Page 120 of Fated to the Rogue

In an attempt to clear the brain fog, I searched my mind for the reason why I had ended up here. I tried revisiting my most recent memories, but I regretted it as soon as I started. All I could remember was pain. Despair. Agony. Dead bodies and blood everywhere. It seemed like a nightmare, but it felt too real.

As I dug deeper, flashes crossed my mind in a blurry timeline. First, we were attacked by the Fallen army. Vincent died. I faded into darkness, only to be brought back to the cruel reality shortly after. My father… Shit! Last time I saw him, he was losing a lot of blood from the hole left by his leg being rippedout. Did he make it? Did I lose him? Did I lose anyone else? My friends, my family, my…

My sunrise.

The worst pain struck me as the vivid image of her wolf hanging by a thread poisoned my mind. Valentina. I needed to see her. I needed to make sure that she was okay. My heart started racing and I pulled myself from the bed abruptly, only to be held back by a bunch of wires connected to my skin. I didn’t think twice before ripping every single one of them off, struggling to stand up soon after.

I got up so fast that my legs failed me, and I immediately fell to the ground. The room started spinning as I noticed my stitches opening. Not too long after, I felt blood oozing out of the wounds. I sucked in a painful groan as I tried to get back up. I didn’t care about my condition. Valentina was all that mattered.

“Zephyr, she’s fine!” Dawn’s faint voice made me freeze in my place. She had been silent for so long that, for a moment, I was afraid she had left me. “If she wasn’t alive, I wouldn’t be either. You’d also have felt your bond breaking.” Even in times like this, she was still the voice of reason.

“I don’t care. I need to be with her.” I shook my head, using all of my strength to get back to my feet, but it was useless. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to leave the cold floor.

“Alpha!” A desperate male voice called out, catching my attention. Only then did I notice Dr. Peter standing right in front of me.

With wide eyes, the older man rushed to my aid. I cried out when he pulled me back up again, helping me lay on the bed. Once he made sure I was stable, he ran around the room collecting a bunch of medical supplies. In the blink of an eye, the Doc was back beside me to carefully clean the blood running down my naked skin. I felt a sharp pain as he restitched mywounds, but it wasn’t nearly as terrible as everything I had been through in the last...how long had I been out for?

“Valentina…” was all I managed to utter in a faint voice.

Thanks to his heightened senses, he heard me. “The Luna's condition is stable, Alpha. You must not worry,” he reassured me. “From what I’ve heard, your wolf did most of the job nursing her back to health. She’s resting right now. Would you like me to have her relocated to your room once she wakes up?”

“Please.” I whispered.

“Very well. For now, you need to rest, too.” He scowled at me. “And please, do not try to leave your bed again.” I nodded slowly and he sighed. “The Beta, Gamma, and Delta wish to see you. I’ll leave to allow you some privacy.” He bowed before walking out the door.

And as soon as he left, in came my friends. Malin had his left arm immobilized by a sling, while Zach had an occlusive bandage over his blue eye. Alex was the one in best shape out of the trio. They all had a few bruises as well, but other than that, they seemed fine. The three of them smiled as soon as they saw me. I still wasn’t used to seeing Zach express happiness, but I rolled with it.

“You did it, man!” Malin cheered, resting his hand on my shoulder and applying a bit too much pressure. I let out a grunt. “Oops. Sorry.” He stepped back, noticing his mistake. “I can’t believe that we actually ended the war.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “The...Fallen…” Damn it, why was it so hard to speak?

“We defeated them,” my Beta reassured me. “And we made it just in time to witness Dawn’s miracle. Man, it was amazing! She started howling so sweetly, as if she was singing a song. Then, a beacon of light beamed from her, reaching up to the sun! The glow surrounded Dusk too, and when it was done, he had no wounds. Like at all!”

I tried to smile at his amusement, but it hurt so badly that I grimaced instead.

“The losses…” I started again. As if to spare me, Zach didn’t let me finish.

“Quite a few perished….” he revealed sadly. “More than half of our warriors. May they be at peace with the Moon Goddess.”

“May they be at peace with the Moon Goddess,” Malin repeated, bowing his head in respect.

“But the members that hid inside of the bunkers are fine. Honestly, considering the threat we were facing, I’d say this was the best possible outcome for us,” my Gamma finished.

His statement reminded me of something. “Vincent…”

“It was my mistake, Alpha.” I was surprised when Alex stepped forward. She had never done anything wrong in her years as Delta. She always executed her job flawlessly. “Vincent never made it to the bunker. I was supposed to count the members after I led them in, and I couldn’t find him. Since everyone else was there, I thought that maybe I had just missed him in my hurry. I mean, where else could he be? I never imagined he would try to-”

“It’s not…your fault,” I interrupted her. “Alex, my father-”

“That one I managed to save.” She showed me a half smile. “He needed a blood transfusion, and he won’t go anywhere without a wheelchair anymore. But he’s alive.”

A feeling of relief washed over me, at the exact moment that the doors opened again. A couple of nurses came in, pushing a bed and placing it beside mine. My eyes filled with tears when I noticed Valentina lying there. She seemed weak, probably exhausted by our horrifying experience, but she seemed physically fine. Hell, she was alive; that was all that mattered. The moment she saw me, a smile lit up her face, contrasting with the tears that ran down her cheeks

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I whispered to her, still struggling to believe that she was real.

“You saved me, Zephyr,” my mate chanted, exhaustion evident in her voice.

“And we have another hero in the room, too,” Alex interrupted us. When I turned to her, I noticed Amaya standing shyly behind her. “The Beta Female helped ensure the success of Alpha Bertrand’s surgery. She was an essential blood donor. Without her, I don’t know if we would’ve found another suitable match in such a short time.” She smiled at my best friend’s mate, making her blush.

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