Chapter 58 - better story

Rosie

I was in the hospital under the scrutinizing gaze of doctors as they did so many tests on me that I didn’t even understand half of what they were checking for. My side, where the silver blade had pierced me, was healing fast—faster than it should have been for a human— and the doctors kept murmuring to each other about it. They told me maybe it was because of the child growing inside me or maybe because I was mated to a wolf that my healing abilities spiked up.

I still couldn’t believe I was carrying a child until they showed me the ultrasound.

The screen had been black and white, a tiny blob with a flickering heartbeat. A baby was growing inside me. A life. A human-wolf.

Although I was happy and overjoyed when I saw the little heartbeat pulsing on the screen, there was still a part of me that questioned whether I would be a good fit for this child. Would I be worthy of being a mother when I was so much of a mess myself? And I didn’t show Jude that skeptical side of mine, though.

But there was still a larger part of me that wanted the baby desperately. I wanted to give them everything and anything I was denied as a child. I wanted to be the best version of myself and become a good parent to my child.

I remembered the second day in the hospital when the doctor walked into my room with his clipboard tucked under his arm and a serious expression on his face. He’d come to ask about our decision about keeping the baby.

"Oh," the doctor had mumbled when we told him we were keeping it, and he adjusted his glasses on his nose like he could see it coming.

Jude was beside me as I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, and he continued to rub my back in soothing circles that I thought were meant more to calm him down than me because I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves.

The doctor checked his clipboard again, flipping through pages. "During the pregnancy, it will be difficult," he said, carefully choosing his words. "Even the labor will be challenging because there aren’t many records about human-mate pregnancies per se." He paused and cleared his throat. "It was even surprising, shocking actually, that you got pregnant at all, young Luna. Your human body accepted the wolf’s... fluid." He trailed off, looking uncomfortable, and I nodded quickly.

"The gynecologist should have shown you the ultrasound already, but I don’t know if he explained to you that wolf pregnancies typically last only three months," the doctor continued. But as a human, it varies significantly. The thing is, it varies because you’re already three months pregnant, Young Luna. We can’t say for certain if the pregnancy period will be shortened to match wolf gestation or if it will follow a normal human timeline of nine months. We’ll have to study it as we go and monitor you very closely."

I rubbed my stomach adoringly; I could already feel so attached to the little creature growing inside me, humming with life.

"Thank you, Doctor," I mumbled.

But then Jude walked closer to the doctor in a looming way that made the smaller man stagger backward even though Jude didn’t detach his other hand from my back where it rested. "I want you to solely focus on my mate from now on," Jude said, and his voice had dropped to that threatening alpha tone that made wolves submit. "Give my mate your whole attention. And if anything happens to my mate while she’s in your care, you’ll regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

The doctor gulped audibly, and sweat started rolling down his forehead as he nodded frantically. "Y-yes, Young Alpha."

I nudged Jude’s side with my elbow. "Stop antagonizing the poor man," I said under my breath, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

The doctor practically bolted out of the room after that; hot on his heels, and not even a minute later, Marcus and Elena walked in. They both looked behind them at the space where the doctor had just vanished with confused expressions.

Elena raised a questioning brow at me, and I shrugged helplessly, tilting my head toward Jude in answer. Immediately she understood and chuckled warmly.

She walked over to me and took both my hands in hers, and her touch was gentle. "How are you now, daughter?" she asked. softly.

My breath hitched as I whipped my head up to stare at her with wide eyes.

She just called me daughter.

Like a female child.

Elena smiled at my reaction and continued to pat my hands gently before reaching up to touch my face with such tenderness. "You saved my son," she murmured so softly it was almost a whisper. "You threw yourself in front of a blade meant for him without hesitation. You’re already more family than you know."

I opened my mouth to respond, to say something, anything, but the emotions were clogging my throat, making it impossible to form words.

The sound of shuffling feet pulled me out of the moment, and I looked up to see Marcus moving closer to me. This was completely out of character for Marcus, who usually just stood by the door during visits or ignored me entirely, but now he was looking at me with something in his eyes I couldn’t quite identify. Respect, maybe? Gratitude?

And then in one swift moment that made all the air whoosh out of my lungs, Marcus dropped his head slightly in a bow.

From what I knew about wolf hierarchy, alphas never bowed to anyone except their mates and the moon goddess herself. But here was Marcus, the Alpha of the Winter pack, bowing his head to me.

My eyes widened in shock, and even Jude looked surprised, his hand freezing on my back. Elena had a warm knowing smile on her face like she’d expected this.

My heart was thumping so loudly in my chest that I could hear it in my ears because I didn’t know how to react to this gesture. What was the proper response when an alpha bowed to you? 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Thank you for saving my son," Marcus said, and his voice was thick with emotion I’d never heard from him before. "And I’m sorry for everything. For not welcoming you properly and for making you feel unwelcome."

I nodded quickly before forcing my voice to work. "It’s okay," I stuttered out, and my voice came out smaller while Elena squeezed my palm.

Jude glared at his father as Marcus stared at me for another moment with that unreadable expression before I bowed back a little awkwardly because I still didn’t know the proper protocol for this situation.

The conversation flowed around me as Elena asked about how I was feeling and if I needed anything, and Marcus mentioned something about pack business. But then my ears caught something that made me focus again. They were talking about what had happened to Josh’s pack, and I’d been meaning to ask, but I didn’t know how to bring it up.

"Josh’s father was punished severely," Marcus said, and his tone indicated he was angry... Or I didn’t know. "After the trial, he tried to harm the elders who’d overseen it in a fit of rage. The Council had no choice but to punish him by making him a rogue with his canine teeth removed as an additional humiliation."

I winced at the severity of that punishment because having your canines removed was the ultimate shame for a wolf. It marked you as powerless, as less than. For a proud man like Josh’s father, who’d ruled his pack with an iron fist and been a tyrant, it must have been devastating.

"And Josh didn’t have the qualities of an alpha, so the Council determined he couldn’t take over leadership," Elena added gently. "A distant cousin of Josh’s was selected as the new alpha instead. Someone with a better temperament and actual leadership skills."

I nodded slowly, processing this information. I tried to search within myself to see if I felt any sting of regret or pity for how Josh’s story had ended, but I felt nothing. No anger or happiness or satisfaction. Just empty.

Like he was a Chapter of my life that had closed completely, and I’d already moved on to a better story.

As the conversation continued around me, shifting to pack politics and upcoming ceremonies, I found myself zoning out. I rested my head against Jude’s solid chest and let the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lure me toward a peaceful sleep. My eyes felt heavy, and I snuggled closer to his chest, releasing a contented sound while he cradled me carefully and his hand came up to caress my hair in long, soothing strokes.

So peaceful.

I nuzzled close until I was pulled into the realm of darkness.