Chapter Forty-Two

Jasmine’s POV

The darkness that surrounded me was familiar.

I knew for certain that I had, not for the first nor second time, passed out once again.

However, this time was different.

As I gained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was the pain in my head.

It wasn’t so bad that it was unbearable, but it was quite easy to notice.

I tried to observe if I could feel pain anywhere else on my body but other than the ache in my head, I felt completely fine.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking at the brightness from the windows that illuminated the room I laid in.

I was in a strange room, although something about the room looked familiar.

Slowly, I moved my head to the side to see that the room was indeed familiar.

I was in one of the rooms in the healing house.

I looked towards my other side to see my mate still asleep, holding onto my hand with both of his.

A smile pulled at my lips as I watched his handsome face while he slept.

It was my first time seeing him asleep this close and I intended to take full advantage of it.

My hand itched to touch him but i stilled the impulse, knowing that he would wake up at the slightest touch from me.

So I simply watched him quietly, tracing the every angle and feature of his handsome face with my eyes.

When I had taken it all in, my eyes drifted downwards to where our hands were entangled with each other.

The sight of our hands brought form a memory that instantly made me tense.

The memory of Sooni’s hand.

As soon as I remembered that, it was like the floodgates had come open and the memories of the previous night began to flood though.

A shiver coursed through me as the image of Sooni lifting her clawed hand to strike me appeared in my mind.

It seemed that I had unintentionally woken Regan up because he came awake, blinked once and was fully alert the very next moment.

“Jasmine”, he called as he stood from his seat and bent to gently pull me into a hug. “Are you well?” He asked. “Does anywhere hurt?” He asked almost immediately.

I slowly shook my head.

“My head does ache quite a bit, but other than that, I am fine”, I told him, hoping to ease his worries.

“Is there anything you need?” He asked me, leaning away to look down at me.

“No, thank you”, I said and immediately added upon remembering. “Actually, I would truly appreciate a cup of water if you would not mind”.

He nodded. “Is that all?” He asked.

I nodded my head. “Yes, that would be all”, I told him and tried to summon a small smile.

I had expected him to go and fetch me the water by himself, hoping for a moment alone to process my thoughts. But instead, he simply sat on the side of my bed and took my hand in his again, lifting my hand to his lips to place a kiss upon it.

“I have failed you once again”, he said after a moment of silence in a low voice and I turned to him.

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked with a frown, unsure of what he was taking about but already not liking the turn it was taking.

“I should have been there to protect you”, he said, eyes filled with regret as he stared at me. “I promised to do that and we have not even been mated for long”, he said. “Yet I have already failed my promise to you”.

“You have not failed your promise to me, Regan”, I countered immediately. “I am here, am I not? Safe and sound as well”, I pointed out.

“But if Lena had not found you when she did…” he said and trailed off. “I do not even want to imagine what could have happened”, he said.

I frowned at the new information I had received.

“It was Lena who found me”, I asked, voicing out my thoughts.

He nodded.

“She was going to the stream and caught your scent”, he said. “Fortunately, she got there on time before that crazed she-wolf could hurt you”, he said, cursing under his breath afterwards in words I could not make out.

“And is she safe?” I asked immediately, worry suddenly clouding my mind.

He nodded.

“Yes she is”, he said. “She did not differ so much as a scratch”, he informed.

I sighed in relief.

“Oh that is so good to hear”, I said , pushing on my elbows so that I can sit up on the bed.

Raven was instantly by my side, assisting me in sitting up and propping pillows behind me to make me even more comfortable.

“How long do I have to stay here for?” I asked him, already wanting to leave. “I feel much better if I am being honest”, I said to encourage a positive response.

He smiled and simply lifted his hand to softly caress my cheek.

“You may go home now if you wish”, he said causing me to smile in relief. “Nana said you simply need as much rest as you can get and that you will be right as rain ina few days”, he said.

I nodded slowly.

“Well, can we go now?” I asked hopefully.

A smile softened his face further and he nodded.

“I know someone who is more than eager to see you at home”, he said with a look full of meaning.

I knew without a doubt that the person he was referring to was Lena.

I was still somewhat surprised to find out that it was Lena who had come to my rescue.

I tried to recall catching even a glimpse of her but nothing came to mind.

For a moment, I wondered what had happened to Sooni, but since the thought of her brought forth bad memories, I decided not to think or even speak of her for the moment.

Regan went to fetch Lena for a quick examination before I was ready to go back home.

