Chapter 19

Sarah POV

Inside the basket was a tiny werewolf pup, pink and perfect with deep blue eyes that instantly claimed me. Why had I not remembered that initial instant connection, the command of those eyes to save her? No wonder putting her in an orphanage was never going to work.

“Chloe,” I said, though in my dream I hadn’t yet seen the note.

“She is yours to protect,” the tall man said.

I looked up, and though it was dim I could clearly see his face.

The dream evaporated then, and I was in an unfamiliar bed, swimming in a sea of smells: antiseptic, soap, clean linen, and then, oh praise to the goddess, I puppy-girl scents of Chloe and Grace.

I worked to get my eyes open, and there the girls were by my bed, looking clear and scrubbed and injury-free. I sobbed with relief, and they threw themselves into the bed and my arms. Their elbows and knees poked at tender spots on my body, but I didn’t mind.

“Mommy,” they were both whimpering.

“We were so scared,” Grace whispered.

“How are you feeling now?” Chloe asked.

“My beautiful girls,” I croaked out. Goddess, I was thirsty.

The door to my room opened, and Zane walked in, looking as unkempt as I had ever seen him, with stubble on his face and his hair a little mussed, as though he’d slept on it wrong. He wore jeans and a dark blue Henley, and he looked so wonderful I wanted to cry.

“Sarah,” he said in a tone that warmed my cold body. He walked over to me, smiled down at his girls, and took my right hand in both of his. “We’ve been so worried, but the doctors say you’re going to be all right.”

“Water?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, and turned away, but a nurse entered then with a small cup of ice chips. When she put one in my mouth, my eyes watered in gratitude.

Zane went back to holding my hand, which made my hand very happy, and then smiled down at me.

“Daddy’s been with you since you came here,” Chloe whispered to me, though I could tell Zane heard it. “He wouldn’t let them make him go home, but he made us go home. We didn’t want to.”

“You’re here now,” I said, then took another ice chip from the nurse. The cool water dripped down my throat like ambrosia. “Are guys all right?”

“We’re fine,” Zane said. “You protected Grace, and I kept Chloe from being struck by the debris. Our bodyguards, since I know you’ll ask about them, are fine and taking a well-earned vacation.”

“Did everyone get out OK?”

He hesitated. “There was a young man with his new wife. He pulled her out all by himself. She’s in a coma.”

“Those poor people,” I said. I looked up at him around another ice chip. “You look tired.”

He growled just slightly. “I’m suing the park. This had no business happening, and I suspect they knew the mine wasn’t safe. I should have known myself.”

“You can’t think that,” I said. “It was an amusement park. Things are supposed to look dangerous on their face but be perfectly safe inside.”

Then I remembered. “The tall man!” I said, then coughed. After a moment, I continued, “The man who left the basket with Chloe on my doorstep, I remember his face.”

“Do you recognize him?” Zane asked, reaching for his phone.

“No, but there was something about him, something I can’t place.” I sucked in another ice chip and felt a wave of weariness. “I’ll need to keep thinking about it.”

“Concentrate on getting all better first,” he said, looking at the nurse, who set the empty cup on my nightstand. She adjusted my IV drip, then nodded down at me in satisfaction.

“You had a concussion and were out of it for two days,” she said. “You took several blows to your back, but other than muscle soreness, you should be fine. You’ve got quite the constitution for a human.” She smiled, and I knew she meant no offense.

“When can I go home?” I asked.

She laughed a little. “When the doctor clears you, but don’t think it’s going to be sooner than a day. We need to keep an eye on you.” Her eyes flickered to the alpha beside her, and I knew I was receiving the best care the hospital had to offer.

An unknown but slightly familiar-looking man walked into the room holding a bouquet of yellow tulips. He smiled at me, but Zane turned with a frown.

“I thought I told you to leave, Scott,” he said.

Ah, that was it. Scott Cavendish, his younger beta half-brother from his father’s side. Grace had told me about him and shown me a small photo in the hallway. She hadn’t wanted to explain the quiet, almost secretive way she spoke about him, and I hadn’t pressed.

Looking at his easy smile and kind eyes, I confess I wasn’t sure why Zane was bristling, as though his inner wolf were snarling.

“I heard from the nurses you’re going to make a full recovery,” Scott told me, holding the flowers out with a smile to the ice-chip nurse, who nodded and set them on a side table. I saw they joined about a dozen other bouquets and wondered who they could be from before remembering that as he was alpha, Zane’s family, even a goddess-mother, would receive offerings of care and goodwill from the pack.

“They shouldn’t be discussing Sarah’s case with outsiders,” Zane said darkly.

“I’m not an outsider. Sarah and I are family now, right?” He winked at me. “You’re my Chloe’s savior and both my nieces’ goddess-mother. I’m so very happy to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I said neutrally. His charm was appealing, but Zane’s attitude had me holding back. I realized the girls were watching carefully.

“And who knows?” Scott asked with a friendly shrug. “Maybe you’re also my future sister-in-law?”

“That’s enough, Scott,” Zane growled. “You will show respect to my children’s goddess-mother.”

“Of course,” Scott said, holding up his hands. He looked at me. “I meant that as a compliment, actually. You’re an impressive woman, Sarah. It’s quite an honor to meet you at last.”

“Thank you,” I said carefully.

He looked down at Grace. “I was so relieved to hear that you were all right,” he told her.

“Thank you, Uncle Scott,” she whispered.

He smiled at Chloe next. “And to have you returned to us after all this time, praise the goddess!”

“Sarah needs her rest,” Zane said, looking at the nurse.

“Yes,” she said, obviously taking her cue. “I’ll ask visitors to leave for now.”

The girls protested.

“You can come back after lunch,” she soothed. “Your goddess-mother needs to rest.”

“Well, I’ll be seeing you, Sarah,” Scott said brightly, moving toward the door. He paused then, and looked back at Zane. “It’s just so strange, the way you’ve never really cared for any woman before, not even your wife, and now you seem so enamored with this human. Ella’s little heart must be breaking.”

“That will be all, Scott!”

He shrugged and walked out. In the awkward silence he left behind, Zane helped the girls get down from my bed.

“I’ll find a good sketch artist,” he said without looking at me. “We can see about getting something on paper about how the tall man looked.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of me,” I said, willing him to look at me.

He did, and then he smiled. “Of course.”

The nurse left with a nod, and Zane was leading the girls from the room when the words fell out of my mouth.

“Is it true? You never cared about any woman before?”