Page 142 of Second Chance Mates

One eye cracks open, and a few seconds later, the other. It’s like I’m seeing for the first time—which is definitely made worse when I’m met by blinding bright white lights. I whimper and shut them again. The soreness makes me wince. I squeeze them tight and try not to focus on the pounding inside my head. The beeping beside me isn’t helping either.

Turn that shit off. It hurts.

My throat attempts to swallow, but my mouth is bone dry. I almost choke. Instead, I peel my eyes open again with all the strength I can muster. This time, I take a drowsy sweep across the room.

I’m in a bed. I’m…in a hospital bed.

Wires hang out of my arms, and there is something funny sitting between my nostrils. My skin becomes highly sensitive, making me twitch.

“Ava.” I hear my name and glance at the sound. Lucy leans up from her chair. Her face is flushed with empathy, but my sight is blurry, so I’m not sure if I’m seeing right. “How are you feeling?”

I lick my lips. “H-hi,” I croak.

“Here.” She passes me a cup of water with a straw. My eyes thank her because I can’t quite find the strength to talk and move at once. It’s like someone has hit me with their car repeatedly.

My mouth latches onto the straw, and I drink down the cool liquid. Pressure builds behind my eyes as it slips down my throat and hydrates my mouth. I drink until it’s empty and rest back into the bed.

Pain shoots through my abdomen, and I groan. Lucy shoves the cup down. “I’ll go get the pack doctor,” she murmurs.

“Wait–” my voice sounds like I haven’t spoken in five years.

“What?”

All I can do is shake my head and that’s a struggle.

“W–” I dampen my mouth and try again. “W-what ha-happened?”

Lucy frowns and turns back to me. “Do you not remember anything?”

I pause for a moment to think. The last memory I have is being at the market, and then being cornered by those men. Everything else is a blur that I can’t quite piece together.

“T-the market,” I whisper.

Her eyes roam my face. “That’s all you remember?”

I nod.

She presses her lips into a thin line and sits back down, taking my hand this time. “Ava,” she starts. “A lot happened after the market. Jaxon is going to be here any second, alright? We can talk you through what happened together.”

I flick my eyes frantically between Lucy’s. My arm moves, but it’s like it’s made out of paper, ready to break any given second. I tilt my head to look down at the gown covering my body. My fingertips graze the edge of my stomach, and I hiss unexpectedly.

“Don’t do that,” Lucy gasps and moves my hand away. “You’re still healing. Let me get the doctor, and Jaxon will be here any second.”

I don’t fight. I don’t have the energy to. My head rests against the pillow, and I glance up at the ceiling. My eyes continue adjusting to the harsh light. One of the pack doctors steps in to check how I’m doing, but my head is racing with blank memories.

Why is my brain not cooperating?

The door to the room flies open, and I meet Jaxon’s blue eyes. For a long moment, we stare at each other. The room turns silent, and there is only him. There is pure relief and devastation on his handsome face, yet the dark circles under his eyes tell me he’s not had a good few days.

“Ava,” he whispers and steps to my side. I can’t reach for him. His warm hand cups my face, and I close my eyes at the sensation of our touch. “Oh, Goddess. Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

When I don’t say anything, Jaxon takes the other side of my cheek and an electric force field shoots up around us in the form of our bond. My eyes ache, and I’m too dehydrated to cry, but I can feel everything—especially him. Especially our unique bond. It drapes over my tender arms in a soft kiss and wraps me up with a simple breath.

“Baby.” He presses his forehead to mine, and I finally open my eyes.

“Give her some time, Alpha,” the doctor instructs. “She’s just woken up, and it’s going to take a while to get used to talking and moving.”

Jaxon glances at him and nods, throat tensing. “Thank you. For everything you’ve done.”

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