Reckless Regrets
Chapter 56

Kade

When Aires shimmered Marisol back to the house, I made sure I was there to meet them. She didn’t get the warmest welcome the last time she was there, and after everything she and gone through, I figured a friendly face would be welcomed. She was taken to a second-floor room, and by the time I got there, Alaia was at the door trying to sober up from the drinks they’d been chugging in the backyard.

“Why did you ladies drink so much, Bean? There’s obviously some pretty heavy s**t going on tonight,” I said as I softly took her arm to stabilize her.

“We were trying to distract Taylor, and only Morgan and Aires needed to be sober; I was free to have a good time.”

“A good time, huh? How’s that working out for you right now?”

She held her stomach and took a few deep breaths. “Shut it, Kade; I’m fine.”

After a few seconds, she focused, and she finally entered the room with me right behind. It was hard to see Marisol looking the way she did. She was sheet white and way thinner than the last time I’d seen her. Even though I’d watched her on the videos, seeing her in person was different. The woman she was now wasn’t the same girl she was when her father betrayed her. I didn’t think we’d ever see that girl again.

“Her foot is pretty nasty. I’ve tried to wrap it, but I couldn’t replace anything to clean the cut with,” Aires advised when we walked in.

“It’s alright, honey. I can take care of that,” Alaia stated and made her way to the bed.

She unwrapped Marisol’s foot and immediately gagged at what she saw. How it was already oozing thick green puss and smelling like death was beyond me, until Alaia’s eyes began to glow.

“Ohh, s**t. So either whatever Marisol cut herself with or something in the tunnels was coated in dark magic?” I asked the room.

“That what it looks like to me,” Alaia responded.

Before she could begin the healing, Marisol leaned over the side of the bed and began to violently throw up. It seemed Aires has prepared for this because she already had a bucket ready.

“I don’t know if this is from the shimmering or the infection, but she’s probably going to feel like s**t for a while,” Aires said.

I didn’t know what to do to help, so I went to the adjoining bath and grabbed a warm washcloth then came back to see that Alaia had already started her song while I was gone. Aires’ eyes were slowly turning red, and I knew that meant that she needed to feed and rest. Now.

“Aires? I can take over here; you should head to your place and get yourself together. Do you think you can make it?” I asked her.

“Sí. I’ll be okay. Just clean her up a little and let her rest,” Aires replied as she pushed up from the bed and gently laid Marisol’s head on the pillow.

She left the room right as Alaia was finishing up.

“Okay, she’s going to need plenty of sleep, and I’ll ask Dr. Bennett to come to take a look at her tomorrow morning. I’ve got to go lay down now. The drinks and the amount of dark magic in this cut have taken everything I had. I’m about to pass the hell out,” Alaia told me while slowly making her way from the room.

I was starting to panic. Alaia and Aires needed to take care of themselves, and I had no issue with that, but if they both left, who would help with Marisol? Taylor was probably face down in bed right now, and I’d never think to ask Morgan.

But apparently, I didn’t have to ask. The woman I loved was an angel and would help anyone, even the woman who almost destroyed our future.

“Let me clean her up, baby. She’s filthy, and I know that she’ll sleep much better without all the dirt and grime all over her,” Morgan said from the door.

“I can ask an omega to do it, Sugar. You don’t have to,” I reasoned.

“I’m this pack’s Gamma, and she is one of ours. She’s hurt, and as a ranked female, it’s my job to help her. Besides, she’s my boyfriend’s mom. I kinda have to do it,” she smiled.

“Do you want me to stay with you? I could help,” I offered.

“No, go back to the office and finish up with the guys. I’m sure there are things still needing to be wrapped up. If we can put all this behind us tonight, we should,” she wisely replied.

I walked to the door where she was still standing and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close. The feeling of her tiny bump pressed against me made me smile as I leaned down to k**s her neck.

“You’re an incredible woman, Morgan, and I cannot wait to make you my wife.”

“You won’t have to wait long, I promise,” she smiled up at me and replied.

Those were the sweetest words I’d ever heard.

***

Morgan

This was my first time seeing Marisol up close, and I had to admit it was surreal. Even in her depleted state, I could tell that she was beautiful. And Cameron looked just like her.

Cameron. He was the sweetest little boy, and I knew that he missed his mom terribly. So even if I didn’t want to, I would take care of Marisol so that when Cameron saw her again, he’d see her and not what she’d been through.

I went to the bathroom and filled the sink with warm soapy water then began making trips back and forth, washing Marisol from head to toe. I was sure to be extra gentle with her foot, which, although clean and closed up, it was still bright red and slightly swollen.

I then worked to get her into a cute nightgown I’d brought down with me. The smooth material would be a welcome change to whatever it was she’d been wearing the past week.

Finally, I moved to her hair. She would need a haircut to even it back out, but that would have to wait. For now, I took a soft bristle brush and ran it through her hair, taking extra care to remove all the knots and tangles as painlessly as possible.

“You’re even prettier up close. None of the pictures or even that insanely detailed tattoo do you justice.”

