Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Isabella’s POV
I didn’t leave Dimitri’s side for three days. Even after the doctors assured me that he was fine, I’d suggested he remain in the hospital in case any complications arose. I wasn’t taking my chances.
And it was partly because every time I closed my eyes, I relived that dreadful moment at the abandoned warehouse—I saw him dying. Saw that wolfsbane blade in his chest. Saw the light fading from his eyes.
“You need to sleep, Isabella,” Dimitri said when I showed up at the hospital that afternoon carrying a bag containing a fresh change of clothes and some food. I’d gone home to check on Adele.
She’d been here yesterday, and after I told her Dimitri was going to be discharged by this evening, she insisted on decorating the penthouse with Sarah and planning for his return. Couldn’t argue with that.
“And you need to stop working and rest properly. Less than seventy hours ago, you were standing at the verge of life and death,” I countered, eyeing the files and folders sprawled on the table attached to his bed. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t get him to take a break from work.
“I’m serious, Isabella,” his voice was stern. “You really need to sleep.”
“I sleep.”
“I mean properly. In a bed. Not in that torture device they insist on calling a chair.”
I waved a hand. “I’m fine, Dimitri. I wasn’t the one who almost—”
“Died. Yes, I know,” he cut me off gently. “But you got hurt, too. And you’re still bruised from what Ethan did to you.” His hand reached for mine, his thumb brushing over the fading marks on my wrist. “Isabella, I’m not going anywhere. I promise. But you need to take care of yourself.”
“I am taking care of myself. By making sure you’re okay.”
“I am okay. Thanks to you.” He tugged gently on my hand, pulling me onto the edge of his bed. “But if you collapse from exhaustion, what good are you to anyone?”
He had a point. Logically, I knew he had a point.
But logic and the lingering terror in my chest weren’t exactly on speaking terms.
“I keep seeing it,” I admitted quietly. “You falling. The blood. I thought—I really thought I’d lost you.”
“I know.” He shifted, pushing the paperwork to the side to make room in his bed. “Come here.”
I hesitated for only a second before climbing into the hospital bed beside him, careful not to jostle his injury. His arm came around me immediately, holding me close.
“I’m here,” he murmured against my hair. “I’m alive. We both are. And we’re going to stay that way.”
For the first time in three days, I felt myself truly relax. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat under my ear, the warmth of his body against mine—it was like the reassurance I didn’t know I need.
“Sleep,” he commanded gently. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“But you haven’t yet had breakfast,” I interjected. “I brought your favorite.”
“And I will only eat it once you sleep and wake up,” he said.
I sighed. No point arguing. We were both stubborn. It was a miracle Adele hadn’t turned out to be extra stubborn. Though I was holding out for her teenage years. Something told me it was going to be a whirlwind.
I closed my eyes, and in no time, I was asleep.
For the first time, I didn’t have bad dreams. I slept peacefully. And when I woke hours later, he was still there, still breathing, still holding me.
“Now, don’t you feel better?” Dimitri whispered, kissing my hair.
I snuggled into him, a smile on my lips. “Much better.”
“Good. Because I’m starving. Been starving since you mentioned bringing food.”
I chuckled, standing from the bed and going to pull out the sandwiches and freshly squeezed orange juice. . I’d barely set a plate for Dimitri when Maia Ravencrest walked in.
She’d been here once, but I didn’t stay. I’d just stood and left the room.
“Um,” I dropped the coolers. “I should give you two some room. Can you help yourself, Dimitri?” I turned to look at him but he had a frown on his face, as if questioning why I was leaving. I gave him a pointed look that said, “You know why.”
I was just about to turn to leave when Maia spoke. “Actually, Isabella, I came to speak to you?”
“Me?” My eyes widened slightly. Was she about to give me a speech to stay the hell away from her son? She should know that ship has long sailed. There was nothing coming between Dimitri and I again. We’d faced the worst together and came out strong.
I glanced at Dimitri, who looked just as surprised as I felt. He nodded slightly.
“It’s fine,” I said. “We can talk in the hallway.”
We moved outside the room, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. Maia studied me with those cold, assessing eyes that had intimidated me when I was younger.
