Big girls don't cry
9. Perplexed reality

Aleida’s POV

I wake up and am confused for a second; where am I? When I see Miliano’s face, I instantly relax and smile. He looks so relieved and sad; I can’t help myself; I take him in my arms. His tears touch my skin and make me understand a whole new description of the word “devastated.” He thought that I would give up the fight inside myself, and if I’m honest, it was very close that I did. When he screamed at me, it was his words that I had to wake up and that he loved me; that was it. I had to be with him, no matter what I had to do. So I fought like never before and actually made it through. Whenever he touches me, I can feel the sparks move within me. I don’t know where these sparks come from, and I really don’t care at the moment. He’s in my arms, and he’s safe. My Milo is here, and he is okay. Even though I’ve been sleeping for a long time, I still feel tired. My mind is officially drained of energy. But, again, I don’t care; all that matters right now is to make him stop crying and smile again.

“Don’t cry, darling.”

He looks up at me with big eyes, shocked for a moment before he begins sobbing even harder and nuzzles my neck. I know why he does that. Werewolves use their bodies to show how they feel. Anger, love, sadness, grief, anxiety, and other strong emotions get soothed when they put their heads against their mate’s neck. My scent calms him; that’s why I let him sit like he does and take my smell into his nose. He slowly starts to relax in my hold, and I cradle him carefully in my arms. No one says a word; this is our moment. He sits up in his chair again and gives me a bright smile.

“So...”

“So?” I ask and look at him.

“I want to know everything about you.”

“Okay? Ask away.”

“What’s your favorite flower?” he asks, and I smile.

“Blue roses.”

“I-I didn’t know they even existed,” he admits shyly, and I chuckle low.

“They don’t. You take white roses and color them.”

“Oh, okay, what’s your favorite food?”

“Hey, don’t I get to ask?” I say, pouting, to which he laughs at me.

“Not now, baby girl, I want to-No, I need to know everything about you.”

“It’s not fair,” I say and keep the pout on my lips while he continues to look amused.

“Lasagna,” I answer and roll my eyes.

“Do you have siblings?”

“No, I’m a single child. Well, I guess that I’m actually a single-family now,” I say and look down at my hands; grief and sadness suddenly rise inside my chest.

“Hey, hey... It’s okay, baby.”

He takes my hand in his and gives it a small kiss before he pulls me to his lap. It’s a weird sensation, not that it bothers me or anything. It’s just a new feeling.

“When can I go home?” I ask him.

“What do you mean?”

“When can I go back to my pack?”

I hear a woman gasp behind us. I look around, and just now, I see that there are two other people in the room.

“What do you mean go back? You belong here,” Miliano says, looking terrified.

“But I have to go,” I answer quietly and rise.

I start to put on the clothes that I had on when they found me. Miliano rises and rushes up to me.

“Baby, what are you talking about? Don’t leave me, please!” he exclaims, and I give him a sad look.

“I’m sorry that I have to do this, but I do. I can’t drag you or your pack into my problems.”

I sigh and prepare myself to do the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. With tears in my eyes, I begin;

“I, Aleida Mendez of the Rose moon pack, as a result of this reje-”

He shuts my mouth closed with his hand. Then, with tears in his eyes, he pleads with me:

“Please, no! I’ve looked everywhere for you. I will never let anything happen to you ever again. I promise you! I do everything you want me to; please just don’t leave me.”

His words break my heart, and I can’t help myself; I have to hug him close. As I do, I can feel him relax slightly. Then, when he seems to be calm again, I back away.

“This is your home Aleida; this pack is as much yours as it’s mine. They need their Luna, and I need my mate.”

I look hesitantly at the others in the room; they both bow their heads without hesitation and says “luna” in unison. The respect they have for me makes me want to cry from happiness.

“Please, just try it out; if it’s not working for you, I will let you go if you wish to do so,” he says and gives me a look filled with hope.

