The Moon Queen

06 - Like I'm Gonna Lose You

06 – Like I'm Gonna Lose You

Hailey´s POV:

I’m struggling to breathe. The idea of my airway being compressed makes me gasp. More air, that’s all I can think of until I look into two blue eyes.

“Calm down, baby. Take a deep breath in, then let it out. Follow my voice and take a deep breath in and out.”

Aiden supports me as I go through my panic attack, and only when I’m calm again does he remove his hands from my face.

I am fixated on Aiden, despite the passing of time. His look towards me is filled with concern.

“Are you alright?” He finally asks.

The only response I can give is a shake of my head. I can’t believe Killian made our mark disappear. How did he do it? I thought he had feelings for me, but now he’s referring to Emma as Luna and his mate.

“Please talk to me?” Aiden begs me.

The door opens, and Hugh is standing in the doorway, along with the doctor.

“Good morning, Hailey; how are you?”

“She was just hyperventilating after having words with her mate.” Answer Aiden for me. He glances at the doctor briefly to speak, but then his eyes return to meet mine.

Hugh approaches my bed cautiously. “What did he do?” he asks, as if he knows Killian is the culprit.

“I don’t get it,” I begin. With a twitch of his eyebrows, Hugh waits for me to elaborate on my confusion.

“How, I don’t know how long ago, but,” My hand reaches for my neck. The spot where I thought Killian had made his mark. “How did the mark disappear? I don’t get it.”

After exchanging a look with Aiden and the doctor, Hugh turned back to me with widened eyes. “Hailey, there’s no mark, and there never was one.” He speaks with caution, probably afraid I might start crying or something.

“I don’t understand,” I say once again. I was there. I left a mark on his neck. Why aren’t they visible now?

“That’s alright, no need to worry. Do you remember your birthday?” It’s Aiden asking now.

“Killian stayed with you for a week after your birthday, and then you came to the castle to reject Kelvin?” He continues.

Even though it’s a huge amount of information, I nod yes because I comprehend what Aiden is trying to say.

“Aurum was suppressed by the amount of silver and wolfsbane you took, but the moment you stepped out of that cell, I knew you were my mate. Killian was there, too. He says you’re mates as well, but you only have cuddled and slept together. You didn’t do mating and marking Hailey.” he clarifies.

“But,” I open my mouth and close it again, unsure how to say this. Aiden holds my hands with his palms facing upward, and mine are on top. “Do you feel the sparks, Hailey?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. Keep your focus on that. I’m here and willing to explain everything, but only if you can keep your heartbeat steady.”

“Okay,”

“What do you want to know, and what do you don’t understand?” He asks calmly.

“I rejected you,” I blurt out like it’s nothing. Although I can see the shock on his face, I’m not comprehending it, and it feels like rejection once more.

“No, you haven’t. Just feel, feel the sparks baby,”

“But I did. At the hospital, when Kayla was born, you accepted my rejection. Killian and I took her home to the Mountain Valley Pack, and there I met Rianna, and we marketed and mated.”

“Who’s Kayla?” Hugh asks.

“Juliette’s baby.” I’ll try to recall if Hugh was at the hospital with us, but my memory is hazy.

“Jules is still pregnant, Hailey. Remember, it’s November 22. Jules is due early March.” Aiden responds immediately.

Seeing my confusion, he holds up his finger. “Hailey, I’ll be right back.”

Aiden always calls my name and touches me whenever he talks to me to ensure I’m paying attention.

It only takes a short time for Aiden to return. Juliette is with him, and it’s easy to tell she’s pregnant. She gives me a gentle greeting of “Hey.”

“According to Aiden, there seems to be some confusion on your part. The baby is yet to be born. See?” She walks right up to my bed. Her hand is outstretched so she can put my hand on her stomach. “Are you able to feel anything? It’s a girl, but I hadn’t told anyone yet.”

“I don’t understand,” I stammer.

“Hailey, you entered this place after fighting several vampires. It’s been a major blow to your body, which is why you’ve been in a coma for two weeks.”

“No, I woke up. Selena made me choose between Theo and you.” I point to Aiden. “I chose to keep Theo alive when his heart rate dropped, even though I didn’t want to make a choice.”

