43: Lily

I could have saved him...

The nurse that examined Lily gave her a frown like she could read her mind. Lukas was too far gone

to even bother saving, but his Wolf? His Wolf still had a clear conscious. He still served his King to

the very end. She just hoped he found the peace he needed to move on.

"Lily." Damion spoke, but she didn't glance his way. Her eyes remained on the floor as she sat on

her hospital bed. Nox whimpered softly to her, sending his strength through his Mark, but she just

didn't have it in her. She can sense Damion watching her before he got up from his chair and stood

in front of her. His hands reached out and grabbed her own. They were warm and gentle. She finally

tore her eyes away from the floor and looked up at him. His eyebrows furrowed together with

worry.

"I know that you were scared. There was nothing we could do about it though." He squeezed her

hands as he tried to reassure her. Her eyes shifted away from him, looking for Jayce, but he hadn't

returned yet. After whatever happened with Lukas, he was dealing with security, the nurses and the

doctors. He wanted answers, but they looked like they didn't have any themselves.

"I wasn't scared. I just..." she let out a shaky breath, "I wanted to save his Wolf. He didn't deserve

that kind of death.” She pinched the bridge of her nose as tears threatened her. She was done

crying. It felt like that's all she ever did. Damion sat beside her, his feet still on the floor unlike her

own.

"I won't lie. I was definitely scared.” He admitted to her. She peered up at him, his hazel eyes dark.

"Really? The mighty Beta?" She tried to joke with him. He half smiled, but it wasn't real.

"We Werewolves can still get scared just like any human can. Being a Beta, it's part of my job to help

ease those that are scared.” He looked away from her, "Jayce was scared.”

"He was? But he looked so composed.” Lily said to him.

"He needs to be. He's the King, Lily. He has never showed weakness to anyone.” Damion told her.

She raised a brow at that.

"That's not true. Anger can be a weakness in some degree. Last time I checked, he has a ton of built

up anger in him." She looked away.

"True, he was never one to really hide that emotion, but then again, that's all he really felt for a long

time.” Damion put an arm around her. She felt at ease with him. Like a brother's affection. "I mean it

though. When Lukas...” Damion shook his head, the image still clearly bothering him, "Jayce

watched one of his own die in front of his eyes today. What I saw on his face... He looked scared.”

Damion looked over to her, "He was most likely scared for you.”

"I didn’t know. He never really opens up about what it's like being the King.” She let out a sigh,

"How can I help him if he won't talk to me?" She asked him. The corner of his lips twitched like he

wanted to smile, but he also sighed with her.

"I can't answer that for you. Your best bet is to ask him. Assert your dominance.” He said, making

her giggle a bit.

"If I do that, it won't really get me anywhere.” She told him, "Thanks Damion." She looked up at him.

He peered down at her, finally smiling.

"That's what family is for." He said as the door opened and Jayce walked in, holding a duffle bag.

Damion dropped his arm from around her shoulders and got off the bed.

"Erica is in the waiting area." Jayce told him, opening the bag and passed him some clothes. Damion

took his batch, looking over to Lily. She gave him a nod and he returned it before leaving. When

Jayce closed the door behind them, he let out a heavy sigh. He looked exhausted. He set the bag

down beside her, taking her hands in his and rested his forehead against hers. She didn't question

him, she shut her eyes and breathed in his scent. He did the same, squeezing her hands as he did

50.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, and she finally opened her eyes to see his crimson eyes staring back.

She let go of his hands, placing a hand on his cheek. His eyelids fluttered as her touch shocked

them both.

"I should be asking you that question.” She told him. He looked at her, his jaw twitching a bit. He

kissed her palm.

"Honestly Lily, I'm shaken.” He told her, “Everything has been happening so quickly and then you

getting put in harms way, not once, but three times.” He looked at her, and she watched the man

she fell in love with start to crumble before her very eyes. He was so vulnerable opening up, it was

no wonder he never did so before.

"Yeah, everything has been a real mess lately.” She said, "But we're alive. We're strong. All three of

us." She said to him. His eyes trailed down to her belly where his future was.

"How far along are you?" He asked her, opening up the bag and passed her some clothes to switch

into. She carefully hopped off, being sure to apply more pressure to her one leg than the other. It

was sore, and probably will be for some time, but she had a leg still.

