ALPHAS LITTLE FOX

Part 20

Hospitals were never my cup of tea. Having to walk past wolves who were sick and dying of all sorts of diseases made what happened to Head Alpha all that much more real. What was worse was knowing I was the reason he was in here. The reason he was poisoned and might be slowly dying an excruciating death. It was all my fault.

"Up here on the left," one of the nurses directed us.

When we arrived at his room, two of Head Alpha's personal guards were stationed at the door. I looked through the glass window and stared at Head Alpha lying in bed with a ventilator attached to the tube Willow was able to put in on time.

Thirty seconds. That number played on repeat in my mind.

"Luna," Jase whispered to me. "Alpha needs me. I'll leave you here with Winx. Please stay close to him and don't leave the hospital without him."

"I understand." I nodded.

Jase turned to leave but I quickly stopped him. "Jase!"

He paused and glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Stay safe. I'm not the only one in danger here. We all are. Please keep that in mind when dealing with anyone from another pack."

"Yes, Luna." He nodded and continued on his way.

"That goes for you too, Winx." I turned my attention back to Head Alpha. "You've only scratched the surface when it comes to the crimes Perry's committed over the years. He's not above using any of his pack members for his owns personal gain. If he sees the slightest weakness, he'll do everything in his power to exploit it."

I knew firsthand just how evil that male was.

"I understand, Luna."

As I made my way inside, the two guards let me pass but stopped Winx from entering the room. I ordered them to let him pass. After a moment's hesitation, Winx was granted entry.

I was already in a horrible mood, and I didn't need two males giving me any more grief over such trivial things as entry. They had a right to keep people out but that didn't apply to me. I was a marked Luna, and Damian's reputation gave me access to places I never had before. So many things had changed, and yet here I was, standing next to Head Alpha after yet another attack by Perry. Only this time, the victim wasn't me.

"My Luna," Winx spoke out in the silence of the room.

"What is it?" I gave him my full attention as I took the seat next to the bed.

"Thank you for that. I would have waited outside if you wanted me to." He dropped his head down.

"Don't be stupid. Damian said to keep you by my side. I know that it's not safe. I'm not bowing down to something so stupid as a guard telling a Luna that the wolf protecting her well-being isn't allowed to do his job. If anything, you're better in here protecting both of us. Now, I don't want to hear another word about this, understood? The matter is settled."

The two of us settled back into a comfortable silence as we waited for Willow or one of the doctors to tell us what the damage was. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long. There was a small tap from the door and Willow entered holding a clipboard along with a file.

"How is he, Willow? Is he going to be okay?" I nervously asked her.

"He's very weak at the moment, but he should be all better by tomorrow. His tongue is still very swollen so that's why we still have him on the ventilator, but everything else seems okay." She looked over all the machines readout and jotted down notes. "His wife will be here tomorrow morning. I talked to her over the phone and she told me that she wanted to speak with you."

Oh god! Don't tell me she knows exactly what happened and why. Dread filled me along with guilt every time I looked at Head Alpha. It was all my fault, and now, I'll have his wife probably screaming at me for putting him through all this.

"Piper?" Willow caught my attention.

I must have looked so guilty in that moment.

"He's going to be fine," she assured me. "If we hadn't been there, he would have died. The first few minutes are the most crucial. You know this. You did a fantastic job, Pipe." She tried to cheer me up, but it didn't change the fact that if I wasn't there to begin with, then none of this would have happened to him.

"It should have been me," I mumbled and cradled my head in my hands. "How will I ever be able to face his wife? I wouldn't blame her if she tries to kill me herself."

"Piper! Don't ever think that. You had no idea what was in that food. You made a kind gesture to give Head Alpha something that he liked, and you did everything in your power to save him when everyone else just stood back and watched," she scolded me as I sat up to lean back in my chair.

"Thanks, Willow," I mumbled.

"If I may, Luna." Winx stepped out from the corner and crouched down beside my chair. "Willow is right. Don't blame yourself for someone else's evil intent."

I gave him a small smile and looked over at Willow who nodded along. Winx walked back to the corner as Willow came around to give me a pat on the shoulder.

"Perry did this, Piper. Not you. We both know he's a monster," she snarled.

She was right. They both were. Perry was a monster and this sick plan of his backfired in a monumental way.

"Luna," Winx cut in. "They've taken Alpha Perry into custody with strong evidence against him. The other alphas have requested to speak with both of you in the dining hall."

"Why are we needed?" Willow asked.

"I don't know. That's all the information I've been given." He shrugged.

"It's fine." I rubbed my forehead and got up from the chair. "They'll probably want to question us as to why and how things got this bad. No doubt Damian's informed them of how Perry treated me. They'll want to know our side of the story. It's better to just go and answer their questions."

Willow took my hand in hers.

"At least Perry's in custody," she offered.

I shook my head.

"Don't let your guard down so quickly. Perry is a snake. He still has allies, but they'd be stupid to help him now after such a rash move. We don't know who we can trust right now, so it's better to trust no one."