CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & THIRTEEN
Talia’s POV
“Ugh,” I groaned as the sunlight from the window hit my eyes. The glare made me blink hard. My body felt heavy and sore as if I had fallen down a flight of stairs. When I tried to pull myself up, pain flared through my right shoulder. My shoulder was wrapped in clean bandages.
I turned my head and saw Nolan asleep in the chair beside my bed. He was sitting upright, but his posture had slumped. His head tilted forward at an awkward angle, and he snored softly.
‘He has been watching over us,’ my wolf told me. ‘He has not left once.’
My chest tightened at the thought. I couldn’t imagine how he felt, but the dark circles under his eyes explained it all. For three days, Nolan did not know if I was alive. He probably never stopped searching and attempting to link with me. This had to be the first time since I went missing that he got some sleep.
I reached out and brushed my fingers along his face. The moment my skin touched him, his eyes opened.
“Talia?” he asked, still half-asleep. Then, his eyes widened in surprise. He pulled me into a tight hug that caused me to wince as he brushed against my shoulder. Nolan quickly released me and stood. “Are you in pain? Do you need the doctor? I will get the doctor.”
“Nolan,” I said quickly, catching his wrist. “Stop. I am okay.” Nolan paused as if he didn’t believe me. “Sit down. I’m okay.”
“You’ve been asleep for so long,” Nolan said as he finally sat down. “I didn’t know if you were ever going to wake up.”
“Don’t be dramatic. I just passed out from blood loss. Nothing serious,” I said.
“No, you don’t understand.” His jaw tightened and his eyes became glossy. “I failed you,” Nolan said, his voice shaking.
I frowned. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
“When I brought you here, the doctors couldn’t do anything,” he said, his voice strained. “The poison was already spreading, though it wasn’t from the mad rogues’ blood directly. We almost lost you. If Leslie hadn’t given us those powerful healing herbs before we left Silverfang…” He paused, and a tear finally slipped down his cheek.
My heart felt like it twisted in my chest. I could feel his grief and guilt through the mate bond. “Nolan,” I said firmly. “None of this is your fault.”
Nolan shook his head. “I failed to protect my mate.”
I leaned forward and kissed Nolan. At first, he didn’t respond, then he kissed me back earnestly. I pulled back and said firmly, You did everything you were supposed to do as my mate and my Alpha.”
“But…”
“Viki planned all of this. There was no way for you to know she had gone this far,” I added, cutting him off.
Nolan sighed and caressed my cheek. He looked torn as if he was fighting with himself about who was at fault for all of this, but we were both victims. We underestimated how vindictive she truly was.
“A scratch,” Nolan said bitterly.
“What?”
“One clawed wound, and it nearly killed you. I thought it was wolfsbane at first, but it was her claw. I should have never allowed you to come with me,” Nolan continued.
“Stop. I wanted to come. I knew it would be dangerous,” I told him, squeezing his hand. “If I hadn’t come, you may be the one in the bed or worse.”
1/3
+25 Bonus
“I should have killed her the first time she kidnapped you,” Nolan muttered.
Nolan stared down at our hands like he could not look at my face while he spoke.
“I already warned Solon and your father,” he said. “I told them about the possibility of mad rogues reappearing and what the blood can do. Now that it happened inside Bloodmoon territory, they will have to take it seriously. They will have to tighten security.”
“They will listen,” I replied.
Nolan’s mouth pulled into a grim line, and then he surprised me. He lowered his voice and copied Solon’s voice so well that I almost thought Solon was in the room.
“If you let my sister get hurt again, Nolan, I will personally make sure you regret it.”
For a second my breath caught, and then I laughed.
Nolan smiled. “He said it twice,” he admitted. “Your father did not say it the same way, but the meaning was the same.”
“I believe it,” I said, still smiling. “I am surprised Father did not send Solon to stand guard outside the door.”
“He wanted to,” Nolan said. “I refused.”
“Knowing Solon that’s not going to stop him.”
“That’s why I have a guest room already prepared for him when he arrives,” Nolan said. “Also, I sent Della and Marco to investigate, and if mad rogues have reappeared, the other packs need to know to properly prepare.”
I nodded. “That was the right decision.” If madness could be contracted through bites or scratches, we were dealing with something that none of us had ever dealt with before.
“What are you thinking? I can see you’re trying to work something out,” Nolan said as he noticed my silence.
“I’m just thinking that I can help and reach out…”
“No,” Nolan said, cutting me off. “I want you to focus on resting. You don’t need to work on this. Della and Marco can handle it while you recover.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. Nolan leaned in and kissed my forehead.
My thoughts went back to Maggie and how she was crying in the clearing. Not once did she try to help Viki. It seemed like she regretted everything.
‘Do not make the same mistake you made with Viki,’ my wolf growled. ‘Maggie made the decision to harm us. Do not pity her because Viki used her.’
‘Easier said than done,’ I answered.
“Nolan,” I said, hesitating. “Where is Maggie? How is she?”
Nolan’s expression changed the instant I said her name. His eyes darkened and I could feel his anger through the mate bond.” She is alive,” he said flatly. “Other than bruises, she is unhurt. She has been waiting in the hallway since dawn.”
“I want to see her,” I said.
