Ninety three
I turned back to Rafe, my hand still clasped tightly in his limp grasp. Bending down, I pressed a tender kiss to his feverish forehead, silently willing him to wake up. To come back to me. I couldn’t help but feel like I was losing him. Like he was slipping away from me while I stood helpless by his bedside.
I absentmindedly stroked his silky hair. I didn’t know how I knew but I had a feeling he would open his eyes soon. I glanced at the side mirror and registered my disheveled look. I couldn’t let Rafe see me like this whenever he woke up. I needed to take sometime to get myself together. I dropped a soft kiss on his forehead.
“I’m going to freshen up,” I whispered, my voice catching in my throat. “But I’ll be right back, my love. I promise.”
With a heavy heart, I started to pull away, to force myself to leave his side. But suddenly, shockingly, I felt Rafe’s fingers tighten around mine, refusing to let me go.
I froze, my breath catching in my chest as I stared down at our joined hands in disbelief. Had he just moved? Was he really…
Slowly, hardly daring to hope, I raised my gaze to Rafe’s face. And found myself staring into a pair of brilliant blue eyes, hazy with pain and exhaustion, but undeniably and truly alive.
“Rafe,” I breathed, tears of joy and relief already streaming down my cheeks. “Oh my God, Rafe. You’re awake.”
A weak smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You didn’t.. think.. you could get rid of me that easily, did ya?,” he rasped, his voice rough from pain and weakness.
I laughed through my tears, my heart soaring with happiness as I launched myself into his arms, mindful of his injuries but desperate to feel him, to reassure myself that he was really here with me.
Our lips met in a passionate, desperate kiss, pouring all of our love and fear and relief into each other. I clung to him like a lifeline, hardly caring that Connor was standing right there, witnessing our intimate moment.
Nothing else mattered except the fact that Rafe was alive. That he had come back to me, just like he always promised he would.
Eventually, reluctantly, we broke apart, both of us breathing hard. I rested my forehead against his, savoring his closeness, the warmth of his skin against mine.
Behind us, Connor cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, well, well. Look who decided to rejoin the land of the living,” he drawled, his voice laced with barely concealed emotion.
Rafe chuckled weakly, turning his head to shoot his best friend a wry grin. “What can I say? I couldn’t let you have all the fun without me.”
Connor snorted, shaking his head in exasperation. But even from here, I could see the relief shining in his eyes, the way his shoulders had relaxed now that his alpha, his brother, was awake and talking.
“Fun? Is that what we’re calling it now?” he retorted, moving closer to clasp Rafe’s shoulder in a brief, manly hug. “Next time, how about we skip the whole ‘nearly dying’ part and just go straight to the celebration, yeah?”
“Deal,” Rafe agreed with a faint smirk. But then his expression sobered, and he turned his attention back to me, his gaze intense and searching.
I knew in that moment that he remembered everything. The attack, the poison, the desperate race to save my life. And I knew that he would stop at nothing to find out who was responsible, to keep me safe.
But for now, in this precious, perfect moment, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that we were together. That our love had conquered even the darkest of foes.
As I leaned in to kiss him again, I silently vowed that nothing, not even the secrets of my own powers, would ever tear us apart.
“How are you feeling?” I asked softly, my fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair from Rafe’s forehead. His skin still felt unnaturally warm beneath my touch, a silent reminder of the ordeal he’d just been through.
Rafe’s grip on my hand tightened reflexively. “Like my blood is on fire,” he admitted, his voice rough with exhaustion and pain. “But I’ll be fine, Freya. I’m strong. I’ll heal.”
I bit my lip, worry knotting in my stomach. “Maybe I should go get the palace doctor, just to be safe. He could give you something for the pain, or-”
“No,” Rafe interrupted, his tone sharp and commanding despite his weakened state. “I don’t want anyone to know about this. Not yet.”
Confusion clouded my features as I searched his face for answers. “But why? Rafe, you nearly died trying to save me. Surely the kingdom deserves to know what happened, to rally around their king in his time of need.”
Rafe’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “Because whoever did this to you is still out there, Freya. And I want to catch them unaware, to make them pay for daring to harm what’s mine.”
A shiver raced down my spine at the dark promise in his words, the primal fury simmering just beneath the surface. In that moment, he wasn’t just my love. He was the Alpha King, a force of nature to be reckoned with.
But even as a part of me thrilled at his fierce protectiveness, another part hesitated. Because I had my suspicions about who might be behind the attack. Suspicions that I wasn’t sure I was ready to speak out, even to Rafe.
My stepsister Kelly had always been jealous of me, had always resented the attention and affection Rafe showered upon me. And then there was Jessica who had made no secret that she wanted the king. She had threatened me to leave Rafe alone.
Either one of them could have slipped something into my drink, could have been plotting against me in secret. We had had a welcome party just the night before after all so it could have happened around that time without me suspecting a thing. The thought made my stomach churn with a sickening mixture of betrayal and fear.
But I had no proof. And until I did, I couldn’t risk making accusations, couldn’t risk tearing apart the delicate balance of power within the pack.
So for now, I would keep my suspicions to myself. I would bide my time and watch, and wait. And when the moment was right, when I had the evidence I needed, I would bring the truth to light.
No matter the cost.
Forcing a smile to my lips, I leaned in and brushed a feather-light kiss against Rafe’s mouth. “Okay,” I murmured, my forehead resting against his. “We’ll do this your way. Together.”
Rafe’s answering smile was slow and sweet, filled with love and gratitude and a fierce, unshakable determination. “Together,” he echoed, his fingers lacing through mine. “Always.”
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