A warm hug

POV: SAINT

"No, no, please Marcus," I pleaded, my grip trembling as I watched his eyes roll back, turning a ghostly white. Suddenly, I heard the sound of wolves rushing toward us. "H-help, please, Marcus is—" My voice faltered, choked by my tears.

Sam, Eli, and other warrior wolves arrived, swiftly lifting Marcus onto their backs before dashing away, leaving Mateo and I behind.

"Are you alright, Saint?" Mateo asked, but I could only shake my head, tears streaming down my face.

"It's all my fault, Mateo. I didn't trust him, and now he's—"

"Shhh, everything will be okay," Mateo reassured me, wrapping me in a comforting embrace.

"Saint?" I turned at the sound of Jackson's voice and went straight into his arms. He held me tightly, gently stroking my back.

"J-Jackson, Ava, she—Marcus—" I cried into his shoulder, overwhelmed with emotion.

"It's alright, Saint. Everything will be fine," Jackson murmured, continuing to soothe me as I let my tears flow.

I lost track of time as I stood with Jackson, finding solace in his presence. Eventually, I calmed down enough to pull away, wiping my tears only to realize that Mateo was gone.

"Are you okay?" Jackson asked, gently brushing away my tears. I nodded slightly. "Did you manage to find Ava?" I inquired.

He shook his head. "She vanished. I couldn't reach her in time."

"What about—" I hesitated, my throat tightening as fresh tears threatened to spill. "Is Marcus still—"

"I'm not sure. I just wanted to make sure you were alright before we head back to the pack," he said softly.

"Let's go back; I think I'm okay now." I glanced at my arm, relieved to see it had stopped bleeding, though it still throbbed a bit.

"I'll carry you on my back, alright?" he suggested, and I nodded in agreement. Transforming into his wolf form, I climbed onto his back. As we dashed back to the pack, my mind was solely focused on Marcus. Despite the grim situation, I held onto hope that he would be okay.

Upon arriving at the pack, Jackson rushed straight to the hospital. There, I met Mateo, Sam, Chris, and Samantha.

"He's still alive," Chris informed us. "The doctor says he's breathing, but he's unresponsive—he's in a coma." A wave of relief washed over me at his news; I was happy that he was still alive.

"Isn't there anything that can be done?" Jackson pressed.

"No, there's nothing I can do," the doctor stated as he emerged from the room. "There's magic involved. He's under a spell, which is causing the coma."

"So, only a witch can help him?" Mateo inquired, to which the doctor confirmed with a nod.

"Bringing Cora here would be foolish; Ava is part of her coven," Samantha remarked, and I shared her concern. Who's to say Cora wouldn't side with her?

"I might have a solution. I know a witch doctor I trust, and he's from another area. I can ask him to come and check on him," the doctor proposed.

"That sounds good. How long will it take for him to get here?" Jackson asked.

"At least three days. I'll be sure to tell him about the urgency, so don't worry," the doctor assured him. Jackson nodded in response.

Afterward, the pack doctor departed. "Tell Eli to enhance security at the borders. No one is to come in or out without my permission," Jackson instructed Sam, who nodded and quickly left to carry out the order.

"The rogue attack is just too sudden, and it feels too coincidental that it happened just as Saint went missing," Mateo remarked.

"Thankfully, Jackson instructed Sam to stay by the cell. With all the chaos at the borders, we might never have realized Ava had broken in there," he added.

"Sam went to the cell ?" Mateo asked, surprised.

"Yeah, right when the chaos began," Chris confirmed, and Mateo's expression darkened. "And this time, there was a lot of rogue wolves," he added.

"Were you able to catch Ava?" Samantha directed her question at Jackson.

"No, but I'm planning to visit Cora's coven tomorrow. She owes us some answers," he replied.

Samantha let out a weary sigh. "Maybe this is why Dad had such a disdain for witches." Turning to me, she said, "You should really get some rest. You've had a crazy day."

I agreed with a nod. "I doubt Ava will show up here again, especially after nearly taking her brother's life," I told Jackson.

"To be on the safe side, we'll keep some guards here. Let's head home now," he said, taking my hands and guiding me outside, with the others trailing behind us.

