Allison's POV Today was the day I had been dreading. It was the day Dante left for war. I could not keep still, as my nerves were as taut as a string. I had been forcing myself to stay at a spot for the past hour. Giving up, I began to pace my room. All day, I had tried to live in denial of what was about to happen but it was impossible to do so. Sounds of the pack's activities drifted from the window, even though it was closed at the moment. My hands reached for the drawn curtains. I hesitated, then pulled them back a little and looked out of the window. As I observed the scene outside, I was careful to make sure that I could not be seen by anyone who ventured to look in the direction of my room. The pack was a beehive of activity. There were a lot of cars lined up outside the pack house. Guards and warriors milled around, carrying bags that they put in the cars. Some of them stood in groups, talking to each other. Lucius was at the center of it all, directing the guards on ho
Allison's POV I looked around the room at the faces of the people assembled. Their expressions were all grim. I could tell that they were worried at the turn of events. Still, they tried to put up a front, probably for my sake. A day had become two, two had become five, and now it was fourteen days since Dante left for war. All the while he was gone, the promise he had made to me kept ringing in my head. If we are successful, which I assure you will be the case, I will return in just a few days, he had said. By no stretch of the imagination could a few days be said to be two whole weeks. As I feared, something had gone wrong. What exactly it was, I could not tell. The uncertainty made it worse somehow. I was constantly living in suspense, not knowing what to expect. I was barely holding on. The only thing that prevented me from flipping my lid was the baby growing in me. Aria had kept reminding me that any form of worry or emotional turmoil would affect my child in a bad way.
Allison's POV When I hesitated, the guard said sharply. "We need to get out of here, Luna. Now." There was a sense of urgency in his tone that got me moving. He walked behind me, his eyes moving restlessly all the while. He handed me into the car he had come with and quickly got into the driver's seat. As he sped off, I glanced at the car I had come with. "Another guard will be along shortly to return it to the pack house," he said, replying to my unspoken thoughts. I scanned the woods and the road as we drove, searching for the signs of danger he had spoken of. But I could see nothing. In my experience, the guards would fence my questions, so I resolved to talk to Maddox instead. As soon as we got to the pack house, I headed straight for Dante's study where Maddox usually spent most of his time in Dante's absence. He was seated opposite Dante's desk, poring over some papers. He looked up when I came in. He looked relieved. "You sent the guard for me?" I said without a pream
Dante's POV There were footsteps behind me. From my place at the lean-to, I turned to see Lucius approaching. He bowed and I listlessly motioned him to the spot beside me. He sat down on a piece of rock and stared straight ahead. "Yes Lucius, what is it?" I asked wearily. "It is the men, Alpha. I went to check on them as you instructed earlier." My brow rose. "And?" "Some of them are hurt. I think the er- unexpected living conditions have- should I say- made the pain from their injuries much worse. They are strong though, I will give them that. A lot of the wounds they had sustained are healing quite nicely. It's just that I think they need a little extra attention. They need treatment." I thought for a second. "Tell the pack doctor to treat them and monitor their progress closely. Are there still medical supplies?" With a bated breath, I waited for Lucius's reply. "Yes, there are. A lot of medical supplies are remaining." I breathed a sigh of relief. Inwardly, I thanked
Allison's POV Aria glanced at me worriedly. She rubbed my legs repeatedly to restore my circulation, as she had said. I pulled my legs away from her and shifted in bed, a little out of her reach. "Stop fussing, Aria," I snapped. "I am not a baby, you know? So kindly stop treating me like one." "But-" I fixed her with a glare, wishing that she would shut up this once. Her lips trembled a little, but she pressed on. "But Luna, are you really sure you are okay?" "Of course I am o-" My words were cut off as I winced. As I attempted to sit up, I felt a pang of pain. Aria's eyes widened. "I am okay," I insisted. Unfortunately, my words did not carry a ring of conviction. Instantly, Aria was on her feet. She straightened the pillows at my back, made a grab at a glass of water by my side, hesitated, and did not offer it to me. Not knowing what else you do, her hands fluttered over me helplessly, while I glared at them with my most threatening expression on, giving the impressio
Allison's POV What was Dante thinking, sending the warriors home where he remained absent? Wasn't he as eager to see me as I was to see him? More cars drove in and more maids spilled out to assist the men. Some of the men seemed very weak, while others were injured. "Most of them seem to need urgent medical attention," I said to the guard. "Yes, the battle was a tough one. We held on for a very long time. The war told on each one of us." "Where is Lucius? I can't seem to find him too." "He er- he is with Alpha Dante." While the guard talked, he shifted impatiently from one foot to the other as though eager to be gone. With a wave of my hand, I dismissed him and he ran in the direction of the pack house. I went into the lobby of the clinic. The clinic was completely filled up. A lot of men were in the lobby with varying degrees of injuries, some of which looked pretty bad. The warriors with the serious-looking wounds were taken by a nurse right into the clinic for immediate
Allison's POV The pain I felt in my lower abdomen was excruciating. It was as though a fire had been lit down there. Against my wish, the pain urged me towards consciousness. I did not want to regain consciousness just yet. I wanted the oblivion of not knowing what was happening. For a moment, I floated between the two conscious and unconsciousness and then there was another cramp. Someone screamed piercingly. After some seconds, I realized that it was me. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw that I was in my room. The pack doctor was leaning over me, his face lined with worry. The frown line smoothed out when he realized that I was awake. "She's awake," he informed the nurses who sighed in relief. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open as it felt like steel pennies had been laid on them. "Luna, are you feeling okay? Don't bother talking if you feel that you are not up to it, okay? Now, take a moment to observe your body. Are you alright?" I nodded weakly. The doctor continued
Aria's POV I was working at a manic pace. Already I felt a slight ache in the region of my waist, from bending and supporting the injured men. I did not really mind. It was fortunate that I had knowledge of how to dress wounds as the pack was currently short of helping hands. The injured men kept arriving, and some of them had wounds that needed to have been treated days ago. I was glad to be of help though. Having the men back at the pack was what we all had been hoping for for a long while now. Watching the Luna pine away right before my eyes because of the absence of the Alpha had been slow torture. A smile curved my lips as I imagined how happy she would be at the news of the return. "Is that smile for me, beautiful?" asked the guard whose wound I was putting a bandage on. I snorted. "You wish." I wrapped the bandage tightly around his arm and ran my eyes over him. "You seem to be alright," I said. "I can't find any more bleeding or broken bones. You'll live." My eyes