I looked down and saw Marisol’s staring up at me. I didn’t even know that she’d woken up; I guess I was too focused on getting her together.

“Thank you. I was thinking the same thing about you when I first walked in here,” I replied.

“Oh, please. I look like s**t, and I know it,” she laughed.

“You do, I can’t even lie, but I can still see what’s underneath it all. And, you don’t smell like s**t anymore, so that’s progress, right?”

“I guess it is. So, how did you get stuck taking care of me? I’m sure you would rather be anywhere else.”

I went back to brushing her hair and watched her eyes flutter shut.

“I wouldn’t say I got stuck. All the men are in the office cleaning up the last of the mess your dad created, and the other ladies are either drunk, exhausted, or a second away from draining your b***d. I was the best choice,” I replied with a small chuckle.

“Thank you. I haven’t felt this good in a while, and am I in a silk gown?”

“Yes, you are. It’s all I had; Kade likes to spoil me with stuff like this, but in actuality, I’m happier in any old T-shirt of his. Nothing is better than that to me.”

Marisol hummed, and a soft smile played on her face.

“He’s a really good guy, and I’m so sorry that I almost took him away from you. That was beyond selfish; I’ll never be able to apologize enough,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it. This entire thing turned out for the best. Your dad was exposed for being corrupt and evil, sorry to say, Nate got to come here and grow as a man, father, and wolf, your sweet and handsome little Cameron got all the sweets his tiny little body could stand, and the wolves from your old pack will now have a much better life. I can handle a few weeks of heartbreak if, in the end, so many people benefited.”

“In the beginning, I had an idea of the person you would be. You were mean, selfish, stuck up, and rude. You wouldn’t care about anyone but yourself, not even Kade. That’s who I wanted you to be; it made what I was doing easier. I’m so happy to see how wrong I was. And it’s not even because you’re taking care of me right now.

It’s because of the way you’ve taken care of my son when I couldn’t be there to do it myself. Or the way you helped Nate transition to life here away from all that he knew. I know your rank called for you to help, but you went above and beyond. And I’m grateful.”

Even with her eyes closed, it was evident that this woman was drained. She needed to sleep if she was going to heal and get back to her family.

“You’re welcome, it really was nothing; I enjoyed spending time with your boys. Now go to sleep, you’ll be safe here,” I stated.

She didn’t say another word, but a few moments later, I heard the soft snores letting me know that she’d finally let sleep take her.

I slowly stood to leave and realized that at some point during our talk, Marisol and I had joined hands. She’d wrapped both hands around my own and held it close to her chest. If I moved, I’d wake her up for sure. I sat back down and decided to wait. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes, and her grip would loosen enough for me to slip free.

I made myself comfortable and waited. My bed was calling my name, and I was looking forward to snuggling up in Kade’s strong arms. I never wanted to go another night without him.

***

Well, this was not how I’d planned this night to go. I woke up in the early hours of the night, slumped over the edge of Marisol’s bed with the worst pain in my back. When I tried to move, I felt that she still had a grip on my hand, but I couldn’t stay in this terrible position any longer.

I gently pried my hand free, then stood and took a step towards the door, only to trip and go tumbling to the floor. What was happening?!

The deep g***n explained one thing for me; I’d landed right on Kade’s back, but why he was lying in the middle of the floor in the first place was still a mystery.

“Kade! What the hell? What are you doing in here?” I whispered.

“You didn’t come back to the room, Sugar. I came to check on you and saw how you two were wrapped up together. I couldn’t separate you without waking one of you up, so I decided I’d wait it out,” he explained.

“Are you alright? I’m pretty sure my elbow dug directly into your spine when I fell.”

“I’m fine, how are you and the baby?”

“Besides tired and hungry? We’re good.”

“How about we go grab a small snack, then head to bed? We can ask an omega to periodically check on her until she wakes up,” Kade suggested.

“Okay. I want a cheeseburger,” I told him.

“At 2:00 in the morning? Where am I supposed to get a cheeseburger this late?” Kade replied.

“Who knows, it’s just what I want. Let’s go down and see how close we can get to making it a reality.”

He helped me to my feet and held my hand as we made our way to the kitchen. I sat at the island and watched him while he rummaged through the massive refrigerator for my “snack.”

“We’ve got turkey, chicken, and roast beef, so how about a sandwich? Toss in a few chips, and it’s not too far off, right?” He looked over to me and asked.

“There’s beef in the freezer, fresh veggies in the fridge, and I baked a batch of ciabatta bread this afternoon that would make the best bun, especially if you toast it,” I countered.

“But it’s frozen, baby. Okay, we’ll use your bread, the roast beef, and fresh veggies. That’s the best I can do. What do you think?”

I just smiled at him. I didn’t expect him to make me a cheeseburger, I didn’t even expect the sandwich, but the fact that he was putting in so much effort to satisfy my craving let me know I’d found the right one when I walked into that birthday party. I’d never be hurt again, and I was safe with him, 100%.

“I think it’s perfect. Thank you.”

He nodded and went to work, putting my food together, and in my mind, I went to work planning our wedding. I’d waited long enough; it was time to make him my husband.