“You can’t be here, you’ll affect her,” he said.
“I’m just waiting. I’ll leave when she wakes up,” she replied.
…
There was a commotion outside the door, someone intentionally speaking in hushed tones, but Emma still heard.
Emma didn’t know how long she had been asleep; her muscles and bones felt like they had been disassembled and reassembled, and she needed to adjust to her body before she could move.
“Dear, can you hear me?” Florence almost screamed as she grabbed Emma’s hand, and the commotion outside the door abruptly ceased.
Struggling to open her eyes, Emma’s throat was dry and sore. The hospital’s pungent smell of disinfectant reminded her she was still alive. Florence kissed the back of her hand, laughing and crying at the same time. “Emmie, you’ve finally woken up. I thought I was going to lose you.”
“Florence?” Emma’s voice was hoarse.
“Excuse me, I need to examine the patient,” Dr. Brown intervened, performing a simple check on Emma. As he entered the room, the people waiting outside also entered. There were quite a few of them.
Dr. Brown was displeased with the gathering in the ward. He sternly told the visitors, “The patient waking up should not be a big issue, but she still needs to stay in the hospital for observation. You all need to give her some rest.”
“Thank you,” Edward nodded in gratitude, then turned to the others who had come in. “You all should go out for now.”
“It’s the least I can do, Alpha. You shouldn’t be too long either,” the doctor opened the door and the rest of the people reluctantly left Emma’s room.
Florence kissed Emma’s forehead and whispered, “I’ll be waiting outside for you.”
“Okay.”
Once the crowd dispersed, Emma looked nervously at the silent Edward. She knew she had disobeyed his command this time.
Edward stood at the bedside, looking down at Emma. “You were truly lucky this time.”
Feeling guilty, Emma struggled to sit up. No one could disobey the Alpha’s commands, and she knew she had done something foolish. “I’m sorry. The situation was so dire at the time, I tried to find a way to inform you.”
Edward stopped her from getting up. “You don’t need to get up. I wasn’t speaking to you as the Alpha just now, but as your former guardian. Emmie.”
“Yes. Uncle Edward,” Emma replied, biting her lip. This was their agreement: when he acted as her guardian, he was her family, and she didn’t need to call him Alpha.
Edward poured her a cup of hot water and pulled up a chair beside her. “This was also my negligence, but what you did far exceeded my expectations.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Emma, you are a true warrior. I heard from Nancy that you were very brave and capable at the time. Although inexperienced, the strength you displayed bought them and us a significant amount of time,” Edward handed the water to Emma.
“Thank you,” Emma’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Your mother and I should both be proud of you. The entire Blue Halo Pack should thank you,” Edward sincerely told Emma.
Emma smiled; she had never been praised like this before.
Edward caressed Emma’s head, and looking at her, suddenly took a deep breath. He looked out the window, seemingly reminiscing about something.
The hospital they were in had been established for a long time by the Blue Halo Pack. Dr. Brown had once been their only doctor, but with Edward’s efforts, the hospital had received more funding for development, attracting many young people to work there.
Emma’s mother had also been treated at this hospital.
Emma looked nervously at Edward and tentatively asked, “Alpha, do you have something else to tell me?”
Edward withdrew his gaze from the almost bare tree branches outside the window. He struggled to find the right words before speaking, “Emma, do you know about the legend of the white wolves?”
Emma nodded; her mother had told her about it when she was younger. They were said to be messengers of the moon goddess, and when she discovered her wolf was pure white, she had also thought about this legend.
“They are messengers of the moon goddess. Pure white wolves are rare, and to have them is to have the blessing of the moon goddess. Both your wolf and your mother’s are white, but yours is even purer. I believe it’s because you have inherited a purer lineage and power,” Edward explained.
“What lineage?”
“Alpha.”
“I couldn’t be. I remember my mother was just an ordinary werewolf. Her wolf even disappeared later,” Emma said, dejectedly.
“Perhaps I haven’t told you, but our family and your grandfather’s family were once connected. By lineage, I might be yourdistant cousin,” Edward winked.
“No way?” Emma hadn’t imagined she could have this kind of relationship with him.
“Once your grandfather’s lineage was the Alpha in our area, but due to wars and the decline of our people, the Alpha came to our family. However, we still remember the bravery of your ancestors,” Edward looked at Emma. “So, young lady, you are sent by the moon goddess to save us.”
Emma turned away, wiping her eyes with the sheet. She didn’t want to cry. But being called the moon goddess’s blessing, she, who had always felt like a burden to her mother and had been considered ominous by the people at school, even treated as an outcast at Silver Moon Parks, had never felt valued before.
