Chapter 448

Liam and Rik will have to take care of that. Thanks to my mate, their mates are fine. My only focus is on getting my mate strong again.

One month later “Anything?” | ask as Sirona comes back into the hospital room. It’s been a month and Grace is.

still unconscious.

She shakes her head. “There’s nothing physically wrong with her that | can find. Is your bond getting any stronger?”

“Barely. And now | don’t know if it’s my bond to her, or to our child.” Sirona had asked if | wanted to learn the gender of our baby, but | didn’t want to know without Grace. Honestly, I’m pretty sure | already know. Grace smells like cherry blossoms, but her stomach has taken on a decidedly masculine scent. She told me once that | smelled like sandlewood and cedar to her.

Sandlewood is the scent that I’m getting from her stomach.

Grace is hooked up to so many machines. We're having to feed her intravenously, so the baby stays healthy. She’s getting IV fluids, so she and the baby don’t dehydrate. There’s a monitor attached to her stomach so we can monitor the baby’s heartbeat and there’s one for Grace as well. Since her breathing has been shallow, she has an oxygen hose going into her nose.

Everyday, | get as close to her as | can. | want to sleep in the bed with her, but there are too many wires, and | won’t risk her or the baby. So, | sit in a chair, my head laying beside her stomach and | talk to our child. Then, when | need to stand, I'll move up to Grace’s head and I'll lay my head beside hers and talk to her for a while.

In the beginning, Sirona tried to get me to leave to eat, or to go back to the packhouse to sleep, saying she'd stay with her. But |

can’t leave them. So, | shower here at the hospital. Either Noah or Carlos brings me food and updates me on what’s going on with the pack.

The hunter bodies were burned. The authorities came around a couple of times, wanting to search the forest around our packs. We explained that we would have known if that many people had been in the forest. They tracked their movements to the edge of our property, but they didn’t have enough to get a search warrant and Liam and Rik refused to give them access to our lands. There would have been no way to hide the war, and since we would never tell them we are shifters, they would have arrested some or all of us for murder.

| got Louis back a couple of days after the battle. Everyone that had silver in their system took several days and up to a week to get their wolves back. When he came back, | had him search for Maia. He said she was there, but unresponsive to his prodding.

Benny, Cara and Angel come to see Grace nearly every day. Cara and Angel feel guilty that Grace saved everyone and is in this state while they are fine. Angel is even pregnant again. | usually use their time with her to go shower or I'll just lay in the bed I had brought into Grace’s room and try to get a little sleep while others are there talking to her.

The baby boom in our pack has continued. Tula, Lelani and Lolana all had their babies while Grace has been unconscious.

Sirona is due any day and thankfully two of her aides have gotten their medical degrees and can deliver her baby and look after Grace while she’s recovering.

One evening, it’s just the two of us. | can’t take it anymore and | move her wires and crawl into. bed with her, laying my arm over her body, my hand on her stomach, feeling my little one moving.

around inside her.

“Grace, please baby. It’s been long enough. I’m going to lose my mind if you don’t wake up. Baby. you promised me that you would be okay. This is not okay. | am not okay. Our baby needs you, | need you. You have to wake up now. | need to hear your voice. | want to hear you laugh, | want to yell at you for what you did and tell you how amazing you are for saving everyone.

Please Grace. The only good thing in my life has been you. You have made everything | went through before | met you worth it. |

would do it all over again if it meant | had you in my life. | can’t do this without. you. | don’t want to raise our son alone. He needs his mother.”

By the time I’m done, there are tears streaking down my face, | lean my forehead against the side of her head, just letting the tears come.

“How do you know it’s a boy?”

My head jerks up and I see the exhausted eyes of my mate.

“Grace!” Her hand comes to my face and | kiss her palm before kissing her on every part of her face | can reach.

“Oh Grace.” | say before | completely break down, sobbing at finally having my mate back.

Cooper Author Grace is back!