Chapter 36 THIRTY-SIX
"Sam! SAM!" Raven shouted as he entered the hospital, carrying Brienne in his arms. His Beta followed closely behind him. Sam hurried out of his office and ran toward them.
"Alpha," Sam said, his voice filled with concern.
"Sam, she's in shock. Please check on her," Raven said urgently. Sam glanced at Brienne, then back at Raven, noticing the blood on his side.
"Alpha, you're injured," Sam said, his tone worried.
"I don't care about me. Just take care of Brienne," Raven insisted, his voice desperate. Sam nodded quickly.
"Please follow me," Sam said, hurrying toward an empty room. Raven followed quickly and gently laid Brienne on the bed. Carter handed him a towel, his expression tense with worry.
"What happened?" Sam asked as he began examining Brienne, his hands moving quickly but carefully.
Raven sank into a chair, his face pale as he pressed the towel against his side. He winced as a sharp pain shot through his wound.
"She found out," Raven said quietly, his voice filled with regret. "And... she didn’t take it well," he added, his shoulders slumping with guilt.
"Ready yourself, Alpha. Once she's awake, you need to explain it to her," Sam said.
"Is she okay? She just... fainted. I didn't mean to frighten her," Raven whispered, concerned. Sam was calmly checking Brienne's pulse.
"She'll be fine. Fainting from shock isn't uncommon, especially if someone's body is already under some strain," Sam replied. Raven frowned.
"What do you mean? She was perfectly healthy before. Is something wrong?" Raven asked. Same pauses and heaved a sigh. He cast a thoughtful glance at Brienne, recalling their previous conversation. He then turned to Raven with a slight smile.
"Not wrong. Just...an adjustment her body is making. It's nothing harmful—actually, it's quite remarkable. It might even explain why her reaction to stress was a little stronger than usual," Sam answered. Raven, confused, narrowed his eyes.
"Remarkable? Adjustment? What the hell are you talking about, Sam? I'm not following you," Raven frustratingly said. Sam cleared his throat, sensing the Alpha might snap anytime soon.
"Well, these things are better discussed when she's awake. But let's just say... you might want to start getting used to hearing the word 'parent' in the near future," Sam said with a knowing tone. Raven blinked, realization dawning on his face as his expression shifted from annoyed and confused to astonishment.
"Parent? Are you saying—?"
"Let's wait until she wakes up. I believe Luna should be the one to share this information with you. So you better tell her everything," Same said, interrupting Raven.
Raven looked at Brienne. He stood up and nearly embraced Brienne, but Sam intervened and stopped him.
"Are you forgetting that you're injured, Alpha? Let's go to the next room. I will clean and stitch that," Sam said and pulled Raven away. "Nurse Kaye, please take care of Luna Brienne for me," he added and smiled at the young nurse while Raven stared into space absentmindedly.
Sam cleaned and stitched the wound as he had said, then handed Raven a hospital gown. Arthur and Cecil rushed to the hospital upon hearing what happened.
"Raven, son!" Cecil pulled Raven into a hug. Raven winced, and Arthur had to gently intervene, easing her away.
"Cecil, he's hurt," Arthur whispered. Cecil looked at her son and sniffled a sob.
"Where's Brienne? Is she okay?" Cecil asked.
"She's in the room next to mine," Raven said.
"Alright, stay here with your father. "I will go to my daughter-in-law," Cecil said, leaving her husband and son behind. Arthur shakes his head and sits on the chair.
"How bad was it?" Arthur asked.
"Very bad," Raven replied. "She called me a monster," he added and clenched his hand.
"You shouldn't have delayed telling her the truth. I don't want to blame you, son, but look at what happened. Do you think she'll forgive you?" Arthur said.
"Fck," Raven cursed.
"Relax; I've taken care of our rogues issue." They have been completely annihilated. I will make sure to find out who ordered it," Arthur said.
"How was our men?" Raven asked.
"Three of our warriors died. They're the guards stationed on the East border where the attack began," Arthur replied. Raven gritted his teeth in anger. Three of his pack members lost their lives as a result of the rogues who sought to harm them. "Your mother and I will be officiating the burial of the fallen warriors," he added.
"Dad..." Raven said. "Thank you, and I'm sorry," he added.
"What are you sorry for? You're doing your best in leading our pack. I couldn't ask for more. Just focus on Brienne," Arthur said and crossed his arms.
"Thanks, Dad," Raven said and smiled.
"This isn't free, son," Arthur said, making Raven chuckle. "Make sure that Brienne will accept you. Do everything you can. She's the woman we want to be our daughter-in-law," he added, smiling.
"I’ll do everything, Dad," Raven said firmly. If Brienne was indeed pregnant with his child, he knew he had to take responsibility. He was ready to fix things, even if it will take a long time.
"Good," Arthur said. Once Cecil had visited Brienne, they both returned home to prepare for the burial. While Raven moved into Brienne's room. The wound he had sustained was already healing, thanks to the werewolves' regenerative capabilities he had.
Raven sat on Brienne's bed, held her hand, and kissed it.
"Darling... I'm sorry," he began. "I'm an idiot. I should not have hidden the fact that I'm a werewolf, and now I hurt you; I couldn't forgive myself," he added and intertwined their fingers.
"Darling, why did you hide from me about your condition?" he asked as if Brienne could hear him. "I'm really sorry, darling. I promise I will explain everything to you, and I hope you forgive me," he added and lay next to her until he fell asleep.
Bright red eyes stared at Brienne, yet she couldn't move. Her whole body froze as the wolf approached her, growling. Its sharp teeth bared at her.
"N-No... please..." Brienne begged and stepped backward, but the wolf continued to march toward her. To her horror, the wolf slowly changed into a human, and she did not expect who it was.
"R-Raven..." she whispered.
"Brienne..."
"Go away, m-monster!" Brienne cried out, her voice trembling as she jolted awake. She gasped, her wide eyes darting around until the white walls and ceiling made her realize she was in a hospital.
Turning her head, she noticed Raven sleeping peacefully in the bed beside her. The nightmare she had just experienced left her so shaken that she instinctively sat up, startling Raven awake. He looked at her, concern evident in his eyes, as she tried to calm her racing heart.
"Darling..." Raven called and stood up.
"D-Don't... Don't come near me," she said. Brienne saw the hurt in Raven's eyes, but she turned her gaze away.
"I need Janice," she said, panicked. "Please, c-call Janice," she added. Raven clenched his hand into a fist and took his phone out. He dialed Janice's number while looking at Brienne.
"Nice, I'm sorry for calling you this late. Brienne needs you... No, I will have my men fetch you... Yes, thank you," Raven said and ended the call.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice filled with regret. "I never meant to hide the truth about werewolves' existence from you. I was afraid you'd hate me, and I couldn’t bear that," he admitted, taking a deep breath.
"I’ll leave this room if it helps you feel better, but I won’t give up. I’ll apologize every single day," Raven said firmly. He turned and began to walk toward the door, but just before leaving, he paused and glanced back. His smile was faint, filled with sadness.
"I love you," he said softly, leaving Brienne stunned and unable to respond as he quietly stepped out of the room.