2. Twenty

~ Harper’s POV ~

Pain.

That was the only thing I could feel. I didn't know how many times I groaned and I didn't remember how I ended up like this.

I muttered a curse in my head at my fucked-up life as I felt my wolf nudge me into consciousness. I was groggy and my vision was blurred for a minute before my brain could focus on where I was.

My wolf didn't detect any danger nearby which prevented me from not panicking. Although with the amount of pain, I was in, I doubted I would be a threat to any "danger".

I looked where I was as soon as my brain could comprehend everything. The curtains were closed and I internally thanked the person who didn't want me blinded when I woke up.

I was hooked to a couple of machines which were doing a good job of keeping me alive. I could tell I was in the hospital but I had no idea what I was doing there or more importantly, how I got here.

Isn't there supposed to be a button here somewhere I could press to call the nurse in here and give her the good news about me being awake? I'm sure she was worried.

I looked around when I spotted the button over my left side. I sighed, reaching that button seemed like a lot of work right now.

I took a deep breath before leaning towards my left to reach the button. I felt a scalding pain in my left shoulder and I couldn't help it but I cried out in pain. That would get a nurse's attention because it was semi-cry and part growl.

My right hand touched my left shoulder to numb the pain and I felt a padding of bandages in my shoulder. Was my shoulder the reason I was in the hospital?

As I said, my cry of distress must have reached one of the nurses because one came running into my room. Her eyes widened as she saw that I was awake.

Lady, I was crying a few seconds ago. What else did you expect to see?

She seemed familiar and I took a discrete whiff of her scent as I waited for her to gather her wits. Her scent seemed familiar and I relaxed as it finally dawned on me that she belonged to my pack. I was likely still on my territory.

My wolf mocked me for taking this much time to figure out if I was in friendly territory or not. I huffed and rolled my eyes which garnered the attention of the nurse who was reading my chart.

Her eyes took me in and then moved over to my left shoulder. I coughed to bring her back to earth and tell me what the hell was going on.

"A-Alpha, you were under a rogue attack. You were injured and were brought here."

Rogue attack? A vivid image of an arrow being thrust into my left shoulder flashes behind my eyes and I groan as my head pounds.

"I'm going to let the doctor and your parents know that you've woken up. They've been worried sick."

I just nodded at her because speaking this headache was taking a toll on me.

Before she left the room, I called her. "How long I have been here?"

She became nervous at my question and gave me a sympathetic smile. "Around two weeks." With that, she took my file and walked out of the room.

I groaned as my head pounded and let unconsciousness take over me.

***

I didn't know how much time had elapsed when I opened my eyes again but I was glad that the piercing headache was gone or I was so jumped up on painkillers that I didn't feel it. Either way, I wasn't complaining.

My eyes slowly took in the room and then the two figures sitting on the side of my bed, my mom and Natalie. What the hell was Natalie doing here?

My wolf told me that there was another person in the room and I took in the huge figure of my father standing behind my mother's seat and guilt spread through me like wildfire. My eyes zeroed in on his jaw which looked bruised and I remembered how I had clocked him and what I had clocked him about.

"I will tell the doc he's awake." My father's gruff voice filled the room and was shortly followed by the slamming of a door.

"Natalie, could you give Harper and me a few minutes?" My mom asked and wordlessly, Natalie left me to suffer my mom's wrath.

As soon as Natalie left the room, my mom came over and hugged me as hard as I could. Pain emerged in my shoulder but I bit on my lip to stop myself from crying out.

"How could you do that?" She leaned back and hit me hard on my head. I winced and I knew she took pleasure in that. I had one hell of a sadistic woman as my mother.

"How could you accuse me and my father of something as vile as this?" 

I scratched my head and once again felt guilt wash over me. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

I wasn't thinking at all. That was why I had done what I did. And it was disappointing, even to me.

Fat tears rolled down my mother's cheeks and I couldn't help but chuckle. I knew she was going to blame her concern for me on her pregnancy hormones.

