Bella’s POV
Consciousness returned slowly, accompanied by waves of pain that crashed through my body like a relentless tide. My limbs felt heavy, disconnected, as if they belonged to soone else entirely.
A gentle pressure on my hand drew my attention. Warm fingers traced circles across my knuckles, the touch soothing enough to montarily quiet the ache that seed to radiate from every nerve ending.
The simple gesture provided comfort I desperately needed, helping fight through the fog that clouded my thoughts. When I finally managed to pry my eyes open, Derek’s familiar face ca into focus.
Relief flooded through instantly. My muscles, which had been coiled with tension, began to relax despite the lingering pain.
"Where are we?" The words ca out broken, each syllable requiring trendous effort as I struggled to catch my breath.
"We’re in a cabin in the woods," Derek answered, his voice carrying an oddly theatrical tone that stirred sothing in the depths of my mory.
A flash of recognition hit . That horror movie we’d watched together, the one that left clutching his arm throughout the entire film. I never understood my fascination with scary movies when they consistently reduced to a trembling ss.
"Cabin? Why would we be here?" I attempted to push myself upright, but fire shot through every muscle in my body. "Hold on, what exactly happened? Weren’t we supposed to be on so kind of mission?"
Pieces of mory began surfacing like fragnts of a shattered mirror. Disconnected images, voices, emotions, but nothing that ford a complete picture. Derek observed carefully, then allowed a small smile to curve his lips.
"What are you smiling about?" Confusion colored my voice.
"Don’t stress about it. Everything will co back to you," he said gently.
Following his gaze, I glanced down and slowly pulled back the blanket covering . A sharp intake of breath escaped my lips as I pressed the fabric against my chest.
"Why am I wearing your clothes?" The question ca out strangled with shock. The oversized black shorts and gray shirt were unmistakably masculine, definitely his.
"You went through your transition, and I couldn’t leave you exposed like that," he explained, his voice cracking slightly with emotion.
The word ’transition’ hit like a physical blow.
"That’s right. You shifted and fought that old man. You actually ripped his head clean off."
He paused when he noticed my eyes growing wide, tears beginning to pool at the corners.
"I actually did that?" Disbelief made my voice barely audible.
"You were absolutely fierce," Derek confird with a slight nod.
He remained kneeling on the bed, his fists planted firmly in the mattress for support, while I pressed myself against the headboard, clutching the blanket like armor.
"Oh no." One hand flew to cover my mouth as my gaze drifted away from his intense stare.
Then it all ca flooding back at once. Leah’s determination to pursue the man in the cave, our decision to take control of the mission, discovering the man wasn’t what he appeared to be, my violent transformation, the sudden overwhelming awareness of the mate bond with Derek, the desperate need to protect him when his agony felt like my own.
The mories crashed into like a avalanche, leaving breathless and reeling.
"So which part of rembering is hitting you the hardest?" Derek asked, clearly reading the turmoil written across my face.
I t his eyes and struggled to swallow past the tightness in my throat.
"The mate bond," I whispered.
The satisfied grin that spread across his features completely blindsided . Why wasn’t he panicking about this revelation?
Didn’t he have a wife waiting at ho? To him, I’d always been nothing more than an oga, insignificant and forgettable.
Nothing about his reaction made any sense. And how could I possibly feel a mate bond with him when I’d already experienced one with Hugo?
Too many thoughts were spinning through my mind to focus on any single issue. I shifted onto my knees, positioning myself to face him directly.
He straightened his posture, matching my position as we knelt across from each other.
"Did you check on Leah? Please tell she’s all right," I said, anxiety creeping into my voice.
"Of course. The first thing I did was make sure my daughter was safe," he replied.
His phrasing surprised , but the news brought imdiate relief.
"She’s perfectly fine. She regained consciousness the mont you killed that old man. His mind control broke completely, and you ended up saving countless other children in the process."
He encouraged to breathe slowly and deeply while explaining that several other kids had been found unconscious in the cave.
"After I got you settled here, I contacted our warriors. They arrived quickly and managed to rescue all the remaining children," he continued.
His explanation was thorough, but one crucial question still burned in my mind.
"Why bring here? Why not take to the hospital or back ho?" Bewildernt filled my voice.
He looked away, his focus shifting to sothing beyond my shoulder, as if he himself wasn’t entirely sure of his motivations.
"There was a severe hailstorm," he finally said. "And I suppose I just wanted to be the one taking care of you. Plus, you were talking in your sleep about the mate bond situation, about what you felt when you saw that old man attacking . I didn’t want you waking up mortified, knowing everyone else had overheard those private thoughts."
His tone remained gentle, but his words left completely stunned.
"Well, it doesn’t an anything significant," I mumbled quickly. "It was just my body reacting to its mate instinctively. Nothing more than biology."
I forced myself to dismiss any deeper aning behind what I might have revealed while unconscious. Those feelings couldn’t matter now.
"Sure, of course," he said quietly, lowering his eyes before climbing off the bed.
"Why did you risk everything to protect ?" The question burst out of .
He moved toward the door as if planning to leave, but stopped and turned back to et my gaze.
"Because watching you suffer was destroying . The thought of him harming you terrified more than anything I’ve ever faced," he said, his eyes burning into mine.
I pushed myself off the bed, crossing my arms defensively across my chest. "Why would that matter to you?" I demanded, staring at him in complete disbelief.
"Because a world where you don’t exist would be impossible for to survive in." He held my stare steadily, then added, "Because I love you, Bella. I’ve loved you this entire ti."
His confession sent heat racing through my entire body. Those words might have been beautiful coming from a true mate.
They could have changed everything. But to , they sounded like an old, worn-out lody that I had no desire to hear again.
"I don’t believe you," I said, my voice sharp as a blade.
Deep lines creased his forehead as he frowned.
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