Page 253 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“I don’t want to tell you ‘I told you so,’ but I told you to wait instead of destroying that altar we found in Martha’s room.”

Dad snorted from the side, and I let Chris tell me everything they’d figured out was happening to me and to Cade, while I was asleep. How they figured out what some of the spells in the altar were, including the one that was meant to isolate me from my family, and the one that hijacked my bond to Cade. By the end of it, I was overwhelmed and exhausted, and only had one thought in my head.

“I should have made the bitch suffer more before I killed her,” I growled.

Everyone laughed, but I was dead serious. I looked over at Cade guiltily. Everything I suffered at Martha’s hand ended up costing him so much as well.

“None of that. I’m here, and we’re going to be okay.”

Cade saw right through me. I scooted over on the bed, which was now set up in a sitting position and Cade climbed in, not caring that my family was still present. I sighed as my world felt right for the first time in so long, and lay my head against his chest when he put his arm around me.

Valeria walked in, an exasperated look on her face.

“Everyone outside is about to mutiny. Are you up for some visitors, Bells?”

“I’m good for a bit,” I mentioned, a yawn betraying me at the end.

It was all a bit overwhelming, but Coyo was fine and Cade was at my side. I could muster some energy for a few more minutes.

Valeria went to the door and opened it, and I snorted when I saw it crowded with people.

“Ten minutes, and then she needs to rest.”

I thought they were going to trample my brother’s mother-in-law as they stampeded into the room.

Cade held onto me fiercely as people tried to pull me into hug after hug, though people still managed to maneuver around his embrace. We answered questions as best as we could, until Valeria put her foot down.

“I said ten and gave you twenty. Alpha Cade and Bells have been through a lot, so let them get some rest.” With a bit of a trembling lip as she looked at me, she added, “We’ve got time now. She’s not going anywhere.”

It took another ten minutes before everyone finally left.

“We’ll come see you in the morning, Princess,” Dad whispered, before he kissed my forehead and left with Mom.

Chris and Violet left after that, but not without me thanking them both profusely, for not only being my voice while I couldn’t, but for figuring everything out, and saving Cade and me.

Finally, only Valeria was left.

“I want to check on you and the pups in the morning. As long as everything looks good, I’ll discharge you afterward,” she told us.

“Thanks, Doc.”

“I’m just glad everything worked out,” she smiled and left.

Cade pushed an empty bed next to mine and added some bindings to keep them together. He climbed in beside me and put the bed back in the sleeping position. We laid on our sides without talking, just staring at each other for a while.

“I thought I’d lost you,” I broke the silence. “When you never called me back...”

“I never got your voicemail, Bells. I swear to you, Princess. I would have turned around, and been back in your arms so fast. Chris told me about it this morning. I broke my phone before I left Redmon and got a new number when I got a replacement.”

My lip trembled, and I repeated the words I said to him in the voicemail.

“I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. I was so scared of being a luna again. I-I was so scared to love you. I wouldn’t have survived what I went through with Brandon from you. I—Even though I thought he was my mate, I never fell in love with him. I wanted to. I tried. I tried so hard, Cade. To the point where I thought something was wrong with me. But, I fell in love with you so quickly that it terrified me.”

Tears fell from Cade, and he leaned forward and kissed me with so much love and passion that I thought if I died now, I would be okay with it.

“I love you, Bells. I’ve known for a long time you’re the only woman who could ever occupy my heart.”

“Do you forgive me?”

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