Chapter 46

T

here was an odd smell lingering in the air, a peculiar mixture of antiseptic and stale air that clung to my nostrils. I felt my eyelids twitch, heavy and refusing to open. A groan fled my aching throat and I finally managed to peel my eyes open, the fluorescent lights overhead pierced my vision like a thousand tiny needles, forcing me to squint in discomfort.

Fuck.

What was I doing in a hospital?

My fingers moved over the coarse sheets and my brows furrowed as I felt disoriented. It took me a moment to recall my last memory. My heart pounded when I glanced at the large window on the side.

It was morning and my last memory was of evening, when I was with Nicholas—hearing his confession. Something I could never forget.

The monitor beside me beeped twice, and I heard a small sound from the outside continuing until a nurse walked in with a file in her arms.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed, appearing cheerful. "How are you feeling now?"

"What happened?" I asked, my brows still furrowed. "How long has it been? What happened to me?" I choked out, my throat only growing more dry the longer I spoke.

It was tight—my throat, as if there had been a tube inside of it.

"You were poisoned by an unknown substance," The nurse explained, her cheerful demeanor quickly replaced by a more solemn expression. "You were brought here last night, unconscious. It was has been over twenty hours since you've been admitted."

"Where's Nicholas?" I turned my head around and groaned at the pain in my throat while nothing else made sense.

She reached forward and poured me a glass of water. "The alpha should return soon. He just stepped out. Please, have some water to drink. The entire ordeal must've dehydrated you."

I nodded and grabbed the glass of water from her hands before taking a large gulp of it. It burned down my down.

"The doctors are still running tests to identify the substance, but it appears to have been ingested. It could have been in your food or drink. There's no need to worry now, the poison has been completely removed and your stomach has been cleansed."

"Thank you." I mumbled before placing the glass back on the table.

On cue, the nurse stepped out and at the same time Nicholas walked into the room, his face filled with worry. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, relief and unspoken questions swam in their depths. His confession was a loud echo in my head, repeating over and over again.

"Took you a while to get up." He sat down over the bed, a small smile slowly curling over his face.

"I don't remember what happened—"

"My mother poisoned you."

"What?" My eyes widened and I felt the water coming back up on my throat. It was like a ton of bricks just fell over my head. "Your mother?" I repeated, struggling to comprehend what he was saying.

I knew his mother, she was cruel, but she wasn't going to such extends to poison me like this, especially since the last time she was being apologetic—unless it was all a facade to drip poison into my coffee and make me drink it during the few minutes she was inside the kitchen.

My hand went to my head and I rubbed it through. "Oh, why would she do that?"

"I don't know," His hand wrapped around my ankle and his gaze lowered. "Maybe because she's a sociopathic control freak who can't stand the fact that I've marked someone of not her choosing, or a carbon copy of her."

I couldn't help but snort at his remark, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Did you talk to her?"

He nodded, "It was a casual, quick conversation. She was expecting your funeral. The poison was meant to kill you, but it didn't as I got bought here as quickly as I could."

"You did?" A lump formed in my throat, but not for him.

His lids lowered, "Of course."

His hands parted from my leg and he rose up to his feet before beginning to pace around while collecting his thoughts. I sat up straight against the bed and stretched my legs. I was out for twenty hours and I had no clue what was happening around me.

How could I be such a fool? How could I have taken something from his mother's hands when knowing her intentions well enough?

"What are you going to do?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly while knowing well this wasn't the end of it.

"She's going to do something again and then again. I can't risk you being hospitalized for another day," He paced forward, closer to me. "I'd rather take you somewhere else, where you're safe till she's gone. It will be only a matter of few days."

"To the whorehouse?"

"No," He quickly said, his eyes darkening before he leaned over me. "Somewhere where I can have you all to myself, till she's gone."

"What if she doesn't goes?" I mumbled, staring into his eyes.

She carried the same sort of cruelty that I had seen his eyes multiple times. It was a mixture of determination and anger, a simmering rage that threatened to boil over at any moment. They both held the same emotion in their eyes. She wasn't going to let this go on easily.

"She will," he replied firmly, his jaw set in a determined line. "I'll make sure of it."

There was a sense of safety in his words, something I needed. But the need washed away soon, replaced by another. He sat down, inches away from from me and placed his hand on the side of my hips while leaning in close till there was barely any distance left between the both of us.

His hand reached my face, eyes gazing into mine before he tucked a few strands of my curly hair behind my ear. His finger raced down my cheek and pressed against my chin.

"Do you really think I'd let any harm come to you?" He asked, his question leaving me breathless.

My heart raced in my chest. "I don't know."

"You don't trust me, devil." He murmured, his voice like velvet against my lips. "I'm disappointed—"

"I do," I nodded, allowing myself to believe him. I leaned into his touch, feeling the heat radiating from his hand on my chin. Our breaths mingled and I quickly continued before anymore disappointment flashed in his eyes. "I really do."

His eyes softened and a small, reassuring smile played at the corners of his lips. "Good girl."

I neared him, closing the distance between us before our lips met in a searing kiss that felt like a wildfire spreading through my body. I didn't wait. Not even for a second. My arms went around him, engulfing into his large body frame. My body refused to part after that.

The kiss was tender, gentle as the first light of dawn, but there was a raging storm growing within me, one I couldn't control. His hands roamed over my back, tracing patterns that left shivers in their wake. I pressed closer, eager to absorb every ounce of warmth and affection he offered.

"Take me," I mumbled, parting from his mouth. "Take me, Nicholas."

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