Chapter 54 Mate Bond

Chapter 54 Mate Bond
The woods went quiet, except for the soft chirping of birds in the trees above.

I collapsed against the tree, my body shifting back to human form because I was far too weak to hold my wolf. I pressed my back against the rough bark, sliding down into the dirt. My hands were covered in blood as I pressed them tightly against my stomach.

"Please," I cried softly, staring up through the leaves, tears streaming down my pale face. "Please, Moon Goddess... save my babies. Don't let them die... please save them..."

My chest heaved as I tried to breathe through the sharp pain.

Then, the soft sound of dry leaves crunching echoed right beside me in the brush.

My heart stopped. I froze, slowly turning my head toward the noise, praying with everything left in me that it wasn't one of Layla's men coming back to finish the job.

A wave of relief washed over me when I saw Aiden. He didn't notice me at first. He looked around, and when he finally saw me, he rushed over, taking off his jacket immediately to wrap it around my shoulders.

"I need to take you to get medical care now," he said, staring at my stomach.

I groaned softly. "Please save my babies, Aiden," I stammered, feeling myself drifting, because the pain was too much to bear.

Aiden lifted me up from the ground, his hand supporting my legs and his other hand behind my back. "Hang on. Try and keep breathing. We will soon be there."

I tried to do what he said, but as he kept running through the woods, everything started to get blurry and breathing became very hard to do. Tears rolled down my eyes before everything went black.



"It's kind of weird if you ask me," a soft voice woke me up, and I opened my eyes, looking around. The beeping sound coming from beside me gave me the hint that I was in a hospital.

Two ladies sat in a corner discussing, and they obviously hadn't realized that I had woken up.

"Do you think she's his mate?" one girl asked.

"No, I don't think so," the other girl replied. "She came in pregnant, which means she already has a mate."

The ache in my head made me wince as I tried to sit up. My gaze drifted to my stomach, and seeing how flat it was, my heart skipped a beat. "Where are my pups?" I cried out, my hands reaching down to touch my stomach.

The two girls rushed over to where I was. It was then I realized that one of them was dressed as a nurse. "Ma'am, please relax. You need to calm down."

"Where are my pups?" I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Please don't tell me I lost them."

The lady gave me a sympathetic look. "You need to rest, ma'am. Your pups are okay and they're in the next ward."

The ringing in my head made it hard to understand what she had said. I remembered I was only six months pregnant. How could they have been born when it wasn't time yet?

"What did you say?" I asked, just to be sure I wasn't hearing things.

"Yes," the other girl who wasn't in a nurse uniform leaned in. "Yes, though your pups were born prematurely. They're adorable, a boy and a girl."

"Gina, let me do this," the nurse said to the girl before turning back to me. "You need to rest, ma'am. Your pups are fine, but you need to heal, because you were deeply wounded."

"Please, I need to see them," I sobbed, my voice trembling as I tried to swing my legs over the edge of the hospital bed. "Take me to my pups. I need to see if they're okay!"

"Ma'am, please," the nurse said, gently placing her hands on my shoulders to push me back against the pillows. "You can't get up yet. Your pups are in intensive care because they were born so early. They are being watched very closely by the pack doctors, but right now, you need to lie down and let your body heal."

I opened my mouth to argue, a heavy lump forming in my throat, but the sound of the door opening cut me off.

I snapped my head toward the door, and saw Aiden walked in. He didn't look at me right away. Instead, his eyes swept over the room, landing on the two girls.

"Leave us," Aiden said to them, before looking at me.

The nurse and the girl bowed their heads slightly and hurried out of the room, shutting the door softly behind them.

The moment the door clicked shut, I tried to push myself up off the bed again. A sharp, burning pain shot through my lower stomach and ribs, making me wince and drop back onto the sheets with a quiet groan.

"Don't try to move," Aiden said, stepping closer to the side of my bed. His tone was stiff, but his eyes narrowed as he watched me struggle. "You almost bled to death, so your body is still trying to heal."

"Where am I?" I asked, my voice cracking as tears ran down my cheeks. "Aiden, please... I need to see my pups. I need to hold them. Are they really okay?"

"You are in my pack's hospital," Aiden answered, standing tall with his hands resting in his pockets. "And as the nurse must've told you, your pups were born too early. They are in the intensive care unit. They are weak, but they are breathing."

Hearing him say how weak they were made the pain in my chest double. I covered my face with my hands and let out a broken sob. I couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard I tried. My whole body shook on the bed as fear took over me.

Suddenly, a warm hand reached out and wrapped gently around my wrist, pulling my hand away from my face.

Aiden's fingers brushed against my skin. The moment his skin touched mine, a strange wave of warmth rushed through my veins. It was like a sudden spark running straight up my arm. My wolf, who had been crying out in pain inside my mind, instantly went completely silent and calm. A deep sense of relief washed over my body, soothing the sharp ache in my stomach.

My breath hitched. I stopped crying and slowly lifted my eyes to look up at him.

Aiden was staring down at me, his gray eyes searching my face. The bond between us flared, soft but undeniable. I stared at him in complete confusion. Why was I feeling this pull toward him? Why did his touch make my wolf feel so safe, when Alpha Warren was supposed to be my mate?

"Stop crying," Aiden said softly, his voice losing a bit of its stern edge for a single second. "You and your pups are under my protection now. No one will hurt you here."

I kept staring at his face, my heart beating fast against my ribs. I couldn't deny the way his touch made me feel, and the confusion made my head spin even more.

Aiden looked down at where his hand was holding mine. His jaw tightened, and he quickly pulled his hand back, stepping a pace away from the bed. The cold mask returned to his face as he cleared his throat.

"You need to rest," he said, turning toward the door. "I will have someone bring you something to eat."

He turned and began to walk away. "Aiden," I called out softly.

He stopped near the door, turning his head back to look over his shoulder at me.

"Thank you," I whispered, holding the blanket tight to my chest. "Thank you for saving me and my pups."

A tiny, faint smirk touched the corner of his lips. "It's not a crime to help a lady, is it?" he said quietly.

Without waiting for my answer, he pulled the door open and walked out, leaving me alone in the quiet room.