Chapter 228

Carol’s POV

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sounds of the heart monitor rang in my ears, and I winced as pain shot through my head. I let a breath before my eyes fluttered open, but then I immediately shut them when the light penetrated my eyes. Most of my body felt numb, but my head ached terribly, and I just wanted to go back to sleep to keep the pain away.

“Carol?” I heard my voice in a whisper, and I immediately knew that it was Aiden. My memory was a bit foggy, but I knew I had been separated from him. I was taken away by the Queen and replaced with my twin sister.

But how had Aiden figured it out and rescued me? I felt his warm hands on my cheek, cupping my face as he examined me with his eyes. I heard the beeping of the heart monitor as my heart rate picked up. Then he released me as he let out a breath, almost sounding defeated.

“You have no idea how worried I’ve been,” he whispered.

I finally managed to open my eyes and peek over at him; he looked so tired, and his face was pale. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days and my heart ached knowing he truly was worried for me.

Of course, he was worried about me; I was his mate and his wife, for crying out loud. What a ridiculous thought to think he wasn’t worried about me.

“What happened?” I whispered, my voice causing pain in my throat because of how dry it was.

He grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and brought it to my lips. I took a small sip of the water and breathed in contentment when the cold liquid soothed my aching and dry throat.

“The King discovered Raelyn,” he answered. “And he knows the Queen is behind it all.”

My eyes grew large; I wasn’t expecting that. How had all this transpired in such a short time? I didn’t understand.

“Where are they now?” I asked. “How did you find me?”

He swallowed; his Adam’s apple moving slightly as he took my hands in his and brought them to his lips, peppering kisses along my knuckles.

“Jenna returned to the palace… she was covered in your blood,” he told me, the memory clearly haunting him. “The King used his powers on her to see what she had done and where she found you. He saw the house you were and sent me the coordinates… when I saw you, I—” his voice broke off, unable to finish that sentence.

I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him and what he must have felt when he saw me lying there. My heart ached at the very thought; I couldn’t imagine something like that happening to him.

“Jenna is now in the empire prison…” he continued to explain. “Candance wanted to save Raelyn and help her get out of the Queen's clutches, but Raelyn ended up disappearing with the queen. We haven’t seen them since.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I peeked up at him.

“How long has it been? How long have I been asleep for?” I asked, afraid to know the answer.

He looked uneasy but then he met my eyes and answered, “A month.”

My mouth fell open. I had been in a coma for a month? Raelyn and the Queen had been missing for a month?

My heart hammered in my chest as I took in that information. But then panic struck me as my hands went straight to my belly; to my utter horror, it was flat.

I let out a shaky breath as tears gathered in my eyes.

“Our baby…” I whispered, my lips trembling.

“He was in critical conditions when you arrived,” Aiden explained morbidly. “You both were. You had to be rushed into surgery. They made me choose who to save if it came down to it.”

I stared up at him, unable to keep the tears from spilling out of my eyes.

“Why didn’t you choose him?” I asked, my voice cracking. “How could you not save our baby?”

“I can’t live without you,” he whispered, taking my hands into his, but I pulled them away.

“He’s our son, Aiden,” I said through my teeth. “He should always come first…”

“My wolf would never forgive me if I let anything happen to our mate,” he told me, his tone firmer. “I couldn’t let you die…I wouldn’t let you die. I don’t regret choosing you.”

“But our baby—”

“He’s okay,” he interrupted me. My heart paused in my chest, and I thought for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

“What?” I asked, my voice coming out as barely a whisper.

“They were able to save you both. He’s premature, but he’s healthy and he’s alive. He’s being fed and changed by a nurse, and she will bring him back here once he’s finished. But he’s okay.”

Relief flooded me and I burst into tears. Our baby was okay; I had a baby boy. We had a baby boy.

Aiden wrapped his arms around my body and held me close.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” he whispered.

“We have a baby…” I said as more tears slipped down my cheeks.

I felt him smiling as he peppered kisses along my hairline.

“Yes, we do,” he told me softly. “I wanted you to be awake before naming him, but it’s been a month since he was born, and I was sick of calling him ‘the baby.’ Plus, the doctor was adamant about me naming him.”

I nodded, not really caring. I trusted Aiden and his judgment.

“What did you name him?”

“Caleb,” he answered.

My heart gushed and I couldn’t seem to stop the tears from flowing out of my eyes.

“Caleb is such a perfect name,” I whispered, burying my face in his side. “I love it and I love you.”

He warped his arms tightly around me; I winced as pain shot throughout my body and then he quickly released me.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I just love you so much and I’m relieved you are okay.”

“So, when do I get to see my baby?” I asked.

He smiled and stood from the side of my bed.

“I’ll go check on him right now,” he told me. He bent down and brushed his lips against mine, breathing in my scent and then letting out a content sigh.

“That’s more like it,” he whispered.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

“What?” I asked him.

He looked a bit nervous as he pulled away from me, which left me feeling suspicious.

“Nothing,” he murmured. “We can talk about it later.”

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone. I felt a little weird being alone, but thankfully, the doctor came into the room moments later. He had a warm smile on his face when he addressed me. He explained to me what had happened and that I needed plenty of rest if I wanted to recover properly. He explained how I needed emergency surgery and that they were able to save my baby. I couldn’t believe all that Jenna had done to me and I felt sick to my stomach at the very thought. She tried to kill me and my baby, but she didn’t succeed. Now the Queen and Raelyn were both missing.

A few minutes later, after the doctor finished checking my vitals and changing my bandages, the door opened, and Aiden walked in carrying a small bundle wrapped in a blue-knitted blanket. I recognized the handy work on the blanket immediately and my heart melted.

My mom.

“Is my mom here?” I asked in a soft voice.

Aiden nodded.

“They’ve been here for the past month since you’ve been found. They spend most of their time at the hospital. Sitting at your bedside and talking to you, they’ve helped a lot with Caleb. Your mom even knitted this blanket while sitting in here. Right now, they are both back at the manor getting some rest. But they’ll be back first thing in the morning. AS will Fiona and Oliver. They both already know you are awake,” Aiden explained.

He brought the baby over to me and slid the blanket off his head so I could see his face. I immediately burst into tears. He was the most perfect little baby I had ever seen, and it was small, but he looked so healthy. He had Aiden’s nose and facial structure, while he had my eyes and hair color.

“Caleb, meet your mommy,” Aiden whispered to the small baby as he placed him into my outstretched arms.

I ran my finger down the side of Caleb’s cheek, and I couldn’t help but smile through my tears. This was my son; I was a freaking mother!

I brought him to my lips and kissed his forehead while Aiden held me tightly; we both stared at the little miracle we created. I hated that I had to miss the first month of his life, but I vowed to myself that I would never miss another second.

“He’s my entire heart,” I whispered.

“You both are my heart,” Aiden agreed, kissing the side of my face. “And now, we are a true family.”

His words brought me a sense of comfort, but then my heart grew heavy as I thought occurred to me. I lifted my gaze up to look at him.

“But where is the Queen and Raelyn? Why do I feel like this is far from over?”