Page 11

Summer POV

I woke up to the sound of dripping water. Was there a leak in the roof? I had to look at that after my chores this morning. Mold spread quickly and could make Grayson sick. Mentally, I went over my to-do list for the day, and I opened my eyes,

But I wasn’t in my room at my aunt’s house. For the third time in my life, I woke up in a hospital bed, confused and unsure how I got here.

Where’s my son? Is he safe?

Panic threatened to overwhelm me, but I forced myself to calm down and remember how I ended up in this hospital room. After I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, an image of Gabriel and Axel crashing through a window burst into my mind. This triggered my memories to come back to me all at once: finding out about my father's attack, seeing Gabriel for the first time in six years, Gabriel and then Axel finding out about Grayson, and the three of us fighting each other in our wolf forms. The last thing I remembered was Axel biting into my shoulder.

Why had Axel been so aggressive? Sure, finding out that his brother and ex-girlfriend slept together couldn’t have been easy to hear, and in a way, I even understood him thinking he was in the right to punch Gabriel. But he didn’t even stop to talk things through with Gabriel. Axel had been the one to cheat on me, and it had been six years since we had spoken. Could he really be that mad to risk his role as Beta of the pack?

Although my father had told me that there had been a rumor floating around WaterLock that Axel wasn’t going to be named Beta, even though he was destined to inherit the role. Sometimes, rumors had no merit to them, though. I was proof of that.

I examined my body, trying to assess how badly I was hurt. I was wearing a pale pink hospital gown. Did a healer put the gown on me when I was unconscious? When I tried to move, my shoulder screamed in protest. I hissed through the pain.

The dripping sound came from my right again, and my eyes traveled to a skinny tube in my arm attached to a clear bag filled with yellow liquid. There were two chairs next to my bedside, and they were the same cream color as the ones in the lobby.

Was my dad in a room similar to mine? Had there been any change to his condition? Did he wake up and wonder why I wasn’t at his bedside?

I glanced around for a button to call a healer or one of their helpers.

But before I could, my heart began to race and my breathing became erratic.

What the hell?

Was I having a delayed reaction from waking up after I fainted? Was I having a heart attack? Why was my body so overly excited? Why did it seem like something amazing was about to happen?

“Gabriel! If you don’t get back in bed right now, I’ll tackle you,” a voice warned from outside my door.

I recognized the voice as belonging to Healer Nia.

“You wouldn’t dare tackle a patient with head trauma,” Gabriel countered.

There was a shuffling sound, and I imagined Gabriel dodging Healer Nia’s outstretched hand.

The door to my room swung open, and Gabriel rushed in with a frantic glint in his eyes.

When he saw that I was awake, he let out a deep sigh.

My skin heated when he strode to my bedside.

“Summer, I’m so glad you’re okay.” He reached for my hand but hesitated when he saw my weary expression.

“Where’s my son?” I asked.

“He’s fine. No one was injured in the fight besides you and me,” Gabriel assured me.

Some of the tension in my shoulders lessened, but my heart didn't slow down.

“Can I examine my patient now, please?” Healer Nia asked Gabriel while she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Her tone was almost as sharp as her cheekbones.

My fondness for the healer grew.

I took a moment to study her since I hadn’t had a chance during all the chaos last night. She was gorgeous. Healer Nia had smooth, dark skin, wide brown eyes, and a confident aura about her that made me glad she was the one in charge of my father's care. She had a long, faded scar across her neck that only made her more striking.

Gabriel waited outside as Healer Nia checked my vitals and assured me that an accelerated heart rate was normal for someone who just woke up from a traumatic event because of the nerves and confusion. I wasn't sure that was why my heart was racing, though.

She also told me that my shoulder wound was already getting better, thanks to the accelerated healing of a shifter. Our injuries mended much faster than a human’s. If our wounds weren’t life-threatening, most of them would mend overnight. But our scars from bites of other shifters would never fully disappear like our regular scars did. It was almost like the magic within us that allowed us to shift into our wolf forms, wanted us to remember an injury from another wolf. That way, we would train harder, so it never happened again.

Healer Nia wanted to keep me overnight to monitor me. When she told me I’d always have a scar, I glanced down at the Rogue's faded bite mark on my arm.

