Chapter 3

Sabrina’s Pov

Pain.

That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes. Everywhere, sharp, unending.

Air. I needed to breathe.

My chest rose and fell rapidly, each uneven movement filled with pain as I struggled to get my lungs to function like they usually do.

The smell that hit me was pungent, slamming me straight into a reality I didn’t know. The pristine smell of disinfectants filled my nostrils.

The memory came fast, throbbing and strong. I winced, closing my eyes as the memory of the lights, the loud honking, the crash, everything flooded through me violently.

My stomach squeezed violently as I tried to block the memory. My fingers grabbing the bedsheets weakly feeling the strain on my wrist. My eyes opened slowly, “oh god….”I whispered.

I tried to move my hand, but a stinging caused me to pause. There was an IV connected to the back of my hand.

“I am… I’m…” I couldn’t get the words out, not yet.

The door creaked open, the sound drawing my attention to the side, and a lady walked in with a soft smile on her face, holding onto a file. “You are awake,” she said warmly. “That is good.”

I nodded, unsure of what I was meant to say. I tried to move, tried to sit up, but pain shot through my back, hitting me hard against my spinal cord.

Her hands were on me instantly, slowly pushing me back on the bed, “You have been through a lot, you should allow your body to rest,” she said in a soft tone.

Rest.

A lot.

“What… what happened?” I asked, my voice strained, my head still pounding loudly. “I remember driving, the lights, a loud horn… I…”

Her eyes watched my face, as if she was reading me. “You were involved in an accident…. A truck ran into you and you….” She paused. “You are lucky to be alive,” her voice was low. “It could have been worse,”

I looked at my bandaged legs, I didn’t feel lucky, why was she saying that I was lucky? It sounded strange.

I swallowed hard, my throat felt dry, but I needed to know more first. “How long have I been here?” I asked.

She didn’t look fed up with my questioning, her smile didn’t change, “almost a day,” she whispered. “When you were brought in, you had lost consciousness, it is a miracle you are here.”

My mind tried to piece things together. Almost a day? I was alive. A miracle.

Her hands moved as she adjusted the drip, checking my vitals, “You should be in a lot of pain, this should make you feel slightly comfortable, until you are completely healed,” she said, injecting something into the IV bag.

Comfortable. What was that?

A cool sensation washed through my body, making the pain slowly dull away.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“Just doing my job,” she smiled. “You are welcome.”

I leaned back against the pillow, listening to her as she moved around the room, the action was slightly therapeutic, she was precise, practised.

I had this once. A life, a calling.

But Tucker… He said it was taking away my time from the family, my duty to the pack. I lost myself to save a home that I never had.

My chest tightened, tears stinging my eyes once more, “No!” my voice croaked. “Not now, I don’t want to think about it now,” I whispered.

But it changed nothing, the memories didn’t matter if I was ready or not. They came anyway, relentless, cruel.

Mocking me for believing that I could be loved, wanted.

The nurse moved closer, her eyes filled with softness as she noticed my discomfort, “Hey,” her voice gentle as she grabbed my shoulder, “try not to stress yourself, you need to rest.”

I let out a shaky breath as I nodded weakly.

How was I meant to rest when my world had fallen apart?

She walked to the door, “The moon goddess favored you, you should be thankful,” she whispered.

But this didn’t feel like a favour. Did it?

“There is someone here to see you,” she said.

Someone?

“A man, he brought you here, he had been the one to call the ambulance,” she smiled. “he helped, if he wasn’t there…” she shook her head. “he has refused to leave, not until he sees you.”

A man.

Tucker?

Did he even know that I was here? Did he even care?

“We can tell him to leave if you aren’t up to it,” she said, almost as if she was sensing my reluctance.

My mind began to race, as I tried to think through who it could be. Someone from the pack? I wasn’t ready to face any of them, not now anyway, not after what… I let out a shaky breath. “Just thank him,” I hissed to myself.

“Send him in,” I said.

She smiled, “Okay.”

Three long minutes passed before the door creaked open. Each second felt like an eternity.

When the footsteps echoed through the cold tiles, I said the words I had practiced in my mind. “Thank you for what you did, I am really grateful,” I started, the words flowing slowly through my lips as I slowly raised my head to meet the person.

The minute my gaze landed on him, everything stopped. The only sound was the high alarm that echoed through the heart monitor.

My body went rigid, this wasn’t a stranger. This was a past that shouldn’t be standing here.

The Alpha I once thought I would spend my life with. the man I had… I walked away from it because I chose this life.

Nevan Langston; my ex-boyfriend.

The nurse rushed in, her eyes in panic as she watched me, “Mister, you will have to step outside,” she said.

I forced myself to stay strong, “it… it is fine, I am fine,” I said.

Her eyes were on me, as if she was checking to see signs that I wasn’t. “I am fine, thank you,” I said to her in a calmer tone.

She nodded, closing the door behind her, giving us the privacy that I didn’t know we needed.

“Well,” he said, his smooth and familiar voice reverberating through me. “That is one way to make an entrance.”