She was finally recognized by her community. She wasn’t alone.
Edward suddenly seemed interested in the birds outside the window, turning away as if he didn’t notice her crying.
After Emma quickly composed herself, her swollen eyes met Edward’s as she said, “Thank you.”
Edward feigned reproach, “You’ve said thank you and sorry too many times today.”
“Then, what happened to the marauding wolves?” Emma, feeling embarrassed, looked down. She needed a new topic, recalling the perilous moment before she lost consciousness.
“Some dead, some fled. They came from the north, a group of lawbreakers from their own territory, targeting smaller Packs. There were rumors of attacks by other Packs before. Our response was swift, partly because you noticed quickly,” Edward explained.
This wasn’t the answer Emma had hoped for. She knew she hadn’t completely lost consciousness; she had seen him. But how had he ended up in that place?
Recalling the scene, Edward said apologetically, “When I received your message, we were chasing another guy in the opposite direction, but it was clear we were wrong. The real trouble was where you were.”
“Yes, Nancy and Dan were badly hurt. How are they now?” Emma’s breathing quickened.
“They’re fine. When we arrived, the marauders were already in disarray because their leader was dead,” Edward added.
“He’s dead?”
“Yes. When we arrived, his neck was almost bitten through, and our warriors defeated the other wolves. But there was a problem.”
“What happened?” Emma clutched the bedding, anticipating new information.
“You were being guarded by another wolf,” Edward said slowly. “We couldn’t approach. After killing the leader, it lost its rationality and wouldn’t let anyone near you.”
As she listened to Edward’s account, she shivered. She felt her heartbeat quicken, her blood rush, pores dilate; she couldn’t describe the sensation, as if the whole world were rushing towards her.
“Was it… Patrick?” Emma cautiously asked.
“Emma,” the door opened, and Patrick was being held back by Mike, both clearly reluctant to let him in. It was unusual for an Alpha to be restrained by a Beta.
“Let him go,” Edward commanded, and Mike released Patrick, reluctantly leaving the room.
Patrick entered, looking different from Emma’s memory. His hair was disheveled, dark circles under his eyes, his face riddled with wounds, his arm bound in bandages.
She had never seen the Alpha in such a disheveled state.
Approaching her bed, Patrick gently touched her face with his uninjured hand. “I was so scared. How are you feeling now?” His eyes reddened, close to tears.
“I’m fine. Thank you for saving me,” Emma smiled, unable to articulate the feeling. Before seeing Patrick, she had longed and anticipated, but now that he stood before her, she didn’t know how to react.
His presence seemed to affirm that Sliver Moon Park was real, piercing her heart.
“Emma, I missed you so much, terribly missed you. When I woke up, you were gone, and then you disappeared…” Patrick’s expression was anxious as he spoke, his eyes filled with panic, as if he had truly lost a precious treasure.
“I… it’s nothing. I have my own pack now, I’m eighteen. So, I can choose to return to the Blue Halo Pack,” Emma struggled to sound composed.
“No, Emma, you don’t need to decide yet, you need time-”
“Enough!” Emma couldn’t contain herself, raising her voice. She didn’t want to hear about the naive promises and vows, nor did she want to continue this conversation, especially those that made her feel foolish.
Emma became too agitated, coughing violently, tears streaming down, her breath becoming erratic.
Patrick wanted to say something, but Edward stopped him, “Patrick, thank you for helping our Pack. But Emma needs rest; I don’t want to be accused of mistreating my patient by old Brown.”
Patrick nodded dejectedly, “Alright. I’ll be here for a while. If you want, you can talk to me.”
Emma didn’t reply, pressing her fingertips to her eyes to prevent tears from wetting her face.
Patrick left, and then Emma said to Edward, “Thank you, I think I need to rest.”
Edward agreed, unaware of what had happened between the two. Initially, he thought Patrick had driven Emma away, then he heard that Patrick had been injured and unconscious, and blamed Jennifer for everything, but he still regretted not protecting Emma.
So, initially, Edward had prevented him from contacting Emma in every possible way. It wasn’t until this incident by the lake, when he saw this young Alpha completely losing control, fiercely guarding the severely injured Emma, that he realized there was another story in Sliver Moon Park for these young werewolves.
Later, Emma learned that when Edward and his warriors arrived at the lakeside to defeat the marauding wolves, it wasn’t difficult, the trouble was Patrick. It was said that at that time, he had handedcontrol over to the wolf; his wolf guarded Emma fiercely, keeping everyone away.
“It’s like a fierce mother hen protecting her chicks,” Florence, who had the fortune of witnessing the scene, remarked accurately.