Behind Enemy Lines

Chapter 21

**extremely important A/N at the end, please make sure to read it!**

Chapter 21 

I stared into Hayden's blue orbs for hardly half a second before he crashed into me, his muscular arms wrapping me into a warm and soft embrace, so soft that it was sort of hard for me to believe that it was even him. He was gentle with me, though his body shook from the sobs. 

"You're alive," He mumbled into my hair, "My god, you're alive, you're alive, you're alive." 

His worrying brought a smile to my face and I nodded into his shoulder, "Yeah, I am." 

My voice was raspy and my throat dry,  parched from not having any water recently. He pulled back, tears in his eyes as he stared at me with a smile on his face, "D-do you need anything?" 

"Water?" I croaked it out like a question. 

Right away he handed me a glass of water that he took from the bedside table. It was only then that I realized we were in his room, the comforter completely over me as he sat on a chair right next to it. It was also only then that I realized how bloodshot his eyes were, how dark and baggy the circles under them were and how tired and distraught he looked. 

Instead of asking him what I really wanted to ask, I went for something simpler, "How long have I been out?" 

"Three days," He answered, taking my hand in both of his and looking down at them.

"Three days?" I sucked in a breath. It had seemed like it had been only hours that I was dreaming about Selene, the Moon Goddess. 

Hayden nodded in response. 

I looked at him and heard Selene's words ringing through my head and decided I should tell him, "While I was out, well, I dreamt of Selene, the Moon Goddess. She told me that there was another war to come, with rogues, and that-that I had to do whatever I felt was my obligation." 

He pulled my hand close to him and held it to his lips, "I'll stay by your side no matter what, okay?" 

I nodded. 

We lapsed into a moment of silence, Hayden holding my hand close and me just kind of staring off into the distance, though my eyes focused on every detail of his face. 

The way his eyelashes tangled, the way his brows furrowed when he was thinking as hard as he was right now. The lines etched around his eyes from smiling, though that must've been a long time ago. The way that his dark circles made him seem more attractive to me. The way his lips were drawn together in a thin line as if to stop him from saying anything stupid. 

Finally, he looked up and locked his eyes with mine. 

"Did you mean it?" He asked, "Everything you said, that you'd choose me and all of that-- did you mean it?" 

I smiled and put my other hand over his, "Every word of it." 

Looking at him it was as if this huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he was suddenly lighter than air, filled with helium and floating on cloud nine. 

He pulled his hands away, cupped my face, brushing away a few hairs from my face, "You're so incredibly perfect. How was I so lucky to have to Moon Goddess put you with me?" 

"I was thinking the same thing," I mumbled, barely able to get the words out before he capture my lips with his. 

It was slow, tender, needy and passionate all at once. My head was swirling, the thoughts that were just there thrown out the window. I pulled away breathless and he climbed on top of me on the bed, hovering just above my body, leaving just an inch between our bodies that was filled with all of this sexual tension that was built up between us since the very first moment we met. 

His lips were soft yet controlling as they moved in sync with mine. It was as if our brains were the same, because we easily complied with the other. The next thing I know the door is thrown open and Hayden is growling, his lips off mine. 

A man who looked to be in his forties stood there, arms crossed and giving a disdainful look at Hayden, "Please get off my patient so I can check her vitals." 

With a huff and a last peck to the forehead, he slid off of me and back into his chest but never letting go of my hand. 

The man came up to the side of the bed next to me, "Hello, Luna, my name is Charlie, I'm the Pack Doctor. I'm just going to check your wound and make sure the healing process is coming along well." 

"Okay," I agreed, letting him lift up my shirt to look at the skin where I had been stabbed and Hayden squeezed my hand, obviously not thrilled about the idea of another man seeing my skin. I squeezed back and gave him a reassuring smile. 

There was a light pink link stretching across my stomach, but other than that there was nothing wrong with it. Charlie smiled, "Well, you're in excellent health and your recovery is coming along great. I don't see why you can't be up and moving now, as long as you have someone with you at all times in case of any slip up." 

I smiled and Hayden sighed in relief, "Thank you, Charlie." 

"Of course, Hayden, " Charlie acknowledged him, a father-son bond between them. He then turned to me, "I wish you best, Luna." 

"Thank you," I smiled again and he left the room. 

Turning to Hayden, my smile dropped. His face was contorted to an expression of anger and his brows were furrowed, deep in concentration, most likely talking to someone through the pack link. 

Shaking his head, he looked at me, "Don't worry about it. It was Chad; there were no deaths, by the way. After your- uh - Alpha Blackburn, stabbed you, everyone just kind of stopped fighting. No one saw the point, although your pack does think I was the one to do it." 

He gritted his teeth in annoyance. 

"What else is it?" I asked him and he sighed in defeat. I could see right through him. 

"Your family wants to see you," He told me. "More specifically, your body. They don't know you're actually alive." 

~ 

A/N::: SO... I know I just updated... but I have BIG news!! there are only THREE CHAPTERS LEFT AND AN EPILOGUE!!! i'm so sad!!! but, I have great news: 

THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEQUEL! I repeat, THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!!! 

Now, I've been thinking about titles and decided I'd leave it to a vote, so COMMENT WHAT YOU WANT THE TITLE TO BE FROM THE FOLLOWING CHOICES: 

The Lonely

Come Home

Echo

(or Echo of Loneliness)

Hold Me Close

The Battle of Life and Death

*So please please please vote for your favorite and I love you all so much!!