Page 65 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)

Julian

Wrapping my arms around my sleeping Hannah, I take a deep breath and breathe in her scent.

She is alive and safe. The hunters in Ottawa were wiped out, and the rogues and vampires were brought to safety.

I know she is exhausted; I can sense it through the mate bond, and I am glad that she is getting her rest and focusing on healing.

I never thought that going on a royal tour to find my mate would lead me to Hannah.

I never thought that in just two short weeks I would find out she gave birth to our son or that we would have to deal with hunters kidnapping him right away.

Hell, her fucking heat threw me for a loop, and the days we spent after that were just bliss.

Two weeks, and it feels like I have lived a lifetime, all because of the troubles that somehow found my little mate in her pack.

Chuckling, I close my eyes and lean my head back against the pillows that smell like her.

Goddess, I have it bad for her. I want her in every way, but I know I need to bide my time.

She didn’t outright say it, but I can feel how mad and annoyed she is that I marked her.

I can also feel her acceptance that it was to save her life.

Now I wonder how she will feel knowing my wolves and I are leaving tomorrow night to fly to Timmins and confront the Hunters Association there.

I will be working with my wolves, who have infiltrated their operations, to take them out with the help of a local pack.

Aileen knows my plans and has agreed to send Miella with us, as she is familiar with the coven there, which has agreed to help as long as we do not interfere with their feeding off the hunters.

As much as I hate the thought of vampires drinking from humans, I can’t help but agree to their terms, as their assistance in corralling the vampires the hunters have captured will be invaluable.

Opening the link between Fabian, Mikos, and me, I feel them both stir in my mind.

How are the plans for departure? I ask my friends, receiving a sigh from Fabian.

Everyone is ready to go tomorrow night. We are just waiting for news on Hannah, Fabian answers.

I smile, feeling Hannah shift in my arms as she gets comfortable, a slight whimper of pain escaping her as she presses onto her wounded side. Worried, I carefully adjust her so that she is lying on her right side beside me, her arms wrapping around my torso now that she is more comfortable.

She woke up about twenty minutes ago, but she is asleep again, I reply, sensing shock through the mind link from both of my friends.

She woke up? Mikos asks in disbelief, and I smile.

She did. She isn’t happy that I marked her, but she accepts that it was necessary to save her life, I retort.

But Dr. Grace said that she might not wake for seven days. It’s only been two, Fabian exclaims in the link, and I wince.

Fabian, inside voice! Mikos snaps back, thankfully keeping his voice low.

I explain to the two men that I believe marking Hannah and being by her side have kick-started her healing into overdrive; that her being mated to a royal wolf is what helped.

Fabian notes that he has observed Hannah becoming stronger and faster over the last few days since we arrived here on our tour.

He believes that this change in her might also explain her swift healing.

She is strong, my Hannah, and growing even stronger with me by her side.

So, what is the plan for now? I know you want to leave tomorrow night to deal with the hunters up north, but we also have to think about the royal tour we need to finish, Mikos says after silence passes through the link.

I plan to tell Hannah about our departure after Grace comes to see her later, I sigh, trying hard not to yawn both physically and through the link.

I don’t know how she will react, but after dealing with the hunters in Timmins, we need to finish the royal tour and head back to the royal pack, I continue, fighting the urge to curl around Hannah and fall asleep beside her.

Goddess, I am tired. Staying by her side for two days, barely getting an hour of sleep just to make sure she stays alive, has been hell. Now that I know she will be okay, the adrenaline keeping me up has settled, and I just want to sleep with her.

I am not sure how long it will be before I can return to Hannah’s side, but I need to complete my duties first as the alpha king, and she will understand that.

Fabian scoffs at this but doesn’t argue.

I will make sure you have Hannah’s number before we leave so you can call and text her to annoy her ass every day. Goddess knows you’ll be a broody bastard without her in your life, Fabian states, and I chuckle.

He is right, though. Now that I have Hannah marked, I will be antsy and broody until I can have her in my arms and breathe in her sweet scent.

I will just get it from her later. Now, if you need anything to prepare for our departure, Aidan said he would help.

For now, I am going to get some rest and be there for Hannah these next twenty-four hours before we leave.

With this, I shut down the link and carefully pull Hannah closer against me.

She makes a small noise of protest in her sleep, somewhere between a moan and a whimper, before settling, and I can feel my cock twitch.

Goddess, I hope she heals fast because the urge to fuck her senseless since sinking my teeth into her neck has grown.

I never thought I would be this possessive of her, yet the first night after marking Hannah, a male nurse came to inspect her.

I nearly strangled him, not liking an unknown male near my injured and marked mate.

Fabian and Aileen had to pull me off him before I could kill this wolf, and I felt remorseful right away.

It was agreed that only females would be allowed near Hannah until she was awake and able to defend herself.

I know that it was a compromise, as my protective nature toward her would only grow once I bore her mark and completed the mating with her.

Then I would settle down, knowing that she is mine and mine only.

That is, if Hannah agrees to complete the mating with me.

The door to the hospital room opens, and a nurse walks in, her eyes meeting mine as my head instantly snaps in her direction. She pauses, hesitation in her gaze, before she looks down and shows her neck in submission.

“I… I was coming to see how Alpha Cross is,” she stammers out.

I sniff the air, scenting the sincerity in her words, and nod.

“She is asleep now. Come back in about two hours,” I answer her.

The nurse nods before backing out slowly. The room turns quiet again, and I relax back into the bed and close my eyes. I need to get some sleep if I am to take care of Hannah when she wakes up.