Chapter one of a double chapter update. Enjoy - Ellie xo
Alpha Carter POV Frustration is all I feel. I cannot move. I can hear everything around me. I can feel the pain of the paralysis in my body. I can feel Elizabeth’s pain through our mate bond. I am terrified she will give up on me. That she will not realize I am still here. I know I am close. I cannot feel Max yet, but I know he would be fighting as hard as I am to come together so we can get back to our mate. I feel Elizabeth leave me. I miss her comfort but am happy her mother is visiting her. I can barely make out their discussion, but I am relieved Elizabeth is opening up to accepting her mother. She deserves that happiness. That sense of belonging and safety of a parent’s love. I feel groggy but come alert when her mother talks to her about her destiny. She is intended to be the Queen of this Kingdom. Of course. Why had it not occurred to me before this? They will want Elizabeth to stay and assume her role as Queen. But what wou
Alpha Carter POV I try to breathe on my own, but the machines are in the way. I am able to relax when Elizabeth takes my hand and I know the doctors are on their way. I keep my eyes fixed on her eyes as I wait for the machine to be removed from my body. Finally, it is removed and I am able to breathe on my own. Those first few breathes are liberating. Like I am finally back. I see happy tears in Elizabeth’s eyes as I pull her into my arms. The fear I had of never being able to hold her in my arms has eased and I now know we will be okay. She pulls back, “How do you feel?” she asks me. I open my mouth and attempt to speak but nothing comes out. I am confused and Elizabeth quickly rushes to get me a cup of water. She places a straw at my lips. Yes, I am likely parched from the machines. I attempt again to speak but nothing happens. I try mind-linking her but still I am drawing a blank. I open my mouth again to speak as the doctor moves for
Elizabeth POV I am struggling to remain calm but am worried as heck about Carter. While I was out of the room, the doctor approached me. He advised me it was highly unusual for the paralysis to linger, and he was concerned for the Alpha that he may not get his voice back. The next few hours would be crucial in making that determination. I did not know what that would mean for Carter. He could not run a Pack without a voice. And the inability to communicate by way of mind-link was making it worse. “Does it mean his wolf has been injured?” I ask the doctor. “It is possible. We will only know more as time progresses. Say a prayer to the Moon Goddess that she helps in this case,” he says as he went into the room to administer the drug to Carter. I am brought back to the moment when Carter waves his hand in front of my face. I am startled but then smile when I realize he is holding the note paper up for me to read. “We need to talk,” he says. I
Elizabeth POV We both fell asleep quickly needing the rest from all that we had endured. I do not know how long we slept before I felt a presence beside me. An unknown male was standing there, and I tensed up uncertain what to expect. I look to Carter but see he is still asleep. I gently nudge him, but he does not wake up. I look back to the male and see he is looking at me as if studying me. “Who are you?” I ask quietly. “Your brother,” he replies. “My brother is in a coma,” I say. “I still am. Our parents told me about you, and I wanted to come see you for myself,” he replies softly. “You are beautiful,” he adds. “I do not understand,” I reply confused how he was standing in front of me. “I am stuck between worlds. Not dead and not entirely alive,” he says to me sounding frustrated. “How is that possible?” I ask him. “I do not know. It is something the uncle did. I believe there was a witch involved when I was injured,” he says.
Elizabeth POV My parents gasp as they see the male’s eyes open. My brother. His eyes stay open for a few moments before they slowly close again. My father runs out to call the doctor, as my mother moves forward to the other side of the bed, holding the male’s hand. “Eric, sweetheart, it is mom. Open your eyes,” she encourages him. Nothing. He remains still with no movement. His eyes do not open again. The doctor comes running in and quickly checks him over. He looks to all of us, “I am sorry; there is no change,” he says. “But his eyes just opened when Elizabeth touched him,” my father tells the doctor. “It must have been an involuntary reaction,” he explains as he notes nothing medical has changed. The doctor leaves us as my parents look on sadly wishing for a miracle. I clear my throat and tell them about the encounter I just had with Eric. “Why did you not tell us sooner?” my mother asks. “I wanted to be certain the male was in fact
Alpha Carter POV It crushed me leaving Elizabeth behind. Hearing her crying at my decision nearly broke me and my reserve. I knew it was the right thing to do. Leaving her to get to know her family and determine what she wanted for her future would be key to us moving forward. I did not want to stand in her way. I loved her enough to make the toughest decision I have ever had to make for both of us. My hope is after a couple weeks, she will have had a chance to get to know what would be expected of her. To determine if this is the life she would want. And then we would need to talk about how we make it work for both of us. I want to make things work but I just cannot leave my Pack behind. We walk out of the hospital and into the waiting SUV. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Stan asks me before we pull away from the curb. I look to the hospital and see Elizabeth standing in the doorway with her parents on either side of her. “No, but go
Elizabeth POV It had been a few days since Carter had left me behind. We spoke the first couple of days until he advised me, as I had suspected, that he needed to stay at the Crescent Moon Pack longer than was expected. Since then, I have refused his calls and have not responded to his texts. He made me a promise and he broke it. My heart hurts being away from him. But now I am angry at everyone for the situation I am in. I hear a light knock on my door. Before I can yell go away, my mother walks in to stand directly in front of me. “Enough is enough, Elizabeth. I am sorry you are hurt, but it is time you got dressed and left this room. Get a shower, get dressed and I will meet you downstairs. There are things your father and I need to discuss with you,” she says sternly. I look at her with disgust on my face, “You can look at me like that all you want. It is time you got yourself together,” she says and turns away from me. “You have an
Elizabeth POV “Why?” I ask. “Why what?” my father replies. “Why would they attack? Why would it matter who the leader was?” I ask trying to understand. “The way it works is if a family member of the current King or Queen does not take over, then the position is up for grabs, if you will. It means there would be a fight to the bitter end so that the victor would take over,” he shares with me. “If you thought your cousin and uncle were bad, you cannot imagine what lingers outside these walls,” my mother says with a shiver. My father rubs his hand up and down her arm comforting her. “But that will not happen. We have you back and you will ensure the Kingdom carries on under our leadership,” my father says with a smile. “Are you out of your minds? How does it make sense that I would take over a Kingdom? And what about my mate?” I ask them both. “Carter can move here and rule with you,” my mother says as if it is most logical. “What if he does