Chapter 40 Hopeful Return

~Anna~

He stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time, brows furrowed in concentration. Then he looked away with downcast eyes, sighing.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

It had been like this for three days now. He’d randomly stare at me to figure out who I was only to look away and mumble an apology. It was painful seeing him so confused, so lost within his own world.

“It’s alright,” I said as I molded my hand into his.

We sat on the side of my bed in silence, waiting for Lexy and the others. They’d come every morning to check upon him, and talk to him, bringing up memories that might help him remember or at the very least trigger something.

For three days, I was beside him, never once leaving his side. He’d be scared if he was left alone, and when I use the bathroom to relieve myself, I’d come back to the room to see him waiting for me. I’d never imagined I’d see the big bad Alpha so broken, so helpless…

He was Liam and yet not Liam at the same time. He understood that I was his mate. The sensations that erupted from simple touches were proof enough.

Luca wasn’t talking to him for some reason; hopefully, he would soon.

What were we to do but wait? He intertwined his fingers with mine and with an arm around my shoulders, pulled me closer to his side.

“I’m here.”

We introduced ourselves, told him who he was – a name and a title. Rigel and Gale explained what happened after I passed out during the attack. I remember how he looked at me like I was his salvation.

“Thank you,” he had said then, but I doubt he understood what it meant.

The pack was waiting for his return too. They worry about him, but just like that night, they trusted their Alpha. Red Claw Pack – they never ceased to amaze me. And he amazed me even more. His people looked up to him, trusted him without a shadow of a doubt.

My Alpha…

A knock came from the door. I stood to open it, but he pulled me back down, fear in his eyes.

“I’m just going to open the door,” I said with a small smile. He let me go then.

“Hey, Anna,” said Gale as he walked in behind Lexy. “How’re you doing?”

“Same as yesterday,” I answered.

“Good morning, bro,” said Lexy.

He nodded in response.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good.”

“Have you experienced any changes since yesterday?”

He shook his head.

Lexy ran her hand through his hair. “If you feel anything… anything at all, you can tell me, alright? You can tell Anna, too.”

“Thank you,” he replied.

Lexy checked his vitals again as Gale and I watched. He didn’t want Rigel anywhere near me, and so my poor knight hadn’t stepped foot in this room since we brought Liam here.

“How’s the pack?” I asked Gale in a whisper.

“They’re doing what they can. We lost four men from the attack and now our Alpha’s…”

He paused, pocketing both hands in his jeans.

“We’re gathering information as we speak. We’ll know who’s behind this, Anna. I promise you.”

I nodded. Determination in his eyes and his hands balled into fists. I missed his carefree nature too but right now we needed our Beta.

“Thank you, Gale.”

I couldn’t do much, only spend time with Liam. He was taking care of everything in the pack, along with Rigel and Lexy. If he were to falter, the growing unrest would weaken the pack, making us more vulnerable to an attack.

The word should be out by now that our Alpha was incapacitated. The spies had reported that rumors about his death were spreading fast among the other packs.

Rigel was in charge of the warriors, and unfortunately for us, our witch was, as they told me, asleep. Why did he have to be asleep during this time?

“How’s Rigel?” I asked.

“He’s coordinating the warriors. The Delta Unit will continue to guard over you and Liam. As you requested, we have two units watching over Jayme. We also have scouts on vantage points just in case vampires appear.”

“What were they after?”

He grimaced. “Jayme killed them before we could apprehend them. I’m sorry, Anna. He gets cranky when he’s forcibly awakened.”

The vampires might have been after Jayme. Just how powerful was he that the pack would hide him? The rogues… after the pack? Their motives were unclear at the moment, but we all agreed on one thing: the timing was too impeccable to be dismissed as a coincidence.

The vampires breached the truce – I heard their king was out of commission for millennia, but they couldn’t be trusted. This might’ve been a declaration of war, and the start of a more coordinated attack.

“The Blue Moon Pack?”

“We have spies keeping a close watch on them,” he replied. “Their Alpha has recovered. They’re staying low at the moment. No one has left their pack since the incident.”

My mate was poisoned with wolfsbane and black magic. Why didn’t we notice it sooner? Everyone assumed the little girl belonged to the Blue Moon Pack, something we learned only after the pack meeting. Since I wasn’t familiar with the pack yet, I assumed she was one of us.

It flew right over our heads. The anticipation and tension of the duel had our attention that we didn’t notice the smallest thing, the most crucial mistake.

That little girl handed them the cup – the ceremonial wine – it should’ve contained a tolerable amount of wolfsbane, to bring out the courage in them as they faced the possibility of their death, but…

“Liam! Liam!” Lexy’s screaming pulled me out of my thoughts.

Liam shook violently, the whites of his eyes showing as he fell back on the bed.

I ran towards him.

“What’s happening?”

“His body’s rejecting the poison,” said Lexy.

His limbs were shaking nonstop. He…

“Get her out of here!” Lexy screamed.

I felt Gale tug at my arm.

She straddled him and placed both hands on his chest. Her hands glowed a faint red light and he screamed.

“What are you doing!”

“Get her out!” she screamed again.

“No, let me go!”

Stop it. You’re hurting him.

His arm shot up towards me, hand clenching and unclenching like he was searching for me. I reached out for his hand, but Gale grabbed me by my waist.

Liam screamed again.

“Stop it!” I shouted. “Stop! You’re hurting him!”

I struggled out of Gale’s hold, but he wouldn’t let go. He dragged me out the door, ignoring my screams.

“He’s calling for me!” I pleaded, watching his arm drop back down, his palm up. I had to let him know I was with him.

He didn’t want me gone beside him. Liam screamed as he thrashed around. It was the last I saw of him before the door shut in my face.

Liam…

I went limp in Gale’s arms as I sobbed. I could feel his pain. It was like getting kicked in the stomach over and over again. Then it felt like my limbs were getting stepped on mercilessly, the weight crushing my bones. I gritted my teeth and let the tears fall as I felt a fraction of the pain that he was going through. His pained screams echoed throughout the hallway, ringing loudly in my ears. I felt a searing pain in my chest; it burned the skin, but it was simply a shared connection – there were no marks on me.

The bond had grown stronger…

“Liam,” I whispered. “I’m here. I’m right here.”

I hugged my arms to myself and I heard Gale take a deep breath. He was trying to calm himself down. While we could only hear his pain, while I could only share a bit of it with him, Lexy was watching it unfold in front of her. This was painful for Liam. It was painful for all of us.

Gale and I stood there and endured the ordeal until he suddenly stopped screaming. The silence heightened my anxiety, multiplying the gnawing uncertainty at my heart. With shaky limbs, I grabbed the handle. The room was too silent.

What happened to Lexy?

I turned the handle in what seemed like minutes before pushing in slowly. Liam laid on the bed, his eyes closed and his breathing calm. But Lexy had collapsed on top of him.

Gale quickly pushed me to the side and went to her. Rolling her off of him, he checked for her pulse. Sweat shone on her face, hair sticking to her cheeks.

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “It must’ve used up so much of her.”

Climbing unto the bed, I neared Liam. There was a black liquid coming out the sides of his mouth and his closed eyes. I reached to touch it, when his eyes suddenly opened and he turned to his side, coughing. He coughed harshly, black liquid dripping from his chin into the sheets. I ran a hand down his back and whispered sweet nothings, tears streaming down my face. How much more must he endure?

My chest tightened and the force of his coughing left me wheezing for air. With every cough, more of this strange liquid erupted from his mouth, until he fell forward. I rolled him to his back. My eyes met Gale. We were both confused, but in his eyes, I saw hope – that it was what we thought it was.