I look at the others again, and I can see the woman give me an encouraging smile. I knew that I have to try at least.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, okay, I will give it a try. But no funny business, mister!”

He looks at me with shock while the others snickers and smiles warmly at me.

“Can we please leave the hospital? I don’t really do well with this environment...”

“Gina has to check your health first, okay, baby girl?”

I nod and can see how he uses the mindlink to call her there. She appears shortly after that and smiles when she sees me.

“Hello Aleida, how are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“I understand that completely; you didn’t have any real rest while you were sleeping.”

“How could you tell?”

“For starters, your heart rate got up from time to time. You also showed signs on your face of pain. We tried to give you painkillers, but your body rejected them. It was as if something held your throat or something. We only tried once, and your body began to convulse. After that, we decided that we wouldn’t do it again until you were awake. Do you need painkillers now?” Gina asks, and I shake my head ‘no.’ “That’s good that you’re not in any pain anymore. However, you will not be able to move like you usually do. This is because we had to crack all your broken bones back in the right position; you had old injuries that didn’t heal correctly. Besides, your being in a coma for so long has made your muscles weak. But with exercise and correct training, you will soon be back to normal.”

With that said, she leaves the room. I try to stand on my legs but fall immediately. Miliano is quick to catch me.

“Okay, we won’t try that for a while,” he says and smiles when he lifts me bridal style.

“I have legs, you know,” I say and pout, irritated that I now will have to rely on others; I don’t like that.

“Legs that don’t work for the time being, yes,” he says and winks at me.

Which makes me huff while he just chuckles at my childish ways. He carries me out of the room with his beta close behind us.

“Hey, I never got the chance to introduce myself properly; I’m Aleida,” I say and reach out my hand to him with a smile.

“Killian,” he answers and takes my hand in his; I can feel Miliano’s growl deep from his chest. “Oh, come on, dude, I just were being polite to our luna.”

“Be polite with distance,” Miliano mumbles while I smack him on his head, and he looks dumbfounded at me.

“Behave,” I say and narrow my eyes at him.

“Sorry,” he says and looks down in shame; I can hear Killian laughing hard at us.

“I knew it; the sleeping beauty tamed the wild beast and made him into a love-sick puppy,” Killian says between his laughs.

He’s wheezing, trying to catch his breath from all the laughter, and I can do nothing more than to laugh with him.

“So... How is it to be a beta?” I ask him.

“I like it. There’s much work involved and much to do, but I love being a beta. I’m also that idiot’s best friend,” he says and points at Miliano.

“Hey!”

“Oh, play nice, Milo,” I say to him, which makes him sigh deeply.

“She has you wrapped around her little finger already!” he exclaims happily, trying to hold in his laughter.

“Best friend, my ass...” he mumbles under his breath, which makes us start laughing again.

When we reach the house, I just look at it with awe. It’s a beautiful five-story building with a white facade. There are big windows all over the place, and I catch a glimpse of a lake behind the house. The house is downright beautiful. Killian opens the front door for us, and Miliano hurries up the stairs to the bedroom. I wonder why they’re so secretive about me being here. He keeps on climbing the stairs until we’re on the top floor. Finally, he put me down on the bed, and I look around the bedroom. This room, also, like the rest of the house, is beautiful. This particular bedroom made me feel at home for the first time in my life. Even though I loved living in my old house with the pack and my parents, it never felt the same as the sight of this does. The wall paint is in a deep cerulean blue, almost the same color as my eyes, with a big king-size bed against the wall and a big flat screen tv on the opposite wall. I can see four doors in this room but get interrupted in my curious thoughts by Miliano and Killian clearing their throats. I look up at them and can only see amusement looking back at me.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re just astonishing when you’re excited,” Miliano answers; I blush, and they chuckle at me.

“How am I supposed to move around?” I ask.

“We’re waiting for the wheelchair that my gamma is bringing here.”

