Page 149 of Alpha's Regret: My Luna Has A Son

Moving her over on the small hospital bed, I climb in beside her, not wanting to leave her side, hoping my warmth and our bond will be enough to rouse her awake, while also praying she doesn't want to kill me when she wakes up and realizes I marked her without consent. But Doc is right, it will speed up her ability to heal, and she has our little boy waiting at home with my father for his mother to come home.

I end up falling asleep beside her, only to wake up when my phone starts vibrating in my back pocket. I quickly look at Everly, but there’s no change; she remains unconscious. Pulling my phone out, I yawn and glance at the screen. My father is calling. Answering it, I hold the phone to my ear.

“Yep,” I say, shortness in my tone. We still aren't talking yet. but I trust no one more than my father with Valarian. He may be why my mother is dead, but he was a good father, and I know he would protect my son with his life.

“Valarian wants to see his mother. Now, don't be mad, but I’ve brought him to the hospital. We’re downstairs.”

I growl. I don't want Valarian to see her like this.

“Valen, don't make my mistakes. Don't keep him from her,” my father says to my silence.

“I would never make your mistakes, Father,” I tell him before giving him the room number. I hop off the bed, trying my best to cover her a little better and hide the tubes and needles in her veins. However, it’s pointless. Nothing I do will shield our son from her helpless state. Hearing a knock on the door, what feels like moments later, I open it to see my father. Valarian stands there, peering around him with frightened eyes. I glare at my father. He shrugs.

“You shouldn't have brought him here; he looks terrified,” I tell my father, reaching down to pick up my son.

“He misses his mother and you. What else was I supposed to do? He refused to go to school until he saw her,” he answers. I growl, turning to look at my son. His eyes peer over my shoulder at his mother. I step into the room, and my father follows, standing off to the side.

“See, she’s alright; she’s just sleeping,” I tell Valarian, squeezing him tight. It feels like ages since I saw him last.

“When will she wake up?” Valarian asks, kicking his legs to hop down. I place him on his feet and hesitantly walk over to her. His eyes wander over her, and he tries to climb on the bed. I sigh, grabbing him around the waist.

“Mommy has needles in her arms; you have to be careful,” I say.

“I want to lay with her,” Valarian whines, clutching her blankets, and I look to my father. He presses his lips in a line and nods toward the bed. I suck in a breath.

“Okay, just let me move her around. But you have to stay still,” I tell Valarian, and he nods. I rearrange the cords and different devices attached to her, and my father helps me prop her up better, so she’s kind of on her side. She doesn’t show any kind of response as we move her around, which terrifies me. I get nothing through the bond unless my skin actually touches her.

Lifting Valarian up, he rolls on his side to face her, sharing her pillow while my father and I try to untangle the cords attached to her hands. I end up draping her arm over him so the IV doesn't kink. The trickiest part is moving her around and not ripping out the catheter. Thankfully, I manage it because that would be embarrassing—being scolded by the doctor for moving her when I probably shouldn't.

“If you want to hop off, tell me,” I tell him, but he snuggles down under the blanket with her, his finger tracing over her face. I sigh and fall back into the chair.

“Go get a coffee and something to eat. I’ll sit with them,” my father says, and my eyes go to my son, who’s whispering to his mother to wake up.

With a nod, I get up when Valarian speaks. “You marked her?” he asks, sitting up on his elbow and glancing down at the wound on her neck. He brushes her hair back to look at it better before sniffing her. “She smells like us now,” Valarian beams. “Officially part of our big village, Momma,” he says, sniffing her again. His eyes go to me. “So, that means we can come live with you now? Your house is bigger.”

“Let's just see what happens when your mother wakes up.”

Valarian nods before prodding her mark with his finger as if he could rub it off. “Why do we have to bite them to mark our mates? I don't want to bite Casey. She’ll probably taste like a troll,” Valarian says, pulling a face.

“Casey?” I ask him, and he shrugs before his little cheeks heat.

“I think the little man has a crush,” my father announces with a chuckle.

“I do not, Papa,” Valarian says, glaring and pursing his lips angrily.

“Then why would you say you didn't want to bite Casey because she would taste like a troll?” I laugh.

“Because she’ll be my mate,” Valarian announces, and I scratch the back of my neck awkwardly.

“But what if she isn't?” I ask him.

“But she’s my best friend. But… so is Taylor. I don't want to bite them and get girl germs,” he says, confused.

“Well, lucky for you, you don't have to bite anyone any time soon,” I tell him, and my father chuckles.

“But aren't mates our best friends?”

“Yes, in a sense. But not all mates grow up together, Valarian. Casey and Taylor may have someone else for a mate,” I try to explain.

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