38

Nathaniel’s POV
I’m restless.
I haven’t slept.
Ivy hasn’t woken up. It’s been four days since her attack and she’s still unconscious. Nadine has said she is healing at an accelerated rate now thanks to my blood transfusions, but it’s hard to know how much damage was done until she wakes up.
So far it hasn’t been positive.
I’ve gone to visit her every chance I’ve gotten. Kane and Genevieve haven’t left her side and said that they would let me know if anything changed. I wanted to be by her side this entire time, but I’ve had to keep to my duties and run my pack. The pack is uneasy due to my unease with her condition. They know she’s my mate and their Luna and the despair I feel from them knowing she’s been injured maliciously has been a heavy burden to bear.
I sigh as I sit at my desk in my office, mindlessly going through papers on my desk, I try to think of our happier moments, and I’m startled when Genevieve bursts in.
“She’s awake.”
— –
Ivy’s POV
Ivy. You’re stronger than this. Open your eyes.
WAKE UP!
My eyes shoot open, and I inhale deeply, my heart racing a mile a minute. I go to sit up quickly, and I wince in pain and groan.
“Take it easy dear.” I hear a soft voice with an English accent, and I watch as the woman approaches me and places her hands on my head and ribs lightly, her brown eyes looking over me intently. “I’m Nadine, Ivy. I’ve been caring for you.”
“Where am I? I say, my voice dry and raspy. As if she senses my discomfort, Nadine hands me a cup of water with a small straw and I take small sips, the cold water revitalizing my mouth.
“You’re at Midnight Moon. Alpha Nathaniel’s packlands.” My eyes widen.
How did I get here?
I try to remember what happened and it all comes flooding back in a rush. The three men, the attack and the….
I look down at my stomach, seeing a bandage over my stab wound and I run my fingers over it lightly.
“You were touch and go for a while there, but you pulled though. We were just waiting for you to wake up. Do you remember everything up to coming here?”
I nod. “Yeah.” My face scrunching with pain as I remember the pain of the blade impaling into me.
It’s then the doors to the room open and I see Kane and Genevieve and my eyes water seeing their faces. I put my arms out and then comes to my side and hug me gently. Evie looks at me with tears streaming down her face. “You scared us.”
“I’m sorry.” I say quietly.
“We’re just glad you’re okay.” Kane says, wiping a tear from his cheek. I’m surprised with the emotion from him, but it just means that I was hurt badly enough to elicit this from him. “Oh shit. We said we would get Nate if anything changed. Be right back.” Evie says and she’s gone again out the door.
“I have to change your wound dressing, Ivy.” Nadine says and I nod. She approaches with some gauze and other supplies, and I lay back down to let her work. She gently removes the old bandages, her fingers expertly dressing my wound with little discomfort.
“You’re good at that.” I state and she smiles at me warmly. “Thank you. How do your ribs feel?”
“Sore, but not terrible.”
“Can you sit up and take a deep breath?” I push myself up, taking care to not pull on my new dressing. Once I’m sitting comfortably, I inhale deeply and wince a little. Nadine runs her hands over my ribs and presses gently.
“The fractures are healing well. Should only be sore for another few days.”
“Thank you for taking care of me.” I say and she smiles again before grabbing her notebook and jotting down notes in it. I can only guess it’s her medical notes on my condition. “My pleasure. Call for me if you experience any more pain or other symptoms, okay?” I nod and the door opens, and my eyes trail up to the beautiful man in front of me, but he looks more dishevelled, tired. Nadine takes her leave from the room as Evie, Kane and Nate all look at me in short silence.
“Ivy.” His voice waivers and I feel more tears prick my eyes. “Nate.”
He comes and sits down beside me and takes my hand in his, kissing the top of my hand. “Are you okay?” He asks and I nod. “I’m sore but so far I’m okay.”
He leans into me, being very gentle and rests his head in the crook of my neck. I reach up and run my hand through his hair gently. “I’m okay, I promise.”
He backs away again and looks at me, then to Evie and Kane.