"I'll come check on you tomorrow, and don't worry about your mom. I'll fill her in on everything," Mateo assured me before he departed. Samantha and Chris followed suit.

With our hands still intertwined, Jackson and I made our way to his house. Once we arrived, we found Bethy cradling a sleeping Tom. She explained that he was exhausted from playing with Blake and Lily, who had left a few hours earlier. After settling him into his room, she stepped away.

"I'm going to freshen up," I told Jackson.

"I'll warm up some food for you. Just come downstairs when you're ready," he said.

"I'm not sure I can eat; I really don't have much of an appetite." I was still rattled, even after hearing that Marcus would recover. The reality that he had come so close to death, and that this ordeal was far from over, weighed heavily on my mind.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to end up sick," he remarked.

I nodded in response, "If I get hungry later, I'll just warm it up."

"Alright then. I'm heading to shower," he replied, and we both parted ways.

Once I finished, I lay on my bed, unable to drift off to sleep. The lights were off as I stared at the ceiling, willing myself to doze off. Suddenly, the image of Marcus resting on my lap flashed in my mind. I remembered what he had shared about those behind everything. I got up quickly and made my way to Jackson's room to inform him.

I knocked, and upon hearing him say "come in," I walked inside. He sat on his chair, and his hair appeared damp.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"I remembered something Marcus told me before he lost consciousness."

"What did he say?"

"He mentioned that Ava wasn't working alone, that someone within the pack was helping her."

A frown creased his forehead. "Someone from the pack?"

"Yes. He said you were the target, but they were attempting to reach you through me. That's why I keep getting attacked," I explained.

"Did he mention who it was?"

I shook my head. "No, he was unconscious before he could tell me anything more."

"That makes sense of how she was able to get into the pack members head. I was puzzled about how she managed that without being part of the pack."

"Exactly. She wouldn't have had the ability to know they lost someone without someone from the pack informing her," I realized as it hit me.

"Did he provide any hints?"

"No, just that they were trusted."

"Trusted?"

As I nodded in response, he pressed on, "if I trusted them then that would mean they were close to me." His expression grew more serious.

"Yes, that's exactly what he said. I think Ava might have told him who it was. Do you have any suspects in mind?"

"Of course not, I trust everyone. I can't imagine any of them wanting to harm me."

I let out a sigh, "I'm not so sure..."

"When he regains consciousness, I'm sure he'll tell us who's truly behind this."

"You're right," I agreed, letting out a breath.

"Don't stress over it. Just get some rest. We can discuss it further tomorrow," he suggested.

I nodded and began to turn away, but paused at the door. The thought of sleeping alone in my room felt daunting; I wanted to be here with him. But how could I bring that up? Would it be too forward to share a bed? We were mates, after all, but it felt complicated—

"Are you alright?" I heard his voice from behind me.

Still facing the door, I hesitated before responding. "Um, can I stay here tonight? I-I don't want to be alone."

There was a moment of silence.

"Okay," he finally replied.

I turned to him immediately. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's no problem. You can lie down while I check on Tom." I nodded in agreement, and he stepped out. As I settled onto his bed, I inhaled his comforting scent, which made me feel far safer than I would have in my own room.

He returned and asked, "Do you sleep with the lights on or off?"

"On," I whispered softly. He turned off the light and climbed onto the bed. It was a spacious king-sized bed, but I found myself perched on the edge, leaving an uncomfortable gap between us. I shifted onto my left side to face him. He lay on his back, arms resting at his sides.

"Jackson," I called into the darkness.

"Hmn?" he responded with a gentle hum.

"Can we—" I hesitated. Would it be too much to ask him to close the distance between us? I really didn't like how far apart we were.

"Do you want me to hug you?" he asked softly, his voice still deep even in a whisper.

"Yeah," I replied quietly. I simply wanted us to be closer, yet his offer to pull me in made my heart flutter.

He shifted nearer, opening his right arm in invitation. I eagerly moved into his embrace. With my head resting against his chest, I slowly draped my arms around him, silently praying to the moon goddess that he wouldn't mind.

And he didn't.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"Get some sleep. You must be exhausted," he said. I nodded, a smile spreading across my face.

Later in the night, I felt his other arm wrap around me, pulling me into a warm, protective hug.