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Chapter 11

Tabitha woke to white. White room, white sheets, white teeth from all the smiles around her. The next thing that registered was the noise. Everyone talked at once, but that wasn’t enough to drown out the beeps of machinery and marching footsteps back and forth in the corridor, the screeching children outside in the waiting room. It was so overwhelming she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of the world.

“Don’t go back to sleep, Mummy. I need you!”

Luna’s wail had her eyes flying back open.

“Luna?” she said, or at least she tried to. All that came out were a few muffled syllables. Something tried to choke her. She stiffened, tried to raise her hands and get the thing from her throat but nurses came in speaking soothingly and, when she was calm, called the doctor to see if he would take it out.

“You’re a very lucky lady,” the doctor said as he removed the tube.

Typically for a doctor, his bedside manner sucked. He hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself before poking and prodding her.

“Most people would have died from that amount of smoke inhalation alone. Let alone the burns and cuts you suffered. Thank the Moon our Alpha ignored the danger and ran in to pull you out. Seconds longer and we wouldn’t have been able to save you.” The doctor’s eyes flashed with pride. Another wolf.

Yes, she thought.And lucky that snarly wolf had a whole pack’s energy to draw on.

When she was finally free of the tube and her visitors allowed back in, Tabitha was content to rest with Luna curled into her right side. The one without twenty million stitches. Ryan sat in a chair as close to her as he could get as he filled her in on her rescue. Tabitha guessed he wouldn’t be letting her out of his sight any time soon. Her daughter had only just fallen into a restless sleep when Jarrad burst through the door.

She glared at him with a finger raised to her lips. Contrite, he stopped. Padded silently towards her. Then picked up her left hand, now minus a ring finger, and kissed the unmarked back tenderly. Her heart fluttered, but she hardened it. One rescue did not change his words or actions from before.

The man would have to earn her trust.

“Tabitha, I’m sorry.” The man didn’t beat around the bush. He took a deep breath and forged on, not waiting for a reply. “Almost the instant that I’d said those things, I knew they weren’t true. I was… scared.”

She turned away. It hurt to look at him. Instead, she looked at her brother, who actually scowled at her before nodding his head towards the other man. She guessed she wouldn’t be looking to him for support with this one.

“And when I thought I’d lost you, and the last things you’d heard from me were—”

She heard him swallow. Tilted her head towards him. A little.

“I thought I’d follow you. If you went, I’d—”

“Idiot!” she snarled, throat sore and voice raspy. Still, it needed to be said. “You’d leave Luna without one of her protectors, because of your guilt. You have a lot to learn about being a parent.”

Hope lit his eyes, though Tabitha wasn’t sure she’d meant it like that. You couldn’t undo a mating, or get rid of the Goddess’ blessing, but trusting him… she might not be able to do that again.

“You’re right,” he said. “I’ve got a lot to learn. But I’m hoping you’ll both come home with me so we can figure it out together.”

Another tug on her heartstrings. The man was dangerously close to making her cave.

“You’ve hurt me, Jarrad. More than these stitches, the broken bones.” She hesitated but forged on. “I trust that you’ll keep me safe, physically. But my heart… I don’t know if I can give that to you.”

“At least say you’ll stay with me for a while. Give me a chance to prove myself. Tabitha,” he swallowed. “I’ll do anything. Give you anything you need.”

“Just say yes, Mummy,” Luna murmured. So much for being asleep. “I want to live with the chickens and play with Cole.”

Warmth filled her, along with irritation at her interfering progeny. She sighed.

“I’ll need time.” She shot Jarrad a warning glace. Luna might be convinced, but Tabitha had a long way to go before she trusted him with her heart. “And space to decide. Can you give me that?”

Jarrad’s smile was a sun breaking through a storm.

“Anything. Whatever you want, just ask.”

A traitorous little kernel of her heart seemed to be already planning her defeat.

She yawned.

“Rest,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ears. “We’ll be here in the morning. And when you can, we’ll all go home together.”

Sounds nice, Tabitha thought as her eyes drifted closed once more. The warm weight of her girl beside her and the strength of the hand in hers lulled her to sleep, safe in the knowledge no one would harm her.