Chapter 268

Audrey

Night had settled over the hospital, a dull quiet filling the air as the fluorescent lights dimmed to a muted glow. The bustling corridors had gone quiet, save for the occasional nurse patrolling past. Everyone was asleep except for me.

I couldn’t sleep. How could I?

My body ached, muscles that I hadn’t realized I’d pulled during the fighting now thrumming with discomfort. My wolf was exhausted after everything that had happened today, and so I was healing slowly. Far too slowly.

I turned my head, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. Across the small gap between our beds, Edwin lay in silence. His gray eyes were already on me, studying me.

“You should be resting,” I whispered, although I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corners of my lips.

Edwin shifted slightly to face me, his body tensing from the movement. His hand hovered over his bandaged abdomen, a grimace flickering across his face. “So should you.”

“We almost died today,” I murmured. “It’s a bit hard to sleep after that.”

“We seem to do that a lot, don’t we?” Edwin replied, a soft, humorless chuckle escaping his lips. “Although I would prefer if we didn’t make it so much of a habit.”

“Might be a little late for that,” I teased.

I reached out across the small space between our beds, my fingers searching for his. When they found him, our hands intertwined easily, the familiar warmth of his touch immediately soothing the pain throbbing through my body.

“The kids,” I said softly, unable to hold back the images that flooded my mind. The warehouse, the children hunched over at machines, the terrifying people in uniforms with those big electrified batons. “I’m so glad they all made it out.”

Edwin nodded, and even that small motion seemed to pain him a little. “Yep. All ninety-nine of them thanks to Peter and Betty.” He paused, then added, “It would have been a hundred, were it not for Joseph already being with Eliza.”

I shuddered a bit at the thought of that poor, sweet little boy being so terrified. We still didn’t know if there had been others before them, others that hadn’t made it through that torment. If there was some sort of mass grave nearby…

Well, I wouldn’t have been surprised, but I didn’t really want to think about it right now.

“When I saw what they were doing to those children…” I swallowed hard and shook my head. “I’ve never felt anything like that before, Edwin. That kind of rage.”

“I felt it through the bond,” he replied quietly, glancing at me with those gold-flecked eyes. “It was like wildfire.”

Another shiver ran through me at his words, the memory of that hatred bubbling beneath the surface. I had never felt such raw, unbridled fury. It wasn’t just anger—it was something deeper, something that had been sitting dormant for far too long.

I could have been one of those kids. And I never thought I’d say this, but I almost felt lucky for the upbringing I had. Because it could have been worse—far worse. I could have died.

“Come here,” Edwin said suddenly, as if reading my mind.

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. “I’m pretty sure the nurses told us we’re supposed to stay in our own beds.”

Edwin shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “Since when do you follow the rules?”

I snorted, but couldn’t argue with that, so I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The cold floor sent a shiver up my spine as I padded the short distance to his side.

Slowly, carefully, he helped me climb into the bed beside him, both of us adjusting beneath the thin hospital blanket until we found a position that didn’t strain our injuries too much.

Once we were settled, his arm wrapped around me, his fingers threading through my hair—my pure silver hair. “I still can’t get over this,” he murmured, a strand almost glimmering in the light as he twisted it between his fingers. “It’s beautiful. Like moonlight.”

I smiled softly, reaching up to touch the strands myself. “It doesn’t make me look like an old lady?”

Edwin chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “If it does, then you’re the hottest old lady to ever walk the planet.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Funny how things change,” I murmured, the words slipping out without much thought. “I used to hate the silver streak alone. Now it’s completely silver, like the universe is playing a trick on me to get back at me for all those years of hating it.”

Edwin raised a dark eyebrow. “Do you hate it now?”

Quickling shaking my head, I said, “No. I actually quite like it. Although I do miss my black hair a little.”

We laid like that for a while longer, just holding each other and listening to one another’s heartbeats. I tentatively pulled the covers back just a little to peek at Edwin’s bandages, which were wrapped tightly around the spot where he’d been stabbed through the ribs, just below the heart.

The fact that he had survived that in the end really did feel like a miracle. But I supposed that we would never find out exactly how it had happened—whether it was some sort of divine intervention or a sudden burst of healing energy from me or simple adrenaline.

I didn’t mind not knowing, though. I was just glad that we were here. Together.

“Hey,” I said slowly, the thought that had been forming in the back of my mind all night suddenly coming out, “I’ve been thinking… I think I might know what I want to do now. For my career.”

Edwin’s eyes lit up, and he shifted slightly so he could look at me better. “What is it?”

My throat bobbed, my cheeks suddenly flushing a little. “I think I want to start a charity foundation. I want to raise money from selling my clothing designs and then use the money to help people—not just kids like the ones today, but anyone who needs help. Marginalized people. Humans. Orphans. Small business owners. People who feel like they have nowhere else to turn.”

For a few moments, my mate was silent, his eyes searching mine.

“Is… Is that crazy?” I asked, suddenly feeling a little vulnerable beneath his gaze.

But Edwin shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. “No. It’s not crazy at all. In fact, it’s perfect. You could help so many people, Audrey. Give them the support and guidance you never had.” He squeezed my hand. “Whatever you need—resources, connections, anything—it’s yours.”

I stared at him for a moment, warmth blooming in my chest. “You’d really help me with this?”

“Of course,” he said softly. “I’d help you with anything. You know that. If you’ll actually let me help you, that is.”

The weight in my chest lifted a little, replaced by a sense of purpose I hadn’t realized I’d been searching for. I leaned forward, pressing my lips gently to his, the familiar feeling of his warmth spreading through me.

When I pulled back, I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Thanks. But I have everything I need right here,” I murmured.

And then suddenly, I was moving. Slowly and carefully, I was swinging my leg over him and straddling him, feeling his warmth beneath me. He stared up at me, wide-eyed, as I gently began to rock my hips against his.

Soon enough, that familiar hardness began to bulge between us, and I leaned down, kissing him again.

Neither of us said a word as I gently eased myself onto him, feeling his essence fill me to the brim. My hair fell around us like a silver curtain as he gently cupped my face between his hands and kissed me deeply, passionately.

If anyone had been watching us that night, they would have seen my body gently moving over his, my lips parted and our foreheads pressed together.

They might have heard us whispering each other’s names, so quiet it was almost inaudible.

And they might have seen the hospital bed rocking ever so slightly as my mate dug his fingers into my hips and drew me closer beneath the warmth of the blanket.

But they didn’t. Because everyone else was fast asleep.