hapter 128: The Connected Soul
Chapter 128: The Connected Soul
Ruby’s POV
I finally awoke from the grip of pain.
The first thing to greet me was the stillness of the world around me, thick with the scent of warm tea, clean sheets, a faint trace of Mikael, and the presence of fresh lilies on the nightstand. My body, somehow, didn’t feel heavy. And yet, there was a familiar weight on the bed, followed by the sound of sweet voices at my ear.
“Mommy?”
It was Alice’s voice. A second later, I felt tiny fingers wrap around my hand.
I turned my head slowly and saw two pairs of eyes, so much like Mikael’s, staring at me: the twins, Alice and Anna. Mikael sat behind them, his expression a perfect mixture of concern and immense relief. He looked exhausted, and yet his smile bloomed the moment our eyes met.
“Hey, love,” he whispered.
My throat felt dry, painfully so. As if a desert had bloomed there, scorched by a relentless sun. Still, I forced myself to offer Mikael the best smile I could manage, just to let him know I was recovering. He never complained when caring for me during times like this. Especially not when I was carrying his child.
“Hey.”
The twins shrieked in unison and threw themselves onto me, their arms wrapping tightly around my waist.
“We were so scared, Mama!”
“Anna cried twice!”
“I’m not!”
“Don’t lie, Anna!”
“Ugh, you did too, Alice!”
Their bickering made me laugh, even as my body still protested. Mikael leaned forward and gently peeled them off of me.
“Alright, alright. Let your mother breathe, little ones.”
He reached for my hand and kissed it, then looked into my eyes as if seeing something precious he thought he had lost.
“You really scared us.”
Before I could respond, another voice cut in. “She’s stronger than you think, Beta.”
My heart stopped. Killian. He stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Seeing him here, in my room, brought a rush of strange, tangled feelings. I couldn’t understand how he was here. I hadn’t expected this at all. It was too much–his presence, his voice, the weight of our shared history.
I am Rosalyn Torrance.
Just a regular wolf. Nothing more. I needed to act like it–and avoid raising suspicion. I slowly sat up, pushing past the dizziness.
“Your Majesty. You’re here.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I brought a healer. Jayden said his sister–in–law was sick. So, I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe. He seems to care about you quite a bit.”
His words were blunt and cold, deadly in their detachment, with just a trace of sharpness at the edges. The same tone he used to speak to Ruby when I still bore that name.
“Well, I’m not dead,” I muttered, turning my face away.
The room fell silent. Mikael moved to sit beside me, brushing hair from my face. His touch calmed me, warm and familiar. “I’ll get you some water,” he said, rising and heading to the small table by the wall.
Killian’s gaze never left me. When I looked back at him, I caught something in his eyes I hadn’t expected confusion. “Have we met before?” he asked softly.
The words caught in my throat. I shook my head slowly.
Successfully unlocked!
“If you’re referring to the woman who interrupted the council meeting that buy, then yes,” I replied.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “But alright. Maybe it’s just a typical déjà vu.” Jayden chose that moment to enter the room, followed by Leonidas now holding a tray of soup and fresh biscuits like some well–trained butler. Jayden looked a little impressed at my recovery, at least until the twins came barreling toward him.
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Chapter 128: The Connected Soul
“Uncle Jayden! Mama’s awake!”
He laughed, scooping Alice up with one arm. “I can see that. Welcome back, Rosalyn.” “Thank you,” I said softly, still very aware of the man standing at the foot of my bed.
Leonidas set the tray down. “You scared everyone, little wolf.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I replied curtly.
He winked. “Next time, try doing it with a little less drama.”
As the others began moving around the room; Jayden checking his phone, Leonidas teasing the girls. I felt Mikael return to my side with a glass of water, I sipped it slowly, the painful dryness in my throat finally easing.
Then Mikael leaned in and kissed me.
His kiss was gentle, slow, and familiar. It didn’t surprise me. It warmed me. We had kissed a thousand times. And yet, this one felt more like a promise. A sigh of relief.
“You’re okay,” he whispered against my lips.
I gave him a faint smile, my fingers brushing the side of his face. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jayden panic.
“Ladies! Look away!” he shouted, shielding Alice’s eyes with his hand. “Innocence! Think of her purity!”
Anna giggled and ducked away from him, clinging to Leonidas’s leg. But it was Killian who held my attention. He turned away, jaw clenched. The polite mask he’d worn earlier had slipped. There was something else now tension, discomfort.
Jealousy.
Wait, what?
I tried to study him again. But it was still the same expression.
I knew that look.
And my heart ached from knowing it.
He didn’t know who I was. And yet something inside him did. Mikael must’ve sensed the shift in the air. He brushed his thumb gently across my cheek and stood, turning to address Killian directly.
“Thank you for sending the healer.”
Killian’s eyes flicked toward me before he gave a small nod. “She’s the one who did the work. I just sent her.”
“Still,” Mikael said with forced politeness. “We owe you.”
Killian gave him a short nod and turned to leave, murmuring something to Leonidas, who glanced at me before offering a thin smile. The room slowly emptied, and Mikael lifted the twins onto the bed because they insisted on being close to me. But even as they curled into my arms, I could feel the weight of Killian’s absence settle over the room. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
I had Mikael.
And yet, why did my soul still cry out aching, longing, every time I saw him?
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