Sarantatria [ 43 ]

- Kara -

I couldn't feel anything but pain.

My hands gripped Tristan's shoulders tightly as he coaxed me out of the shower. I had only been awake for three hours and I desperately needed to freshen up. My stitches throbbed and I kept the bandage on, which made showering more than difficult. 

Nuka had taken my IV out as the rapid healing that came with being a werewolf was helping my body replenish what it needed. I wasn't out of the woods just yet because the amount of damage Mindy had caused was evidently lethal. Her claws had punctured my abdomen in four places and I sustained significant injury to my small intestine. I had lost a lot of blood and if I was human, I wouldn't have woken up. I knew the only thing that kept me alive was my wolf and my bond with Tristan and the pack. 

I was so close to death. 

My body had shut down, which was why I didn't instantly wake up after my surgery. As I was injured in human form, I was slipping away from my wolf. One side couldn't exist without the other and the supernatural explanation for my unconsciousness was that I had to be stuck in a liminal space. 

Seconds before shifting into wolf form, werewolves would disconnect from their human side and 'cross' the bridge between the two natures. I was dying and after being saved, I couldn't come back to my human body until that bridge was fully repaired. 

All I remembered was being in pure darkness but hearing my wolf on one side and the outside world on the other. Tristan made the darkness bearable. Hearing his voice made me hold on instead of fading away into the darkness. 

Stepping closer to Tristan, I grimaced as I wrapped my arms around his neck. One of his hands left my hips as he reached for the towel and covered my body. I finally got the distinctive smell of the hospital off my skin and Tristan sighed into my neck, inhaling quietly. 

"I still can't believe you're awake." He whispered softly, pulling back to look me in the eye. His glacier-like eyes melted with love as he stared down at me.

My body was still weak and he held me up as I willed the tears away. It was all overwhelming and I couldn't bring myself to feel all of my emotions. I distracted myself by tilting my head up and slanting my lips across his. I kissed him slowly until the fatigue hit me again. 

I pulled back with a sigh and leaned heavily on him as I lost the energy to keep on standing. He gently lifted me into his arms and I gritted my teeth at the pain that surged through me. Resting my head against his shoulder, I closed my eyes and tried my best to control my emotions. The last thing I wanted was to break down. 

Tristan walked us over to the hospital bed where a fresh set of clothes were folded for me. I had no energy whatsoever and I whimpered in pain when he set me down. 

"I'm sorry." He leaned over me and softly pecked my lips. "I'll be gentle okay?"

I forced my eyes open as he gently pulled the towel from under me and lifted my head to wrap my wet curls. There was a deep frown on his face as he peeled the waterproof tape off my bandage. I squeezed the bedsheet in my hands as he reached for the medical gloves Nuka had given him. 

He dressed my wounds again and comforted me with his soft voice in my head. 

'You're so strong, αγάπη. I'm proud of you.'

I heard the sounds of him pulling the gloves off before he carefully applied lotion to my skin. His massage calmed me down and took some of the pain away, something I was grateful for because I had never felt that much pain before.

He eased me into my clothes and there was a heaviness in my chest as I felt the strong urge to cry. I held it back and locked my emotions in an almost impenetrable box. Tristan stared down at me with a sense of deep sadness in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry." I choked out, reaching for his hand and bringing it to my lips. "I don't want you to be upset, Tristan."

I knew he and the pack could feel my inner turmoil and I felt guilty that everyone could feel my pain.

He repositioned his fingers to pull my hand to his chest. His heart was beating steadily. "This belongs to you, Kara. You know that it beats for you—only you. If your heart is heavy and you're hurting, I am too. Don't ever apologise to me for your feelings. It's not your fault and you're not going to go through this alone." He leaned down and rested his forehead on mine. "I will never let you go through anything alone."

I stared into his eyes and released a shaky breath. I loved him with everything in me. "Kiss me. Please…"

He brought a hand to cup my face and moulded his lips to mine. He kissed me deeply and my nose pressed against his cheek, brushing against the short hairs of his beard. I knew the last few days were stressful for him and I kissed him back with all the energy that I had. 

