Page 89 of Wolf

“I tried to go back and save her! I fucking tried, but it wasn’t enough!” Wolf swung his arm back, and I couldn’t help but flinch as he swung. Jax’s voice and screams echoed behind it as I heard the rippling crunch as bone shattered againstthewall.

Wolf didn’t even utter a grunt of pain as he hung his head low, dropping it onto my shoulder, hot breath rolling over my ice-cold skin. “I tried for you, Anna. I made a mistake, and Ash got hurt because of it. And I was stupid and thought I’d be okay with it. But I wasn’t.” He took a soft, shaky breath. “I wasn’t because I knew I couldn’t bear losing you. And now you’re—” His breath shook over the word, unable to say it. “Please, Anna. Don’t pushmeaway.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears, my whole body still with the weight of his words, of his emotion crashing down on top of me. My stomach churned, wanting to throw up everywhere, but my throat was so dry I wasn’t sure if it could even function enough to do it. I saw Jax’s eyes over Wolf’s wide shoulder, like tiny little dots. His hands were out, body crouched slightly, ready to pounce, though I could see in his pained, confused eyes, we both knew he couldn’t stop Wolf onhisown.

But then I was no longer looking at Jax. I was looking past him, looking to the bed where a girl lay in a sleep she might never wake up from as Wolf’s words repeated inmyhead.

“Tell me you won’t ever choose the club over our child,” Ibreathed.

Wolf’s head snapped back, his eyes jumping to mine, wild with shock and surprise. When he opened his mouth, I could see in his face that he was ready to answer in a heartbeat. But then I heard the hitch of his breath, thepause.

Hehesitated.

“Iwon’t—”

“Stop,” I gasped, the strength in my legs collapsing beneath me as my world fell down on topofme.

Wolf’s eyes went wide as he reached tocatchme.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” I screamed, startling not just him but everybody in the room as they all flinched toastop.

Wolf’s eyes went wide, and I saw the slack of his jaw and the shiver of his chest as he looked at me with realization, and only second later, panic took over. His pupils dilated, breath hitching as his voice tightened in desperation, arms flinching as he went to reach for me but forced himself to stop. “Anna,” he pleaded, but he could see it inmyface.

Heknew.

“Get out,” I breathed, trying to remember how to breathe as I tried to recover from the blow of the realization Wolf had just delivered me. “Get out!!” I screeched, seeing him still standingoverme.

“No, Anna.” Wolf shook his head. “I can’t lose you! Don’tdothis.”

I shook my head, then turned to look at him. I didn’t know what I had wanted to do with Wolf, what I wanted to tell him or talk to him about. But just then I realized what I wanted. I had wanted Wolf. I had wanted to have a family with him and go back to the club with him so we could raise our child together. I had wanted him to tell me our child would be above everything. I wanted to go backtohim.

But Icouldn’t.

“You just lost me, Wolf,” I said. I stared at the ragged, hurting man in front of me, and somehow, I fought the need to rush to him and tell him I was okay with his priorities. Circumstances were different now. My hand reached out, and like a protective cover, it circled my stomach. “I will not make the same mistake as Kay, Wolf,” I said, shaking my head at him but forcing my voice to be firm. “I will not let my baby come second, Wolf. Not to the club. Not to you. Not to anything. Itdeservesmore.”

I saw the moment Kay’s words hit. His body staggered back, breath stopping, expression appearing as if I had struck him with a sledgehammer. He turned and reached for something, and as his huge hand gripped the plastic handles of the bed, the file hooked on the bed fell to the floor. It’s clattering against the tile floor jolted Wolf to the side as he spun to face the noise andstalled.

He looked down onto Ash’s bed as if he had just realized she was there. And I knew that was the final blow, because he couldn’t stand in the room a second longer. His body spun, and not even looking at me as he turned, he shoved past Jax as he fled out of the room, the huge seven-foot Russian man running as hard and fast as hecould.

Finally knowing what his mistake hadcosthim.

I didn’t even remember what happened after that. I was vaguely aware of my body falling into a pile on the floor, Jax dropping down to my side as he wrapped his arms around me, apologizing over and over again, but I wasn’tlistening.

All I could feel was the soft throbbing in my stomach, and despite knowing that it was the need to throw up and not the baby’s heartbeat, just the feel of it anchored me to the floor, the weight of this responsibility on my shoulders as I just threw away everything I’d everwanted.

For a child, sacrificing everything for its sake seemed like it would be the easiest decision in the world. Thesimplest.

And when I learned the truth, it was easy. It was simple. To know that my baby had to come first was the easiest decision in the wholeworld.

But having to give up what was necessary to protect it was also the mostpainful.

* * *

Ihearda familiar gasp as I passed the waiting lounge of the Petersburg ward, almost ignoring it since it was a sound I heard nearly every time I passed, until it was followed by a string of even more familiarly colorful words. My feet stopped on the tile, my process of counting down the room numbers jolted as I spun on my sandals, head snapping to the watery coffee machine as I saw the familiar, tall, broad shoulders, and curleddarkhair.

“Hunter?”

He spun around, spilling coffee all over his hand and gasping in shock as his unique green eyes snapped to me. It only lasted a second before his hand dropped his coffee, the cup falling to the floor, and Hunter’s swearing started again as his attention was tornintwo.

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