All Chapters of Sleeping with the Alpha Who Despised Me: Chapter 211 - Chapter 220

Zed POV The smell of smoke clung to me even as they ripped Steven from my arms. My body screamed in protest when the nurses pried River out of my grip, but I couldn’t fight. My strength was gone. My knees hit the polished hospital floor, and still, I reached out like a madman.“Don’t let her go!” My voice cracked, hoarse from the fire. “Don’t—don’t you lose her!”I stumbled forward, still half-carrying, half-dragging River until they forced her from my arms.“Sir, you need to step back!” someone barked. Hands gripped my shoulders, forcing me upright as two gurneys wheeled past, River on one, Steven on the other. Tubes, oxygen masks, frantic nurses shouting codes I could barely understand.My chest heaved. The fluorescent lights above blurred, too white, too sharp. My wolf clawed inside me, restless, snarling. We should be with them. Protect them.And I was left standing in the middle of the hallway with nothing. Empty arms. Empty chest. Empty soul.“Zed.” Hailey’s voice cut through,

Zed’s POVThe room was quiet except for the steady beep of the monitor. That sound should have comforted me, proof she was alive, but instead it tore me apart. Each beat reminded me how close I had come to losing her. How close I had come to losing them both.River lay so still on the hospital bed, pale against the sheets, her lips cracked, her chest rising slowly. The scent of smoke still clung to her skin, even after they had cleaned her. I could smell it through the antiseptic tang of the room. It made my chest tighten like claws were gripping my lungs.I sank into the chair at her side. My hands shook, but I reached forward anyway, wrapping my fingers around hers. They were warm, but weaker than I remembered. River’s hands had always been full of life, always moving, always pulling me back whenever I strayed too far into my own shadows. Now they just lay there, limp, fragile.“River,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”My throat burned, and I swallowed

River’s POVThe courthouse smelled of polished wood and stale air, but I barely noticed. My heart thudded in my chest as Hailey squeezed my hand.“Are you sure you’re strong enough to do this?” she whispered, her eyes scanning the room anxiously.I gave her a small, confident smile, though my stomach still twisted with tension. “It’s been four days, Hailey. Trust me—I’m fine. I want to be the one to convict her. No one else.”She nodded but didn’t look entirely convinced. “Well… we’re here to support you. Don’t forget that.”I squeezed her hand back. “Thank you. Really.”The judge’s gavel hit the podium as the court clerk called the case: State vs. Amber Hugh. I inhaled deeply and walked toward the prosecutor’s table. Every step felt heavy, but I held my chin high. Amber sat across the room, her arms crossed, her lips pressed tight, eyes scanning me with something that could only be described as hatred wrapped in disbelief.I pulled out my notes and glanced at the jury. Each of their

River POVThe hospital room smelled faintly of antiseptic, the kind that always reminded me of both life and death.the little monitors beside Steven’s bed. I sat in the chair next to him, holding his small hand in mine, and watched him sleep for what felt like the hundredth time today. His chest rose and fell in gentle rhythm, the steady beat grounding me in a reality I still wasn’t sure I fully trusted.He was awake now, though only halfway. His eyelids fluttered, then opened, revealing wide, innocent eyes that looked straight at me. “Mom…” he whispered. I leaned closer, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead.“Hey, sweetheart,” I murmured softly, my voice rough from exhaustion. “You okay?”He nodded, though I knew he was shaken. The fire, the kidnapping, the chaos, none of it made sense to someone so small, and yet he carried a courage that constantly astonished me. “I… I was scared,” he admitted, his voice trembling. “Really scared.”I squeezed his hand gently. “I know,

River POV He was dozing lightly, his small chest rising and falling steadily. I reached over, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead, and smiled softly, a practiced calm I wasn’t even sure I felt.The door opened quietly, just a crack, and I tensed.“River?”I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. That voice, low, hesitant, heavy with guilt, it was unmistakable.“Jay,” I said, flat, trying to keep my voice neutral, though the lump in my throat felt like it could choke me.He stepped inside cautiously, hands half-raised as if to ward off an invisible warning. He didn’t sit, didn’t make a move to touch anything. He just… stood there, vulnerable, though I wanted to see it as weakness.“I… I need to talk to you,” he said finally, voice almost breaking. “Please, just hear me out.”I swallowed, feeling the old ache in my chest flare. Hear him out? After everything? After the lies, the betrayals, the manipulation… After Amber’s madness and all that had nearly killed Steven and me?