Page 32 of Ruined Wolf

The doctor smiled. “Nova had a head injury, as well as some minor internal bleeding. We were able to stabilise her and deal with the bleeding in surgery. She’s still in critical condition, but I’m optimistic she will make a full recovery.”

I fell back into my chair, fighting the extremely unmanly urge to burst into tears of relief. Asher dropped back against his pillows, smiling, and Lucas closed his eyes.

“I’m also very happy to say that the tests have come back, and the baby appears to be perfectly healthy. We’ll keep her in, obviously, for her own recovery, and keep a close eye on the pregnancy, as sometimes things like this can lead to early delivery, but scans have come back with nothing to worry about so far. Would you like to see her now? It might be a little while until she comes around, but she might like you to be there when she does.”

I stared at the doctor, having registered very little of what he was saying after the word baby.

“Mr Scott, is everything okay?”

I shook my head, still staring at him.

“Baby?” Lucas asked behind me, his voice thick with disbelief. “Did you say baby?”

“Nova’s pregnant?” Asher chimed in.

The doctor looked at us all. “You didn’t know? Yes, she’s about four and a half months along, we think, by the measurements.” He looked back at me. “I’m sorry, I thought you would have known.”

“It’s fine,” I told him. “It’s just a surprise. Can we see her?”

He nodded, and Lucas and I followed him out of the room and along the corridor to Nova’s room. My mind was whirling. Pregnant. I was going to be a father. No. No, because four and a half months… She was already pregnant when she got here, when she marked me, and when she made love to me. Already pregnant. A baby. She would be having a baby, but not my baby or Lucas’s. I glanced at him as the doctor stopped outside the room, but he was a blank slate, his dark eyes revealing nothing about what he was thinking.

“She’s in here. Now, when she wakes up, let someone know, and take it easy. She’s been through a hell of a lot.”

I nodded and reached for the door handle, my stomach clenching and my heart racing. The doctor left, and I stood there with my hand on the handle for a few moments more, frozen. Lucas reached out and, with his hand on mine, twisted the handle, opening the door.

I followed him inside, still feeling as though I was the one who was hit by the truck. He stopped dead in front of me, and I walked straight into him. I realised why as I took in the sight of Nova lying unconscious in her bed. She was hooked up to a myriad of machines, the steady hum of their rhythm filling the room. The thin sheets and blankets of the hospital bed clung to her slight form, and now I could see the obvious swell of her stomach. I had simply thought she’d been filling out after finally getting regular meals and our propensity for takeaway pizza.

“She looks so small,” Lucas muttered.

I swallowed. “Yeah, she does. Makes you wonder how she can be so fucking strong.”

“Well, I think we know that now,” Lucas replied. “She wasn’t just being strong for her.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “This is all you. I can’t be a father, Maverick. I am not exactly suited for that role.”

I looked at him. His lips were pressed tightly together, his expression dark.

“You’re her mate,” I reminded him. “You can’t just refuse.”

“I can leave,” he answered flatly. “I can leave the island. She lied to us, Maverick. She lied.” He turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving me alone with her.

I moved closer to the bed, then reached for the chair, pulling it up so I could sit down and take her hand in mine. I stroked my fingertips over her skin, marvelling again at how soft she felt. Lucas was right, she’d lied, or at least she’d concealed it, but I couldn’t understand why. I should be angry with her, but somehow, I couldn’t be. I’d come so close to losing her that this didn’t matter.

I squeezed her hand gently. I couldn’t overthink this. This wasn’t something you could deal with logically, not really. A child was too important to be logical about. She’d felt so distant the last few weeks. We’d got to know her better, and I knew her likes and dislikes. I knew what she liked on her pizza, and how to make the disgustingly sweet concoction she called coffee, and that she liked to sleep on her right side, curled up. I also knew how to make her scream my name and beg me for more. Looking back, however, I realised something had been missing the whole time. She’d never completely given herself up to me or to Lucas. There had always been something between us. Now it was out in the open, and I just hoped we could work through it. I knew now without certainty that I couldn’t lose her.

I sat there for ages, waiting for Nova to wake up or for Lucas to come back. He didn’t, but eventually, I saw the flutter of her dark lashes against her pale skin, and I felt a wave of relief.

“Maverick,” she murmured, her voice weak but full of emotion.

“Hey,” I said, unable to keep my voice from trembling as emotion overwhelmed me.

“You’re here,” Nova rasped before sighing and closing her eyes.

“I’m here, as is Asher, and Lucas was here too.”

“Asher... Asher!” Her eyes flew open. “The truck... Is he—”

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