REIKA

TWENTY-EIGHT

"Come, dear." Alban's mom held me by the arm and took me to the bed. She sat next to me and hugged me while I cried.

"He will be fine... Do you want another tea?" She tried to help me relax, but I refused her offer. How could she know? Why was she so calm? I understood she wanted to help me get a hold of myself, but if Arjun ever was in danger or hurt, I would lose my mind on the spot. Liv was strong in a way I had never learned to be, mostly because I had never been in her position. She had lived through pain and suffering, but still had the strength to be a good person.

"I... I need to be alert in case I have to get to him fast." I said, sobbing. Jules' words reminded me things wouldn't be forever swarmed in my head. Now I was afraid to lose him before I had a chance to have a life with him. One month. That's all the time we spent together. That wasn't enough. It couldn't be. Alban had to come back to me.

"I understand. Lay down for now. Trust in... your father. He will bring him back to us." She said with a nod and her eyes lost in thoughts, comforting herself. I didn't think she would want to see my dad. The last time she saw him, he was still squeezing her dead mate in his hands. Now she had no other option but to put her faith in him.

Lying down on the bed, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I had to be strong, for Arjun, for the baby. As I remained there in silence, I listened to Arjun talk and ask questions no one dared to answer with honesty. He wanted to know why mommy was so sad. Arjun wanted to know where his father was. He also wanted to know why Bianco wasn't talking to him. The only answers he got were, 'mom needs some time', and 'your dad is busy now, he will talk to you as soon as he can'.

What if he doesn't? Who would have the heart to tell him if he didn't? To explain it?

As far as I knew, Alban was in a surgery fighting for his life, and I was here, being completely useless. There was nothing I could do. I didn't know which hospital, or how to get there. Even if I knew where he was, I still didn't know where I was, so it would take me some time to figure out in what direction to go. I would run in circles for at least five hours before I could get to him.

I could have depended on technology, but Alban made sure to leave my phone behind. Even if I had it, this place for sure had zero reception. It really was the best place to hide. All that, and to top it, his mom had masked our scents, placed poisoned plants to keep people away, and sprayed her formula around a mile radius of the house. Any tracker would get lost for sure. To whoever was looking for us, it would have seemed as if we just had disappeared in thin air.

With the passing time, it became easier to breathe, but the pressure I felt on my chest was still reminding me of my uncertainty. Minutes felt like hours and I felt like I waited for an eternity in silence, thinking of every possible scenario, getting my mind and feelings ready for the worst, but desperately hoping for the best. A couple of hours later, Mom talked to me on the link. She had news. As soon as I heard her voice, I opened my eyes and stood up from the bed.

—Alban is out of the operation room. It all went well. He is not awake yet, but as soon as he wakes up, I'm sure he will want to talk to you. The doctors said he will heal in about two to three weeks, maybe a month.

—Is he ok? Is he in pain?

I was worried sick, feeling like I was about to puke again.

—He is ok, we promise. Your mate is strong and brave. Quite clever, too. I can see Arjun took so much from him.

—Where's Dad?

—By Alban's side, as he promised he would, waiting for him to wake up. He took that hit instead of your father, you see. I'm sure things will be different for those two from now on. They spent many hours together, and we got to know more about him. You never mentioned he likes to make tricks. He for sure likes to poke King for the fun of it.