Chapter 186

Carol’s POV

I couldn’t help but be a little aggravated; I just woke up and got Aiden back, and now my father was asking him to leave so he could speak with me alone? I grabbed Aiden’s arm before he could go anywhere; I still couldn’t believe he was there. I had so many questions about what had happened after Allen gave me those drugs that knocked me out. The last thing I remembered was Allen standing over me and telling me he was taking me away. I completely lost hope that I would ever escape that monster.

When I woke up, I thought for certain it would be Allen by my side; I thought the doctor would have left and got Allen, but instead, he got Aiden. I couldn’t express the relief I felt upon seeing Aiden walking into the hospital room. But now my biological father was ruining everything but demanding time with me.

“Whatever you need to say, you can say it with my husband present,” I told him.

King Bennet looked at me for a long while before turning his attention to Aiden. After another beat of silence, he finally relented with a head nod.

“Very well,” he said, turning his attention back to me. “I’m not pleased that I found out about your disappearance through the media. I was hoping your husband would have the sense to reach out to me so I could help in the search. With the resources I have, we could have found you a lot sooner and saved you a lot of trauma.”

“I don’t think anyone could take away the trauma that I’ve faced,” I murmured, holding onto Aiden even tighter.

“Perhaps not, but we certainly could have found you quicker,” he said without missing a beat.

“I did the best I could,” Aiden said through his teeth. “I found her and she’s safe; that’s all that matters.”

“She’s safe with the amount of wolfsbane in her system?” King Bennet asked, corking an eyebrow.

“Wolfsbane?” I asked, looking up at Aiden with alarmed eyes. “That’s what he was giving me?”

Aiden ran his fingers through his hair and turned to me.

“There’s a lot I need to tell you,” he said softly. “But yes; Allen was drugging you with wolfbane.”

I winced and then I gasped as I held my stomach, my face blanched.

“M…my baby,” I breathed, my face contorted with worry.

Aiden cupped my face, trying to calm my erratic mind.

“The doctor said the baby was okay,” he assured me gently. “They were able to save the fetus. I’m not sure of many details yet though. The doctor will have to tell you the rest. But you are both okay.”

Relief flooded through me hearing his words. I touched my stomach, and I let a smile spread across my lips.

“That’s another thing,” my biological father said, folding his arms across his chest. “Did you not think to tell me you were pregnant with my grandchild?”

I turned to look at him and I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes; it made my chest squeeze. I hadn’t meant to keep this from him, but everything happened so fast. I didn’t even get the chance to tell Aiden myself.

“I found out the same way,” Aiden said, mimicking my thoughts. “She was taken after she found out.”

“Why was that boy with you during the ultrasound?” King Bennet asked. “I’m having a hard time believing that you were involved with him.”

“I wasn’t,” I said sharply, shaking my head. “I worked with him; I nearly passed out in front of him, and he took me to the doctor. He stayed by my side when they did the ultrasound and then I found out I was pregnant. He was supposed to take me back to the packhouse so I could tell Aiden the news…”

Aiden wrapped me in his arms, I buried my face in his chest and inhaled deeply, his scent wrapping around me like a blanket.

“What ended up happening?” I finally asked, looking up at Aiden, my voice cracking slightly. “Where’s Allen?”

Aiden looked hesitant upon answering that question; he looked at King Bennet who gave him a slight nod.

Clearing his throat, Aiden looked back at me.

“He’s dead,” Aiden told me.

I was stunned.

“What?” I asked, barely audible.

“We got there when he was putting you in a car. I attacked him and injured him pretty badly. But then I took you and left. My warriors took care of the rest. Sent me the video of them tearing him apart,” he explained.

I shuddered at the imagery.

But then a memory slammed into me, the phone call between Allen and Katrina. They were involved, and they were in this together. Aiden needed to know the truth about that woman; that she was plotting against me and wanting me to die.

“Aiden,” I nearly croaked as I turned my frightened eyes to him. “He wasn’t working alone…”

I tried to say but he attempted to silence me; I shook my head as tears burned in my eyes. This was too important for him to dismiss. I needed to tell him the truth about the woman he thought was his childhood friend.

