Page 63 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

“A-am I d-dead?” I croak, my throat dry and itchy. I’m about to lift my hand to my throat when I feel the warmth of Cassandra’s fingers laced with mine.

“You’re awake!” she squeals, jumping to her feet and instantly wrapping her arms around me. That’s when a flurry of sensation sets in, igniting my nerve endings and making me aware of every injury and nick I’d endured during the fight.

“Oh!” I groan with a nervous chuckle. “I’m definitely still alive.”

“Thank Goddess for that!” Cassandra exclaims, pulling back and apologizing when she notices me flinching and wincing as I acquaint myself with the residual aches and pains. “Sorry…” she apologizes, but I throw her a small smile.

“What happened?” I ask, my mind hazy. All I remember was being struck by the rogue leader.

A werewolf and human hybrid with enhanced speed and lethal claws. Deadly enough to rip through my tough werewolf flesh and break my bones with the impact of its strength.

Cassandra tells me what she knows, and I stare down at my body, arm set in a cast and wounded thigh. If I quiet my mind long enough, I can feel the threads of my torn skin weaving together as the Alpha blood in me works its magical healing powers.

“I have to meet with the others,” I say, struggling only slightly as I sit upright.

Cassandra quickly grips my shoulders and uses all her might to push me back down.

“You’re not going anywhere,” she scolds firmly. “You need to heal first before you leave this bed.”

Amused by her strict warning, I chuckle lightly. “Have you forgotten that I’m an Alpha-blood? I’ll be healed in no time.”

Her nostrils flare when she huffs discontentedly, squaring her shoulders with defiance, tilting her chin.

“You were knocked out cold only a few minutes ago,” she grouches.

“Are you…” I eye her suspiciously. “... Were you worried about me?”

Cassandra rolls her eyes. “No, I wasn’t. I was only concerned about this pack that wouldn’t have had an Alpha.”

I can’t control my amusement, chuckling as I pull myself out of the hospital bed. “Point taken. I’ll compromise,” I offer, glancing over my shoulder at the skeleton of a bed. “I’ll rest at home, not in the hospital. But I’m gonna need a private nurse.”

***

When I mentioned that I needed a private nurse, Cassandra immediately took the bait and offered to take me back home.

After a long night, the rising sun’s warm, orange hues filtering from the blinds in my bedroom feel delightful. But more than the sun’s welcoming rays. I’m touched by the warmth of Cassandra’s presence as she stays by my side.

Even if she’s passed out on the settee underneath the window in my bedroom.

Shaking my head, I brace my weight on my elbows as I get up. The pain has subsided after just a few hours of sleep, and Iknow I’m well on my way to recovery. It’s not that I doubted my Alpha’s abilities to heal this fast.

I hate that I had to get some shut-eye when we got home instead of picking up where Cassandra and I left off.

When I fought the rogues last night, all I could think of was coming back home to Cassandra. I fought gallantly, the need to come back to her fueling my snapping canines and strengthening my claws as I tore through those rogues.

For a moment, when I thought I was dead, the only thing I regretted was not being able to do the right thing when it came to Cassandra.

Perhaps this is my second chance, my brief encounter with a near-death experience only driving in the undeniable truth.

Not only do I want Cassandra as my mate, but it’s more than that.

I think I’ve developed feelings for her. Real feelings of sentimentality and softness that I shouldn’t have as an Alpha of my caliber.

I scoff under my breath, feeling foolish for not recognizing the signs sooner, but the derisive sound wakes the woman from her deep sleep on the sofa.

“You’re awake…” she comments groggily, rubbing her eyes with loose fists as she throws her legs over the side of the settee. As she pads across the room in one of the shirts she borrowed from my wardrobe, long, dark hair cascading in waves over her shoulders with the rising sun behind her, she appears angelic.

Mesmerized, I stare at her with my mouth agape, wondering how I’d been so blind. Her ethereal beauty is radiant,filling the room with a soft, warm glow of her aura. Like a goddess in her natural state, Cassandra’s feminine curves whisper forward, her gloriously brown eyes piercing my soul and sentencing me to a lifetime of devotion to her.

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