Trigger Warning: There is mention of child loss in this chapter. Reader discretion is advised.
\[Rosco’s POV\]
I don’t speak as Denali’s expression shifts from hopeful to annoyed. Clearly, she wasn’t happy with my response, but right now, the only thing I was concerned with was her getting better and out of this hospital. Anything else aside from that was secondary.
“I can just not agree,” I try when she continues to not speak. “If you don't..."
“No!” She gasps, shifting her expression instantly. “No, that’s fine. I’ll focus on healing, and then we can start.”
“That’s a good girl." I grin, taking a seat on the bed beside her and smiling. “If you only know how scared I truly was when I found you in that burning building and watched you get whisked away by the doctors.”
“I can imagine,” she says quietly. “I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.”
“Trouble?” I repeat in disbelief. “You haven’t done such a thing. The ones who are plotting against you are the ones that have done that, but don’t worry, I will find them, and I’ll make sure they experience a slow and painful death.”
Even if the one who started the fire was dead, we managed to find his computer and phone. All it took now was for Charlie to search through them and find all the messages. Of course, we expected those messages to be from fake accounts, but there were cameras all over, and if we could ping a location, we could see who was in that area.
At this point, I only hoped that we would find them sooner rather than later so that Denali would be safe. Until then, I would have to be on guard.
“Do you really think they were targeting me?” She asks quietly, causing my anger to spike at how fucking innocent she was. “What if they were targeting you?”
“Then there were better opportunities to take me out.”
There was no fucking way that they were after anyone other than Denali, and I was sure it was because of her place beside me and her true position in Emerald Moon. Until this point, she was hidden, and the world didn’t know that she existed, so those who wanted to keep her down didn’t have anything to worry about. However, things were different now, and I had an idea of who was behind all of this, but I needed absolute proof to do anything.
“Don’t worry yourself over any of this, princess,” I murmur, leaning down and kissing Denali’s lips. “Leave this all to your man.”
“My man,” she repeats, her eyes darkening. “I like the sounds of that, but I don’t quite like princess.”
“No?”
“Nope,” she giggles. “Instead of princess, shouldn’t it be something else?”
“Something else?” I repeat, raising a brow. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. You figure it out.”
For a moment, I don’t speak as I take in the desire that is beginning to color her features, and if it weren’t for the fact that I knew that I would hurt her if I dared do anything, I would attack.
“You need to be good, mi reina.” I husk, getting comfortable on the bed beside her. “You’ve just had surgery.”
“I’ll be fine,” she argues, wriggling around so her body is pressed against mine. “I’m not that fragile.”
“Maybe not, but you almost died.”
As the words leave my lips, images of her laying there, unmoving and injured, flash through my mind, causing my heart to plummet while I relive that fear and hurt all over again.
“I almost lost you, and I’ll be damned if I do anything that may counteract your healing process. As much as I want to rip this fucking gown off of you and fuck you, I can’t and I won’t. Now, be good and try to get some sleep.”
Cuddling closer, I lay my chin on the top of Denali’s head while she quietly stews over not being able to get her way. I had to admit that it was cute that she was finally acting selfish, but I still wanted more. I wanted to see her throw a tantrum and act like a brat so that I could punish her afterwards. Fuck, I needed to calm down; I wasn’t helping myself at all.
“Goodnight, mi reina,” I murmur, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Nodding, Denali cuddles closer to me and lets out a long breath before drifting off. It’s only when I’m sure that she is asleep that I untangle myself from around her, head out of the room, and pull out my phone so I can give Charlie a call to check and see if he has found anything.
“Patience,” is the first thing he says when he answers. “I’m not a miracle worker, you know.”
“You better work some of those miracles if you don’t want me to cut your fucking dick off.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he counters. “If I don’t keep the women satisfied, then they’ll come to bother you.”
Grimacing, I find myself wanting to argue, but I know as well as he does that all those she-wolves roaming about Crystal Fang would gladly bother me if Charlie wasn’t there to keep them entertained.
“Have you not found anything?” I sigh, leaning against the wall. “I want things handled by the time Denali is released from the hospital.”
“I don’t think that will be possible, boss,” Charlie responds. “So far, I haven’t been able to find any traces of the one responsible.”
“Fuck,” I hiss. “Have you already spoken to my father about delivering my things to the hospital for the time being so I can stay with Denali?”
“I have,” he confirms. “He will have things delivered in the morning, but are you sure your wife wants you glued to her side like that? Even women need their personal space.”
“Like it or not, I’m not leaving,” I growl. “I’ll conduct work here.”
And when Denali was released, I would continue working from home. I could only hope that by the time she was fully healed, we had the person responsible.
“Who would have thought you would be such a doting husband?" Charlie chuckles.
“Watch it,” I warn. “You haven’t become official beta yet, but I can choose another.”
“You wouldn’t,” he laughs. “You love me too much.”
“Fuck you.”
Letting out an annoyed growl, I hang up and prepare to go back to Denali’s room, but stop as I feel a familiar presence making his way toward me.
“Why are you here?" I growl as Roger makes his way toward me. “And why the fuck do you even know she is here?”
Roger and Beatrice were my top suspects for all of this, especially since Denali was now aware of her birthright. And for him to be here when no one fucking called him, it just made him even more suspicious.
“My daughter is in the hospital,” he points out, attempting to go into the room but stopping as I hold out an arm. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”
Because you don’t give two shits about the daughter? Because your presence would be counterproductive to her healing? There were plenty of fucking reasons that he shouldn’t be here, and as all these thoughts whirl in my mind, Beatrice comes rushing up with a look of annoyance on her face.
“Roger,” she huffs when she reaches. “What do you think you’re doing by suddenly leaving like that when your daughter is in the hospital?"
When his daughter was in the hospital. So he wasn’t here for Denali; he was here for Anastasia. Then chances were he just happened to hear about Denali or felt her.
“Why aren’t you with Anastasia?” He demands, whirling at Beatrice. “She just lost her fucking baby, and you’ve left her side? Where the hell is that, Alexander? Why isn’t he here yet?”
“Lost baby.”
Eyes widening, I turn just in time to see Denali standing in her doorway with a look of shock on her face.
“Did you say that Anastasia lost her baby?”