Anger tore through me.

I was full of scars from men.

Healer Nia excused herself, and Gabriel walked back in, followed by my mom. He waited in the corner of the room while my mother came to me and held my hand.

“Grayson is fine,” was the first thing she said.

The leftover tension seeped from my body. Although Gabriel had already said my son was safe, the assurance was different coming from my mother.

“Aunt Mia?” I asked. “And Dad? How’s Dad?”

“Your aunt is safe. Healer Nia said that you’re going to have to spend the night here, so Gabriel found us an extra room to sleep in tonight. Grayson is already fast asleep.” A look of happiness flitted across her face, but it faded and was replaced with one of deep sadness. “Your father is…stable. For now. I went in to see him, and it was…” She swallowed and closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. “But you need to focus on recovering, and you can see him tomorrow.” She patted my hand, and her lips turned up in a watery semblance of a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

I wanted to tell my mom that her husband of almost thirty years would be all right, but I didn’t want to make a promise I couldn’t keep.

I squeezed her hand, knowing that wasn’t enough, but it was the only small comfort I could give her.

“What did you tell Grayson about what happened?”

Although I wanted nothing more than to hold my son in my arms, it would be selfish of me to wake him up.

“Just that you got hurt, but not as badly as his Grandpa. I promised him that he would be able to see you tomorrow morning. Now, get some rest, sweetheart. I love you.”

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

When my mom turned, she jumped a little when she noticed Gabriel was still in the room with us.

“I was hoping I could speak with you, Summer,” he said.

My mother stepped to the side, blocking me from Gabriel’s view.

“She needs to rest,” my mom said firmly. “If Summer wants to, she will speak with you in the morning.”

I laid a hand on my mom’s arm.

“It’s okay. I want to talk to him,” I said.

She looked back at me.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Go get some sleep, Mom. I’m sure you’re exhausted. We can all visit Dad together in the morning.”

After a moment’s hesitation, my mom nodded.

“We’re staying in the room across the hall,” my mom told me. “Call out if you need anything.” She looked pointedly at Gabriel.

“Thank you, Mom,” I said, trying to convey through my expression that I appreciated her trying to protect me.

But Gabriel and I had to have this overdue conversation.

Once my mom left, Gabriel sat in the chair by my bedside.

We were silent for a couple of minutes. Even though Gabriel had been one of my best friends growing up, and he was the father of my child, we hadn’t seen each other for six years. And the last time I’d seen him was when he broke our bond.

I played with the white blanket covering me, trying to figure out what to say.

“Grayson,” Gabriel breathed out, making my head jerk up. “That’s what you and your mom said. Our son’s name is Grayson.”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“He’s five?”

I cleared my throat and nodded.

Gabriel ran his hands through his hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant, Summer? All those letters I wrote to you…Did you not read any of them? I’ve been trying to get in contact with you ever since you left.”

My stomach burned with rage.

“Why didn’t I tell you? Hm, let’s think about it,” I said sarcastically and tapped my pointer finger against my chin in mock thought. “Maybe it was because before I could get the words ‘I’m pregnant’ out of my mouth, you rejected me as your Mate!”

Gabriel’s mouth dropped open.

“That’s what you were going to tell me the night of graduation?” he asked in astonishment.

“What did you think I was to tell you?” I snapped and rolled my eyes.

“I thought you were going to tell me you were sick. That’s where I thought you were all these years. Your father told me that you were severely ill and were being taken care of by a talented healer up north,” Gabriel explained.

“Oh. Yes, well, I guess I can see why you thought I was sick,” I admitted reluctantly and looked away from him. “It was my parents' idea. They were scared I might be exiled if anyone were to discover Grayson was yours. And, honestly, they were probably right. My going away was the Best option to keep Grayson and me safe. And you, for that matter. I don’t think we could have found a solution to keep all of us from being exiled for breaking pack law, even if you gave me a chance to tell you about my pregnancy the night you rejected me.”

Gabriel's face grew somber.

“You’re probably right about it being the safest option. But I am so incredibly sorry that you had to care for Grayson all by yourself,” Gabriel said. “I’m sure being a single mother and being away from your home was one of the hardest things you had to do. From now on, if it’s all right with you, I want to have a relationship with Grayson. I want to provide and care for him like a father should. Like any parent should.”

