Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven
FRACTURED SILENCE

GABRIELLA'S POV

The air smelled like blood when I finally regained consciousness. The thing was, I wasn’t sure if it was mine or someone else’s. My entire body, right from my abdomen to my entire torso hurt as though a trailer had driven over my body. My mind felt so unclear and it felt like i was drifting from reality, then back to being unconscious.  But I wasn’t dreaming. I knew that because the pain was felt too real and you don't just feel pain in your dream.

I wanted to open my eyes, so as I opened them, the bright light of the room hit me straight in the head like an arrow. I hissed, snapping them back shut. I opened them again and blinked, squinting so i could get a glimpse of the my surroundings. The first thing I saw was Jax’s face above me with a look of worry on his face. I could see his lips moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. 

“Gabriella.” His voice echoed in my ears. I could hear the hint of desperation in his tone. “Look at me.”

I couldn’t. I wanted to, but I couldn’t seem to make my body move. All I felt was numbness, and cold seeping into my bones.

“Gabriella, please.”

His voice cracked, raw, and for the first time, I heard the desperation in it. It was like a punch to the gut. I’d never heard him sound like this before, never heard him so… vulnerable. I tried to force my eyes to focus on him. 

\---

I woke up again, my body shivering. The first thing I registered was the warmth against my skin. I turned my head, my eyes finally clearing. I was lying on a soft surface, a bed.  Jax’s hand was on my arm, his thumb moving slow over my skin. It was meant to be calming, I think, but it felt more like it was burning me. The touch was familiar and strange all at once. It tugged at something deep inside me, something I didn’t have the words for.

I wanted to ask him what happened, why I was here, but nothing came out. The silence was too heavy. Too loud. The air felt weird and thick, like I was standing on the edge of something I couldn’t see. I didn’t remember much and the effort to try and remember what happened before I was knocked out hurt my head badly.

His breath hitched when he saw I was awake. “Hey. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” His voice was rough, like he’d been yelling.

I blinked up at him, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know if I should be grateful or angry. He looked like he’d been through hell, his jaw was clenched tight, his eyes dark and full of something I couldn’t place. He was staring at me like I was the only thing that mattered, like nothing else in the world existed.

I opened my mouth, but the words were stuck. Everything felt off, like there was a wall between us that I couldn’t break down. I wanted to reach for him, but the hesitation held me back.

“Don’t—” Jax started, but his voice cracked again. He took a deep breath, shaking his head like he was trying to push something down. “I’m sorry. You’re hurt. I—I don’t know what happened. But you’re here now.”

I wanted to believe him. I did. But there was something in the way he said it, something that didn’t sit right. Something wasn’t adding up. My fingers twitched at my sides, the urge to sit up, to figure out what was going on, growing stronger.

“I—I need to know what happened,” I finally managed to whisper, my voice hoarse. “I need to know what’s going on.”

Jax leaned back, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “You were attacked.” He said it so simply, like that explained everything. But it didn’t. I remembered flashes, a masked figure, the cold steel of a knife, the pain. But that was all I could hold on to. It was slipping through my fingers like sand.

The words hung in the air between us. He didn’t say anything else, and neither did I. What was there to say? We both knew that whatever was happening was bigger than the two of us. That it wasn’t just about the attack or the USB or the truth. I remembered that. A USB. What had u wanted to do with a USB?

I tried to sit up, but Jax’s hand stopped me. His grip was gentle but firm. “Take it easy,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “You’re still hurt.”

I could feel the truth of it now, the ache in my chest, the burn in my side where the blood soaked through my clothes. I tried not to wince, but it was impossible. Everything hurt. And still, all I could think about was him. How badly I wanted to believe in him, in us. But how could I when everything kept falling apart?

“I didn’t—” I stopped myself, my throat tight with emotion I couldn’t name. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Jax’s eyes flashed, but his expression softened immediately. He leaned in closer, his forehead touching mine for a second. “I know.” His breath was warm against my skin. “I know you didn’t. This isn’t your fault.”

But it felt like it was. It felt like everything was. Because if I hadn’t gone after the USB, if I hadn’t gotten involved, none of this would be happening. If I hadn’t trusted the wrong people, if I hadn’t tried to fix everything… I could have kept us safe. I could have kept him safe.

“Who did this?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Jax’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.” His eyes darkened, the protective instinct in him rising to the surface. “And when I do, they’re going to regret it.”

I nodded slowly, not sure what else to say. The words didn’t seem to matter anymore. His anger was a promise. And I could feel the weight of it. I could hear the promise of something dangerous, something he was willing to do to protect me.

But in the silence that followed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still not safe. That the attack was just the beginning, and that we were both about to be dragged into something much worse than we realized and I prayed that whatever it was, we were going to overcome it. 

\---

A knock at the door broke the moment, and Jax got up fast, his face going hard. He didn’t look at me. Didn’t say a word. Just walked to the door with slow, stiff steps.

My heart skipped. I didn’t even know why.

Maybe it was because I was scared of what was coming.

Or maybe it was because I was scared of what he might do.

The door opened, and someone walked in.

It was Benson.

He looked at me with a quick and sharp glance and there was no kindness in his face. Just cold, business-like eyes.

“I need to tell you something, Alpha,” he said, his voice flat, but concern filled his face. 

Jax turned on him, his fists clenched, his body rigid. “Not now.”

But Benson didn’t back down. He stepped forward, his expression unreadable. “It can’t wait.”

I felt a shiver of unease crawl up my spine.