43. Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Three
Chris
A fter all the shit Bells went through, it didn’t seem fair that her story was ending like this. She deserved a happy ending, not the heartbreak life seemed intent on throwing her way.
Violet was inconsolable, especially after we agreed to help Bells, and learned what she planned to do. Bells was her big sister, and they’d bonded so much over the last few months. They’d both struggled to overcome their demons, metaphorical and real ones.
We went to sleep knowing we had three days until life as we knew would come crashing down upon the Salonens, and life as they knew it would cease to exist.
“This can’t be happening. Why is this happening to her?” Violet cried in my arms well into the night.
“I wish I knew, Little Warrior.”
Bells was like a sister to me now, and it was also hurting me to know everything she was going through. I kept trying to think back, to figure out if there was something I could have done differently to help. To make her wolf stronger.
It didn’t make sense, though. Why was her wolf dying a year after her mate and pup died? Losing Adam was tough for her, but she was expecting twins. That alone should be enough to prevent her wolf from succumbing to the heartbreak that caused them to die. They had something to fight for.
Dr. Roswell and Dr. Campbell were both doing research to try to figure something out before it was too late, and I felt like I needed to do something, too. I owed Bells a lot and I loved her even more. I grew up without siblings, and kept all the Salonen at arm’s length growing up, so I could make my parents proud when Luna Celeste and Alpha Markus told them how seriously I took my duties. Bells was the closest thing I had to a sister, and I felt the need to protect her.
Shit. Cory was going to lose his shit when he discovered what Bells was planning.
Over the next two days, Violet and I followed Bells everywhere, making sure she was getting whatever she needed, occasionally having to carry her back to the pack house, and telling people she fell asleep while we were visiting someone, so they wouldn’t ask questions.
On the day she was going to tell everyone what was happening, we sat down to her left at the table when she called her family in for an emergency meeting. Dr. Campbell and Dr. Roswell showed up and sat to her right, confusing everyone in the room.
“I have some news I need to share with everyone,” Bells began, oddly calm. “As many of you may know, I have been very tired lately. Coyo’s been very tired, too.” She swallowed and took a deep breath. “After consulting with Dr. Campbell and Dr. Roswell, we’ve determined that Coyo is likely dying.”
The room exploded with talk and gasps. Some people shouted their questions at the doctors and Bells, while others began to cry. Bells tried to grab everyone’s attention but they weren’t listening to her, so I whistled to get everyone’s eyes back to the front of the room. Once they quieted, Bells gave me a small grateful smile and continued, “At the very best, if Coyo’s not dying, she’s becoming dormant, and the likelihood of her waking up is low.” She gave out a small snort before she said the next part of her speech. “As we all know, I don’t have the best of luck, so I’m not putting my eggs in a best-case scenario basket. Over the last two days, I’ve been getting my affairs in order, and making plans.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Luna Natalia asked from the side.
“You can’t heal a wolf who’s dying because she lost everything, Aunt Nat.” Bells smiled sadly at her.
“But, you don’t know that’s what this is. You’re making guesses,” she insisted.
“Educated guesses alongside two professionals,” Bells pointed out.
“Guesses nonetheless. What if you’re wrong, and I can heal you?”
“I—”
“Bells, mija, it doesn’t hurt to try,” Luna Celeste begged her oldest daughter.
“Give it a try, then,” Bells sighed.
The entire room went dead quiet as Luna Natalia walked up to the table. She placed a shaky hand on Bells’ face and her heart, and the entire room held its breath. Disappointment hit me like a brick in the heart when Luna Nat’s face crumpled, and she fell to her knees before Bells, tears running down her face.
“It’s okay, Tia. Some things are not meant to be healed.”
I had to blink back the sting of tears at Bells’ whispered words. Alpha Helios came and retrieved his crying mate, his own tears falling from his eyes as he tried, and failed to say anything to Bells.
“I know this isn’t what anyone wanted,” Bells continued. “Except, maybe Martha,” she mumbled under her breath. “But, it’s the reality of the current situation. As I mentioned, I’ve been doing some research over the last two days and I’ve decided what I want to do.”
I saw Violet taking her hand under the table as Bells let out a stuttered breath to gather her courage.
“In two days, I’m going to be put in a chemically induced coma, and in the event Coyo passes away before my pups are born, I’ll be placed on life support, so that my body can continue to function and nourish my babies long enough for them to be born.”
“But, if you do that, you prevent Coyo from fighting. You’re guaranteeing that she won’t wake,” Cory argued.
“I know, Cory. Valeria has already provided me with all the pros and cons of my decision. We discussed all options, and I decided this is what I wanted to do. This is the safest path for my pups,” Bells insisted.
