Chapter 71
Damian’s POV
I didn’t let him finish. I was already moving, my bare feet slapping against the cold tile as I headed for the door. Pain shot through my side where the wound was still healing, but I ignored it.
“Alpha, wait!” Rick called after me. “You should probably put on some p>
I didn’t care. Didn’t care that I was in a hospital gown. Didn’t care that my side was screaming in protest. Didn’t care about anything except getting to Aria.
I made it maybe ten feet down the hallway when I heard her.
“Where is he? Please, I need to see him p>
Her voice was raw, desperate, shattered, and it sent electricity shooting down my spine. I turned the corner just in time to see her.
God, she was a mess.
Her hair had fallen out of what must have been a ponytail, dark strands sticking to her tear-stained cheeks.
Her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed, mascara smudged beneath them in dark streaks. She was shaking, her whole body vibrating with panic.
She looked like she’d been crying for hours.
Because of me.
“Aria p>
Her head snapped up, and our eyes locked.
For one endless moment, we just stared at each other. I watched her expression shift from panic to disbelief to something that made my heart stutter in my chest.
Then she was running.
She closed the distance between us in seconds, and suddenly she was crashing into me, her arms wrapping around my waist, her face pressing against my chest.
And she was sobbing.
Not just crying—sobbing. Deep, wrenching sounds that tore something vital inside my chest wide open.
“You’re alive,” she choked out between sobs, her fingers digging into my back like she was trying to convince herself I was real. “Oh my God, you’re alive. I thought—I was so scared p>
I stood there frozen, my arms hanging uselessly at my sides. My wolf was going insane, howling at me to comfort our mate, but I had no idea what to do.
No one had ever broken down in my arms before. I was the Alpha King. I was supposed to be the one in control, the one who always knew what to do, the one who fixed things.
But right now, with Aria falling apart against my chest, I was completely, utterly lost.
“Aria.” My voice came out rough, uncertain. “I’m okay. I’m fine. It’s p>
“Don’t you dare say it’s okay.” She pulled back just enough to look up at me, and the fury blazing in her tear-stained face stole my breath. “Don’t you dare. I thought you were dying, Damian. I thought p>
Her voice broke, and she buried her face against my chest again, her whole body shaking so hard I could feel it in my bones.
Something inside me finally clicked into place. My arms came around her, pulling her close, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head.
She melted into me, and it felt right in a way nothing else ever had.
Like she’d been made to fit exactly here. Like this was where she belonged.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured into her hair, breathing in her scent. “God, Aria, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to worry p>
“I was so scared.” Her voice was muffled against my chest, broken and raw. “I couldn’t breathe the entire flight. I thought p>
She didn’t finish, but she didn’t need to. I knew exactly what she’d thought. That she’d get here too late. That she’d never get the chance to—
To what?
I wanted to ask. Wanted to know what she’d been so desperate to tell me. What had driven her to fly across the country without hesitation.
But right now, with her in my arms, with her scent filling my lungs and her warmth seeping into my bones and my wolf finally settling, finally content, the questions could wait.
I pulled back slightly, just enough to cup her face in my hands. Her cheeks were wet with tears, her eyes still swimming with them, and I’d never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.
“Aria,” I whispered.
And then I was kissing her.
She made a small sound against my mouth and kissed me back just as desperately, her fingers clutching at my hospital gown like she was afraid I’d disappear if she let go.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, I rested my forehead against hers.
“I’m okay,” I said again, softer this time. “I promise. It wasn’t that serious. I’m fine p>
“Not that serious?” She pulled back, and this time there was definitely fury blazing in those green eyes alongside the tears. “Then why didn’t you tell me p>