After we’d both been thoroughly cleaned, he lifted me out of the tub and wrapped me carefully in a large fluffy towel, then carried me back to the bedroom, where he sat me down on the edge of the bed. He grabbed the hair dryer and began carefully drying my hair section by section, running his fingers through it gently to work out any tangles.

When my hair was completely dry, he picked up a comb and began sectioning it off, and I watched in surprise as he started creating a French braid down the back of my head with practiced, experienced movements, like he’d done this a hundred times before.

"How do you know how to French braid?" I asked curiously because it seemed like such an unexpected skill for a man.

"I have a sister, remember?" He said with a fond smile, and his eyes went soft with the memory. "Maya loved having me braid her hair when we were kids; she’d beg me to practice different styles on her, so that’s how I learned it."

He chuckled at the memory, clearly lost in nostalgia, and my heart warmed at the image of a younger Jude patiently sitting with Maya and braiding her hair over and over until he got it perfect.

So cute.

After he finished the braid, which looked absolutely beautiful, there was a knock at the door, and he went to answer it while I stayed seated on the bed wrapped in my towel before trailing after him. Maya wheeled in a cart absolutely loaded with food, and her nose immediately wrinkled as she stepped into the room.

"Is it safe to come in now?" She asked with a teasing grin and then made a face. "God, it stinks in here. You two really went at it, didn’t you?"

My face flushed bright red with embarrassment because, of course, everyone in the Manson knew exactly what we’d been doing for the past seven days; there was no hiding it with how strong the scent must be.

I shook my head, intending to walk over to the food because my stomach was growling, but as I took my first step, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over me, making the entire room spin around me and tilt sideways. Jude immediately noticed something was wrong and rushed over to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing my arms to steady me as his voice was tight with concern.

I nodded, trying to shake off the dizzy feeling, but as I tried to take another step forward, my legs suddenly gave out completely, and I felt myself falling down. Jude caught me before I could hit the floor, sweeping me up into his arms, and I heard Maya gasp in shock.

"Rosie!!" Maya’s voice sounded far away and muffled.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Everything after that was a blur of movement and voices, and I couldn’t focus on anything until I woke up in a hospital bed with an IV attached to my arm pumping fluids into my vein, and I blinked in confusion trying to figure out what had happened and how I’d gotten here.

Jude was sitting in a chair right beside my bed, looking absolutely wrecked, with dark circles under his eyes and disheveled hair as if he had been running his hands through it repeatedly; the moment he saw my eyes open, he jumped to his feet and hovered over me.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you need anything?" He fretted, and his brow was furrowed with deep worry, and I could feel his anxiety and guilt through the bond.

"What... am I..." I uttered a rough croak, barely audible above a whisper, as my throat felt as dry as sandpaper.

He immediately handed me a glass of water, and I gulped it down gratefully, letting the cool liquid soothe my parched throat before handing the empty cup back to him.

The doctor walked in almost immediately after and asked how I was feeling, and I told him I felt okay, just exhausted and confused about what happened and why I was here.

"You fainted from severe dehydration and exhaustion," the doctor explained gently, and his expression was kind, moving from Jude to me. "The rut took quite a toll on your body as a human. Seven days is a long time for a human body to endure that kind of physical stress without proper hydration and rest." He paused and smiled. "But you survived it, young Luna. You’re stronger than you look. You just need rest and fluids, and you’ll be perfectly fine in a few days. We’ll keep you here overnight for observation and to make sure you’re fully rehydrated.”

I blushed deeply at being called Luna because that was the title for an alpha’s mate, and hearing it applied to me felt strange and wonderful. It was official in a way that made my heart race; that meant I was recognized as Jude’s mate.

Not long after the doctor left, Maya rushed back into the room, practically running to my bedside with worry written all over her face as she immediately grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Oh my God, Rosie, you scared the shit out of me!" she said, her voice trembling slightly. "One second you were standing there, and the next you just collapsed, fuck—" she cut herself off and wetted her lower lip. "I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

As Maya was setting a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers in shades of purple and yellow on the bedside table, Elena swept in next, looking elegant as usual, even though concern was etched on her face as she came to stand at the foot of my bed.

"You gave us all quite a scare, dear," Elena said, though her tone was gentle. "But the doctor says you’ll make a full recovery. You need to take better care of yourself.”

Marcus stood near the door with his arms crossed, looking very reluctant, as if he’d been dragged here against his will and clearly not wanting to be here. He didn’t say anything, just gave a curt nod in my direction before looking away.

Then River showed up a few minutes later, and he clapped Jude on the shoulder in that way guys do before nodding at me respectfully. "Glad you’re alright, Rosie," River said simply.

They all gathered around asking how I was feeling, and they started chattering about pack gossip before Maya turned to me.

"Oh, and school has resumed, by the way," River mentioned casually. "And the final exam timetable was posted yesterday.”

My eyes immediately widened in absolute panic as the realization hit me because I’d been so completely consumed by the rut with Jude and by everything happening between us that I’d completely forgotten about school and my classes and my responsibilities and... oh God, my thesis, my final thesis that I still needed to finish and defend the first three Chapters of.

"Fuck!" I cursed out loud, making everyone in the room look at me in surprise. I’ve been getting fucked for a week straight and completely forgot about my thesis!