When the silence was beginning to grow uncomfortable, she finally spoke. “I owe you an apology.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“I owe you an apology, Isabella. For how I treated you six years ago. For the part I played in the rejection. For—” She paused, and something flickered in her expression. Something that might have been regret. “For everything.”
This couldn’t be real. Maia Ravencrest didn’t apologize. Didn’t admit fault. Much less to me.
“I loved my son’s father,” she continued, her voice softer now. “But Asher didn’t love me. Not really. We were paired for political reasons, for pack strength. The Mate bond was there, but it was…hollow. Empty. And I spent years trying to force something that was never meant to be.”
I stayed silent, letting her speak.
“When Asher met your mother, I saw what real love looked like. What a true Mate bond was supposed to be.” Her voice hardened.
“And I hated it. Hated her. Hated what she represented—everything I didn’t have and never would.
And when you came along, you just reminded me of her, of everything I couldn’t have.
That’s why I pushed Dimitri to reject you.
Convinced him it was his duty. That he owed it to the pack, to the family legacy.
I told myself I was protecting him from making the same mistake his father made. ”
“But it wasn’t a mistake, was it? What Asher and my mother had.”
“No.” Maia’s expression softened. “It wasn’t. And neither is what you and Dimitri have. I see that now. Especially after—” She gestured toward the room. “After you saved his life. After you risked everything to bring him back.”
I didn’t know what to say. Years of resentment didn’t just disappear because of one apology.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” Maia continued, as if reading my thoughts. “I don’t deserve it. But I am asking for a chance. To be part of my son’s life. And my granddaughter’s life. To try to be better than I was.”
“That’s up to Dimitri,” I said carefully.
“I know. But it’s also up to you. You’re his Mate. And soon, you’ll be his Luna. Luna of Garnia Pack. Your opinion matters.” She straightened, that imperious posture returning. “So, I’m asking. Will you give me a chance to be a part of your lives?”
I thought about my teenage years. How Maia had treated me, made me feel so small, how she’d destroyed the little bit of happiness I’d found in those dark years. The cruel words. The cold dismissals. The way she’d made it clear I was nothing.
“You threatened to kill me,” I said quietly. “You despised everything about me and always took an opportunity to show that.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I was desperate. Terrified. I thought—” She stopped, shook her head. “There’s no excuse. I said and did many unforgivable things.”
“You did.” I crossed my arms. “So I’m going to need time to think about this.
Because if I let you back into our lives—into my life—I need to know you’ve truly changed.
I need to be certain.” My voice hardened.
“I won’t let my daughter go through what I went through in your hands.
I won’t let her feel small or unwanted or like she’s never good enough. Not from you. Not from anyone.”
“I understand,” Maia said softly. Something flickered in her eyes, regret, maybe, or shame. “I do.”
She was quiet for a moment, then straightened again, though this time it looked more like gathering herself than asserting dominance.
“I’m going away for a while,” she said. “After everything that’s happened, I’ve come to realize that I’ve carried so much bitterness in my heart.
Being here, in this place that reminds me of Asher and my failed relationship with him—it hasn’t helped either.
So I’m leaving for a bit. To work on myself.
To figure out who I want to be instead of who I’ve been. ”
I studied her face, looking for manipulation, for some hidden angle. But all I saw was exhaustion.
“Maybe that’s for the best,” I said carefully.
Maia nodded. “When I come back, if you’ll allow it, I hope I’ll be someone worthy of knowing my granddaughter.” She paused at the doorway. “And someone who deserves your forgiveness, even if I never receive it.”
She passed me a small smile before turning and disappearing down the hallway.
I stood there in the silence, stunned. Forgiveness was a long shot. Then there was the issue of whether I’d ever trust Maia Ravencrest.
At least she recognized her mistakes. That was a start. And only the future would tell if she’d truly commit herself to be worthy of being in our lives. For now, the distance was best.
Time nursing Dimitri back to health flew by—mostly a blur of his teasing jokes and all those "accidental" touches he kept sneaking in.
When he heard about Lady Maia's decision, he just pulled me into the softest hug and said he was honestly so relieved and glad that I wasn't shutting everything down or running from it anymore.
Instead, I was finally facing what was inside me and giving those old scars the closure they needed.
He admitted his own feelings about his mother are just as messy and complicated, but like I said—this might really be the best thing we could do.