Chapter 129
Claire’s POV
When Leo fell unconscious, it felt as if half of my heart had simply… stopped. Then, an instant later, everything became too fast, too intense, and I felt like I was going to burst straight out of my skin.
Leo was unconscious and needed medical care. I had to save him. I had to do something!
“I’ve called in emergency,” one of my warriors told me. I hated that my distress was so obvious, but I was grateful that my team was close enough to me and solid enough that they could pick up the slack that my panic was causing. Immediately. they were stepping up to help me. “We need to get you and Leo to the road.”
I nodded, feeling my heartbeat even up in my throat. I stood, cradling Leo closely.
“We need to investigate the area,” I said as I tried to hold onto my last bits of sanity. Saving Leo was most important, but figuring out who did this and why was second.
“We’ll take care of it,” one of the warriors said. By now, two had gone back into the house, and a few others were inspecting the bodies of the fallen rogues.
Knowing this group was trustworthy, I nodded and went with one rogue back through the forest. I held Leo closely in my arms, tight against me. The other warrior did not ask to carry him for me. Everyone must have seen my desperation.
Only one other warrior hurried along behind us. Though he made no fuss, I saw that he was carrying my mask for me. Soon, I would have to put that back on. But not yet.
Along our hurried walk, Leo stirred and looked up at me again.
“You’re my mom…” he said, his voice soft and strained.
“Yes,” I told him. I didn’t know if he had made the connection between Raven and me. I had taken my mask off and he was in a heavily wounded state. In this moment, knowing I might lose him, I didn’t particularly care how much he knew or didn’t know.
I just wanted to offer him what comfort I could, as a mother to her only son.
“Stay with me, okay? I need you to try to keep your eyes open if you can,” I said.
“I don’t want to close them….” Leo said. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
My heart was already aching, but those words only added to the pain. How much I hated having to leave my son. He was my precious angel and he deserved so much better than having to be without me.
“You left me once,” he said.
“Not by choice,” I said.
He didn’t seem to hear that. “Didn’t you want me anymore?”
What a terrible question. “Of course I wanted you, Leo. I never stopped wanting you. But there were other factors that pulled me away. Things I couldn’t control. I tried to fight, but I…” I swallowed hard, remembering being left out in the rogue territory, hunted by the feral rogues. If I hadn’t stumbled into Ivan’s pack, I would have been killed. “I’m sorry. There was nothing I could do.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks unbidden. I didn’t even realize I was crying until after they had already fallen
1/3
:30 pm P PM
Chapter 129
What a failure of a mother I was, to allow my son to believe that I had not wanted him. I didn’t know west & coldd have done otherwise, but I still felt very low for being unable to do something to somehow common that he wm soll valed
That he was still my sm, and I loved him, even with the distance that had been between us
This small voice broke through my spiraling thoughts “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Leo. So much.”
Then, his body went limp. Fresh panic shot through me. Through our bond. I could feel his life force draining our of him Gods, he was fading fast.
“We are nearing the road,” said the warrior holding my mask and handed it to me. I fixed it into play just as we broke the tree line. The ambulance was already waiting there. As I brought them Leo, the bealers swarmed around me.
I hated that I had to hide my identity again, but it was for everyone’s sake. If Gideon knew I was here, he would likely send me away, or try to trap me, like Ivan had suggested. Even in this dark moment, I needed to protect myself. I needed to keep my freedom so that I could return to Nova.
There wasn’t room for us to travel to the ambulance. The rest of us would have to walk back to the pack house or the ambulance to reconnect with the cars to take us back to Ivan’s pack. I wasn’t going back yet, I had already decided. I would stay at that hospital for as long as I could.
“We should start walking to the hospital,” the warrior with me said.
“The others…” I said, distantly remembering the other things we needed to do.
“They will take care of things,” the warrior said. I trusted him and them, so I nodded. Together, this warrior and I ran down the road, following as the ambulance disappeared into the distance.
Gideon’s POV
“Alpha!” Xavier said, hurrying into my hospital room.
I pushed myself up at once. I’d been waiting for any kind of word of what had been happening with Raven and Ivan’s warriors. If Leo was found…
If he was safe…
Before Xavier continued, I even had my legs over the edge of the bed, ready to react.
“They found Leo and he’s here. He’s being taken into the operating room. He’s in bad shape.”
“Is he awake?” I asked, already standing. To hell with my injuries, to hell with everything else except the life and safety of my only son.
“In and out,” Xavier said.
I was already moving toward the door, taking long strides, immune to my own pain.
“Alpha,” Xavier said, like he was about to make a half–hearted attempt to stop me, but he didn’t. He let me go. In the hallways, I moved toward where I knew emergency was. By chance, I happened to be standing in the hallway as they wheeled Leo by.
At once, I walked beside his gurney. Taking his hand in mine, I tried to keep my own explosive fear under control to be calm for my son, who looked at me with frightened eyes.
2/3
1:30 pm PP
Chapter 129
“Tubers, Lee Your’re going to be okay.” I had no idea if that was true, but I wanted him in seller in Whites happen. I didn’t wam him to be afraid
She saved me. Daddy” Leo’said. His words were slightly slurred, hit blinks were long. I didn’t know was saying was true, of what was delusion
“Who did. Leo? Raven?” I asked.
He swallowed hard, with effort. “Mommy saved me.” he said. “She looked like Raveri, bist it was Mommy.”
“Excuse me, Alpha. We need to turn here?
I was stopped outside of the operating room, helplessly watching as my injured son was wheeled inside
I had no idea what to think.