“But, why can’t you wait a while? Maybe Coyo will be okay,” Alpha Markus asked.
“Because her symptoms are accelerating faster than I’ve seen them,” Dr. Roswell answered for Bells. “At this rate, we don’t know how long Coyo will last. She went to feeling fine to her wolf not being conscious within a week. I’ve never seen a decline that fast. Not even after a mate rejection or death.”
“You’re not giving her a chance. Tenoch can try to reach out to her,” Cory argued.
“He can’t reach out to her because she’s been unconscious for days now, Cory,” Bells explained, wiping a tear she wasn’t able to hold back.
“You need to give her more time. Coyo is strong. She ju—” Lucien started.
“I don’t have the time to give her. If it was just me, I’d give her every second until I died. But, I have my pups to think about, and I won’t lose them. I can’t lose them.”
“If you die, aren’t you going to lose them, anyway?” Lucien asked, his voice breaking at the question.
The sob Evie let out at his question caused Bells to shake for a moment, before she was able to answer.
“Maybe. But, they’ll live. That’s all that matters to me right now,” she answered quietly.
“No. I’m not letting you go through with this,” Cory growled, wiping a tear from his face.
“You don’t have a choice. You can’t make medical decisions for a conscious person.”
“I’m your alpha and your twin. If I don’t have a right, who does?” he challenged, but Cory didn’t know that his twin knew him enough to prepare for that already.
“I’ve already signed the paperwork to have me put in the coma in two days. Dr. Campbell signed an affidavit stating I was of competent mind when I did it. It’s happening, Cory. I’ve given Violet full power of attorney. Once I’m in a coma, she has my instructions, and knows what I want to happen after I die.”
“Why?” Cory whispered the question, another tear falling from his eyes.
“Because, I know she’ll do what I need her to do.”
Cory stood up angrily, the chair falling behind him. Evie tried to comfort him, but he pulled her hands away from him and took a step back. He looked at Bells and then at Violet, a crazed hurt look in his eyes. When my little warrior returned his gaze, Cory turned around, grabbed the chair and sent it hurling at the wall, shattering it into a million tiny pieces.
“I’m not going to watch you kill yourself!” he choked out, shifted, and ran out of the room.
The rest of the room was silent, and I could see Bells about to break.
‘Give him time. He’ll come around,’ I assured her.
‘Time is the one thing I don’t have anymore,’ she reminded me.
“What is going to happen after you go into the coma?” Alpha Markus was the one to finally break the silence.
“I’ll be monitored and kept on life support when Coyo dies until the pups are born. Once that happens, they’ll turn the life support off. If Coyo is still alive by then, they’ll bring me out of the coma, so she can have a chance to fight.”
“And, if—After yo—After?” he asked, unable to say the words.
“I’ll reach out to the father to see if he wants to raise the pups himself. If he declines, Chris and I will adopt them,” Violet answered.
“So, you do know who the father is?” Luna Celeste asked.
“Yes.” Bells answered.
“Who is it?” Alpha Markus asked.
“You’ll only find out if he decides to take them. Otherwise, the secret will die with me.”
“You’re not being very fair to us, Bells. We’re supposed to be a family. Why didn’t you talk to us when you found out so we could come up with more options?” Lucien was trying to keep his calm, but I could see the same hurt in his voice as with Cory.
“It’s my decision.”
“We’re fami—”
“How many times did you go visit me in Redmon, Lucien? I was there for eight years. Did any of you visit more than a handful of times?”
The hurt in her questions was visible on her face as she looked around the table. People looked away, unable to answer her question.
“I call—” Lucien started to defend himself, but Bells was having none of it.
“Don’t tell me that I needed to make this a family decision, when I’ve had to make them by myself for the last eight years,” she stopped him. The room went silent again as she told them the hard truth, and Bells sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that harsh. I understand why no one went. I know you guys didn’t like Brandon any more than I did, even if you didn’t understand why at the time. I also know I curtailed every attempt to visit in the last three or so years before he died, because I was afraid of what you’d do if you saw the way he treated me.”
More tears left her eyes, but then she swallowed and blinked the rest back. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
“We’re getting off-topic. What I decided to do isn’t up for discussion. I wanted you to know what’s happening, so you didn’t wake up to find me gone without an explanation.”
She stood up and left, and I nudged Violet to follow her. I had some things to do first.
The room exploded in cries and protests after both girls were gone, and I slipped from the room and headed toward the forest. I found Cory by the ledge of the river bank.
“You need to go makeup with your sister, Cory,” I told him.
“Go away, Chris.”
