Page 35 of Becoming the Alpha

Dean took me to the infirmary and got the Healer in almost immediately. Arthur came up behind him, helping but keeping his gaze on the floor. I closed my eyes, releasing a deep breath as shame and guilt flooded me. I opened them and cleared my throat.

“Arthur?” I called. He jerked where he was standing, his eyes flying up to meet mine, wide with panic, before he jerked them back down to the floor. He took a tiny step forward, the smell of rotting apricots hitting me as I watched him literally shake where he stood.

“Y-yes, Y-your M-majesty?”

“Arthur, I owe you an apology. I was out of line earlier.”

“No, your Majesty. It was my mistake. I shouldn’t have touched The Queen. I apologize for my behavior. It won’t happen again,” Arthur rushed out. He was getting better at speaking, but was still talking to the floor. I sighed, shifting on the bed with a wince.

“Arthur?”

I waited until he looked up at me. “It was not your fault. The Queen is a friend of yours and I don’t want to keep you from her. She would be very upset if I ruined your friendship with her. Please do not pull away from her. She is still Lily and she is still very much your friend. Will you do that for me?”

Arthur looked hesitant, but then nodded. I returned his nod, a smile spreading across my face. I dropped my head back to the bed and closed my eyes. I relaxed into the bed, my body weighing down with exhaustion. I couldn’t quite relax all the way because Lily was handling everything that I should have been doing. She was alone out in the middle of the rebels, the Royal Guards, and our pack members. I shifted in the bed again, already having convinced myself to go back out to be with Lily. My wolf had been ready to move the second we laid down.

“Don’t you dare. You’re staying in that bed until the Healer has cleared you. Don’t make me tie you down, Jason,” Dean said. I raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms and gave me a pointed look. I settled down, scowling and crossing my arms.

“Pout all you want. I’m not letting you hurt yourself any more than you already are. You need to chill. Simon is with her and will make sure she’s safe.”

I blinked, looking at him. He gave me a nod, confirming that she was safe. I released my breath and uncrossed my arms. “Alright, you’ve got me. I’ll stay.”

“Good.”

“Arthur, do you know anything about Lily’s family?”

Dean shifted, looking intrigued about the whole situation. I ignored him, keeping my focus on Arthur. He thought for a minute, but then shook his head. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. She didn’t tell me too much about them. I know they own a small farm on the edge of our lands, but I’m not sure where or who they are.”

I turned to Dean. “Do you know if Amara knows anything about them?”

Dean tilted his head. “What are you thinking?”

“I want to reunite them. She hasn’t seen them in about two years. I know she misses them and she didn’t exactly leave them willingly. She needs to reconnect with them,” I responded. Dean nodded. “I’ll get someone on it. Figure out who and where they are and get it set up.”

“Thank you. I don’t want her to know I’m bringing them here. I don’t want to get her hopes up until we know exactly what’s going on with her family.”

Dean nodded and turned on his heel. He glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow, and giving me another pointed look. I smirked, shaking my head. “I won’t move. I’ll be here.” He nodded and walked out of the room.

It wasn’t long before the Healer walked back in and went through all of my vitals. He marked off a bunch of stuff on his chart and then nodded. I waited for him to say that I was ready to leave, but he didn’t mention anything when he began to walk out of the little curtained area. “Wait,” I called. He stopped and turned around.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Am I cleared? What’s going on?”

“You are healing at a normal rate and should be good to go soon. You should get some rest while you’re able. I’m sure once your responsibilities really kick in you won’t have much time for rest,” The Healer chuckled.

I frowned. “I don’t want to rest. I want to be with my mate and get this kingdom back to the greatness it was before my father.”

“We all want that, Your Majesty, but we can’t really do much if you’re injured. You can’t fix the mistakes your father made if you’re dead.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not that injured.”

“No, but if you continue to push yourself, your body will not be able to heal properly and you’ll end up developing an infection. Then, you’ll be that injured and on your deathbed. Is that what you want? For your mate to have to deal with the Kingdom on her own, fending off other males who attempt to claim the Alpha position?”

I scowled. “Fine.”

“I’m sure Her Majesty will be along shortly. I heard your Beta asking someone to get her.”

I brightened up. I hoped that was true. I nodded at the Healer and he walked out. I sat around, waiting eagerly for Lily to walk through the opening of my curtained off area. It was much later that she did, looking exhausted already. I frowned, noting the black circles under her eyes and the way her brightness had dimmed.

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