Chapter 14 Chapter 0014
•CASSANDRA•
The machine's beeping woke me up.
It was slow and steady, and it took a moment before I understood where I was. My eyes opened, but everything felt heavy.
My head hurt, and my body felt stiff, like I had been lying still for a long time. When I tried to move, my head spun, and I felt dizzy.
“Easy,” a voice said. “You’re in the hospital.”
I blinked and stared at the ceiling. Machines beside the bed. Tubes connected to my arm. Panic rushed through me all at once.
“What happened?” I asked. My throat felt dry.
A doctor stepped closer. He looked calm, but serious. “You were brought unconscious after an accident. You had some injuries, but nothing life-threatening. But you healed faster than I expected. We might discharge you later today."
Then it hit me.
I was banished, and while trying to find a way out of the woods, a car came speeding out of nowhere, and all the lights went out.
My son... Rowan... his voice calling Nadia his mother was still fresh in my memory. How he rushed into her arms and embraced her in front of me.
A lot of things happened at once. My brother and uncle lied about me and told me I wasn’t welcome back home.
They all turned their backs on me, including Mason. The man I trusted with all my heart. He betrayed me and broke my heart more than anyone had ever done.
"Where am I?"
"You're in Beverly Hills Hospital," he answered. A human territory, great. "Luckily, you were brought in before anything could happen to you and the baby."
The room went quiet for a moment. The beeping machines and hallway footsteps were suddenly muffled.
"What baby?" My heart hammered in my chest, thinking that maybe there was a child on the road when the car hit me.
The thought of it causes my chest to twist painfully. "Where is the child? Are they okay?"
"Ma'am, you're pregnant," he replied, glancing at his clipboard. "You're estimated to be around five weeks. Given the trauma, you will need bed rest until the pregnancy reaches at least thirteen weeks."
My hands started shaking. Pregnant. The word didn’t feel real. I tried to think back, but my thoughts were scattered.
"No," I scoffed. "I can't be pregnant. I would've known if I were pregnant. There must be a mistake somewhere."
"We ran tests, and they confirmed that you're very much pregnant, ma'am," he replied. "A nurse will come with your pregnancy prescription letter." He turned around, walked to the door, and left.
My world was spinning for a moment. I couldn't believe that I was carrying Mason's child after he had banished and called me a traitor.
'Lyra, did you know?' I asked her, closing my eyes, letting the tears I was holding fall to the pillow.
'Yes,' she answered. 'I didn't want to alert you because it would've put our pup at risk. A lot was going on at Silvercrest, and I didn't want us to decide things irrationally.'
'I am banished, Lyra,' I sobbed. 'How am I going to raise the pup in the human territories? They will be in danger!'
'We will protect her with our lives, Cassandra,' she answered, and my heart instantly started beating.
'It's a girl?'
'Yes, it is. She is our new start, Cass,' she replied. 'We may not have a pack, but we have a family now. Dante found us when we needed him the most.'
The door swung open before I could answer her. The doctor walked in with someone behind him, and the moment he came into view, my heart jumped.
Dante was my old friend back home in Goldenmane Court. We went to school together and had the same goals before my uncle arranged my marriage to Mason.
We were supposed to go to Washington together to further our studies at a human medical school.
But my uncle told me that the future of our pack and Silvercrest rested on my shoulders. And after everything they had done for me and Damon, I felt like I owed them that much.
I agreed to marry Mason and be his Luna. At first, I thought our marriage would be civil, but when it turned out he was my mate, I placed all my dreams on hold.
Dante left and finished his studies, while I stayed behind, raising my son, Rowan.
"This is the man who saved your life and brought you to the hospital," the doctor informed me. "He stayed the entire night waiting for you to wake up."
"Dante..." I whispered, shocked and in disbelief that it was truly him. I never thought I'd see him again.
Every time I saw his name on TV about the number of people he had saved, it made me proud, and also sad that I might never congratulate him in person.
Then suddenly, he was here...
"Seems like the two of you know each other. I guess I'll leave you to catch up." The doctor gave us one last look, then quietly left, closing the door behind him.
The room felt different after that. Smaller. More real.
Dante stepped closer to the bed, his eyes fixed on me. “Cass,” he whispered. “You’re awake.”
I swallowed hard. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
"You were in my way," he answered, chuckling as he leaned forward. "My goodness, I almost took you back to Silvercrest, and then I heard hunters gossiping about your banishment. I had no choice but to bring you here."
"Oh yeah, about that..." I sighed, pushing my head against the pillow.
"Why didn't you call me, Cassandra?" He frowned. "I would've come a long time ago to you. I wouldn't have let them leave you in the woods."
I cleared my throat, rubbing the spot where the silver chain had been clasped around my neck. "I didn’t know I'd be banished. Everything happened suddenly."
"Don't worry, you and your child will be safe with me," he answered, looking at me. "Mason will never hurt you again."