Chapter 5: Chose the wrong man

Caroline woke up again in the afternoon to find the room empty. An ache remained in her chest as the doctor’s words from earlier came rushing back to her.

Her pup was gone.

But the man responsible was still alive.

"Victor, I’m going to kill you. My mama... my papa..." she whispered, bringing her trembling hands to her face as tears welled up in her eyes. For a moment, the grief threatened to overwhelm her again, but she quickly wiped her tears away.

"I can’t keep crying over everything I’ve lost," Caroline murmured, forcing herself to sit upright. "I need to be strong. I have to fight for my parents and for my pup. I owe them justice."

Before she could gather her thoughts, the doors opened, and a nurse stepped into the room. She stopped when she noticed Caroline was awake and immediately smiled.

"Miss Caroline, you’re awake. I’ll inform the Alpha Prince right away."

"Alpha Prince?" Caroline repeated, her brows furrowing in confusion. The title immediately caught her attention, and she couldn’t help feeling shocked.

Before Caroline could ask anything else, the nurse had already walked out of the room.

"Wait! That man... silver hair and..." Caroline paused, trying to recall the details of the stranger who had saved her.

Before she could finish, the door suddenly opened.

Andrew walked into the room, dressed in formal black attire with a red cape hanging from his shoulder. The moment Caroline saw him, she was assured that he was none other than the Fourth Alpha Prince of the country.

"Doctor, please examine her," Andrew commanded as he walked to the side of the bed.

The doctor immediately approached Caroline and performed a few basic checks, carefully monitoring her vital signs before finally nodding.

"Your vitals are stable, Miss Caroline. You’re allowed to have regular meals now, but make sure you get as much rest as possible. Avoid stress and any strenuous activity until you’ve fully recovered."

The doctor gave Andrew a respectful nod before leaving the room with the nurse.

Once they were alone, Andrew pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. He gently adjusted the soft blanket around Caroline, making sure she was comfortable.

"Thank you for saving my life," Caroline said quietly, keeping her gaze lowered. "I don’t have any money with me right now to pay for my treatment, but I’ll repay you as soon as I’m well enough to work again."

"Who was your mate?" Andrew asked, completely ignoring what she had said.

Caroline slowly raised her eyes toward him, caught off guard by the question.

Caroline slowly raised her eyes toward him, caught off guard by the question.

"Answer," Andrew said, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.

"It was Victor Ashford," Caroline replied quietly.

The moment she mentioned the name, Andrew’s expression hardened. Without saying another word, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Drag Victor Ashford here. Now."

He ended the call before the person on the other end could respond.

Caroline stared at him in shock. She had no idea why Andrew had suddenly ordered someone to bring Victor to him.

"What did you do, Your Highness?" she asked anxiously.

"It’s Andrew," he corrected sternly. "And I have to punish the man who dared to hurt my mate."

"Your mate?" Caroline repeated, her brows drawing together in confusion. She looked at him as though she had misheard him. "What do you mean by your mate?"

"You’re my mate, Caroline," Andrew said firmly.

His eyes suddenly shifted to a deep burgundy, making Caroline flinch at the unexpected change. It was then that she realized something else was wrong. She couldn’t feel her wolf.

’Lily, why aren’t you responding?’ Caroline called out silently, trying to reach her wolf through their bond.

There was no answer.

’Lily?’ she tried again, but the silence inside her mind only grew more frightening.

"My wolf... she’s not answering," Caroline whispered, her voice filled with confusion and fear.

Andrew’s expression softened slightly as he watched her. "That’s probably because of everything you’ve been through. Your body has endured too much in the past few days. You were left injured and close to death in my territory. You lost your family..." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "And your pup too."

Caroline’s eyes lowered as the reality of his words settled over her once again. Her eyes once again filled with tears as she looked away from him. "I don’t believe in the mate bond anymore. I lost everything that was dear to me because of it."

"Just because you chose the wrong man doesn’t mean you should blame the mate bond you share with me," Andrew stated calmly.

Being rational was Andrew’s greatest strength. He rarely allowed emotions to influence his decisions, and when it came to matters of the heart, he often struggled to understand feelings that seemed obvious to others. He wasn’t the kind of man who would dwell on betrayal or allow someone to hurt him twice. If someone crossed a line with him, he simply removed that person from his life completely.

Caroline, however, was different.

She wasn’t someone he could simply eliminate or walk away from. She was his mate, and his wolf had already accepted her as his own. For the first time, Andrew found himself facing emotions he couldn’t simply control or reason away.

"Do you even know what love is? I never chose Victor until the Moon Goddess granted me the matebond with him." Caroline glared at him, her voice filled with hurt. She was already struggling with everything she had lost, and Andrew’s detached way of speaking only made her feel worse.

"Love isn’t something that should hurt anyone. That’s what I believe. And forget the matebond with him. The sooner you do, the better it will. Remember the fucker has forgotten it long ago that’s why he rejected you and made sure you die," Andrew replied furiously.

Caroline didn’t answer. She simply turned her face away, making it clear that she didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Andrew watched her for a moment before standing up. He reached out and gently placed his hand on top of her head.

A strange warmth immediately spread through Caroline’s body.

She froze.

What was that?

She couldn’t understand the unfamiliar sensation, but there was something comforting about it. For the first time since waking up, the tightness in her chest seemed to ease, even if only slightly.

"Get some rest, and try not to think about what that bastard’s version of love did to you," Andrew said, his voice unexpectedly gentle. "Focus on recovering instead. Leave everything else to me."

He removed his hand from her head. Without another word, he strode out of the room, leaving Caroline staring after him in confusion.