Chapter 21
I hid myself in my room for the entire duration of the day. Eve brought me lunch but I couldn’t bring myself to eat a bite. I felt undeniably guilty for what I had done to Lauren and I cannot imagine how she feels about my presence in the house.
Evening came around and I had rehearsed the speech I was going to give to Ryker over a thousand times already. I would wait until we are eating dinner and then I would thank him for everything he has done so far and tell him that I would like
to leave.
I don’t know how he would react to it but the last thing anyone needs right now is my presence and I am willing to give him and Lauren the space they need to get back together no matter how much it hurts me.
Evening fell and Ryker still hadn’t returned. I finally emerged from my hideout when I saw how dark the sky had become and made my way down the stairs hoping that he had returned but no one had told me. I checked his study first but it was empty and I made my way to the dining room to meet Eve.
“I was just about to bring you dinner,” she said as soon as she saw me, “Just give me a second and I will bring it to the table.”
“That’s fine but that’s not why I’m here. Have you heard from Ryker?” I asked and she shook her head. “That is very unlike him, he should be back by now.”
“He could just be running late, it happened quite a lot actually,” she offered, “I am sure that everything is fine.”
“Have you seen Lauren?”
“The guards told me that she left a while ago in a hurry. I don’t know where she went or if she will be back.”
Just as those words left her l*ps, Lauren rushed into the house in a sort of panic. Her eyes fell on me and I could see how annoyed she was just to be setting her sights on me.
“Come, we have to leave.” She didn’t offer up any more explanation but I was frozen in place, “Are you deaf? We have to leave.”
“What is going on?”
She made her way over to me and dropped her voice to a deadly whisper, “Believe me, I want nothing to do with you just as much as you want nothing to do with me but Ryker is hurt and for some godforsaken reason, he asked for you. So are you going to ask any more stupid questions or can we leave?”
I wasted no time in following her out of the house and into the waiting carriage. It was after the doors had shut that I looked down and realized that I was still in my night dress but I couldn’t worry about that not when Ryker was hurt. How did I not
know that he was hurt?
I spared a quick glance at Lauren. She pressed herself against the opposite end of the carriage so that our bodies wouldn’t touch by mistake. She had her eyes cast on the window and I knew it was in a deliberate attempt to ignore me and pretend
like I wasn’t there.
“I’m sorry.” I said softly, “It was never my intention to hurt you today” She ignored me still, “I truly am sorry and I hope that you can forgive me.”
“Why don’t you start by leaving me alone?” she spat, “I do not want to see you or hear you. Can you do that for me?”
She didn’t wait for my answer, she turned her attention back towards the door and my guilt rose.
The rest of the ride was silent and I thought we were going to the pack house but we passed the large building and continued down the tarred road. I wanted to ask where we were going but I knew asking any more questions would ultimately annoy Lauren so I stayed silent.
We ended up stopping in front of a large building that read ‘hospital. I couldn’t help but worry about how hurt Ryker would have to be for him to be brought here.
Chapter 21
The carriage pulled to a stop and before I could even say a word, Lauren had gotten out and was sprinting towards the doors. I tollowed her as fast as I could and we ended up in front of a pair of double doors.
The scent of antiseptic and blood was overwhelming and it brought on a huge migraine but I managed to tune it out long enough to hear Lauren speaking to me.
“Ryker is through those doors but you have to sit here” She instruct
“But you said he asked for me.”
“Only one person is allowed in at a time and I am going in her voice was cold and chiding. “Are you really going to cause a scene in here of all places? Are you that selfish?”
She was cut off from saying any more by the door opening. Lucy emerged in her doctors scrubs and when she saw me, she smiled
“I’m glad you’re here Camilla,” she gestured for me to walk in, “The Alpha has been asking for you.”
I looked to Lauren carefully who was glaring daggers at me, “I think Lauren wants to see him as well.”
“My duty is to my patient not his guests and my patient wants to see you,” she pushed the door open for me, “I don’t think we should keep him waiting.”
Without looking at Lauren I knew how she must have felt. I could feel the weight of her gaze as I made my way into the room. I made a mental note to apologize to her later but a part of me knew she would never accept it. It is always easier to hate someone than to forgive them.
Ryker’s hospital room was large by many standards. There was a table with different tools and ripped bloody clothes. Judging by the amount of blood on those clothes Ryker must have been seriously hurt.
I finally lifted my eyes to him lying on the hospital bed. He was in a pale blue hospital gown but the top part was rolled down and a bandage was wrapped around his torso. A gasp left me involuntarily and his eyes snapped up to mine.
“What happened?” my voice was barely over a whisper.
He gestured for me to come closer and I obliged mainly because I didn’t have it in me to refuse and I wanted to see his wounds up close.
“How did you get hurt?” I asked again.
“We were ambushed by some rogues,” his voice was hoarse and tired- he sounded almost weak, “We didn’t expect there to be so many. Rogues usually move in bands of threes and fives but there was an entire pack of them. One of them took out a large chunk of my side.”
“I am so sorry.” I reached out to touch him but remembered that I shouldn’t and I snatched my hand back almost immediately.
The action didn’t go unnoticed by Ryker and I saw his eyes narrow ever so slightly. I expected him to call me out on it but instead he cleared his throat and forced himself into a half sitting position.
“Have you eaten?” he asked and I shook my head, “I figured as much. I asked for someone to get us both food from the pack
house.”
“Ryker,” I began but he cut me off.
“Just because I am hurt doesn’t mean I still won’t force you,” he warned, “I will be out of here by tomorrow morning. And I will be back in the field in two to five days. I heal very quickly Camilla.”
“That’s not it.
He stopped whatever argument he was going to present and calmly looked up at me. I knew he was giving me the time to say what I wanted to say and just like that, all my rehearsing and my entire speech flew out of my head.
I opened my mouth but no words would come out and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t form a sentence. He didn’t rush me, he just sat there in silence and waited for me to regain my bearings and I was grateful for that.
“I am grateful for everything you have done for me,” I began, “You helped me get back on my feet and you have fed and clothed me without asking for anything in return. I want to thank you for that.”
“That is my job Camilla; you don’t have to thank me for that.”
“Okay but I am fully healed now and I was thinking that it would be a good time for me to be on my way.” I snuck a glance at him but his face betrayed no emotions so I took that as a good sign. “I probably upended your life when I came and I just want to say that I am sorry and I hope that when I leave, you are able to get your life back in order.”
I waited for him to respond but instead he stayed silent. He was quiet for three whole minutes- I counted- before he finally cleared his throat.
“Are you going to tell me what this is really about or are you going to make me guess?”
“It isn’t about anything.” I lied, “I just want your life to go back to normal.”
“What is normal?” he asked, “Since you seem to know everything. What is my normal life?”
“1. I trailed off because I didn’t know what to say, “I just don’t want to be a burden to you anymore.”
“I never said you were a burden so try again.” I opened my mouth to speak but words wouldn’t come out and I ended up sighing deeply.
Ryker lifted his hand and ran it through my curls softly and for once, I didn’t flinch. He noticed that too because I saw relief flash through his eyes. His hand trailed down to my chin and he lifted it so I was staring into his eyes.
“Tell me what this is really about,”
There was something so compelling about the soft tone he took on and the way he held me. I didn’t realize when the words left my l*ps.
“I know about the nursery.”