“I can’t. I made a promise to help Violet take care of Bells and her pups. This is me making good on that promise.”
“She’s not your sister,” he growled.
“No, but I seem to be acting like a better brother than you right now,” I snapped back.
My harsh words had the intended effect. Cory stood up and charged me, slamming me against a tree. His calm and rational persona was gone; replaced by a man who was hurting more than I could ever imagine.
“You seem to be in on everything, don’t you?” he snarled, even as more tears ran down his face. “You know who the father is. You know what happened to my sister these last few months. You probably know what happened to her for the last eight years, better than I do. Do you think you’re a better brother than I am, just because you knocked up my little sister?”
“No. I could never replace you. Those girls idolize you.”
“Then, tell me who the father is.”
“I can’t. It’s not my secret to share.”
“Tell me who did this to my sister!” Cory’s alpha command surprised me, and I found myself struggling to keep my mouth shut.
“You don’t want to do this, Cory,” I told him through gritted teeth.
“It’s Alpha,” he seethed.
“Not right now, it isn’t,” I answered, sweat lining my brow as I fought his command. “This isn’t you. You’re a good brother. You don’t want to get this information from anyone but your twin.”
“She won’t tell me anything!” he yelled. “She’s pushed me out of her life, and now it’s going to be permanently.”
“That’s a lie. Bells trusts you with her life. But a mother will protect her pups at all costs, even if that cost is her relationship with her twin. She’s already lost so much. Don’t let her lose you, too.”
I felt the alpha command drop moments before Cory crumbled to his knees and began to sob, as he hung onto my shirt. I took a few steady breaths and sat down next to him.
“Why is this happening? I finally got her back and now I’m losing her for good?” he cried.
“I don’t know,” I answered him honestly, my brows furrowing. It was a good question, though. One I’d been trying to figure out for the last few days. “But, you have less than forty-eight hours with her. You’ll have time to investigate once she goes under. If we find a solution before her wolf dies, Violet will reverse the medical coma.”
“I thou—” he started, but I shook my head.
“Bells trusts her to make the right decision. As long as it won’t threaten the pups, Violet will do whatever it takes to help Bells.”
I stood and held out a hand for Cory. He took it, allowing me to help him up and we started walking back to the pack house.
“I’m sorry,” Cory said as we neared the back entrance.
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“There is. I should have never tried to abuse my position as alpha to get you to tell me what happened to my sister.”
“When did that happen?” I asked.
Cory opened his mouth and closed it shut, throwing me a grateful look, before looking back up at the pack house, his lip trembling at knowing what was going to be missing from it soon.
I guided him to Bells’ room. When I knocked and got a response, I opened the door to find the bed full of people. Alpha Markus and Luna Celeste were sitting to either side of Bells. Violet was on the other side of her dad, while Lucien was next to his mother. Cory crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around his twin’s waist as he settled himself between his mother and Bells, placing his head in her lap. I thought I’d let them have this moment when Alpha Markus called out to me as I turned to leave.
“Get in here, Chris,” he ordered.
“This is a family moment. I—”
“You are family,” Bells and Luna Celeste said at the same time.
I swallowed the lump of emotion and nodded, settling in next to my mate.
Luna Areli arrived an hour later. She said nothing, so I guessed someone already explained what was happening. She crawled in between Bells and Alpha Markus, and Bells turned on a movie. Bells fell asleep within the hour, but no one made a single move to leave.
We stayed there in silent reflection for the next few hours. No one spoke or made a sound outside of a few giggles and sniffles. Evie brought dinner for everyone and after dinner, we went right back to crowding the bed with Evie joining in.
‘ C ory, I’d like to take a leave of absence for a couple of months,’ I mind-linked him early the next morning. Alpha Markus and Luna Celeste slept in Bells room last night. Cory, Violet, Areli and Lucien did the same, bringing in air mattresses with the intention of camping out tonight as well. This morning, Evie, Cecilia and I had brought up trays of breakfast, and we were all cramped up around the alpha floor tables.
‘To research?’ he asked, as he continued to pick at his food.
‘Yes. I’ve already requested a bunch of books. They should arrive later today,’
‘Do it. We haven’t added you to any training or patrol schedules yet. I’ll let James know.’
‘I also need some help,’ I mentioned.
‘With what?’
‘Violet mentioned we can submit a request to the council for a few old books they have that I want to look into, but the council website said they need to be requested by a ranked member,’ I answered.
‘I’ll call them. I’m asking them to send their specialists to come see Bells, too, so I can do it then. Send me the list of tomes you need.’
‘You’re calling them?’ I asked,
‘Yeah.’
