Alphas War

Chapter 59

My whole body felt heavy as I came to. Unlike before when I felt weak, now I just felt stiff, everywhere was cramped and achey as I stretched out. I managed to peel my eyes open slowly to reveal white above me.

I stretched again, my muscles in desperate need to relieve the cramping I could feel, particularly in my legs. My arms reached something soft and I grabbed hold of it and lifted it to find I was wrapped in a blanket.

I frowned, clutching the soft material tightly in my fist before rolling my shoulders and manoeuvring to sit up. I didn't recognise the room I was in but I found myself buried beneath layers of bed covers. There was a glass of water on a small bedside table and I reached for it, my throat burning.

"You're awake," a voice suddenly commented and the glass slipped from my hand, sending water spilling all over the bed covers and the glass rolling off onto the carpet. I shuffled away from the now soaked blanket, my eyes never straying from the figure in front of me.

"And you're alive," I managed to utter when he shut the door behind him and turned back to me with an expectant look on his face.

Relief flooded through me in an instant, like a rush of energy that had every one of my muscles twitching and my chest aching to be closer.

"How are you feeling?" Zach asked me, approaching me slowly.

The second he was at arms length I threw myself at him, desperate to ensure I wasn't imagining this. "You're alive," I gasped, tears rolling down my cheeks as I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"I'm alive," he whispered, curling his arms tightly around me. I breathed in his scent, being hit with the warmth and familiarity of home while he attempted to pull me closer.

I continued to sob on his shoulder, never having felt such intense happiness before. "You came back to me," I cried out, raw joy in my tone. I pulled away from him a little, desperate to see his face and placed my hands on his jaw. "You came back," I whispered.

His eyes - before dark and sunken - were now shining with tears and glowing amber as he stared back at me. His skin was warm to touch again and had some colour returned to it. He looked healthy. He looked alive.

I pressed my lips against his instantly, feeling completely and utterly at peace as I did. It had been so long since I'd kissed him; so long since his arms has been around me; so long since I'd felt connected to him.

"I missed you so much," I told him against his lips, my tears still falling down my cheeks.

"I missed you too," he said, reaching up to cup my face in one of his warm hands. "So so much."

"How are you?" I suddenly asked, recalling that he'd risen from the dead. "Does it hurt? Do you feel okay?" I asked, placing a hand on his chest where his heart was steadily beating beneath my palm.

"I'm fine," he said, a small smile on his face as he took my other hand. "I promise. It was like waking from a nap... and I've had some time to regain my strength."

I frowned. "How long was I asleep?" I asked, confused. "And where am I? Is everything okay?"

He reached for my face and brushed his thumb across my cheek, causing every inch of my body to relax. "Everything is fine, you're safe I promise."

I nodded, trusting him without a shadow of doubt. Subconsciously, I found my hands moving to my stomach and flinching when my hand met the sore skin. Panic erupted in my chest and I listened desperately for a heartbeat that wasn't there. "No," I whispered with a shake of my head. "No, Zach the baby. What happened? The baby-," I sobbed, the sharp pain in my chest returning immediately.

"Shhh," Zach cooed, placing a hand on my shoulder and massaging it gently. "Ella, the baby is fine," he stated, only confusing me more, "she's with Chris and Liam."

I opened my mouth and shut it again, not having any idea where to start with that sentence. "She?" I managed to utter, my throat dry and my hands clammy. "I- she? What?"

"Relax okay," he said, rising to his feet, "everything is fine I promise, I'll explain it all in a second but let me get you another glass of water and something to eat. I'll be back in a minute."

I struggled to form a response and instead nodded my head, hoping he would hurry back and tell me what on earth was going on. There was no way my child had been born yet. I'd just woken up after passing out and they were only a couple of months old.

My head felt a little light as I leant back, waiting for Zach to return. I was certain some food would help.

He didn't take long and when he returned, another glass of water was in one hand and a plate with some pastries was in the other. "Here," he said, handing me the plate, "you could probably do with some sugar."

"Thanks," I rasped. He handed me the water as well and I took several large gulps before setting it down. "Please tell me what's going on?" I begged.

He nodded, settling onto the bed opposite me. "Well when I woke up, I didn't have a clue what had happened or where I was. Nobody was around and I felt so weak and tired, I couldn't really move. I fell back asleep and then woke up again to find Liam sat at the end of the bed. He told me everything."

He looked at me while I picked at my food, a lump forming in my throat. "I wanted to be there," I whispered, glancing up at him with teary eyes.

"I know," he told me, reaching over and squeezing my hand. "He told me that the humans had come after you and that he'd told you to run. I came straight after you and found you nowhere near the cottage, half dead in the woods."

I watched as he grit his teeth before continuing. "I thought you'd been attacked and took you back to the pack healers. They told me you were weak and starving and that your body was shutting down. They said you'd be dead if it wasn't for the full moon."

He glanced up at me. "You weren't eating."

A tear slid down my cheek. "I couldn't. I just couldn't," I told him. "You were dead."

"And you were pregnant!" He argued, his fists clenched and his eyes glowing amber. "You were nearly both dead."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry."

"Are you?" He asked. "They told me what you were planning to do if I didn't wake up." He shook his head, staring at the floor. "They told me everything."

I had nothing to say. No excuse. Nothing that would help him to understand the pain I was in. "Where am I Zach? And where's my baby?"

He closed his eyes for a moment before taking a breath and continuing. "The pack healers gave you something to keep you knocked out and hooked you up to some sort of drip machine to keep you both alive. The pack was still being attacked by humans and once the full moon was over we were at an even bigger risk. I spoke to your dad and Tyler and we agreed leaving you to recover was the best option. With everything going on, you didn't need the stress. It wasn't good for you or the baby."

"Left me?" I whispered, the realisation suddenly dawning on me. "For how long?"

He met my gaze, both of us aware that I knew the answer. "Eight months," he finally admitted, "the baby was delivered last week."

My heart cracked in my chest. "I could've been with you eight months ago? We could've been a family again eight months ago."

"Believe me, it wasn't any easier for me. I was desperate to see you and thought about waking you up every single day. But you were a target in the war. The baby was stable and so were you this way. It was better for everyone."

I shook my head, unable to comprehend that I'd been unconscious throughout my entire pregnancy; that my baby had been born and I wasn't even awake to see it. "I want to see her," I said, meeting Zach's gaze. "I want to meet my baby."