"Four months according to Doctor Jones." She said as she took off her hoodie and placed it on a

chair. She heard Jayce exhale as he took that in.

"Four months? Wow." He said, the gears in his head stalling still.

"Yeah, kinda happens when you don't use protection.” She said as she put on a tank top. She looked

at all of her old scars. It seemed like ages ago that Jasper was a threat to her life. Now they have this

Karmina character that sought out Lily. But why? Was it because she was human? Why was being

human always an issue?

Jayce's hands came around and rested on her belly. His head rested on her shoulder and she shut

her eyes, placing her hands over his. Together they honed in on the life within her. She concentrated

as hard as she could, canceling out everything else around her. It was darkness, but it was no

stranger to her. Soft growling came from the darkness, but it greeted her with love.

"Nox." She spoke his name tenderly. She felt his fur brush against her cheek as his body took shape.

His crimson eyes met hers before turning away. She followed him until he stopped. There was a soft

green glow that illuminated his chest. She walked in front of him where a tiny green orb floated. She

reached out to it hesitantly, but the orb caressed her fingers with a warmth she easily recognized.

"Jayce." Her voice trembled as her eyes opened, finding herself in the hospital room again. They

were kneeling, his hands still on her belly. She felt his heart jumping in his chest.

"How does it have a Wolf spirit?" He asked, but she didn't quite know herself.

"I don't know. Doctor Marshall was just as confused, but I think it might actually be a good thing.”

She said. He helped her to her feet, his hands shaking a bit, "Are you okay?" She asked him, finally

looking at his face. She found tears. He placed a hand over his face to hide them, but she pulled his

hand out of the way.

"I'm going to be a father.” He whispered. She smiled, nodding. He hugged her tightly, letting his

tears flow freely. She hugged him back, forgetting for a moment that any kind of chaos had

occurred in the past week ever happened.

After getting back to the house, Elias and Nathan were waiting for her. Elias immediately jumped

into her arms once she was through the door, sobbing with snot dripping from his nose.

"Lily!" He cried, clinging onto her with Momo attached to his hip still. She combed her fingers

through the boys hair, trying to soothe him.

"I'm okay, Elias. I'm home.” She told him. He looked up at her with those crimson puppy eyes. Her

heart melted

"Is it true? Did dad hurt you?" He asked her. She looked up at Jayce who looked away awkwardly.

"No. He didn't." Lily lied, looking back at the boy. "In fact, your dad saved me from a bad man." She

told him. Elias looked at her with a new light in his eyes.

"I told you my dad is still good." He exclaimed. Lily nodded, hugging the boy to her. She didn't have

the heart to tell him. He's so young. She wanted him to keep that perfect image of his father for as

long as he could.

"By the way, some visitors arrived just before you got here. They looked pretty important, so I sent

them to your office.” Nathan told them. Lily met gazes with Jayce.

Who could have shown up?

Jayce opened the door to his office and Lily found several people waiting inside. One was a man

with grey hair pulled back with a Hawaiian shirt and blue cargo pants. Another couple with dark skin

stood beside one another, their arms linked. The man wore a black business suit with a red tie, while

the woman wore a white dress that tied around the back of her neck. Gold jewelry covered her

being from bracelets to necklaces. She had a delicate and intricate circlet that graced her head with

the image of Isis’ wings on the front. Beside them was another couple, a Hispanic gentleman

wearing a navy blue suit with a white tie. His short brown hair was neatly combed to match his grey

eyes. The woman beside him wore an elegant blue dress to match her Mates, her red hair flowing

beautifully over her shoulders, her sea green eyes piercing yet kind. Then a woman stood alone off

to the side, wearing a brown cotton dress that went to her knees and a jean jacket. Compared to the

others, she appeared more normal.

"You're all here.” Lily said as everything started to register. Three Alphas, three Lunas.

"I guess I took too long to make my announcement.” Jayce grumbled as he shut the door behind

himself. Alpha Javon stepped up to Jayce, putting out his hand. Jayce shook it. Alpha Jackson and

Alpha Archibald did the same.