‘Can you also ask for specialist numbers abroad? Violet wanted to make some calls.’
‘Evie’s already working on that. I’ll tell her Violet wants to split the list.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Don’t thank me, Chris. I’m thankful you’re helping.’
After breakfast, Bells needed a nap, so I left Violet to nap with her. I took Violet’s car into town to find a bunch of the brownies and pecan swirls Bells loved. While I was there, I grabbed a shit load of ice cream and junk food, stopped a couple of department stores, and finally, I texted Elim, asking if I could borrow his projector.
I got home in time for lunch, and after feeding my little warrior, we went back to Bells room. Violet was curious about why I was on my phone so much, so I showed her what I had planned. She nodded at me when she saw the texts, and crawled back into bed with Bells, while Cory went to make the calls he needed.
People came and went throughout the afternoon. Some were unable to do more than cry with her. Others tried to distract her with jokes and stories. In the afternoon, Violet and I left to shower, and set up everything after dinner. Once everything was ready, we texted everyone it was time and went up to grab Bells.
“Come on. Put this on. We have a surprise for you,” Violet pulled her out of bed, while I handed Alpha Markus and Luna Celeste their clothes for the evening.
Alpha Markus chuckled a little, but humored us.
“Violet, I’m a grown woman. I’m not wearing this,” I heard Bells complaining as they changed inside. I chuckled and walked to my room to change quickly, before I made it back to the room. Bells walked out with Violet in their onesie pajamas, stopping short as they looked at me in my own pair. Bells burst out laughing and I grinned, despite my embarrassment. It was good to see her laugh.
“Where did you find those?” she asked.
“It was all they had in my size at the department store,” I defended, looking down at my solar system onesie pajamas. “You should see what the rest are wearing.”
“The rest?” she asked.
“Yep. Come on.”
I took her down to the conference rooms. There was one that had a partition connecting two of the rooms. With it drawn back, the room was huge. Over the last few hours, I’d bargained and called in favors from people around the two packs. They picked up and filled the room with a massive sectional that resembled two king size beds and then we had pull-out couches around it. They set up tables against the wall, where Violet and I had spread out all of the junk food and drinks. Elim brought his projector earlier, and set it up in the back of the room.
When I opened the door and let Bells in, she paused and took in the room and everyone in it. I could see the emotions warring in her face between sadness and laughter. Eventually, laughing won out. At least, I thought so, until she burst into tears right in the middle of it.
“You guys look fucking ridiculous,” she cried and laughed. “Are you supposed to be a bear?” she asked her cousin.
“Not just any bear. A mighty bear,” Miguel responded, flexing his arms at her, and sending her into more giggles.
It was a fascinating and heartbreaking thing to see, the way she was laughing so much, even as the tears flowed from her face.
I had sent a text to all of her family. Guardian Moon’s ranked and Crescent Moon’s ranked family were both here with their brood. I cleaned out three department stores of all of their onesies and essentially created a grown-up slumber party for Bells. The couches were all pull-out and were set up as closely around each other as possible. No one but Bells would likely sleep tonight. Everyone was going to be wishing they could spend these last hours with her, and her room wasn’t big enough to accommodate us all. So, I created a massive bedroom, so she didn’t have to pick who spent the night with her. My laptop was hooked up to the projector with every subscription I had at the ready.
“We wanted to have a sleepover,” I told her.
Much like the other day, her bottom lip trembled before she rushed over and hugged me.
“Fucking pregnancy hormones,” she grumbled when she pulled back, making everyone laugh.
Alpha Markus dragged his little girl over to the middle of the giant sectional, and had her sit in the middle. I brought over the brownies I bought specially for her.
“Keep these by your side or they’ll be gone quicker than you can blink,” I warned her.
She pulled them tight to her chest and nodded seriously at me. The rest of us settled wherever we could find. I grabbed my laptop and pulled the extension cord until it reached the spot I’d taken next to Violet.
“Oooh, one of my favorites,” she gasped as Lilo and Stitch came on.
Cory chuckled, having been one of the two people I asked about her favorite movies, to make sure I had enough of her favorites accessible on my laptop, to last us through the night.
After Lilo and Stitch, we moved on to Finding Nemo, the Homeward Bound series and Hocus Pocus. A few, I avoided, due to the content. Like Coco and The Family’s Stone. I knew what those would do under the circumstances.
People only stood to grab snacks or use the restroom, their spots usually taken by someone if it was close to Bells, who was in and out of sleep through the night, safely nestled between her parents and surrounded by her siblings.
‘Thank you for this, Chris,’ Alpha Markus reached out halfway through the night.
‘It was the least I could do,’ I told him.
