The sterile smell of wolfsbane and antiseptic filled my nose as I opened my eyes. Everything hurt. My shoulder throbbed where the silver bullet had torn through flesh and muscle. The healing ward's white walls blurred, then sharpened into focus.
I remembered the gunshot. The way I had thrown myself between the bullet and him. Between death and the Alpha King.
My wolf stirred weakly inside me, confused by my choice. Why had I saved him? After everything he had done to me, every cruelty, every humiliation. The restraining order that kept me from my son. The torture of being separated from Cody.
The answer came quickly. Cody. I had saved Jack Hudson for our pup. Because Cody needed his father, even if that father had destroyed his mother.
The door opened. I turned my head, and my breath caught.
Jack stood in the doorway. The Alpha King himself, tall and imposing with those cold grey eyes that had haunted my nightmares. His dark hair was disheveled, and he wore the same blood-stained clothes from the attack. My blood.
Our eyes met. I felt my expression shift from neutral to hostile. Hatred and pain flooded through me, and I did not bother to hide it. My wolf snarled inside my chest.
He saw my reaction. Good. Let him see what he had created.
"I am so glad that you are awake," Jack said, taking a step closer. His voice was rough, strained. "I have longed to see you open your eyes, Aurora."
I said nothing. Words stuck in my throat like thorns. What was there to say to the man who had made my life a living hell? The man who had taken my pup away from me?
"I am sorry, Aurora. Please forgive me." He moved closer to my bedside, reaching for my hand.
I yanked my hand away before he could touch me. My wolf growled.
"I know I hurt you," Jack continued, his grey eyes fixed on mine. "But I am sorry. It is going to be hard for you, but forgive me. Please, Aurora. Please, forgive me."
His voice broke. I looked at his face and saw moisture gathering in his eyes. The great Alpha King, on the verge of tears.
I turned my head away. I did not want to see this. Did not want to feel anything for him.
What was I supposed to forgive? The torture? The insults and humiliation? The restraining order that kept me from holding my own pup? The way he had ripped Cody from my arms and declared me unfit?
Which one should I forgive first? They were all equally devastating.
"I will give you space for now, Aurora." Jack stood up from beside my bed. "I hope you accept my apologies and forgive me. I promise you that I will never hurt you again. Forever."
He turned to Richard, the pack healer who stood near the window with Nonna. "Is she stable now?"
"She is stable," Richard confirmed, his tone professional. "Except for her injuries."
"Let us talk." Jack gestured toward the private chamber attached to the healing ward.
They disappeared behind the door, leaving me alone with Nonna. My friend immediately moved closer, her blonde curls bouncing as she sat on the edge of my bed.
"Aurora," she whispered urgently. "I cannot believe my eyes. He sobbed and remained in his blood stained clothes for hours. He would not go home or change. And today, his eyes were filled with tears when you were in danger. He was anxious and desperate for you to come around."
I stared at the ceiling. I did not want to hear this.
"I think the guy has changed greatly," Nonna continued. "There is something about him that is different after you were shot in his place."
"I do not want to hear anything about him, please," I said weakly. My shoulder throbbed with each breath. "Can you just do me the favor and not talk about him?"
Nonna fell silent, but I could feel her concern radiating across the bond of friendship. She meant well. She always did. But she did not understand.
In the private chamber, I could hear muffled voices. Jack and Richard talking. I wondered what they were discussing. My injuries? My recovery time? Whether the silver poisoning would leave permanent damage?
The door opened again, and both men emerged. Jack's expression was unreadable, that cold mask he wore so well. But something flickered in his eyes when he looked at me. Something that almost looked like regret.
"Please do whatever you can to help her heal fast," Jack said to Richard.
Richard nodded. "Of course, Alpha King."
Jack walked toward the door, then paused. He turned back to look at me one last time. Our eyes met across the room.
"I meant what I said, Aurora," he said quietly. "I will never hurt you again."
Then he was gone.
The room felt colder without his presence. I hated that I noticed. Hated that some small, broken part of me wanted to believe him.
But I knew better. The Alpha King had made promises before. He had whispered sweet words and vows of forever. And then he had destroyed me without a second thought.
I would not be fooled again.
"Rest now," Richard said gently, checking the IV drip attached to my arm. "Your body needs time to heal from the silver."
I closed my eyes, but sleep did not come easily. My mind kept replaying the moment of the gunshot. The way Jack had held me afterward, begging me to hold on. The desperate fear in his voice.
Had it been real? Or just another manipulation?
Outside the healing ward, I heard voices. Urgent, angry voices. Something was happening in the kingdom. Something that made the guards tense and alert.
Nonna moved to the window, peeking through the curtains. Her face paled.
"What is it?" I asked.
She turned to me, her blue eyes wide with shock. "It is about Clara. And her cousin."
My heart sank. Whatever it was, I knew it would change everything. Again.