if I hadn’t been there when she needed . No matter how complex things were between us, I had a duty to her and, more importantly, to our child.
"I know," I said, my voice steady but soft. "I was scared too. But it’s going to be alright now. I’ll protect you both. I’ll make sure nothing happens to either of you."
I ant every word. Even though my heart didn’t belong to Lily, it didn’t an I would let her face this alone. I had a responsibility to her, to our child, and I was determined to see it through.
After a mont of quiet, Lily’s face took on a slightly different expression. Her eyes softened as she looked at , but then, out of nowhere, she sighed dramatically. "I’m craving berries," she said, her voice shifting into a tone that was both pleading and slightly coy. She turned to Nelly first, but when Nelly moved to get up, Lily stopped her, holding onto her arm with a pout. "You’ve only just reunited with , and you’re already trying to leave?" she said with a teasing smile.
It was subtle, but I could sense the manipulation in her words. She didn’t want Nelly to go; she wanted us all to stay close, especially . She glanced around the room, her eyes eventually landing on Leila, who had been quiet throughout all of this. "Leila," she said sweetly, "would you mind getting so berries?"
Leila imdiately offered to go, and I could see the way her body tensed as she volunteered. Lucas, ever the supportive friend, offered to go too, but Lily quickly waved him off. "It’s alright, Lucas," she said dismissively. "Let Leila go. We haven’t spent much ti together lately, and I’d really like to be with my family right now."
There it was again, that subtle nudge, that calculated move to exclude Leila. It didn’t go unnoticed by . I knew what Lily was doing, and while part of wanted to speak up, to tell her to stop playing gas, I also knew that this wasn’t the ti or place for it.
Leila nodded with a tight smile, masking her hurt behind a brave face as she left the room. I watched her go, a knot forming in my stomach. I hated seeing her walk away like that, knowing she felt pushed aside, especially by the very people she should be closest to. She was my mate, the one I loved, and yet she was being cast out of this mont as if she didn’t belong. I cursed myself for letting it happen, for allowing this twisted situation to keep hurting her.
As I turned back to Lily, I found her smiling up at , content with the attention she had secured for herself. But I couldn’t shake the guilt that gnawed at for not standing up for Leila in that mont.
After that, we all tried to catch up, but the conversation was mostly one-sided. Lily took control of it, doing most of the talking as she leaned back against the hospital pillows. She chattered on about her mate, dropping subtle hints that I knew were ant to make jealous. But the thing was, it wasn’t working.
My heart didn’t stir with jealousy when she talked about her mate because it didn’t belong to her—it belonged to Leila. The only ti I’d feel jealous was if soone else had Leila’s attention. Lily could talk all she wanted, but it wouldn’t change the way I felt. My heart was with my mate, and nothing Lily said could pull away from that.
Even as she spoke, my mind wandered. I wasn’t even listening, not really. Instead, I found myself wondering where Leila had gone, what she was doing. I hated that she had to leave because of the situation. I should’ve been with her right now, comforting her, holding her close, not stuck here trying to navigate the drama Lily was trying to stir.
Lily’s voice pulled back from my wandering thoughts, her tone shifting from idle chatter to sothing more serious. She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a near whisper. "Drake," she began, her eyes darting around the room before locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. "My accident...it wasn’t an accident."
I blinked, not sure if I had heard her correctly. "What do you an, it wasn’t an accident?" I asked, my voice coming out more sharply than I intended.
She took a deep breath, her expression fraught with a mix of fear and uncertainty. "Soone tampered with the stairs. I didn’t slip because I lost my balance or because I was being careless. When I fell...I realized the stairs had been oiled."
My breath caught in my throat. "Oiled? Are you sure?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice calm, though inside, anger and confusion swirled like a storm.
Lily nodded, her face pale as she continued. "I didn’t think much of it at first, but when I was on the ground, I noticed it. There was sothing slick on the stairs. I could feel it on my hands when I tried to get up. Soone set up to fall, Drake. It wasn’t just an accident."
I stood there, frozen for a mont as the weight of her words sank in. If soone had oiled the stairs, this wasn’t just a random mishap—this was sabotage. Soone had deliberately tried to cause harm to Lily, and more terrifyingly, to our unborn child.
The idea that soone in the pack—soone close enough to access the main house and tamper with the stairs—would do sothing like this made my blood run cold. The pack was supposed to be a place of safety, of loyalty and trust. The idea that soone would stoop this low... it enraged .
My hands clenched into fists as I struggled to contain the fury bubbling inside . Whoever had done this had threatened not just Lily, but the safety and stability of our entire pack. This wasn’t just an attack on her—it was an attack on , on my leadership, on the very heart of the pack my heir.
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