Chapter 61

~Grace~

Oh my god, Alex!

No, no, no-

Was he still alive? What was he doing out here?!

I burst through the doors into the pouring rain, droplets and seawater pelting me. The rescuers must not have heard my entrance through the storm, none of them looked toward me.

“Alex!” I shouted, rushing over. My clothes were soaked and dripping, but I didn’t care. My heart ached more than anything.

I stood behind the rescuers, who were performing CPR on him. He looked so cold, wet, and pale…

I clasped my hand over my mouth, tears blending into the rain.

Oh my god…

I suddenly felt weak and lightheaded, and my knees gave out. The last thing I remember was the shocked look on the rescuer’s faces as I fell to the ground.

It was so cold.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and immediately squinted. The bright, white light of the room blinded me, and I clasped my hand over my eyes to let my eyes adjust to the light.

It smelled like chemicals.

I furrowed my brows together, trying to think.

I remembered the cold, wet rain, the booming crash of the waves, and Alex’s lifeless body on the deck of the ship.

Was it all a dream…?

Blinking, I took a look around me. It was white and sterile, and I was on some sort of bed under a thin, white sheet.

It looked like a hospital. Was I still on the ship?

A swaying motion that made me grab onto the side of the bed to keep from rolling off confirmed my thought.

Okay, so I must be in the medical bay or something.

I sat up, slowly. My head hurt a little, but other than that, I felt fine.

I looked around the small room. Nobody else was in here. Looking down at myself, I assessed the situation. Nothing was hooked up to me, either. Was I free to go?

I mean, it’s not like anything serious happened, I just passed out…

Besides, I had to find out what happened to Alex.

The memory of his face flashed in my mind, and my stomach churned. Oh, god… he wasn’t really dead, was he?

I slid off of the bed. I had to find him. Now.

I burst through the door, startling a medical personnel on the other side. She looked at me, startled.

“Oh, you’re awake-” she began, but I cut her off.

“Where’s the man they found in the water?” I confronted her, staring intensely into her eyes.

She clenched her jaw uncomfortably. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to disclose that information to you-”

Angry, desperate tears welled up in my eyes. “That’s my fiance, please, I need to see him!”

She stood still for a moment, stunned. She clearly didn’t know what to do.

“H-he’s in room four. Just- don’t tell anyone I told you, alright?”

I didn’t wait for her to finish, as soon as I heard the information I needed, I brushed past her, frantically looking for room four.

It was just down the hall.

I didn’t even hesitate to push open the door, but I stopped in the doorway once the door swung open.

Alex was lying on a medical bed, equipment hooked up to him, laying under a white sheet. His face still looked pale, and his hair was dripping wet.

Oh, my god…

I started to feel myself grow weak again, but steeled myself enough not to pass out. I had to know what happened.

A grey-haired man with glasses at the end of his nose sat next to Alex, holding some equipment up to his chest.

His skin was a dark umber, and the moment I walked into the room, I could smell it. He was a wolf.

He seemed to finish whatever he was doing, taking his time, then turned around to look at me with a smile.

“You must know this man, yes?”

I nodded, not sure what to say.

“He’s lucky he’s alive–one more minute and he might not have made it,” he continued.

The man stood up. He was dressed in scrubs, and I could read a nametag now. Doctor Jones.

“W-will… will he be okay?” I managed to get out, squeezing my fist nervously.

The doctor walked forward and put a hand on my shoulder. “He's a Lycan. He’ll walk it off.”

He gave me a knowing look before walking past me. He stopped in the doorway and turned around to look back at me.

“You can stay as long as you like.”

I nodded, and he shut the door behind him.

Quickly, I moved to Alex’s side, sitting in a chair beside him. I grabbed his hand. It was cold.

Pressing my lips together, I held back tears.

I really thought I never wanted to see him ever again, but seeing him like this… It made me realize I still loved him more than I could ever admit to myself.

I choked out a sob. Tears streamed silently down my cheeks, and I just couldn’t hold back anymore.

I missed him so much, I hated being out here, hated being with Christopher, hated being away from him, hated everything that happened.

I wanted so badly to just have the perfect wedding and life that I thought I was getting. Why did things have to end so badly?

I felt him stir under my touch, and he groaned.

I gasped, and sat up, quickly wiping away my tears.

“Alex?” I whispered, my heart beating fast.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, and stared at me through thick eyelashes. I stared back at him. Did he recognize me? Was he even looking at all?

It was like there was nothing behind those eyes.

My heart sank.

Maybe things weren’t as good as they seemed.

Finally, he blinked.

“Am I dreaming?” He mumbled, and I couldn’t help but laugh in relief.

Thank god he was fine.

I smiled and touched his cheek.

“No, you’re not dreaming. But what the hell are you doing out here? Why were you drowning yourself in the ocean?” I began, feeling myself getting angry.

He chuckled, his voice low and raspy.

“I was coming to save you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well look who needed saving in the end.”

He laughed softly, and then the room fell silent.

I looked away, feeling the tension grow thick. While I was overjoyed to see him, I still hadn’t forgotten the reason I ran away in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, I readied myself. I didn’t really know if I wanted to hear the answer, but I had to know. Otherwise I couldn’t move on.

“Alex… Did you really kill my parents?”

He gave me a pained, regretful look. My heart sank, and I looked down at the floor, expecting the worst.

“Grace…” He took my hand. “No, I didn’t kill your parents. But I may have been responsible for their death.”

I froze. That… wasn’t what I was expecting. What did that even mean?

“Alex, what- what does that mean?”

He took a deep breath.

“I’m so sorry I kept this from you, Grace, I… I was cowardly. I couldn’t bear to see the look on your face when I told you, but that only made things so much worse,” he said, his voice pained.

I furrowed my brows. But what happened?

“Grace… let me explain the tragedy of the Black Lycan clan and how it got your parents killed.”