Chapter 144

Claire POV

I woke up feeling groggy and strange, my body heavy.

It felt like I was floating in some deep dark pool of water.

And above me was a single square of bright white light.

For a moment I panicked, unable to remember what had happened, or figure out where I was.

All I remembered was a rush of fear, and a desperate need to get away.

But get away from what?

Or who??

And then I realized where I was, by the sounds and smells that began to drift into my consciousness.

I was in the clinic, and seemed to be in a patient room.

But why?

Suddenly, to my surprise, Nathan’s face appeared in that square of light.

His face was haggard and his eyes were red. He looked like he’d barely been sleeping.

“Is there any hope at all that she’ll wake up?” he said.

His voice echoed in the darkness where I floated, as if it came from a great distance.

Amelia’s voice answered him, though I couldn’t see her. And she sounded so sad.

“I’m afraid not. Her condition is the same as the Royal Alpha’s. She’s somehow fallen into the same mysterious coma.

“And I…I just don’t know what to do about it.”

Fallen into a coma?

What did she mean by that?

And that’s when I tried to sit up.

And realized I couldn’t.

I couldn’t move at all!

What was happening to me??

I tried to yell, to scream.

“I’m not in a coma! I’m right here! I can hear you!”

But I didn’t move. And I couldn’t make a single sound.

I was awake and able to see, to hear. I could even feel the sheets on the bed, the touch of their hands.

But I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk, couldn’t let them know in any way that I was in there..

That I was somehow locked into my body.

It was absolutely terrifying.

And that’s when I remembered what happened.

And who was to blame.

Baldwin.

He was the reason I was locked inside myself!

Which meant my father probably was as well.

A feeling of horror washed over me at that thought.

Had Dad been stuck like this, trapped and unable to move or speak??

It had been months!

It would be a miracle if he wasn’t insane by now, if being trapped like this hadn’t driven him completely mad.

Over the next few days, I struggled with holding onto my sanity myself.

People came to see me, and at first I was happy to have visitors. To have something to focus on

But some of them were just heartbreaking.

Amelia was a constant visitor, coming to see me morning, noon and night.

She spoke to me like I could hear her, keeping me updated on all the tests they’d run, how Dad was doing, what was going on at the clinic.

It meant so much to me.

And every night, before she went home, she’d take my hand and tell me, “Be strong, Claire. I’m going to fix this, I promise.

“Just hold on, okay? Just hold on.”

The only thing I wanted in the world in those moments was to return the squeeze she gave my hand.

Just that one small motion, to tell her that I could hear her, and that I was holding on as best as I could.

But of course my hand remained motionless.

Nathan brought Andy to see me, and at first my heart was overjoyed at the chance to see and hear my little boy again.

When he sat beside me on the bed, holding my hand and kissing my cheek, I thought that was the happiest I’d ever been.

But the tears in his voice ripped at my heart when he spoke.

“I love you, Mommy. Please, please be okay.

“Please wake up.”

Locked inside my silent prison, I raged and wailed.

Baldwin was going to pay for the suffering her was causing my poor son.

Somehow. Some day.

But my thoughts of revenge were interrupted by a truly surprising visitor the next day.

It was Alpha Gavin.

Knowing Nathan was now in Royal territory, helping my staff with the day to day pack operations I could no longer perform, I was surprised Gavin had been allowed entrance.

I would have thought Nathan would be too jealous to let someone who clearly wanted to be a competitor for my attention and affection in to see me.

But as Gavin began to speak, I began to understand why Nathan let him in.

Gavin wasn’t there to tell me he was going to be there no matter what, like my other visitors.

No, Alpha Gavin had come to say goodbye.

“Dearest Claire,” he said when he came in, taking my hand.

“Look at you. So pale and still. You look like you’re already - ”

He cut off, raw emotion choking him.

After a moment he took a breath, and then went on.

“I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you in person. But this is so hard…”

I felt his hand brush my cheek.

“I am truly sorry to see you like this, Claire. And also sorry to end things between us this way.

“But I’m afraid our courtship is at an end, before it even really began.”

Confused, I tried to figure out what he meant.

“I’ve met someone, Claire. I’ve met the one, actually.

“I’ve met my fated mate. And I…”

Understanding dawned on me.

Gavin had found his true match, the person he was really meant to be with.

And it wasn’t me.

But I’d known that, hadn’t I?

My own affections for Gavin didn’t come near to the connection and attraction I felt to Nathan. And so I had known that what was between us wasn’t - couldn’t be - as deep.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t real.

And it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to hear that I might never see him again.

While I was happy he had found his mate, I was still losing a friend.

Even if I could escape this prison Baldwin made for me, we simply wouldn’t be able to spend the time together we had before.

Gavin told me goodbye and left, and the room filled with an echoing silence.

I said a silent goodbye of my own, and wished him the best.

But the room didn’t stay empty for long.

Nathan was a constant presence, refusing to leave me alone for even a short amount of time.

Did he know, somehow, that I was in here? That I was awake and alive and able to see and hear and feel?

Or did he just want to be near me?

I wondered if maybe his own subconscious could sense me.

That fact gave me hope, when I had very little hope to cling to.

He had a cot brought in and slept beside me in my room. He took his meals at a small table beside the bed.

He was never far away.

And just knowing he was there, that whether it was night or day I was never truly alone, made all the difference.

In fact, it was the only thing that kept me from losing my mind.