Chapter 91: Borrowed Peace

Della sat down on a bench, simply staring at the passing cloud.

She was outside the small cottage, the world around her so peaceful and loving that she wished this was her normal life — she wished she could make this her normal life.

Start afresh.

Give birth here.

The breeze on her face was gentle, and the sand between her toes was to die for.

It’s been over two weeks since she came here, and she had regained most of her strength. Enough to move about by herself. Enough to enjoy the feeling of being alive again.

One thing she still couldn’t do was put the past aside, because no matter how peaceful it was right now, she knew she wouldn’t stay hidden forever.

She would have to face everything again, and this time, they probably wouldn’t go through the trouble of gathering hundreds of Alphas to forcefully take her before they killed her.

Speaking of Alphas, Malachi was a constant thought on her mind. It’s as if he was super glued to her mind, day and night. Sometimes she found herself seeing his face in the wind, or hearing his voice from afar.

And her heart would... betray her and flutter.

It was really the stupidest thing in the world — loving a man that wants nothing but to watch you fall into doom. Loving a man that had intentionally chosen to wake up every day and doom your life.

The thought had her chest tightening.

She...loved him.

If only she could control her heart. If only she could unglue him from her body and trample on his face. But she couldn’t.

She thought since the mate bond was gone, the feelings would recede. But she seemed to miss him more. She would even close her eyes sometimes, wondering if she would miraculously feel his emotions flooding into her, only to remind herself that he had rejected her.

And that would make her angry and depressed all over again.

Rage would consume her. It would make her dig her nails deep into her palms, till the nails had cut past the meat and was now digging into her bone.

She couldn’t count how many times Annelise had changed her bandage in the last ten days.

Della hated it all.

She scorned it all.

She despised every being born!

And sometimes, she would hate her own mother...for dying and leaving her alone in this cruel world.

But the one person and the one thing Della knew in her heart that she would never hate was the growing cub in her belly.

The bond between them was so strong that Della felt it rippling down her veins and shooting into her muscles.

Anything she fluttered or moved, Della would feel like nothing in the world could come close to the feeling.

She would literally feel her own eyes sparkling, and that soaring feeling in her chest would wipe away so much of the pain that had gripped her fragile heart.

And Della didn’t care what she had to sacrifice along the way — as long as her child would remain safe and sound. Even if it ended up costing her own life.

She just hoped that her child would grow up loved, surrounded by warmth and cherished.

"Ahhh," An annoyed cry came from the door.

Della turned to her left and saw Annelise standing there, staring down at Della’s hands like Della had just committed a crime worth cutting her head off for.

"This is the twentieth time!" She cried, furious.

"Huh?" Della followed her gaze and looked down at her palm to see that she had subconsciously been digging her nails into her palms again, opening the wounds once again. Blood had overflowed from the white clothing and was now dripping on the bench.

"Are you sure you don’t have plans to kill yourself?!" Annelise marched over with an exasperated sigh, dropping onto the bench beside her, "Give me your hands."

Della instinctively tucked them behind her back, "I’m fine."

"You are bleeding."

"It’s only a little."

Annelise shot her a look, "Della."

There was no anger in her voice anymore. Only worry.

After a long moment, Della slowly held out her hands.

The bandages were soaked through.

Annelise clicked her tongue and carefully began unwinding the stained cloth from around her palms, "They were barely beginning to heal."

"I didn’t realise."

"I know you didn’t." She dipped a clean cloth into a bowl of cool herbal water she’d brought outside and gently cleaned the fresh blood away.

Della flinched, quickly apologising, "Sorry."

"There." Annelise looked up immediately. "You apologised again."

Della fell silent.

"You don’t owe me an apology every time you’re in pain."

"I just..." Della swallowed. "I don’t notice."

Annelise spread a soothing green salve over the crescent-shaped wounds before wrapping each palm with fresh linen. Her movements were slow, almost motherly.

"When your mind wanders..." she said softly, tying the final knot, "...your hands become your punishment."

Della stared at the neat bandages, "I don’t mean to."

Annelise reached over and gently enclosed Della’s newly wrapped hands within her own, "But every time you think of him..." Della’s shoulders stiffened, "...you bleed."

Silence settled between them, then Annelise gave her hands a gentle squeeze, "So next time you think of Alpha Malachi..." She offered a small smile, "...hold your stomach instead."

Almost instinctively, Della obeyed. Her hand drifted to the gentle curve beneath her dress, and the tiny flutter answered again.

Her shoulders relaxed.

"There you go," Annelise cooed, and sat down next to her.

They both stared at the bustling human town for another short while, before the questions that had been piling up in Della’s mind began slipping out. Again, Annelise wasn’t surprised because she had been expecting them.

She was even surprised Della had managed to keep her lips sealed for up to two weeks.

"Anne," Della whispered.

"I know. Ask away," She sighed, leaning back on the wooden house.

There were so many questions tangled inside Della that she didn’t even know where to begin. She glanced sideways at Annelise, who simply waited, patient as ever.

"How did you find me?" Della asked quietly.

"I didn’t."

Della frowned.

"Someone else did," Annelise smiled faintly, "Or at least, they told me what direction you’ve gone and asked me to follow and make sure you’re safe,"

"And... no one else followed?"

"They tried." Annelise’s eyes drifted to the dirt road where children chased one another with wooden swords. "But they didn’t succeed, especially since our helper wouldn’t let them."

Della looked at her sharply, but Annelise only offered a small shrug, making it clear she wasn’t ready to explain further.

Della watched an elderly couple laugh as they carried baskets home together. The sight warmed something inside her... and hurt it just as deeply.

"Anne?"

"Hm?"

"What happened after I left?"

For the first time since they’d begun talking, Annelise’s smile faded. Her gaze lowered to the bandages around Della’s hands before lifting to meet her eyes, then she drew in a slow breath, "Are you asking about the Pack... or about Alpha Malachi?"