The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 54

ADIRA As I regained consciousness, tears began to flow down Mark’s face. I could feel his fear and relief releasing all at once, and it broke my heart to see him like that. I reached up and touched his face to comfort him. “I’m okay.”

Mark buried his face into my neck, trying to hold back the sobs that were starting to surface. I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and held him close. I knew he would do whatever he could to save me, but he doubted himself. For a brief moment, he had to imagine what it would be like to lose me, and I knew exactly how he felt. I had to face that fear not that long ago, only now Mark and I had grown closer. I wasn’t sure if I could handle facing him on his deathbed again.

“We need to get Alpha Lyna some medical attention,” Mason said, breaking the silence.

Mark pulled away from me just enough to face everyone, but he didn’t let go of me. “Is he stable?”

“He seems to be stable for now, but I’m not sure how long that will last,” Mason said.

Footsteps echoed through the forest, and soon more warriors were joining us in the field. They began to approach us, ready to help.

Scythe put his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Just worry about Adira. We’ll handle the rest of this.”

Mark nodded, releasing his authority to Scythe. “Thank you. For everything.”

He stood up, keeping me in his arms.

“I can walk,” I said. My body was tired, but I felt significantly better. I knew I was going to be okay.

Mark looked down at me with wide eyes. “I’m not letting you go.”

I decided not to push it, especially because I didn’t mind being in Mark’s arms again. I felt like I could relax for the first time since Cain had kidnapped me. I nuzzled my face against Mark’s chest and closed my eyes. Everything wasn’t over yet, but at least I was back with my mate.

–

Reyland and Jori were taken back to the pack house and checked up by Doctor Zayla. Neither of them had regained consciousness after the battle, which worried me. At least they were alive for now, though.

Cain was taken into custody and held in a prison cell. Belladonna was used to subdue his magic until it was decided what to do with him. The first priority was making sure everyone was okay. Cain would come later.

Mark and I sat in Doctor Zayla’s office, waiting for me to get checked up on. Jori and Reyland had received priority medical attention, since they were still injured. Cain had mostly healed me, so I insisted on waiting my turn. Mark was against this, but there wasn’t much he could do to change the circumstances.

Mark and I hadn’t had a chance to talk much since the fight with Xavier, since I had fallen asleep on the drive back. My body was more exhausted from everything than I had realized. Now that we were back at the pack house, a heavy question weighed on my mind. Mark now knew I was pregnant, and I was scared. I was afraid to bring it up, since we hadn’t discussed children before, and I still didn’t know if he wanted children.

I was sitting on the patient’s table with Mark’s hand in mine while waiting for Doctor Zayla to finish up with Reyland. Mark was staring off into space, so I squeezed his hand to get his attention. I couldn’t keep putting off this conversation.

Mark looked at me and smiled. “Hey, sorry. I don’t mean to be ignoring you. I just haven’t slept much since you were gone.”

“I didn’t get much sleep either. It was awful being away from you,” I said. I squeezed his hand again.

Mark inched closer to me and placed his hand on my thigh. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

I nodded in agreement. I opened my mouth to ask him my question, but fear held me back. I just had him back, and if he didn’t want children, I wasn’t sure how I would handle that.

Mark titled his head. “What’s on your mind, baby?”

I bit my l*p and looked down. “Are you ready to have kids?” I looked up at Mark slowly, curious about his reaction.

Mark squeezed my hand and leaned forward to press his lips against mine. When he pulled back, he gave me a soft smile. “Honestly, not really. I’m absolutely terrified to be a father.” My heart froze. “But I’m not sure anyone is ever ready to be a father. If you are asking me if I’m excited about this baby, that’s a completely different story.”

“You’re excited?” I whispered.

Mark pressed his hand against my stomach. “The love of my life is having my baby. We are going to be a family. Of course I’m excited. I’m also terrified because this is happening much sooner than I ever imagined, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you, and I will love our child.”

My heart swelled and tears threatened my eyes. “I’m scared, too,” I admitted. “What if I’m not a good mother? What if-”

Mark quickly cut me off. “Hey, hey, hey. First off, you will be a wonderful mother. You are so caring and capable. It might be hard, but we’ll figure it out together.”

I wrapped my arms around Mark’s neck and kissed him. The moment our lips met, a familiar spark ignited. I deepened the k**s, suddenly desperate for Mark’s touch again. It had been too long, and even though I didn’t hold his mark on my neck anymore, I craved every part of his body.

Doctor Zayla cleared her throat, interrupting the k**s. I quickly pulled back, feeling flushed with excitement and embarrassment.

“I see how you ended up pregnant now,” Doctor Zayla commented.

