The Heir to the Alpha
Chapter 23

Scarlett

I woke up again, blinking hard, I still heard a loud buzzing sound, and some beeps, everything was cloudy and blurry, and it was like my head weighed tons. I tried to understand where I was but it wasn't the hospital I knew and worked at, it was another similar hospital, on my left was Christopher, wearing scrubs sitting in a chair with his elbows resting on his knees and his head down, he looked inconsolable, but I couldn't see his face. I tried to open my lips, but my mouth was dry, I tried to move and I felt a stab of pain in my shoulder. And the sound that escaped my lips was a groan, and that made him immediately jump out of his chair and come towards me.

"Dr. Hint, she's awake." He shouted towards the hallway.

"Honey, are you okay?" He started to speak and his eyes went to my shoulder and he stopped, his gaze became dark and his shoulder tensed, as if something had physically injured him.

"Now I am, I wanted some water," I said trying to sit up slowly, and he handed me a glass of water.

"Careful, Scarlett." He said trying to help me, and then a doctor with curly brown hair and kind blue eyes appeared at the door.

"Miss Byron, you can't try hard." He started to say coming towards me.

I sat down on the bed and it was instinctive for me to put my hand on my stomach.

"The baby?" I asked, my gaze going from Christopher to the doctor, and Dr Hint just nodded saying.

"It's okay, we heard his or her heartbeat while you were still unconscious and I did the tests and everything is ok." Dr Hint said as he came to my right and examined my shoulder, I felt a huge relief knowing that the baby was okay, but only then did my gaze go to my arm which was completely bandaged.

"Why is that? I couldn't heal?" I asked but Dr Hint simply ignored my question and started to remove the strips. I felt something was wrong, but it was when the last strip came off that I saw my thin, newly healed skin, still pink and sensitive, with a huge scar.

Wolves didn't have scars, unless it was made of silver, or it was by near death.

It was a scar from near death.

That's when my gaze went to Christopher and he swallowed hard, turned quickly, and started walking towards the door.

"Christopher, where are you going?" I asked in disbelief.

"I can't stay here." He responds, his voice slurred, choked.

"You're not leaving me here alone."

He did not answer.

"If you don't stop now I'll come after you," I responded with a firm voice, and that made him stop. "You know I will."

I saw his shoulders relax, I understood the load he was carrying and I knew why he reacted.

"It wasn't your fault, and you couldn't have done anything to stop it, don't blame yourself for what isn't your fault."

"You can't say that. You weren't conscious, you didn't see two wolves tear at your shoulder, and another at your leg, while I watched."

"You watched? Really? You think I'm going to believe that you weren't doing everything to protect me? You think I don't know that underneath your clothes there must be some bandages from a wolf that was desperately taking care of everything and protecting everyone. Tell me you weren't trying?"

"But I couldn't do it, Scarlett, you almost died. My mate, pregnant with my child, almost died in front of me, again." He screamed, loud and clear, and it was as if as he screamed it was ripped from his chest as if after that he had relief as if he needed this release.

The next few seconds were of complete silence, a deathly silence that would make you hear a needle fall.

"Have you vented? Can we continue? I have a lot to tell you." I said to Christopher and he turned to me with an expression of curiosity on his face.

"Dr Hint, can I see my chart? And Christopher's too?" He looked at me with the most confused face I've ever seen. "Which hospital are we?" I asked, looking around and reading on his coat that it said: Memorial Hospital of North Pack.

"It's the hospital in the North." Dr Hint told me to hand over my chart slowly.

"She's also a doctor." Christopher tried to justify it while I leafed through and saw that I had arrived very badly. But when I read Christopher's he arrived practically the same way, I saw that he had a huge bite on his belly. Analyzing the medical records, I could say without a shadow of a doubt that the two of us surviving was a pure miracle and perhaps it was Her answering my prayers.

"Let me see your belly," I said to Christopher as I handed the charts back to Howard.

Christopher reluctantly closed his eyes and approached the bed I was on, slowly lifting the scrub's t-shirt. Revealing a near-death scar as well, my gaze rose to his and I didn't need to say anything.

But he had blamed himself for not protecting me, even though he almost died there too.

"I've only had three near-death scars in my entire career, two were today." De Hint said and it reminded me of a phrase the Goddess said.

"When it comes to my will all kinds of miracles can happen," I said in a whisper.

"What's wrong, honey?" Christopher asked but I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts.

"Well, you were born again today, I advise you to stay quiet and rest for at least today, I'll come back later to discharge you." Dr Hint said walking out the door.

