Page 11 of Their Crowned Mate
I had to admit, seeing them all in person, I was relieved Lavinia had such devoted men protecting her in the time she'd been gone. It didn't change the fact that I knew I should have been at her side in the first place.
Finally, the door opened and the doctor came out. She was a kind-looking woman in her late sixties with graying blonde hair. "She's all set," she said with a pleasant smile. "Everything looks good, and I'm confident she'll be able to make it home just fine."
"Are you sure?" Cole pressed. "She looked a little pale."
"I'm fine, Cole," Lavinia sighed, coming out of the room. She took the jacket Alexander offered her and let him help her into it. "But if it's all the same, I'd like to get going sooner rather than later."
I couldn't blame her for wanting to get the hell out of the pack, either. After everything that had happened, I wouldn't have been surprised if she never wanted to come here again, but now that she and the others were leaving, I felt a strong sense of apprehension. It was the same pull I’d felt in the core of my stomach the day she left.
I had spent so much time resenting myself for not going with her. Regretting it. And as I watched her walk out the door with the others, I realized I couldn't make the same mistake again.
"Lavinia," I called once we were outside.
She stopped and turned to face me, and all three of the others grew tense, like they were waiting for her to snap her fingers and give them the go ahead to tear into me, even if the coyote and I were on slightly civil terms.
"Yeah?" she asked warily.
I hated that it was like this now. That she looked at me like I was a stranger. And really, was I anything more?
I took a step forward, well aware of the hunter reaching for the not-so-subtle firearm at his hip, but I ignored the others and focused on Lavinia. There were a thousand things I wanted to say to her, most of which I knew her mates wouldn't appreciate, but I settled on the one that seemed most pressing at the moment.
"I'm sorry. For everything."
Her expression softened at my words, and she shrugged. "It wasn't like you planned it."
"No, but I..." I trailed off, realizing I had to get my shit together. Fast. "This doesn't change anything. What I promised before about going to the other world... I'm going to make sure I keep my word, even if we can't count on the others."
My words seemed to catch her by surprise. For a few moments, she didn't respond. "I appreciate that, but maybe rocking the boat isn't the best thing right now with everything going on in the pack. I'll figure something out."
Before I could argue, Alexander put a hand on her shoulder. "We should get back. You need rest."
"Yeah," Lavinia murmured, looking back up at me. "We'll talk soon, okay?"
"Yeah," I said, my voice sticking in my throat. "We will."
I followed them out to the sleek black limo the vampire had waiting. It took everything I had not to reach out to her, to ask her to stay, to tell her I wanted to go with her.
But what the hell did I have to offer her?
I waved as I watched her get into the limo. I watched until they drove off and vanished from sight, fighting a war with my wolf to stay behind. I'd made the mistake of letting her go once before, and I'd been regretting it ever since, but even though I was letting her go this time, I reassured myself that this wasn't going to be forever.
I was going to do whatever it took to make sure that the next time I saw her, I had something to make it worth giving me another chance.
CHAPTER7
LAVINIA
The ride back to Alexander's mansion felt like an eternity. I sat in the cushy leather seat with my head resting against the window, watching the scenery whizz past as if it were a kaleidoscope of colors. My thoughts kept drifting back to Aurelius, which only added to my exhaustion.
When we finally arrived at the mansion, I was relieved but equally exhausted. We all stepped out into the courtyard of Alexander's home, and I looked up in awe at the grandeur of it all. From its stone walls and cobblestone pathways to its lush gardens and towering turrets, it truly was a sight to behold and I was never quite used to it.
Right now, though, all I wanted was a hot shower and a soft bed so that I could just rest for a while. And I didn’t care if that hot shower and soft bed were in a mansion or not.
My exhaustion must have been apparent on my face, because as soon as we walked into the living room, Marcus and Cole both suggested I get some rest. I wanted to tell them about the baby, but I was too drained to even think about it. I’d been wondering if they overheard me talking to the doctor, but she’d been careful about what she said with them within earshot, so I guessed her cryptic phrasing and whispers had worked.
Thank God she was a woman.
So instead of arguing, I agreed and quickly made my way up to my room. Once I was inside, I peeled off my clothes and hopped into the shower. The hot water felt like a blessing on my skin as it cascaded down my body, melting away all of the tension that had been building up inside of me over the last few days.
