Chapter 0448

Victor and Sebastian will handle the aftermath. Because of my mate, their mates are unharmed. My sole purpose now is to bring my mate back to full strength.

One month later

“Any changes?” I ask as Seraphina reenters the hospital room. A full month has passed, and Isolde remains unconscious.

She shakes her head. “Physically, there’s nothing wrong with her that I can detect. Has your bond strengthened at all?”

“Barely. And now I can’t tell if it’s my connection to her or to our child.” Seraphina offered to reveal the baby’s gender, but I refused to know without Isolde. Deep down, I already suspect the answer. Isolde’s scent is cherry blossoms, but her stomach carries a distinctly masculine aroma—sandalwood, the same scent she once said I had.

Machines surround Isolde, wires snaking across her body. Intravenous feeding keeps our baby nourished, while fluids prevent dehydration. Monitors track both their heartbeats, and an oxygen tube assists her shallow breathing.

Every day, I stay as close as possible. I’d crawl into bed with her if not for the tangle of wires. Instead, I sit beside her, resting my head against her stomach, whispering to our child. When I need to move, I shift to her side, pressing my forehead to hers, pleading with her to wake up.

At first, Seraphina urged me to leave—to eat, to sleep at the packhouse. But I can’t. I shower here. Leopold or Donovan brings meals and updates on pack affairs.

The hunters’ bodies were burned. Authorities came sniffing around, demanding to search our lands. We lied smoothly—no way could that many humans have trespassed without our notice. Their trail ended at our borders, and without a warrant, Sebastian and Adrian denied them entry. Revealing the truth would have meant arrests, or worse.

Magnus returned to me days after the battle. Those poisoned by silver took up to a week to recover. When he came back, I sent him searching for Aurora. She was there, but unresponsive.

Theodore, Evelyn, and Seraphina visit nearly every day. Evelyn and Seraphina carry guilt—Isolde saved them, yet she’s the one suffering. Seraphina is even pregnant again. I use their visits to shower or collapse onto the cot I had brought in, listening to their voices fill the room.

Our pack’s baby boom hasn’t slowed. Elara, Luna, and Stella all gave birth while Isolde slept. Seraphina’s due any day now, but thankfully, her trained assistants can handle the delivery and Isolde’s care.

Tonight, it’s just us. I can’t take it anymore. Carefully, I shift the wires and slide into bed beside her, my arm draped over her, my palm resting on her stomach where our little one stirs.

“Isolde, please,” I beg, voice breaking. “It’s been too long. I’m losing my mind without you. You promised me you’d be okay. This isn’t okay. I’m not okay. Our baby needs you. I need you. Wake up. Let me hear your voice. Let me yell at you for your recklessness, then tell you how incredible you are for saving everyone. You’re the only good thing in my life. Everything I endured before you was worth it, just to have you. Don’t make me raise our son alone. He needs his mother.”

Tears streak my face as I press my forehead to her temple.

Then—

“How do you know it’s a boy?”

My head snaps up. Exhausted but awake, Isolde’s eyes meet mine.

“Isolde!” Her hand lifts to my face. I kiss her palm, then her cheeks, her forehead, anywhere I can reach.

“Oh, Isolde,” I choke out before crumbling, sobbing against her as my mate finally returns.