My first instinct was to tell him no. Gabriel rejected me. He shattered my heart and left me to glue the pieces back together on my own. I wasn't going to allow him to do the same thing to our son.

But was it right to keep Grayson away from his father? Was that fair to do to my son? I went back and forth with myself until my head was pounding. Right now, I couldn't make a concrete decision on this.

“We can talk about you meeting Grayson…later. With kids, you have to take these things slow. I don’t want him to be overwhelmed. Especially with everything else going on in his life,” I said.

“I understand. You know what’s best for him.”

We were quiet for a moment, and then Gabriel scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I'm a fool for rejecting you,” he said quietly.

Anger made my stomach churn.

Really? Is that all he has to say? This man broke our Mating bond and all he can say is that he's a fool?

My anger turned into something even worse.

Pain.

I didn't want to feel sad about Gabriel rejecting me as his Mate. My resentment for him was easier to confront than the agony he had made me experience.

“No arguments here.” I crossed my arms and lifted my chin.

His lips twitched.

Gabriel and I shared a look, and my breath caught in my throat.

I scanned his face, truly taking him in, noting the small differences six years had made.

What would it be like to kiss him now that he has a beard?

My heart quickened, and my gaze fell to his lips for a fraction of a second.

Gabriel noticed, and his expression darkened with desire.

With effort, I tore my eyes away from his and looked down at my hands.

Why the hell was my body reacting this way to him? Gabriel had broken our bond. So, why did it still seem like our souls were connected? Was it just because I’d spent my whole life loving him, even these past five years when I hated him, too? I didn’t want to crave his touch. I didn’t want to remember what his soft yet firm lips felt like on mine.

Unhelpfully, my mind conjured up the memory of Gabriel shirtless, wearing only loose black sweatpants. What did his body look like now? Was the V-cut in his hips even deeper?

Stop.

Nothing romantic could ever happen between Gabriel and me again. The animosity and anger I held for him just went too deep. When I had needed him most, he had broken my heart and sent me away from the only home I’d ever known.

I let out a long, slow breath and made a promise to myself that I’d never allow Gabriel back into my heart.

I had to change the subject. I needed to think about something else other than the fact that my intense attraction to Gabriel hadn’t faded with time.

“What happened with Axel after I fainted?” I asked the question I’d been avoiding. “Do you know why he was so aggressive? His attacking us couldn’t have been just because he found out you and I slept together six years ago…could it?”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and his brows furrowed.

“Axel ran away like the coward he is,” he said. “And I do have a theory about why Axel reacted the way he did. I had asked him to meet me tonight because I was going to tell him that when I became Alpha, he wasn’t going to be named my Beta.”

I gasped.

“Why?”

“Axel is away from the pack for weeks at a time,” Gabriel said and scrubbed a hand down his face. “For the past few years, I’ve noticed that he’s not interested in helping improve our pack or even in the people of WaterLock. Axel is like my brother, but we’ve really drifted apart. The only time he ever talks to me is to ask for money. Then, last week, my mom invited Axel and me over for dinner, and I caught him sneaking around in my dad’s home office. When I confronted him, he didn’t have a good excuse. Tonight, I was going to tell him that in order to stay in WaterLock, I was going to conduct a formal investigation on him to make sure he hasn’t turned traitor.”

Cold fear settled into my stomach.

“You can’t mean…” I trailed off and rubbed the scar on my arm.

“Yes. As he was making his escape, Axel spoke to me through our mind link. He told me that he would get revenge on me, and then couldn’t help bragging about the kind of connections he has. I think he’s been working with the Rogues for a while now. I think Axel was angry about finding out we slept together, but I think he was going to leave our pack either way tonight.”

“You think Axel is going to join forces with the Rogues?” I asked with horror seeping into my voice.

“Yes, I do.” A muscle ticced in his jaw.

His murderous glare made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, even though it wasn’t directed at me.

“But I don’t believe Axel will stop there. I think that once he joins the Rogues, he is going to share all of WaterLock’s secrets to help them take over our pack.”