Chapter 48: Chapter 48

SCARLET

The surface I’m lying on is so soft and warm. ~Why do I feel so cozy? Where am I?~

My eyes begin to flutter as they find the light streaming in. My hand is trapped and covered in tingles, and I know it must be because of Ethan.

I finally manage to force my eyes open and find myself in the infirmary. Ethan’s head is resting on my covered lap as he sits in a chair pulled up next to the bed.

One of his hands is clasped around mine, and his eyes are closed. His breathing is slow and steady, and it’s obvious that he’s asleep.

Carefully, I try to sit up without waking him, but I’m unsuccessful. As soon as I move an inch, Ethan’s head shoots up and frantically looks around.

When his gaze lands on me, a huge grin immediately spreads across his handsome, chiseled face. His beautiful blue eyes light up, but I can tell he’s tired, and his face is covered in stubble. ~How long have I been out? Oh Goddess! What about the baby?~

“Ethan…”

My voice comes out worried, and it’s like Ethan can read my mind as he says softly, “Our pup is fine, my love. It’s only been a couple of days. You just needed some rest.”

I let out a sigh of relief as Ethan reaches out and lightly strokes my cheek, and I nuzzle into his hand, savoring his touch.

“And Cassia?”

“She’s fine too. Just woke up this morning.”

He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. It’s like he’s trying to memorize every detail of my face as he stares at me lovingly. Butterflies flit around my stomach, and my heart flutters in my chest.

“I love you,” I say to him, and he moves to the bed to sit beside me, cupping my face in his hands and giving me a deep, languorous kiss that leaves me feeling breathless.

When he finally pulls away from me, he replies, “I love you too, angel.”

He sits there for a moment before taking my hands in his and letting them rest in my lap. His gaze drops to our entwined hands before coming back to meet mine with a questioning look.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? How long have you known?”

“I just found out when the battle was starting. Cassia could somehow tell and told me. I didn’t really have the chance to tell you,” I answer.

“I wish you wouldn’t have pushed yourself so much. That was really dangerous, Scarlet. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” he remarks. His voice isn’t angry or condescending. Instead, it’s soft, reassuring, even a little sad as though picturing his life without me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. We just needed to do something drastic. Did it help? What happened after I passed out?”

“Almost everyone on the enemy side got knocked out. Several witches got away before we got our hands on them, though. As far as the Silver Shadow Pack goes, after killing most of their higher-ranking officers, the rest swore their loyalty to us. They’re sticking around for now until we can figure out new commanding officers,” he responds.

I simply nod as I take in all of the information that I’m being given. “And what about Lucien?”

Ethan’s whole body tenses at the mention of the insane alpha who has caused us so much trouble. His jaw clenches, and his eyes darken with anger as I wait patiently for him to calm his wolf before speaking.

“Currently, he’s locked up in a secluded cell with round-the-clock guards. We’ve been waiting for you to get better before performing his execution.” My eyes widen, surprised that he’s not already dead. Ethan seems to notice my shock, adding, “I want to do it myself, but I didn’t want to leave your side.”

“You haven’t seen him since he was locked up?” I inquire skeptically.

He grimaces. “I saw him once. It was right after I found out about the pup. I was angry that he put both of you in harm’s way. Alex and Isa offered to stay with you while I went to see him.”

“What happened?”

This time, Ethan smirks, his gaze looking down as he remembers what happened.

“I totally beat the crap out of him until I felt better. Then I came back and stayed with you.”

I shake my head with a smile. That’s the Ethan I know. I would have been surprised if he didn’t bother to go see Lucien, even if he didn’t want to leave my side.

His eyes light up with affection as his gaze meets mine, and I caress his cheek. “So, there’s no other reason to wait any longer now, right?”

“Are you sure you don’t need more rest?”

“I’m fine,” I assure him, though it’s clearly not enough.

His sapphire eyes narrow at me before he states, “We’ll wait until Bethany has checked up on you and given you the okay to be released. You lie down and get some more sleep. I’ll find her in a little while.”

I can’t help but smirk at my overprotective mate before doing as he says. I’m too exhausted to argue. I scoot myself under the covers, and Ethan pulls them up and brushes my hair back before kissing my forehead.

“I love you, angel.”

“I love you too.”