She fussed over me for a moment, pulling me into her familiar warm embrace and bestowing kisses on my hair, forehead and cheeks.

Her actions made me feel warm and cared for.

After she had ascertained that I was indeed well enough to return home, she gave Regan firm instructions to ensure that I was well rested before sending us on our way with a few more kisses.

Regan insisted on carrying me the whole way home despite my arguments against it. Seeing that I would not win over my head strong mate, I finally gave in and allowed him carry me in his arms the whole way home.

It was apparent that news of my attack had spread throughout the pack, because as we made our way towards our home, several members of our pack came out to pay their respects and wish me speedy recovery.

It was clear to see their concern for me and I was grateful that they cared enough to approach me.

Regan however, did not allow them speak to me for long.

The fact that he could be quite strict with the members of his pack and still receive their undivided devotion and loyalty was something that both baffled and humbled me.

Before long, we had arrived at our house and Regan carried me all the way into our room.

He placed me gently onto our bed and pulled a warm blanket over me, before making his way to the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked him before he could walk out of the room.

He stopped in his tracks and turned back to me.

“You have not had anything to eat”, he simply said before making his way out of the room and shutting the door quietly behind him.

Knowing that he would soon return, I sunk deeper into the warmth of our bed and shut my eyes, pushing away thoughts and images of the night before to the back of my mind.

Before long, the arms of sleep pulled me into its peaceful embrace.

I awoke from my brief slumber to the feeling of warm lips on mine.

Knowing that it would be no one other than my mate, I smiled and returned the kiss before he pulled away.

“How do you feel?” He asked me, leaning away to stand upright.

I smiled as I pulled myself into a sitting position and nodded my head gently.

“Good”, I told him.

“That is wonderful news”, he said. “Good enough to eat?” He asked with a smile that told me he would make sure I eat even though my answer was not in affirmation.

A quiet laugh escaped me.

“Yes, Alpha”, I said teasingly.

He leaned close enough to give my lips a brief kiss.

“Regan to you”, he said as he pulled away and reached for a tray on the bedside table.

He placed the tray on the bed beside him then pulled me to lay in between his legs, with my back resting on his hard chest.

He wrapped one arm around my waist and picked food off the tray with his other hand as he began to feed me.

I leaned into his chest as he fed me in silence, slowly stroking my waist as he did so.

Even when I refused to eat more, he insisted until he was satisfied at the amount of food I had consumed before he released me to lay back in bed.

He took the tray from the bed and left the room momentarily, returning a few moments later with Lena in tow.

As soon as she saw me, she rushed over and climbed onto the bed to wrap her arms around me in a hug, almost crushing me into her breasts.

“Oh thank the Moon Goddess”, she said as she buried her face into my hair.

I wrapped my own arms around her and hugged her tight.

“Thank you, dearest”, I told her wholeheartedly.

She released me and pulled away from me to hold me at arms length.

“What are you thanking me for?” She asked, looking genuinely confused.

“You saved my life, Lena”, I said, tears stinging my eyes.

She frowned.

“Tell me”, she said. “If of our situations were reversed, would you hesitate to save me?” She asked.

“Not one moment”, I answered immediately, knowing with all my heart that it was the truth.

“Precisely”, she said. “Now do you understand why there is no need to thank me?” She asked. “I would do it all over again if I had to”, she said in such a way that I felt chills.

Not at the way she said it, but the hidden meaning I could see in her eyes.

I had never seen that haunted look in Lena’s eyes before. And that look alone told me that she had paid a heavy price in order to save my life.

A part of me wanted to know just what she had been forced to do in order to save me, but the look in Lena’s eyes made me understand that it was not the right time to ask such questions.

“Oh Lena”, I said and pulled her back into my arms as we both began to cry.

Her for whatever she had done and whatever she had lost in the process of saving me. And me, from the pain of the memory of that experience and also from the pain of what I had cost my dearest friend.

“It will all be well”, I told her when I could finally speak, planting a kiss upon her hair. “We will survive this. I know we will”.

She nodded but said nothing as she clung tighter to me.

Until that moment, I had not realized just how much I had needed to be embraced by my dearest friend, how much I had needed to express the fears I had felt in tears.

We stayed in each other’s arms for a long time, not needing words to let the other know just how we felt before eventually falling asleep again.

Before I succumbed to the temptation of sleep, I briefly wondered just when my mate had left the room to give us our much needed moment with each other.