“But, if you do that, you prevent Coyo from fighting. You’re guaranteeing that she won’t wake,” Cory argued.
“I know, Cory. Valeria has already provided me with all the pros and cons of my decision. We discussed all options, and I decided this is what I wanted to do. This is the safest path for my pups,” Bells insisted.
“But, why can’t you wait a while? Maybe Coyo will be okay,” Alpha Markus asked.
“Because her symptoms are accelerating faster than I’ve seen them,” Dr. Roswell answered for Bells. “At this rate, we don’t know how long Coyo will last. She went to feeling fine to her wolf not being conscious within a week. I’ve never seen a decline that fast. Not even after a mate rejection or death.”
“You’re not giving her a chance. Tenoch can try to reach out to her,” Cory argued.
“He can’t reach out to her because she’s been unconscious for days now, Cory,” Bells explained, wiping a tear she wasn’t able to hold back.
“You need to give her more time. Coyo is strong. She ju—” Lucien started.
“I don’t have the time to give her. If it was just me, I’d give her every second until I died. But, I have my pups to think about, and I won’t lose them. I can’t lose them.”
“If you die, aren’t you going to lose them, anyway?” Lucien asked, his voice breaking at the question.
The sob Evie let out at his question caused Bells to shake for a moment, before she was able to answer.
“Maybe. But, they’ll live. That’s all that matters to me right now,” she answered quietly.
“No. I’m not letting you go through with this,” Cory growled, wiping a tear from his face.
“You don’t have a choice. You can’t make medical decisions for a conscious person.”
“I’m your alpha and your twin. If I don’t have a right, who does?” he challenged, but Cory didn’t know that his twin knew him enough to prepare for that already.
“I’ve already signed the paperwork to have me put in the coma in two days. Dr. Campbell signed an affidavit stating I was of competent mind when I did it. It’s happening, Cory. I’ve given Violet full power of attorney. Once I’m in a coma, she has my instructions, and knows what I want to happen after I die.”
“Why?” Cory whispered the question, another tear falling from his eyes.
“Because, I know she’ll do what I need her to do.”
Cory stood up angrily, the chair falling behind him. Evie tried to comfort him, but he pulled her hands away from him and took a step back. He looked at Bells and then at Violet, a crazed hurt look in his eyes. When my little warrior returned his gaze, Cory turned around, grabbed the chair and sent it hurling at the wall, shattering it into a million tiny pieces.
“I’m not going to watch you kill yourself!” he choked out, shifted, and ran out of the room.
The rest of the room was silent, and I could see Bells about to break.
‘Give him time. He’ll come around,’I assured her.
‘Time is the one thing I don’t have anymore,’she reminded me.
“What is going to happen after you go into the coma?” Alpha Markus was the one to finally break the silence.
“I’ll be monitored and kept on life support when Coyo dies until the pups are born. Once that happens, they’ll turn the life support off. If Coyo is still alive by then, they’ll bring me out of the coma, so she can have a chance to fight.”
“And, if—After yo—After?” he asked, unable to say the words.
“I’ll reach out to the father to see if he wants to raise the pups himself. If he declines, Chris and I will adopt them,” Violet answered.
“So, you do know who the father is?” Luna Celeste asked.
“Yes.” Bells answered.
“Who is it?” Alpha Markus asked.
“You’ll only find out if he decides to take them. Otherwise, the secret will die with me.”