I lifted a hand to his hair and lightly pulled on the black strands. We came up for air and I smiled my first smile since I had woken up. Tristan instantly smiled back and caressed my cheek. 

"There you are." He laid another soft kiss on my lips. "We're going to get through this, Kara. I promise."

Sighing, I nodded my head. His words were comforting and I tried to believe that it would all pass. I didn't know if it would. Before the fight, I had believed that Tristan and I would be together forever but I didn't expect for our forever to be threatened by Mindy's jealousy—and in the worst way possible. 

I never expected to almost die. It put everything into perspective. I had to cherish every moment I had with him. 

Blowing out a quiet breath, I closed my eyes again. "Can you hold me?"

He nodded as I made some space on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid beside me, gently pulling me into his arms. The back of his fingers caressed my cheek and his warmth encased me as I slid my hand under his shirt. The hard ridges of his abdomen tightened under my fingers and I craned my head up to look at him. 

"What happened after she stabbed me?"

He clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply before answering. "A lot." His eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to remember. "You were unconscious and the pack was in a panic. Mindy forced my hand and now she's in the cells." He blew out a mirthless laugh. "The Underworld's very own Tartarus."

I peered up at him and saw the anger that simmered behind his fiery blue eyes. When I thought of Mindy, I felt deep hatred. But I was feeling so many emotions that I had to force my feelings towards her out of my heart. She was nothing to me and so I had to feel nothing. Until I was better and could pay her a visit. 

"Has anyone come to see me?"

Tristan was brought back into the room when he levelled his gaze with mine. "Other than me, your mother, Matthijs, Christian and Brielle." His fingers lightly brushed against my temple. "The whole pack would've come to see you if they could."

At that, my heart dropped. The first thing I thought of was how the entire pack had witnessed me, their Luna, almost die. I could finally claim my title because I had won it fair and square, and they had pledged their allegiance to me. They must have been terrified, especially the children. 

A strong sense of love and compassion filled me at the thought of them. They had all been through so much yet they could unfairly feel my pain. 

"Can I—"

He knew what I was going to say before I said it. "You'll feel a bit of pressure in your mind but think of the pack as a whole. I'll tell them you're awake first." His eyes glazed over and within seconds, he smiled. "Your turn."

'I'm honoured to be your Luna. Thank you for swearing your allegiance to me.'

It was silent for a moment and I felt a sense of belonging again. Being officially part of a pack was the best feeling ever. For fear of talking over one another, people spoke hesitantly. The first voice I heard was Markus, who had accompanied me on my trip to London. 

'I'm so happy to hear you're awake, Luna.'

The next was my mother. 'Kara! Sweetheart, I'm coming to see you, okay?'

I instantly smiled and Tristan stared down at me, lowering his head to press a kiss to my lips. I understood what he meant by feeling pressure in my mind. All five hundred links had been formed and the sharp pain I had felt when I first woke up had subsided to a dull ache. While I opened up my mind to the rest of the pack, every single one of them could communicate with me and vice versa. 

It was like personal conversations on a wide scale because only I could hear them unless Tristan got into my mind to hear them too. 

He chose to do that when a familiar voice filtered through into my mind. It was Mindy. 

'You've turned him against me. Tristan won't love me because of you.'

I watched as his expression transformed into one of deep anger. He growled lowly and instantly looked murderous. Something told me that he had paid her some visits and none were civil. 

I could tell that where she was, the cells, was messing with her head. She was losing it and seemed even more in denial than ever. She suddenly screamed in my mind and I cried out, gripping my head and shutting off the mind-link from the pack. 

The headache was back full force and I blew out a shaky breath. She tried to kill me and instead brought out the carnal side of me, the side that was pure animal. Tristan and I were opposites for the most part but we were united in one thing. 

We were hungry for blood.