Aiden holds my face in his hands once more and calls me by my name. “Hailey, that didn’t happen. You were never conscious. There’s no need to choose, as The Moon Goddess wouldn’t ask that of you.”

“Alpha, my advice is to stop there. I advise Alpha to leave it at that since she is clearly shaken and her coma has led her to believe a completely different world than what actually happened. She needs some time to come to terms with everything.” The doctor advises Aiden.

Hugh, being his usual gallant self, escorts Julie out the door, and I’m unsure of their destination. After shaking Aiden’s hand, the doctor also leaves the room.

Aiden’s discomfort increases as it’s only the two of us. He says, “You can go to sleep now and we can talk later.” He walks over to the window to look outside, likely to gather his thoughts.

When he faces the window with his back towards me, I start talking, “You had s*x with her.” I say to him.

“No, I haven’t. I’ll make everything clear for you. I haven’t looked at another woman since the day you stood naked in my hotel room and I want you to know that. Although I haven’t always been mature, my feelings for you haven’t changed despite my communication problems. I love you completely, and my love for you will never fade.”

A tear runs down my cheeks. How was it possible for me to toss aside our relationship so easily? I wonder if Selena would ever demand such a decision from me. She made it clear she desired for me to find only true love. The last time we spoke, she even mentioned Aiden and I were meant to be first mates of each other. Suppose he and Theo were not swapped at birth. Although I wouldn’t have met Killian, it’s clear that Aiden and I are meant for each other.

“I don’t want to sleep. I want you to talk to me and explain what happened the night of my birthday, why you hadn’t spoken to me for a week. The moment I needed you most. Why didn’t you pick up your phone? You knew we were mates. Why didn’t you say anything? Why Aiden?” I’m crying non-stop, yet I don’t want to sleep. I’m unable to do it even if I wanted to. The idea that my brain can make me believe something other than the truth is frightening. I’m afraid I’ll make life-altering decisions based on a dream. The thought of wrong yet irreversible decisions is haunting me.

“Killian sent you a box of alcohol on your birthday. When Richard was in Blood Pack to celebrate your birthday, I panicked. Afraid that you would blame me, he suddenly appeared on your doorstep. Killian’s intervention resulted in a rapid and dramatic change right in front of me, and I couldn’t seem to stop any of it. You asked me to leave while you went to talk to him. The way he gazed at you and how you both touched each other. He was an immediate threat. It took me so long to get you to open up, but with him, it was like a snap of the fingers.”

He stops for a moment and then continues. “I found my way to your bedroom and enjoyed a bottle of alcohol from that box. I was angry and smashed the table. Hazel also discovered a bottle, and we each had one when she joined me in your room. She attempted to seduce me and convinced me you would choose Killian. You saw that. Instead of actually leaving, Hazel returned after you left, and we drank three more bottles together. She was eager to sleep with me, but I could only think about s*x with you. It felt like they drugged me.” Aiden takes a deep breath, his hands running through his hair as he turns over, and a tear rolls down his cheek.

“The other day, when you walked into that apartment, it was like waking up from a trans. It didn’t feel good; anger flowed through my body like hot lava. Following conversations with Jared and Arlene, I decided to return to the castle to convince Richard to let you go to Kelvin first. I convinced myself that the earlier you could reject him, the better I would feel. Jared asked me to give you space, so I did my best to ignore all your calls and give you the needed time.” He angrily wipes the tears from his cheeks as he takes a step towards the bed. At the last moment, sits in the chair next to the bed.

“Jared’s anger towards Hazel resulted in her imprisonment, but Arlene’s suspicions led her to launch her own inquiry. Upon investigation, she realized the alcohol bottles contained a dose of vampire blood. The owner of the blood can manipulate the person who drinks it. We were easily taken advantage of by someone. Upon reflection, we think that you were the intended target with those six bottles.”

I stare at Aiden with my mouth open. My big, strong Alpha. He was always there for me, no matter how tough my past was, but now that he’s struggling, I find it difficult to be there for him.

“I love you, Hailey. Although we have limited memories and only the camera footage from inside the packhouse, we were able to piece together what happened that night. Let me be clear, I haven’t slept with her and I have no plans to sleep with any other female in the future other than you.”