"Damn these pregnancy hormones. I can't do anything without crying nowadays." She wiped her cheeks and smiled at me with her motherly smile which brought back a truckload of memories. 

I slowly took her in, her five-month pregnancy belly and her glowing skin. "You look good." 

She flushed and laughed at my compliment. "You're not getting out of trouble this time, Harper."

"But I'm so injured." I pouted. "Don't you know, some rogues attacked me? I'm such a poor baby."

She laughed at my antics which made me smile more. Damn, I missed her laughter. She needed to laugh more.

"What's Natalie doing here?" My question sobered her up.

"She was worried about you, of course. Why would anyone be in a hospital? Aiden and Samantha wanted to see you too but with you being here, the workload has been on Aiden. Those three have been spending so much time at the hospital, worried about you." She petted my head and ran a hand through my greasy hair.

"Do me a favor, take a shower as soon as you get out of here."

I chuckled but nodded. I didn't like my hair greasy and neither did Zara. Even if she wasn't here, I planned to keep it exactly the way she liked it.

Mom put a hand over her growing belly and stood up from her chair. "I'm going to call her in now. I have a few questions I would like to ask the doctor."

"Mom?" She turned to look at me and grabbed her purse from the chair next to her. "Who found me?"

"Aiden did. The rogues only wanted to hurt you. For now."

For now.

I knew what she was saying. She was saying that I was lucky to be alive right now and I could see that on her face too. She had almost lost her child and she was trying to be brave about it.

I closed my eyes as I waited for Natalie to enter the room. I had not seen her for a few weeks and it made me guilty because I was the one who got her pregnant and forgot about her.

One would think this much guilt would smack me in the face and get me on the right track. And I knew that I had committed so many mistakes I couldn't undo but I knew I could decide my actions in the future.

I realized I had needed to sort out my shit before I came face to face with Natalie because like it or not, she was my responsibility. I had no idea if I did have my 'shit together', but I knew that I needed to own up to my actions.

My eyes snapped open when I saw her petite figure enter the room and watched as she slowly made her way to sit beside me, where moments ago, my mom was sitting.

"Hey!" I said, trying my best to avoid the awkward situation between us. 

"Hey!" She said meekly. 

My eyes moved over to her very pregnant belly and help couldn't help but ask her.

"Natalie, how far along are you?" To be honest, I felt like shit asking her this question. It was my baby she was carrying and I didn't even know that.

"Two weeks into my second trimester." She lovingly placed her palm on her belly. It was amazing how a baby could change our perspectives. Not too long ago, she wanted to abort it, but now she seemed like she was already in love with him.

"Can I touch it?" I asked, inside if I sounded creepy.

She chuckled and got up. She slowly walked towards me, took my hand in hers, and gently placed it on her belly. A jolt of pride washed over me as I touched her.

"Have you had your first ultrasound appointment?" I asked her, still in awe of the fact that I was soon going to be a father.

"Yeah." I felt shitty that she had already adjusted to her role as a mother while I was still reeling from the aftermath of the destruction that I had caused.

"I know that I haven't been there in these past few months for you. But from now on, I want to be there. For you and my baby." I looked at her and she smiled gently at me. "And I would like to accompany you to the next doctor's appointment. If that's okay with you."

"Yeah, sure." She answered without a beat. "This baby is mine as much as it is yours."

I nodded and consciously pulled my hand back from her belly. She took her seat again and swept her gaze over me.

"You look like shit." I laughed at her very poetic way of talking about my appearance.

"Everyone's been so worried about you." She spoke.

"I'll keep that in mind when I get attacked by rogues the next time." She laughed and I chuckled. "Natalie, I wanted to ask you something?"

Maybe it was the tone of my voice because she knew I was being serious and she stopped laughing and waited for me to continue.

"Do you love me?"

Her eyes widened and her eyes lowered on her lap, while I waited with baited breath for her answer.