“He was working with Katrina, Aiden. They are involved… or something…I don’t know, but—”

“I already know, Carol,” he told me gently, running his fingers through my hair and cupping the back of my neck gently to steady my gaze on him.

“What?” I breathed; my brows furrowed. “But how?”

He sighed and sat beside me on the bed, taking hold of my hands.

“She was sloppy in her planning,” he explained. “I saw the messages on her phone between her and Allen. Also, as soon as you disappeared, she threw away your stuff from the penthouse and put her things in.”

He shook his head at the memory; my heart sank into my stomach.

“She threw away my stuff?” I asked, bewildered.

“Don’t worry; Oliver and Luca found it all and put everything back the way it was,” he assured me. “But yes, she tried to erase you. Thankfully, Fiona nearly kicked her ass when she showed up in the middle of Katrina doing all of that. She was pissed.”

He chuckled at the thought and shook his head again.

I smiled at the thought of my best friend standing up for me; I couldn’t imagine how worried she must have been. But then I frowned.

“Why isn’t Fiona here?” I asked him.

“She needed some time to cope with everything that happened,” he explained. “She didn’t want to see you broken apart and in a coma. So, she asked Oliver to let her know when you woke up. Oliver is in the waiting room, so I’m sure she will be here shortly.”

I nodded, my chest squeezing.

“And my parents,” I asked, ignoring the painful look my biological father gave me.

“Fiona spoke to them already and told them what was happening. They’ve also been following the news, and I think they even started a small search team in their area too, just in case you ended up there,” Aiden said with a chuckle.

I laughed at the thought of my mom and dad leading a search team.

“My mom leads a search team here,” he continued, which surprised me. “The entire pack was looking for you.”

My heart warmed at the sentiment.

“Really?” I asked. “They cared about me that much that they would look for me?”

“You are there Luna, Carol,” he reminded me, running his warm fingers down my cheek and taking my chin in his hand, lifting my gaze to meet his. “They would do anything for you.”

I couldn’t help but smile as he brought his lips down on mine and gave me a tender kiss. My heart skipped a beat; for a moment, there was a part of me that never thought I would have this again. I was so grateful to be with my husband once again and feel safe.

“So, what happened with Katrina?” I asked. “Is she still alive?”

“For now,” King Bennet said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yeah, she's in the dungeon, awaiting trial,” Aiden explained. “It’s pack rules.”

I nodded thoughtfully and chewed on the inside of my cheek.

“I don’t think I want to see her again,” I admitted. “She’s hurt me for the last time, and I have nothing to say to her.”

Aiden wrapped me in his arms and put his chin on top of my head.

“I don’t blame you and I would never make you confront her,” he reassured me. “And you don’t have to.”

Moments later, there was a knock on the door. The doctor walked in, and he had a pleased smile on his face.

“How is everybody?” He asked as he walked around the King, bowing to him, and then walked around Aiden, shaking his hand. He turned to me and his smile widened. “More importantly, how’s our patient?”

“I still feel weak and dizzy,” I admitted.

He nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s to be expected,” he told me. “You had a lot of wolfbane in your system. It’ll take a bit for you to feel normal again.”

“But I’m going to be okay?” I asked and then I touched my belly. “My baby will be okay?”

He nodded with a bright smile on his face.

“Yes; your baby is going to be fine,” he assured me. “There’s nothing to worry about. You were both malnourished and dehydrated, but we were able to fix you up without any complications. When you are ready, some visitors would like to see you. But take your time; you don’t need to see anyone else if you aren’t ready.”

I nodded and thanked him. He changed my IV bag and gave me some medicine that he said would help with my headaches and dizziness. He bowed to the King one more time before leaving.

“This leaves one last thing I’d like to discuss before I give Carol some privacy to see her visitors,” the King said, straightening his posture.

We turned our attention to him with a frown.

“And what’s that?” Aiden asked.

“I want Carol to be safe and the only way I can ensure her safety is if she’s with me in my empire,” he explained.

My heart dropped into my stomach as I stared at him; he was serious.

“What?” I asked at the same time as Aiden asked, “What are you saying?”

King Bennet cleared his throat.

“I want Carol to come home with me.”