Page 112 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

I stood at the cave bottom, head raised, listening to those approaching howls, feeling my eyes burn. My wolf released a low, satisfied whine inside me, then curled up.

Mia stood beside me, watching. Her face held an expression I'd never seen before.

"You did it," she said softly.

I shifted back to human, standing before her. The chest wound still hurt, but not that fatal pain anymore—it had become a dull ache, like someone repeatedly erasing the same spot with a rubber eraser.

"No," I said, voice hoarse. "You did it."

She looked at me. I looked at her. Moonlight poured from the opening, forming a silver-white beam between us. Dust floated in the beam like countless tiny stars.

Outside the cave, the howling grew closer.

I reached out and touched her fingers.

She didn't pull away.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mia

I sat on the bench outside, staring at that closed door, feeling like my heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand.

Three hours now.

Behind that door, a team of healers fought to save the asshole who'd taken a knife for me. Out here, Lily slumped against me, her little hand clutching my dress, fast asleep. Tears still clung to her lashes—when she'd seen Zane carried in covered in blood, she'd screamed until her voice broke, crying "Zane, don't die" over and over. That sound had cut through me like a dull blade, sawing at my heart.

I'd never heard her cry like that.

I'd never realized I could be that scared.

Not ordinary worry—this was a cold fear that seeped out from my bones, like someone had thrown me into frozen water and told me I might never see him again. I sat there staring at that door, the scene replaying in my head—that knife with its magic runes plunging into his chest, blood spraying, his eyes going wide, lips parting like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Then he'd stepped in front of me.

The man who'd let me fall off that cliff had stepped in front of me.

I closed my eyes, buried my face in Lily's hair, and breathed deeply. She smelled faintly of milk and garden grass, settling my racing heart just a little.

The door finally opened.

I jerked to my feet, nearly waking Lily. She whimpered, shifted in my arms, then dozed off again.

The head healer walked out, pulling off blood-stained gloves, giving me a tired but relieved smile.

"He's going to be fine. The blade missed his heart by about two centimeters—just barely. But he's in excellent physical condition, and his werewolf healing is kicking in. He'll need bed rest, but he's not in danger."

My knees went soft.

Like someone had removed the bones from my legs. I leaned against the wall, breathing hard until my voice steadied.

"Can I see him?"

"Yes. But he's still unconscious—the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet."

I nodded, passed Lily to a nearby servant to carry to her room. Then I pushed through that door.

The medical room was dim, just one bedside lamp casting a warm glow over the bed. Zane lay there, pale as paper, chest wrapped in thick bandages with a hint of blood seeping through. His breathing was steady, chest rising and falling in an even rhythm, like someone who'd finally laid down all his burdens.