Chapter 19
HAYDEN'S P.O.V
The world is too cruel for happy endings.
Her words bounced around my head, ringing in my ears. It was true; and the world was also a sick son of a bitch that I wished she could still stand on, alive.
I leaned over, resting my forehead atop of her own, "Please, come back to me, Arleigh, please! I love you..."
But it didn't work, her heartbeat remained nonexistent and she was not breathing, her lungs not filling with the air that she needed to survive. She was dead, f*cking dead, because I didn't come with her when she came after Olivia-- no, she wasn't dead because of me. She was gone because her stupid, f*cking excuse for a father had stabbed her with a silver dagger.
He should've just stabbed me through the heart, it would've hurt less than losing Arleigh, my sweet, beautiful, innocent, stubborn Arleigh.
I raised my head and turned around as I heard ruffling. Alpha Blackwell was regaining consciousness and sat up, looking slightly dazed. His eyes flickered to Arleigh's bod-- corpse-- and regret immediately washed over his features.
The son of a bitch should feel guilty.
Standing up, my fists clenched, all I could see was red and all I wanted to do was rip off his limbs on by one and forcefeed his own flesh to him.
A shattering howl, a feral growl, and I was on top of him, my claw holding his neck. He was already healed from the last time I tore into him.
I raked my claws down the side of his face, along his arms, across his chest, but not too deep. He would die painfully and slowly, the correct punishment for murdering his daughter, my mate.
Arleigh.
Raising my hand, I readied myself for the final strike, slowly and deep throughout the neck, when I froze.
There it was, the thump of a heart pumping blood through the rest of a body. More specifically, her body.
In a flash, I was off of Alpha Blackwell and back at her side, holding her hand and feeling her wrist. I could feel it and hear it. I couldn't help it, I gasped. I didn't know how, didn't even think it was possible, but her heart was beating again. She wasn't dead yet.
GET HERE NOW! I roared to the pack doctor through the mind link, I received and answer right away and he arrived within two minutes. Scooping up Arleigh in my arms, I found myself stopping at the sight of Olivia. She looked petrified.
"Olivia," I spoke gently.
She jumped a mile and I could feel the hurt course through me.
A groan reached my ears and I looked down to find Gemma, torn up, at my feet.
"Take care of her and meet me in the house in ten minutes," I snapped at the doctor, "and bring Olivia."
He nodded and taking in a deep breath, I began the trek back to the house, which didn't take much time at all.
Lying her down gently in my bed, I lifted her shirt a little bit to look at the stab wound. It was healing like any other wound would, which was strange, but I had no way of knowing whether or not the inside was healing. I didn't have a single clue if my mate would be alright or not.
My hope had been restored when I heard her breathing again, her heartbeat thumping, no matter how slow it was, because it was there. I don't think I'd be able to handle losing her again within the same day.
"Out," the doctor, Charlie, ordered the second he stepped into my room. I growled and he sighed, "Alpha, I apologize, but I cannot do my work with you in here. You will either question me, yell at me or kill me."
Looking at her, her frail body lying lifeless on my bed, I sighed and nodded. Exiting the room, I slid down the exterior of my bedroom door, my head in my hands between my knees. I don't know what I'll do if he can't save her.
I'd most likely lose my mind.
It felt like hours upon end, sitting outside of my room while the doctor inspected her and tried to save her and who knows, maybe it was hours and hours long. It felt like an everlasting eternity that I was stuck in and had no way of getting out. It was as if I was cornered by fear and love and concern all at once.
Every emotion I had kept bottled up just came barreling at me all at once the second I had seen her on her knees with the bloody silver dagger.
At times I would try to listen through the door but gave up, if it was bad, I don't think I wanted to hear it.
Finally, Charlie opened the door, "Come in, Alpha."
I stepped in immediately and rushed over to Arleigh, taking her hand in mine.
"It's a miracle her heart's still beating and that she's still breathing. She was practically brain-dead," He tells me.
"Was?" I question.
He sighs and nods, "Well, you see, when I first checked her over, she was unresponsive to everything, but the third time she responded to a recording of your voice. Her lips twitched. I've checked her vitals and healing and it's truly astonishing.
Her wounds have completely healed, both internally and externally. There's only one problem left."
My mood had been picked up greatly,
I even felt my heart starting to piece itself back together with the news that she was healing like normal but his words scared me.
"What is that?" I asked cautiously, nervous to hear the answer.
Charlie frowned, looking at Arleigh, "She's in a coma, unresponsive but still alive and functioning. Right now it isn't clear if she'll wake up soon or not or if she'll wake up at all."
My stomach dropped, "You mean, there's a chance she couldn't wake up?"
He didn't reply for a minute.
"I'm saying there's a small chance she will wake up," he frowns and looks down before looking back up at me. "The truth of it, Alpha, is that it's up to her whether it not she wakes up. With the fact that her own father stabbed her, do you think she'd want to come back?"
"I hope so. What's the exact percentage of the odds that she will wake up?" I asked him, my curiosity getting the best of me. In all honesty, I didn't actually want to hear the answer, but I needed to know.
Charlie spoke somberly, "There's a three percent chance, Alpha."
And with this six words, my heart shattered again, and this time into more tiny, sharp, wounding pieces than every before.
~
a/n: so.. How about that? Sorry it's so short, school started last week and I'm already so stressed with all honors to please give me a break if my updates are short or if I skip a week. Love you all!!
SPOILER: a dream and a choice made
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Behind Enemy Lines
Werewolf"I don't trust you," I told him, refusing to go. He smirked, "You shouldn't." Arleigh Blackburn has always dreamed of the day she would meet her mate. She imagined he would be her knight in shining armor, smiling down at her with love in his ey...
