She's alive

I watched the clock until dawn. I yawned, stretching on the chair and popping some joints.

"You should get some sleep," I heard from behind.  "I'll have Trevor and Silas watch over her," Alpha Romano said, stepping closer.

I shook my head. "No, thank you. I need to be here when she wakes up."

"That could be anything from hours to days. You need your strength," his brows knitted.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying something, but in the end, I couldn't hold. "Why are you suddenly being nice?" I blurted out.

He raised a brow in question, and I almost scoffed. 

"You hate me, and I hate you. Drop the act."

"I don't hate you, Selene," he simply said.

I searched his eyes, but they said the same thing his face did.....

Nothing!

"How did your men get to her fast enough?" I asked, It's impossible to have reached open creek on time, and it can't be a mere coincidence.

"Just get some rest," he said again before walking towards the door.

"Wait!" I called out as he turned the knob. He stopped. I could see the muscles in his back and shoulders attempting to rip through the casual T-shirt he had on.

"Thank you," I said, and I meant it.

As the hours went by that day, the checks from the doctors became more frequent without any information.

"Is anything wrong?" I finally asked Dr Brown when he came in himself. I couldn't take it anymore.

"No, Luna. Nothing to worry about yet," he replied before quickly exiting the room.

Yet? His response made me even more on edge, and soon enough, I started biting my nails, a habit I thought I had outgrown.

"Do they not feed you here, child?" I heard a hoarse voice ask, and I almost jumped out of my skin.

Tears sprang to my eyes when I caught sight of her eyes. I flung my arms around her, careful not to put my weight on her small body.

I tried to speak, but my throat was clogged. She patted me lightly on the back.

Pulling myself away from her, I let my eyes roam across her face. "I missed you, Grannie."

"I missed you even more, my sweet child."

"I'm sorry I never came visiting. He didn't want me to see anybody outside this pack," I said apologetically.

"But he did."

"What? What do you mean?"

"He brought me to the pack. I've been here for over a week," she said, just as the medical team entered the room and I was moved aside to carry out routine assessments.

Their hushed voices mingled with the soft beeps and hums of the machines that surrounded her bed. Once they were satisfied, they quietly exited the room, and we were left alone again.

She was fast asleep. Good.

But her last words echoed in my mind, it was unsettling. "He brought me to the pack. I've been here for over a week before the incident."

Alpha Romano.... brought her here? A week ago? Why? 

My mind scrambled. It made no sense. His actions confused me. Was it care? Impossible!

While I struggled to make sense of things, another thought came. 

The rapid flickering light in the office. It was oddly similar to what had happened at the garden path.

A cold certainty settled over me. This wasn't just stress or brain fog. It was me... somehow.

But how? My wolf, Makayla, was still silent, unresponsive. This felt... different. Unnatural. Something unexplainable bubbled beneath my skin.

Who could I possibly tell about this? 

Isabella. Would she think I was crazy? Would the Alpha find out and use it against me? The thought sent a fresh shiver down my spine.

Later that morning, Dr. Brown visited, a faint smile on his face. 

"Luna Selene, your grandmother is truly remarkable. Her vitals are completely stable. She just needs a lot of rest. For a woman of 73, she has surprising strength."

Relief washed over me. "Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much."

Over the next two days, Grannie Alba steadily improved. 

I spent every waking moment by her side, holding her hand, reading to her, just basking in her presence. It was a breath of fresh air from the suffocating moments of the previous weeks.

"Grannie, when you first woke up... you said Alpha Romano brought you here almost a week ago. What did you mean?" I asked one afternoon.

She paused, her now clear eyes searching mine. She reached out, her frail hand gently cupping my cheek.

"Forgive me, child. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

I shook my head, confused. "Forgive you? I should be asking you for forgiveness."

"Your mate, he had a soldier stay with me for all these months until a week ago when I asked to come see you," she explained.

My mouth dropped open. "A soldier has been with you?"

She ignored my question and continued. "When I got here, I became overwhelmed. I didn't know how to approach you, how to act. I was scared, my child."

"Scared of what this place had done to you, scared of what I might say or do to endanger you." She continued, her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"So I stayed in the room they gave me and waited for the right time. I'm sorry, my child."

Now I understand how Alpha Romano's men got to her on time.

My heart ached. "You should have come, Grannie. I wanted to see you. I've missed you so much. Why didn't anyone tell me you were here?"

She squeezed my hand.

My own eyes blurred with hot tears. I leaned down, gently wrapping my arms around her fragile frame.

"Oh, Grannie," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "You're here and you're safe. That's all that matters."

"I'm sorry I left you and didn't come back. I was scared and I wasn't able to, but I should have tried harder, I should have –"

"Hush, child, there's nothing to forgive," she said, patting my back. 

We clung to each other, and for the first time in ages, I felt truly seen. 

But then the thought struck. Why did Alpha Romano place a soldier at her house? 

He had threatened to hurt her before, and with someone stationed there, his orders would've been carried out without question. 

I almost gasped. Yet Grannie spoke of him kindly, out of ignorance that made me unsettled.

My voice was shaky. "Grannie, there....there's something I should tell you."