Goodbye, My Mate

Chapter 164

Leah's POV

When I woke up, I was enveloped in warmth. Blinking against the light, I realized Lucas was holding me from behind. I cherished moments like this, moments that never happened when we were married. My head still felt foggy, and the tubes in my arms itched, making me impulsively pull them out. The machine beside me erupted in beeps, and a flustered nurse rushed in, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. Lucas sprang off the bed.

"I'm sorry, Sir. You can't be in here," she insisted, staring at him.

"I just want to be with my wife," Lucas shrugged, gently combing my hair. "I haven't seen her in so long."

"Her Highness is stable. We've administered serotonin to purge the wolfsbane from her system," the nurse explained, trying to reattach the tubes.

I wanted to protest, but a face shield muffled my words, so I waved my arm instead.

"She's awake!" The nurse's eyes widened in disbelief. "She wasn't supposed to wake up yet!"

Lucas cradled me, his voice tender, "I guess she likes her mate's cuddles." His blunt flirtation made my cheeks flame like a ripe tomato as he removed the face shield. He helped me turn onto my back.

"You shouldn't have pulled the tubes out," he said with concern, sitting on the bed's edge.

"I'll recover with or without those tubes," I said. "And you're not supposed to be here."

"I must inform His Highness that you're awake!" The nurse dashed out, leaving me alone with the big bad wolf. I struggled to sit up, but Lucas gently pushed me back down.

"You need to rest, Leah. For our child's sake," he said softly, caressing my belly. "You had me so worried."

Words failed me as reality dawned. Images of the past flickered before my eyes like a tragic Greek play. I remembered: my husband had killed the old king to protect me. Grabbing Lucas's arm, I blurted, "Lucas, we need to run... We need to..."

"Calm down, Leah. Everything's fine," he soothed.

"No, Lucian..."

"Lucian is fine. In fact, he's coming now," Lucas reassured me.

Footsteps approached, and the door burst open. "Leah, my love..." Lucian, dressed in a sleek military uniform, stormed in. The sight of him brought tears to my eyes. He must have been at some ceremony.

Lucian scooped me into his arms, kissing my hair. "I'm so sorry, Leah. I should have told you everything sooner."

Curled up in his embrace, I whispered, "You've done everything to protect me. That's all that matters."

Tears rolled down Lucian's cheeks. "No one will hurt you anymore, Leah. My... My..." His voice broke. He wanted to say "daughter," but couldn't. The pain was palpable. We'd been unable to acknowledge our bond for years because of the old king's manipulation.

"I'll make it up to you, Leah," Lucian vowed, wiping his tears.

"You don't owe me anything," I said, glancing at Lucas. "But please, don't harm my husband, Your Majesty."

"He's safe for now. He's serving me, as you requested," Lucian's voice was stern. "But if he ever hurts you, I won't hesitate to tear him apart." Lucas cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Your Majesty, as your Beta, I must remind you to return for your crowning ceremony rehearsal," Lucas interjected.

Lucian stood reluctantly, turning to me. "I'll be back in an hour. Stay here and don't run away this time."

"I promise I won't, Your Majesty," I smiled.

His demeanor softened at my smile. Wiping his tears one last time, he left the room.

"Your father is very sentimental," Lucas remarked once Lucian was gone.

"You work for him now. That doesn't give you the right to comment on him," I retorted.

Lucas smirked, climbing into bed and pulling me into his arms. I inhaled deeply, savoring his scent. It was the only thing I wanted to smell in the world.

"What's wrong, Leah?" Lucas asked gently, his eyes searching mine.

"Nothing," I replied.

"There's something bothering you, I can tell," Lucas said. "I didn't want to use mindlink to pry, so I'd appreciate it if you talked to me."

"I don't know," I said softly. "I was just thinking about Josephine. I saw you with her the other day, and..."

Lucas's expression softened, and he cupped my face gently in his hands, making sure I met his gaze. "Leah, Josephine was just begging me for some medicine for Darren. She came to me as Darren's mate and there was absolutely nothing between us. I would never betray you," he said earnestly, his eyes full of sincerity.

"I know... I trust you," I responded, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's just... everything has been so overwhelming. I need time to adjust, to understand my place in all of this."

He nodded and lowered his forehead to mine, creating a tender connection between us. "Take all the time you need. I'm here for you, now and always. We're in this together," he whispered.

As he held me close, I felt a sense of peace settle over me. Despite the chaos of the past, I knew that with Lucas by my side, we could face whatever challenges lay ahead. The future seemed uncertain, but at that moment, in his arms, I felt a glimmer of hope.

We stayed like that, wrapped in each other's embrace, as the world outside the room continued to move forward. I knew that eventually, we'd have to step back into that world and face its challenges. But for now, I allowed myself to find solace in the warmth and love of my mate.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Who's there?" Lucas called out. His facial expression changed. I could tell there must be something going on, but he just didn't want to tell me.

"It's Troy," replied the familiar voice.

"Come in," Lucas said.

Troy stepped inside. It had been a while since I'd last seen him, and he looked markedly different, probably due to his new, much shorter hairstyle. He glanced at me briefly, the unfamiliar look in his eyes making the moment surreal. It was as if he didn't recognize me at all.

Turning to Lucas, Troy bowed slightly and said, "Alpha Lucas, about the detail you assigned me..."

Lucas sprang to his feet. "Let's take a walk, shall we?" he suggested to Troy. Then, looking back at me, he added, "I'll be back in a minute. Wait for me. Meanwhile, why don’t you give Darren a call and invite him to His Majesty's crowning ceremony tomorrow?"

Before I could muster a response, they were already out the door, leaving me in a whirl of confusion. What’s going on? I wondered. Why didn’t Troy recognize me? Is he planning something with Lucas? And why on earth did Lucas want my Batair to come to my father's crowning ceremony?

Am I in danger right now?