Free Web NovelChapter 312: Chapter 312 I Love You
Christina’s POV
The hospital room was dim except for the steady glow of monitors around Hudson’s bed. The machines hummed in a rhythm that had become both comfort and torture to me over the past few days. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
I sat curled in the chair beside him, my fingers hovering inches from his hand, afraid that even the slightest touch might cause him more pain.
"You should just hold his hand," Akira urged inside my mind. "Your scent will help calm him."
"What if I hurt him more?" I whispered back.
Hudson already looked thinner, like the infection had eaten away at his powerful frame in just days. His skin was pale, making the stubble on his jaw stand out clearly. Even in this weakened state, he remained handsome. The strong line of his jaw, those dark lashes against his cheeks, that line between his brows that never fully went away.
Every Alpha healed quickly. It was one of their basic traits. But not Hudson. Not this time.
Dr. Whitman had explained it earlier, his voice serious: "The silver poisoning he suffered years ago hurt his healing abilities. Plus the initial wound being infected on that island, and then the delay in proper treatment... I’m afraid the damage might be permanent."
Silver poisoning. The one thing werewolves feared more than anything. freewebnovёl.ƈom
Hudson stirred slightly, his lips moving in silent words. I leaned closer, desperate to hear anything.
"Christina," he whispered, so faintly I almost missed it.
My heart tightened in my chest. I reached forward, finally daring to brush the damp hair from his hot forehead.
"You’re still fighting," I murmured, feeling the heat coming from his skin. "But you’re not fighting alone anymore."
The door opened quietly as Dominic slipped in. Hudson’s Beta looked exhausted but composed, a file tucked under his arm. He nodded politely before speaking in a hushed tone.
"The board has settled down. With the moratorium withdrawn, investor confidence is returning. Stock prices went back to normal this morning. The panic has ended."
I exhaled slowly. "Thank the Goddess."
"You know," Dominic hesitated, his eyes moving to Hudson’s still form. "He pushed himself too hard for too long. This is the price he’s paying. But he’ll be proud of what you’ve done when he wakes up."
"Don’t tell him yet," I said quickly. "No business talk until he’s better. I just need him to wake up first. That’s all that matters right now."
Dominic nodded and quietly left, leaving me alone with Hudson again.
The quiet pressed in around us, heavy and crushing. I finally let myself lean forward, putting my arms carefully on the edge of the bed.
"Remember how you thought I was some damsel who needed constant saving?" I said softly, not even sure if he could hear me. "Turns out I can handle business fights and blackmailed city officials just fine on my own."
I tried to sound light, but my voice cracked halfway through.
"Hudson," I continued, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I need you to wake up. Because I need to take something back. I was wrong to break up with you. I was so stupid to push you away."
Akira whined inside my mind.
"I told myself I didn’t deserve you," I said. "That you were too far out of my league. Too powerful, too tough, too... everything. I thought I would only bring you down. And when you got hurt on that island, I blamed myself. That stupid trip that I wanted to take, and suddenly you were the one paying the price."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. I pressed my face against his arm.
"But these past weeks showed me something. I’m not some weak little wolf who needs protecting. I can fight for you the way you’ve always fought for me. I can protect the things you love. I can stand beside you. Not behind you, not as some trophy Luna who just smiles and nods."
I lifted my head, wiping away tears with the back of my hand. His chest rose and fell steadily, his body fighting the infection with everything it had.
"I love you," I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them. My heart pounded. "I’ve loved you longer than I’ll admit, even when I was pretending I didn’t. Even when I told myself you belonged with someone like Lea, or with some perfect Luna from another powerful pack. But I belong here, with you. I want this. All of it."
The words rushed out faster now, endless.
"I’ll sell my shares in Valmont & Cie. I’ll walk away from my designs, from everything I thought mattered more than you. I’ll even give up my studio if I have to. I’ll do whatever it takes if you’ll just open your eyes and look at me again. Nothing matters without you. Nothing."
I gripped his hand tighter, feeling how cold it was despite the fever burning his body.
"If any part of you can hear me," I begged, "if even Lycaon is listening, please, wake up. Because I don’t want to imagine a world where you’re not in it. I don’t want to waste another second pretending I don’t love you completely."
I pressed my lips to the back of his hand, staying there against his skin.
And for just a moment, I thought I felt the faintest pressure as his fingers curled around mine.
"Hudson?" I whispered, heart racing with hope.
His eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. Still, something had changed. I could feel it.
I settled back in my chair, still holding his hand, refusing to let go. For the first time in days, I felt something other than sadness.
Hope.