‘No. The least you could do was nothing. Instead, what you’ve done is provide a shoulder to lean on to both my daughters and made them very happy. There are not enough thanks I can muster to tell you how much that means to me and Celeste,’ he finished, his voice breaking at the end.
‘They did the same for me, sir. I’m just responding with the same support they’ve given me,’ I barely managed to say. ‘You raised amazing children.’
I sneaked a glance at the center of the room, doing my best to swallow back the emotion while I watched Luna Celeste combing her hand through Bells’ hair as she slept. The other hand was holding tightly to Alpha Markus’ hand while they both silently cried, as they watched their oldest daughter sleep. I had to look away before I started crying. It would end up being a domino effect, and I didn’t want Bells to wake up to everyone sobbing over her. I wanted this night to be a happy memory for her.
By the time morning came around, most of us had only managed an hour or two of naps throughout the night, but Bells looked rested and happy. We put the couches back to their original position while Bells went upstairs with Violet to shower and change. The people who lent me the furniture would be coming to pick them up later.
Once I was done cleaning up all the leftover snacks and throwing the trash away with the help of Miguel and James, I also went upstairs to shower and change. Violet mind-linked me that she was going downstairs with Bells to breakfast, so I made my way to find my mate after I was done, when Bells stopped me in front of one of the conference rooms before I could make it to the dining room.
“Do you have Cade’s new number?” she asked.
“I do. Beta John sent it to me a while back,” I answered, and let Bells pull me into the conference room.
“I need your phone,” she said, holding out her hand.
I furrowed my brows. I didn’t know Bells didn’t have Cade’s new number. John sent it to me two days after they left.
“I thought you called him after he left?” I asked her, pulling out my phone and handing it to her.
“I did. I left him a voice message. I never heard back from him, and I promised I wouldn’t reach out again if he didn’t call me back, but now...” she trailed off.
I moved to step away from the room to give her privacy, but she grabbed my arm. “It won’t take long.”
I felt like she needed someone with her to gather her courage, so I nodded and leaned against the door.
“Hey, Cade. I promise I’m not ambushing you. I just don’t have your new phone number. I—There’s some stuff happening, and I won’t be around for a while. I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon enough. Violet will reach out in a few months to tell you more. I just wanted to say I’m sorry for everything again. I wanted you to know how much I love you, and how much I enjoyed the time we spent together. You made me rethink everything I thought I was scared of wanting, and I’ll always be grateful for that. I hope you find the happiness you deserve. Maybe in another life, we’ll be able to meet up again.” Bells was blinking back tears as she hung up and gave me a shaky smile. “Thanks, big guy. For everything.”
I managed to swallow the emotions down before I could answer.
“Don’t get emotional on me, sister. We’ll figure this out, too.”
The moment Bells was in her coma, Violet and I were on a mission to figure out what the fuck was happening to her. We had already started, but making sure Bells felt supported was our priority.
After breakfast, came the hard part. Dr. Roswell had a room set up in the hospital for Bells’ extended stay. We all cramped in there, even though Bells assured us it wasn’t necessary. When Dr. Roswell walked in with the medication to add to her IV, Cory pulled away from Evie.
“Wait, wait. Wait. Please Bells, just wait a little bit. I have people looking into it. I have the specialists coming. Please. Just wait a little longer,” he pleaded, kneeling next to her.
Bells let out a sob, and grasped his hands in hers.
“There’s no time, Cory. She’s dying. I can barely see her breathing now.”
Bells nodded at Evie, who came and pulled her mate back. Dr. Roswell put the medicine into her IV, and we all waited in silence near her. Before her eyes fluttered close, I felt her pulling at the mind-link.
‘Take care of my sister and give your pup twice the kisses for me,’ she asked, making the tears finally leave my eyes.
‘Every day,’ I promised her, pulling Violet closer to me when I felt her body shaking.
Dr. Roswell began placing probes and other medical wires to monitor her. There were so many other machines and equipment pushed against a wall, waiting their turn to be used. If Coyo died, they would need to put her on life support.
‘Come on, Little Warrior. It’s time to get to work.’
I took Violet’s hand in mine, and we slipped out of the room with a few others. We walked over to our room, where we’d been stacking the books we’d been getting overnighted from the council and other packs for research. Evie also sent half the contact list of doctors around the world to call. I wasn’t convinced what was happening was related to Adam or her piece of shit mate dying. Something else was causing this and we needed to find the person who knew.
We immediately started working. Violet and I only stopped reading and calling numbers when my phone alarm would go off to remind me to feed my little warrior. I needed her to get enough nutrition to continue to grow our pup.