23: I’m sorry.
**Zion pov**
As I waited for something to happen, I tried to move. Just one hand that I barely managed to lift it and instantly felt the fire shoot from my shoulder to my elbow. My fingers trembled and that’s when I realized that somehow, in this mess of agonizing pain, I managed to shift back to my human form.
At the back of my head, I heard my wolf whimper. “I’m trying,” he whispered, voice weak and rough at the same time. “I can’t hold much longer, the venom is suffocating me.”
I clenched my teeth and sucked in a breath that burned my lungs. I had no idea there was any venom in my body at all, so his strained revelation hit me pretty damn hard.
I should’ve understood sooner this was far worse than a couple of injuries. My wolf was fighting against it with all his might, he refused to sit back and die quietly. I could feel him struggling against it even with the little strength that was left in him.
The next moment, unexpectedly, an inhuman scream tore from my throat. It sounded raw and guttural, nowhere near whatever my scream was supposed to sound like.
A sharp wave of pain spread in my stomach and traveled all the way down to my legs as my hands dug into the edge of the table, gripping it so hard, the wood broke under the pressure.
I tried to growl and push against the venom, anything stupid and desperate just to fight it.
“Bleed,” my wolf growled.
I didn’t think, just barely registered his words until I heard the first drops of blood hit the floor. My hands had let go of the table and my nails were lodged deep in my arms. I cried out again - a low, pained howl that echoed inside my own skull.
My wolf growled, “Yes, keep going, don’t stop.” His voice was ragged and weak, but urgent. He kept pushing me, muttering aggressive words of encouragement.
I could barely blink my eyes at this point, but I refused to give up and only dug my nails deeper into my flesh until I felt lightheaded but also so much lighter in a sense that the pain wasn’t half as bad anymore. I was completely convinced that it was the venom my wolf mentioned leaving my body.
After what felt like an entirety of nothing but pain and fire spreading through my nerves, suddenly, there was nothing. I could heel my wolf slump down while my body went nearly limp on the table.
I couldn’t stop trembling as I was sure the view was a sight to see - soaked in my own blood but grinning like an idiot who just hit the jackpot. I couldn’t move or breathe properly and my heart was hammering in my chest like it was trying to escape my body.
The silence almost became comforting until I heard a sob, followed by a sob that I could recognize anywhere, so raw that my heart literally stopped for a second.
Slowly, I turned my head to see a blur of a movement. Kala was running toward me, tears streaming down her cheeks. Even from afar I could see how bad her hands were shaking.
“My love,” I choked out. My voice was weak and my lips barely moved, but she heard me.
The next moment, she was down on her knees, next to the bed I laid on. “I thought I lost you,” she whispered as her hands traced over me gently. “I thought I was going to lose you, Zion. I can’t-”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to sit up, but couldn’t. My arms shook, my legs trembled and my wolf only whimpered quietly.
Since I couldn’t move as much as I wanted to, I managed to cover her hand with mine and whispered, “I’m here, my love. I’m not going anywhere.”
She shook her head violently, tears still streaming down her beautiful face. “No. Don’t.. don’t you dare leave me, not now, not ever. You hear me? I need you. We need you, Zion.”
My vision blurred as tears brimmed in my eyes. I wanted to tell her that I needed her too, that I wanted to be there for her and the baby, but I was too weak to utter a single word.
I tried to shift a little, needing to wrap my arms around her body and hold her close to remind her I was still here and refused to go anywhere. However, as I did, my muscles still refused to work and my wolf growled at me, “Slowly, moron. We’re still weak, don’t push it.”
And still, I simply didn’t care about his warnings and pushed anyway. Pain flared in my chest, my arms trembled even worse but I managed to slowly and awkwardly sit up finally.
I could finally look down at my body - broken and shaking, but at least it was mine.
Kala sobbed louder, pressing herself against me and wrapping her arms around my middle. With great effort, I managed to wrap my arms around her, holding her as tightly as I could.
“You’re alive,” she whispered, voice choked with emotions and weak. “You’re really alive. Don’t you dare, don’t you even think about leaving me, okay? You hear me, Zion?! Don’t you dare!”
“I hear you loud and clear,” I whispered and tried to tighten my hold around her.
“You scared me,” Kala muttered against my chest.
“I know,” I said, weakly and quickly added, “I’m sorry.”
Kala let out a broken sob and buried her face in my chest, so I held her tighter, as much as my muscles would allow me to. “I’ll be okay, my love. It hurts, fucking hell, it hurts, but pain means I’m alive.”
Kala instantly pulled back and shook her head. “I know you’re alive, but you don’t know how terrified I was. I can’t lose you like that, Zion, I just can’t.”
Despite the situation, I managed to force a smile and press my lips against her forehead. “You won’t, for as long as I still breathe, you will never lose me.”
The words were supposed to soothe her, but Kala only clinged onto me more. “If you don’t hold your promise, I swear I’ll figure out how to bring you back from the dead and then kill you myself.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her threats, but the amusement faded far too soon. I forced down another lump that grew in my throat and took a heavy, deep breath, needing to ground myself.
The pain still throbbed everywhere in my body, but I simply didn’t care. I was holding my mate, the love of my life, the woman who carried my pup and for as long as I could breathe, I would fight so she would always have me.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