“Zay,” Mark instantly scolded. His scolding wouldn’t change anything though. Doctor Zayla had always been a blunt person, even when Mark let her know she should use more finesse with her words.

“Am I wrong?” Doctor Zayla asked, raising her eyebrows.

“I’ve never said you were wrong, but those kinds of comments can be awkward.” Mark slipped his hand back into mine and held it tightly.

Doctor Zayla ignored Mark’s comment. “Let’s check on this baby, shall we? I know the mother experienced some trauma.”

I tightened my grip on Mark’s hand. After everything I had been through, I was worried it would cause issues with the pregnancy. Even though I was terrified to be a mother, I was also excited. If I lost this baby, I didn’t know what I would do. Mark tightened his grip back, and I knew he was just as afraid as me.

Doctor Zayla scurried around the room, pulling out the equipment she needed. “Lie back,” she ordered, grabbing a bottle.

When I was lying down, she pulled up my shirt and squirted a cool gel onto my stomach. I jumped, not expecting the cool sensation. Mark gave Doctor Zayla a look, but she completely ignored him. She turned on a little screen and then she grabbed a small device and pressed it against my stomach. She moved it around until she found what she was looking for.

Suddenly, I heard a small heart beat, and my eyes flickered to the screen. Doctor Zayla turned the screen so we could see it better. Mark’s other hand grabbed me, and his eyes were wide as he stared at the screen.

“That’s our baby’s heartbeat?” he asked in complete awe.

Doctor Zayla nodded. She pointed at the screen. “And right here is your baby.”

“It’s okay?” I whispered. “The baby is okay?”

Doctor Zayla nodded. “From what I can see, yes. I would like to closely monitor your pregnancy, because you have been through a lot of trauma, which can cause complications. As of right now, the heartbeat is strong, so don’t worry too much.”

Mark’s body tensed up. “What kind of issues could there be?”

“Let’s not worry about that yet,” Doctor Zayla said. “Adira should take the next couple of days to fully recover. I recommend her to stay off her feet for at least a day or two just to be safe.”

I frowned at that idea. Now that I was back here, there was so much I wanted to do. I didn’t like the idea of being stuck in bed for a few days, but it wasn’t worth causing any risk for the baby. “Thank you, Doctor Zayla.”

“Adira, you’ve known me long enough. You can just call me Zayla,” she said. “You are going to be my luna after all. No need for such formalities.”

“Thanks, Zayla,” I said, smiling. That was the most affection she had ever shown me. “How are Jori and Reyland doing, by the way?”

Zayla’s face shifted at my question, and she looked much more serious. “Alpha Lyna should be okay. He lost a lot of b***d, which is why I suspect he still hasn’t regained consciousness, but I expect him to awaken in a few hours.”

I smiled, knowing Reyland would be okay. There were some things I wanted to talk to him about, so I was relieved, knowing I would get that chance. “And what about Jori?”

Zayla’s face hardened. “I don’t have good news for him. I don’t necessarily have bad news, either. He is stable for now, but he sustained a lot of injuries. His heartbeat is also unusually weak. I don’t know if he will wake up or not, because I don’t understand how he got this way. I don’t understand why we are helping him, either.”

Mark looked at me, and I could tell he had the same question as Zayla. I hadn’t had a chance to explain what I knew about Jori yet. Mark had trusted me in regards to Jori. It was time I explained.

“Jori was possessed by the Son of B***d and Magic,” I said.

Mark’s face twisted. “He was possessed? How? How long?”

I looked down. “I don’t fully understand it, but I guess he– his name is Xavier– planted his energy in Jori a few months ago, and he has been slowly taking control over Jori’s body. That’s how he was using magic, and why something seemed so wrong with him.” I looked at Mark directly. “Jori was never my fated mate, either. Apparently, I was connected to Xavier, not Jori.”

Mark looked flabbergasted as he processed this information. His face shifted from relief to confusion and then anger over and over again. “So during that fight, that’s what that black cloud was? It was the Son of B***d and Magic?”

“I think so. I think I was able to remove Xavier’s energy from Jori, but I don’t know what that means for him. I don’t know if I saved him or not, and I don’t know if Xavier is actually gone or not. I don’t know if I did enough.”

Mark pressed his lips against the top of my head. “You did what you could do, which is more than what I could ever do. We’ll figure out the rest. Maybe Ginger knows something about possession.”

I knew Mark was right, but I was still worried. I knew this wasn’t the end of the fight, but I felt so exhausted.

“Does he have something to do with our mate mark disappearing?” Mark asked.

I looked at him surprised. I hadn’t realized Mark had experienced that as well. “No, that was Cain. I don’t know how he did it, but he used some sort of magic to remove it.”