A Life I Never Wanted

Chapter Seven

***Bella's Pov***

My eyelids fluttered.

For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. Everything felt heavy, and a dull ache pulsed through my body. I tried to open my eyes again, but the light above me forced them shut.

I swallowed, my throat painfully dry, and managed to open them halfway.

A clear tube rested beneath my nose, secured by soft straps around my ears. An IV line ran from the back of my hand to a fluid bag hanging beside the hospital bed. A monitor near my head beeped steadily, its numbers changing with every passing second.

The memory returned in fragments. The wolf. Its claws tearing into me. Adrian's bloodstained shirt. His voice calling my name as darkness swallowed me.

My fingers curled against the bedsheet.

I was alive.

Slowly, I turned my head.

Adrian sat in a chair beside my bed, his head resting against the backrest. His arms were folded across his chest, and his dark hair fell carelessly over his forehead.

He looked exhausted.

I watched him silently, taking in the shadows beneath his eyes and the faint scratches along his jaw. His shirt had been changed, but a dark stain remained on the cuff of his sleeve.

Had he stayed here all night?

The thought barely formed before I attempted to sit up.

A sharp pain tore through my abdomen.

I sucked in a breath and gripped the bedsheet.

Adrian's eyes flew open.

Before he could rise, the door swung inward, and a doctor entered with a tablet in his hand.

"Mrs. Blackthorn? You're awake."

Adrian was already beside me.

"Bella."

His voice caught slightly as he leaned closer. His hand hovered over mine before he gently wrapped his fingers around it.

I looked at him, my vision still blurry.

The doctor approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better," I whispered.

"Good. Don't try to sit up yet."

He checked the monitor, examined the IV line, and shone a small light into my eyes. After asking me to follow his finger, he gently pressed around my abdomen, avoiding the injured area.

I flinched.

"Sorry," he said. "I need to check your tenderness."

Adrian's grip tightened around my hand.

"Is she going to be all right?" he asked.

"Let me finish my examination, Mr. Blackthorn."

Adrian fell silent, but his gaze never left my face.

The doctor checked the dressing covering my side, then reviewed the readings on the monitor. He asked whether I felt dizzy or nauseated. I answered as best I could, though even speaking left me tired.

Finally, he straightened.

"Her condition has stabilized. She lost a significant amount of blood, and the wounds were serious, but she's responding well to treatment."

Adrian released a breath I hadn't realized he was holding.

"And the baby?" he asked immediately.

The doctor glanced at his tablet before meeting our eyes.

"The baby is doing well. We checked the pregnancy, and there's no indication of a problem at the moment. We'll continue monitoring both of you closely."

My fingers loosened around the sheet.

The baby was okay.

I didn't know what to feel. Relief came first, followed by a confusion I couldn't put into words. I had spent hours fighting for my life, and now I was being told that the child I had considered terminating was still alive.

"The next few days are important," the doctor continued. "We'll need to monitor your blood levels, watch the wounds for complications, and make sure you can move safely before discharging you. You won't be leaving this hospital today."

"Whatever she needs," Adrian said. "Make sure she gets it."

The doctor nodded. "We'll take care of her."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome, Mr Blackthorn."

He gave me one last reassuring look before leaving the room.

The door clicked shut.

Silence settled between Adrian and me.

His hand was still wrapped around mine. I slowly pulled my fingers free and turned my face toward the window.

"Bella," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

I stared at the pale curtain.

"Sorry for what?"

"For what happened. You shouldn't have been hurt. I should have protected you."

I turned back to him. "Then tell me the truth."

His brows drew together. "About what?"

"Don't insult my intelligence by pretending you don't know." I swallowed against the dryness in my throat. "Why did you really marry me, Adrian? What was the actual reason you needed a one-year contract marriage?"

His expression hardened. "Are we still discussing this?"

"When are you going to be honest with me?" My voice shook, but I refused to look away. "You hid the fact that you're a wolf. You let me sign that contract without telling me what I was getting into."

"Bella, everything was stated in the contract. You read it, and you signed it. We both agreed to the terms, and we're both benefiting from the arrangement."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You keep asking about something personal to me. Why are you so determined to know?"

I stared at him, anger burning through the weakness in my body.

"And the pregnancy?"

Adrian said nothing.

His jaw shifted, but he offered no answer.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Of course."

"Bella…"

"Why don't you just tell the doctor to terminate the pregnancy?" The words came out more sharply than I intended. "I almost died yesterday. We've barely been married a month, and I've already been attacked by a monster in your house."

His face tightened.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I promise this won't happen again."

"Really?" I searched his face.

"I'm handling it. The pack is investigating the attack, and I'm finding out who was responsible. What happened yesterday was unexpected. I won't allow anyone to put you in danger again."

He leaned closer, his eyes fixed on mine.

"Especially now that you're carrying my child."

I pulled my hand away. "And the termination?"

His expression changed.

"I told you already. This is my firstborn. My heir. In my world, the first blood carries responsibilities that cannot be ignored. I cannot lose this child."

"That wasn't part of our contract."

"No," he admitted. "It wasn't."

"Then you have no right to decide what happens to my body."

His lips pressed into a thin line.

"Tell me what you want, Bella. Anything. I'll do what I can to make this right."

"I don't want a child with a wolf."

His fists clenched.

For a second, I thought he might shout. Instead, he drew a slow breath, forcing his fingers to uncurl.

I turned away from him.

His phone began ringing.

He pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and answered.

"Yes?"

A man's urgent voice came through clearly enough for me to hear.

"Alpha Adrian, we found a spy within the pack. He helped orchestrate yesterday's attack on the mansion."

Adrian's shoulders stiffened.

"Who is he?"

"We're questioning him now. We believe he provided information about the mansion's security."

"Keep him there. I'll be there immediately."

"Understood, Alpha."

Adrian ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.

He looked at me. "I have to go."

I said nothing.

"Mara will be here soon. I've also stationed guards outside this room. Nobody gets near you without my permission. You're safe here."

I kept my eyes on the window.

He waited, perhaps expecting me to acknowledge him, but I gave him nothing.

After a moment, he stepped away from the bed.

The door opened, then closed behind him.

I lay still, listening to the monitor beep beside me.