I scrunch up my nose. I wouldn’t say I like this at all; I want to move on my own.

“We know, sweetheart, but you really can’t walk right now,” Killian says with a sad voice.

I can see Miliano look irritated by his choice of words and grabs my hands while growling “mine” lowly. Killian laughs at that and takes up his hand in defense.

“I can walk. I know I can! I just have to practice,” I say, determined.

“Honey, no, you can’t...” Miliano says and looks at me with pity.

That’s it! I rise from the bed angrily and hold the bed for support. My legs wobble, but I can indeed stand by myself. They both look at me with awe, confused by my ability to stand even though I shouldn’t be able to. I smirk at them.

“Told you,” I say and wink. “I want to try to walk. Can you please help me?”

Miliano immediately rises and takes my hand. I stumble forward, and he catches me. But I keep on trying, and after a couple of minutes, I take a few steps on my own before I fall again. Miliano lifts me and puts me on the bed all over again. Drained from all sorts of energy, I don’t fight him.

“That was amazing, baby! You are so strong,” he says and caresses my cheek.

I give him a tired smile and jump when I hear someone knock on the door.

“Yes?” Miliano says.

The door opens, and my head starts spinning when I see him. Something is very familiar about the man in front of me.

“You called about the wheelchair alpha.”

“Yes, bring it in, please.”

I keep on staring at the young man. When our eyes meet, I can see that he also finds me familiar.

“Excuse me, but have we met before?” he asks me.

I remain silent and look at his features. That’s when it strikes me; he seems like an older version of myself, except he’s male. We lock eyes, and he immediately falls to his knees in front of me. I can’t speak.

“Aleida?” he asks with a broken voice.

I look at him confused; how does he know my name? He hugs me close, and I freeze. Miliano is growling loudly, and that makes the man jump away from me.

“I’m very sorry, alpha, I-I...”

“What is it, Jason?” Miliano asks and looks at him with a stern gaze.

“Can I please talk to you and the beta, outside please?”

They begin to walk towards the door; Miliano kisses my forehead and promises to return very soon. I can hear when the door clicks, and my daze disappears. What the hell!? I ignore my thoughts and look at the wheelchair. It’s a few meters away from me. I stand up with the support of the bed again and manage to walk to the wheelchair. When I reach it, I fall into the seat and struggles to breathe. That was so much harder than I thought it would be. I breathe heavily and try to move higher up. For some reason, I hold my breath as I move and use all the power I have in my arms to put myself right. It takes me a few minutes to catch my breath. Now when the hard part is over, I feel content with my effort and smile to myself.

Good job!

I jump at the voice and move the wheelchair around, looking for the person the voice belongs to. I find no one. It must have been my imagination. I manage to get the wheelchair rolling towards one of the four doors and what I see makes me stare with my mouth open, speechless. There are all sorts of different clothes in the walk-in closet. It’s beautiful and is filled to the brim. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I move around to the rest of the doors. Behind one of the other entries, I find a closet similar to the first one I found, except this one is full of men’s clothing. I manage to find a big beautiful bathroom with both a jacuzzi in the corner and an oversized shower with massage options. The last door is a massive glass door. After struggling for a while, I get the door open, and my eyes meet a beautiful view. I can see the lake, the giant forest, and almost all of the town from this balcony; I sit there in silence, listening to the nature around me. Somewhere between my gazing, I must have fallen asleep. I jolt awake when I hear the door behind me open, and the three men make an appearance again. They look at me confused, probably wondering how I got there.

“Told you I could do it,” I say again, smirking.

They all chuckle and smile at me. Then, when the men settle down, Miliano walks up to me.

“Baby, we need to talk, and it’s important.”

“What is it?”

He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he simply pushes the wheelchair back into the bedroom and parks it in front of the bed. Nobody says a word, and I’m beginning to get worried.

“What is going on?” I ask with anxiety in my voice.

“Well...”

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