"We apologize for arriving without proper notice, but we received word about what happened.”

Luna Isis said after walking up to Lily. She took Lily's hands in her own. Lily let out a soft gasp as she

felt the Luna's power flow through her. Alpha Jackson's Luna walked up to the other side of her,

resting a hand on Lily's shoulder. More power coursed through her.

"Luna Lily, my name is Luna Ella. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” She said with a smile.

Luna Selene stepped up to the other side of her. Lily looked at the Luna, seeing the pain in her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Lily choked, drawing all of their attention, "I couldn't save his Wolf." She covered her

face, wishing her tears would dry up already. She felt another hand rest on her arm, making her look

at Luna Selene with blurry eyes. She was on the brink of tears, but she had a soft smile on her lips.

"His Wolf is at peace thanks to you." She said. Selene wiped the tears from Lily's face, "He came to

me earlier. He looked so relieved to be free of the pain that he was under. Thank you so much, Lily."

She said. Lily threw her arms around Selene, disregarding any kind of professionalism. She felt

Selene hug her back.

"What's this announcement that you mentioned?" Alpha Archibald asked as the women settled

down. Jayce took Lily's hand and stood before the small group. She knew what he was going to say,

and she came to terms that she was okay with it.

"Well, in all honesty, I planned on canceling the wedding. After what happened at the hotel and the

hospital, I thought it would be best to try and negotiate with the royal council to maintain my

throne until Lily's safety is in the clear.” Jayce told them. They all looked to one another, exchanging

concerns and confusion.

"What if the royal council votes to have you dethroned?" Alpha Javon asked him.

"Then I let them.” He said confidently, "Nothing is more important to me than Lily. Not even the

crown.” Lily looked up at him, and he looked so sure of his answer. She looked around at the Alphas

and Lunas, her heart pounding in her chest.

"However," Jayce spoke up again, "it would be kind of pointless to not go through with it when

most of it is already done.” He said with a small shrug. Lily looked up at him, not believing what she

was hearing.

"So we can still get married?” She asked him. He peered down at her, giving her a smirk. She

released a squeal, throwing her arms around him. He chuckled, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"What is there left to do?" Luna Selene asked them. Lily pulled away from Jayce, remembering they

were not alone and cleared her throat.

"Well..." she went to explain, but realization hit her. She had more to do than she realized. Food,

place and decorations were covered. She got her dress, but there was more, wasn't there?

"Oh boy." Luna Ella stated.

"I know that face anywhere." Luna Isis exclaimed. Lily covered her face as she came to terms with

reality. She felt Jayce's hand on her shoulder.

"Lily, what else needs to be taken care of?" He asked her and when she looked up at him, he had

the same kind of puppy eyes that Elias had.

Why did he need to be so damn adorable right now?

"We don't have an ordained minister, photographer, music...” Lily clapped her hands on her cheeks a

little too hard, "Music! What will our song be? Do we even have a song? I should make a Playlist.

Wait, but we need a DJ, or maybe..."

"Oh no." Luna Selene walked over and grabbed Lily's hands, "We have enough time. Lucky for you

we know some people that can handle the rest.” She said to her. Lily looked at her as the other

Lunas approached.

"Who?" She asked curiously. Luna Selene smiled at her.

"Us." She gestured to the group, "Ella actually runs a photography business in Louisiana.” Luna Ella

wiggled her fingers behind Selene’s left shoulder, "Javon is actually ordained, but he won't admit it."

"I just don't do it often.” His deep voice responded, "However, in the matter of the marriage

between the King and his Luna, it would be an honor." He inclined his head.

"Archy..." Selene went to speak.

"Oh, you can count me in as your DJ. I know how to throw a party.” He interrupted.

"We know you do." Jayce said with a grimace. Lily felt slightly uneasy about the idea when Selene

leaned in close to her.

"Don't worry, we'll keep tabs on him." She gave her a wink and Lily felt at ease.

"I can help coordinate.” Luna Isis spoke up from behind Selene’s right shoulder, "I do enjoy these

sort of things.” Lily looked between the women, her eyes filling up with the usual tears.

"Thank you... Thank you all so much.” She sniffled and inclined her neck. The women were taken

aback, but they returned the gesture. They all did.