Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Gideon’s POV
After Raven and her warriors left with Peter, it took a few days for my body to finally recover enough for me to be discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, Leo stayed unconscious in that time. Even before I was technically allowed to, I spent my time at Leo’s bedside.
I refused to leave, not even for meetings, so I had started having my meetings right there in Leo’s hospital room. I was unwilling to leave, but I still needed to run the pack. The hospital staff was somewhat annoyed by all the extra visitors and security, but they didn’t give me much trouble, aside from the occasional tired sigh or slight shake of their head.
One day, in Leo’s room, after dismissing the rest of my council, I asked Xavier to stay behind. This wasn’t unusual. As my Beta, Xavier attended to a lot of more private matters to assist me. Today, I had something deeply personal to ask for his help with.
I’d been sitting alone with what Leo had told me before falling unconscious, turning it all over in my mind and evaluating it from every angle.
But I was starting to make myself a bit mad, my thoughts circling but going nowhere. I needed someone else in on this loop. Someone who had the ability to go into places I couldn’t, and look at records and other things with more discretion than an Alpha could.
“Alpha, how can I assist you?” Xavier asked, when the others had gone.
“When Leo returned, before he fell into his coma, he told me that he had been rescued by his mother,” I said.
Xavier’s eyes went a little wide. “I was told that it was Raven who rescued him.”
“My son was under a lot of stress. He could have been mistaken by what he had seen,” I said. “But, in case he wasn’t…” I cleared my throat, trying to keep myself calm. “Xavier, as discretely as you can, would you please look into Raven’s history with Ivan’s pack. I want to know her records, how long she’s been a warrior, who her parents were. Whatever you can find.”
Xavier nodded. “Yes, Alpha. Without anyone else knowing?”
“I would prefer to keep this as private as possible,” I said. “Most likely, we are wrong about this. But just in case we are not… I want to know everything.”
“Yes, Alpha. I will look into this at once.”
“Thank you, Xavier.”
After he left, I looked back to Leo, still resting with his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping. His paleness gave away his unhealthiness though and tore at my heart like claws through paper.
How I wished I could have traded places with Leo the past few days. I only ever wanted to protect my child and keep him from harm. Gods, I failed him. And those bodyguards I’d hired, who I had trusted… that was the worst of it. I should have known better. They were diligent to my face, but I should have checked behind me, when they didn’t know I was watching, to be sure.
Everything that had happened to Leo was my fault.
Now, in addition to the guilt of my son’s hurt, I was also confronted once my by Claire’s. I had dismissed Raven as being Claire after receiving Nova’s DNA test, but now the identity was back under consideration. I didn’t know what to think.
Leo had been so wounded, he could have hallucinated seeing his mother. Yet, he had also seemed so sure in that moment.
1/3
Chapter 131
And as his last wish before falling unconscious, didn’t I owe it to him to try to find out the truth?
Claire’s POV
Back in Ivan’s pack, there wasn’t much I could do for Leo or for Peter, other than wait and hope and pray like everyone else.
1 paced in the pack house, feeling like a ghost haunting the halls. I wasn’t able to sit still, constantly worrying
After a while, I felt a little tug on my sleeve and glanced down to see Nova beside me.
“Here, Mommy. For you.” She held up a piece of paper with some crayon drawings on it.
1 held it and looked to see a family of four.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“That’s you and me,” Nova said, pointing to the little girl beside the Mommy.
“And these two?” I asked. The girl was holding the Mommy’s hand, but Mommy was also holding a Daddy’s hand, with a little boy on the Daddy’s other side. “Who are they?”
“That’s Alpha Gideon and Leo,” Nova said, matter–of–factly, like it should have been obvious.
“What’s this on Leo’s arm?” I asked.
“A cast. I didn’t know if he had broken his arm, but you said he was sick, so I thought I’d show it…” Nova said, worrying her hands together. “Do you like it?”
There were things I didn’t like, such as the Mommy and Daddy holding hands and the little white cast on Leo’s arm. But the sentiment, the care, that Nova had put into this to make it for me, was more than enough to warm my heart.
Leaning down, I hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Nova. It’s perfect.”
Only much, much later, after Nova had gone to bed, and I found myself out on the back deck looking up at the stars, still holding the picture, did my tears fill my eyes again.
I had to be strong for Nova, and to maintain my warrior reputation with the pack, but in the stillness of the night, when I was alone, I couldn’t hold back my sadness and my fear.
I needed Leo and Peter to be okay. Peter had nearly died protecting my son. And Leo… Gods, Leo… He was so young. Far too young to have experienced so much fear and hurt in such a short amount of time.
He was going to be Alpha and was sure to experience hardship, but that could come later. He was too young now.
“It’s getting late,” said Ivan, appearing in the doorway to the house.
Immediately, I turned my head away from him, embarrassed by my own tears. “I just needed some air.”
Ivan quietly came to stand beside me. For a little while, he didn’t say a word, just existed in my presence. As an Alpha, he burned hot, so I subconsciously leaned into his warmth. He lifted a hand and placed it on my shoulder. As I leaned further into him, the touch turned into a hug.
It was gentle and soft, the kind of hug two friends would share in a dark moment.
“You don’t have to hide,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “You can depend on me when you are not feeling strong enough to stand on your own.”
2/3
7:37 pm G
Chapter 131
As softly, I whispered, “Thank you”
I was glad for Ivan’s friendship. He was strong and true, and he had always been there for me.
Yet, after a few moments in his embrace, my mind began to wander to Gideon, and to what it felt like to be in his arms with my cheek pressed to his chest.
The thought brought momentary comfort, and then an instant later, I hated myself for it.