“I need to know what happened here, and I need to know everything that could possibly be the reasoning why this happened.” I know what he means, and I shake my head. Evie cuts in and her sharp tongue makes me gasp. “Either you tell him, or I will. No more hiding.”
“Evie…” I trail off and she shakes her head. “This is becoming a serious problem. You can’t ignore it anymore, Ivy. You almost died.”
I look down to my hands and arms all cut up and bruised and I sigh.
“Okay.”
I run my hands over the light sheet covering my legs, feeling the anxiety rise, but I look between the most important people in my life, and I know the truth must come out now.
“Obviously, Nate you know bits and pieces, but I guess I’ll start at the beginning.”
“Okay” he says, and his eyes focus in on me, and I look to Evie and Kane, and they nod at me.
“I’m not a native member of Red Moon. I was found on the outskirts of the packlands as a pup. Cole’s parents found me and took me in, raising me as their daughter. They never fully adopted me, but I was treated as part of the Alpha family alongside Cole.”
“We never got along as kids, and it just escalated once we got older. I excelled at combat, so I went into warrior training, while Cole learned more of the Alpha role as it would be his one day. I worked hard and I became the only female warrior at Red Moon.”
“And she was a damn force to be reckoned with. I trained her and she excelled at every single task or challenge given to her.” Kane interjects and I continue.
“I was given the title of protector for Cole’s parents. A high honour.” I see Nate’s eyes widen in realization just how good I was.
I pause, knowing this next part is what plagues my dreams.
“We all went out for a run together and didn’t make it off the borders. We were attacked by rogues. They swarmed us and there were too many to fight off. I tried my hardest, but….”
“But what?” Nate asks, confusion evident in his tone.
“Neither me, the Alpha or Luna could shift. I remember Seles screaming at me to let her out, but I couldn’t. I don’t know what happened, but because we didn’t have our wolves, we were overwhelmed easily. They took out Cole’s dad first and incapacitated me so I could watch them rip the Luna’s throat out.”
“You were left to live?” He asks and I nod.
“It wasn’t long after she recovered from her wounds that Cole charged her with treason, saying she was in league with the rogues to murder his parents.” Evie states and I feel tears threatening to spill out.
I lift my arms up, holding them out, my silver cuffs hitting together slightly.
“That’s why these are on me, and Cole has had it out for me for the past six years. I am partially to blame, I failed in my duty to protect them, but I was not in league with the rogues. I was never interested in the politics. I respected it, but there was no way in hell that I would ever have the Alpha and Luna killed.”
Nate stands and paces a few steps. “It doesn’t make sense why Cole didn’t report you the High Reign Council for your supposed crime. Plotting to kill an Alpha and Luna of a pack is one of the highest offences and it usually isn’t left to the pack to hand out consequences.”
“Personally, I think Cole is full of shit. He took the opportunity to make Ivy the scapegoat and turn the pack against her.” Kane says bluntly and I bite the inside of my cheek.
“There is clearly something else going on here, it just doesn’t add up.” Nate says and I look at him bewildered.
He doesn’t think it’s my fault?
The tears flow from my eyes and he comes back over to me wiping them from my cheeks. “You never deserved any of this songbird, and I promise I’m going to get to the bottom of it with all of you.”
“How are we going to do that?” I ask, my voice quivering with emotion.
“The three of you are going to stay here. You can take asylum here in my pack, hell as far as I’m concerned, you are part of my pack now.”
“Are you serious?” Evie asks and Nate nods. “It’s not safe for any of you to go back to Red Moon, and you can be more protected here. We can investigate it further and see what we can find out. Cole rubbed me the wrong way from the moment I met him, and I really think this was only the beginning. I feel Cole is a part of this, but we need more information.”
“You can all take up some positions here at the pack and live here. Genevieve, you can work with Nadine, Kane you can work with Tobias and Ivy, you can assist me with some of my pack duties.”
“You don’t have to do this.” I say quietly. Nate comes and kneels in beside the bed, taking my hands in his.
“Yes, I do.”