Chapter 274
Alpha
Seeing her lying there in that stupid white hospital gown, covered in bandages, was one of the most painful moments of my life.
She looked so broken, so lost. Her beautiful hair was completely cut off, and my heart screamed in pain. And yet she tried to joke with me and smile. Her spirit was truly amazing.
I decided not to talk to her about her trauma until she brought it up. My hands lingered, but did I have the right to? But I wanted to feel her, to feel the life budding inside her. The life we both created together.
“Do you want this child? Speak openly, Alpha, because I will not tolerate lies or half-truths,” she said bluntly at my request.
My gaze returned to her face. Her steadfast blue eyes looked at me, awaiting an answer. “I need both you and this child. You’re my Phoenix, remember p>
She shook her head, as if overcome with sadness. “I’m not yours anymore. After everything I’ve been through, I don’t think I can belong to anyone. At least not anytime soon p>
She was wounded emotionally and physically. I knew it would take her a long time to recover from all the violence she’d endured.
My hand moved slowly until it touched her fingertips. I waited for her to pull it away.
She didn’t.
She simply looked at me with her large, beautiful, but tear-stained eyes. My fingers closed over hers, the pale, sterile bandages concealing wounds I couldn’t even imagine.
“I can wait, Zara. Wait as long as you want. But you’re the only mate for me p>
My hand slipped under hers. I leaned closer and rested my forehead on the back of her hand. I closed my eyes, trying to find some semblance of peace.
Hoping, praying that she’d just let me be like this for a while before pushing me away. She sighed in frustration, but didn’t pull away.
“Kane, all you’ve done is lie to me. Hide the truth from me. I don’t even know who you really are.” The tone of her voice upset me even more. “You hid behind masks and false images. Never let me see you for who you really are. I can’t be with a man I can’t trust p>
I opened my eyes and looked at her. The tip of my nose brushed her hand. It was a calming effect, but the way I’d hurt her was unsettling. “Ask what you want to know. I will answer truthfully. I will hide nothing p>
She shook her head sadly. “I shouldn’t have asked you… trust begins when you share what you want, not because you’re forced or asked p>
She was right. I had to tell her who I had become, who I was always destined to be. I knew she would hate me after that, but I was going to tell her the truth.
Whatever the truth, I will never hide it from her. Carefully taking her hand in mine so as not to hurt her, I began to tell her about my maternal line. About how I belonged to a family that had to give up its eldest male heir to become an Alpha King.
She didn’t flinch, just listened silently, without interrupting. But her fingers wrapped around my hand when I told her I had finally accepted the position. I couldn’t read her expression because of the bandages, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes, not disgust as I expected.
“So you’re a big, scary Alpha King now? Planning to kill people?” she asked, her gaze never leaving mine.
She didn’t let go of my hand, and I grabbed it with my other hand, bringing it to my lips. I kissed her thumb lightly. “If that means I’ll protect you, then yes p>
A faint smile appeared on her lips. It was my Blue Rose, smiling even in this state and with such an answer. Nothing could break her spirit.
“You have Marcus and Cassidy, don’t you?” Her voice was serious. A glimmer of malice flickered in her eyes.
I wondered what they had told her about themselves and me. “Yes! But it’s a secret between us,” I confessed.
“Just give them hell, Alpha. If anything happened to my child, I’d lose the will to live She fell silent, tears welling up in her eyes.
“No, please don’t cry.” I never thought I’d hate tears as much as I did hers. They made me feel completely helpless, as if I’d been tied up and thrown underwater.
“I was… certain they’d… kill me.” She choked on her words, and I lost all control. Standing up, I quickly climbed into bed with her. Putting one arm on her shoulders and the other under her head, I pulled her close.
My lips touched her forehead as she pressed herself against me, openly weeping into my chest. My eyes were fixed on her head, and an unbearable pain gripped my heart. If seeing her like this was so painful for me, then how excruciating it must have been for her.
“No one will ever touch you again without your permission. And when I…I’ll kill these two, they won’t even recognize themselves,” I muttered again.
She touched my skin and trembled in my arms.
“Thank you for coming to save me, even though I almost ruined your life by leaving evidence for my family to find,” she sobbed, taking a deep breath, and our eyes met. “I thought you were my stalker p>
My hand settled on her head, gently stroking it. “It’s not your fault, Zara. Marcus used my trust and friendship to get revenge. To turn you against me. That’s both his business and mine. And I will beg for forgiveness until you’re ready to forgive me and take me back p>
The light in her eyes faded, and her face darkened at my words. She had no intention of taking me back. I could feel it.
But that child in her womb belonged to both of us. We both knew. My wolf was happy, too, with this child.