Christopher sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the wall.

"I thought I had already felt fear in my life, I thought I had been through everything, but nothing compared to what I felt today." He said confessing. "I tried with all my might, I bit, scratched, gutted, and ripped open all the wolves I could, but it didn't seem to be enough, there were too many of them, and they killed Neil." He told me with pain and I felt a chill thinking that he lost a friend. "And they hurt you… I wanted to trade places with you, I wanted to feel your pain and spare you from all that, but I failed to protect you." Each word was more loaded than the previous one.

"You didn't fail, if you weren't there, I would have died. I'm only alive because you always put yourself in front of me." I said calmly as my hands went to his back, Christopher turned and when his gaze met mine, it seemed to make sense, it seemed like he finally understood, that he hadn't failed, he had protected me. "And it happened exactly as it was supposed to happen, we may not understand it 100% now, but soon it will all make sense." Now his eyebrows furrowed uncomprehendingly. "I saw her." I simply said.

And now he has completely turned to me.

"See who?"

"The Goddess, The Moon, the most perfect being that exists," I responded smiling and for a second I feared he thought I was completely crazy. "I know it sounds crazy, but she appeared to me, and among many things, she told me that everything needs to happen the way it happens, even though it was sad. She told me that Violet made you stronger, a better leader, which I needed to get past Mathew, I needed to have seen you in the hospital, and you needed to be the one to join me on that dance floor, and we needed to have picked up our broken hearts, together. But it was always meant to be the two of us, it was always meant to be the two of us, and he." I said now, placing my hand on my belly.

"He?" I saw his lips part and I practically felt Christopher's pulse quicken, he sighed loudly and I saw a tear form.

"The Moon said that it is a boy and that he should be called Antony, which means of inestimable value, in some languages it also refers to courage, intelligence, and strength. All the characteristics that he will have, according to her. She said that he's going to be a great leader."

Christopher let a few tears flow as his hand came to my belly.

"So the prophecies were right? It's all about us?" He asked and I just nodded yes.

Christopher sat next to me on the stretcher, he wrapped his arms around me, lay down next to me, smelled my hair, and sighed.

"Ah, how good this is, have you saved in my arms."

And we stayed there for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence. Digesting everything that had happened, and being grateful for being alive.

After a couple of hours, we were released, wearing scrubs that for me were uniform, before leaving, two knocks on the door caught our attention. He was a tall man with dark blond hair and green eyes.

"Alpha Brennon." Christopher said, opening his arms and welcoming his friend.

"Alpha Christopher." He replied.

"Thank you for having us, it was the closest hospital, my guards didn't know exactly where to run."

"No need to thank me, I know you would do the same for me. And I'm happy to have helped." He said and then his gaze extended to me.

"Nice to meet you, Alpha," I said extending my hand and he returned the strong handshake.

"This is Scarlett, my mate," Christopher said quickly and Brennon smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Scarlett," Brennan said smiling. And then he turned to Christopher too. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Taking care of ourselves and our guards was already too much, friend. But I have a feeling that we will face difficult days if I can count on your alliance?" Christopher asked and Brennon squeezed his shoulder.

"Always, you can count on me," Brennon said patting Christopher on the back and they hugged afterward.

After Brennon left I needed to ask.

"Are our guards here, too?" I feared the answer

"After you turned it off, they heard the screams and came, together with some Council guards, they saved us, some ended up getting hurt, but no casualties." I was overcome with relief to know everyone was okay. "Just Neil and that involves a huge legal process. I need to go back to the Council and figure out what we're going to do." Christopher said and the sentence starting with I need bothered me.

"You need it, No. We need it." I said but he looked away

"Scarlett, don't make this any harder, I need you to be safe, especially after what happened." Christopher declared, like a sentence, a plea.

"You don't understand Christopher, they're not just threatening me, they're threatening him and…" I shook my head and took a deep breath. They were threatening my son, it awakened something in me that made me practically lose my mind. "And I'm not going to let absolutely anything happen to him, I'm going to fight to the end to keep him safe, and I can't do that locked in a room. I'm not going to stop until all these wolves responsible for this are locked up or dead." Each word came out with more force than the last, it was the most intense and truthful speech I've ever given. Christopher's eyes widened and he didn't react for a few seconds. "Put guards at my side 24 hours, I don't care, but I'm going with you."

Now he smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

"Alright, let's go then."

He said and we left the hospital to go to the Council.