Chapter 40 Chapter 40 After lunch, Lana came in to establish that all of Riley's vitals had returned to normal. Riley had felt progressively better as the morning went on. She had spent part of the time napping in the bed with Kent. They had eaten lunch together, Riley scarfing down her toast and applesauce before stealing bites of Kent's lunch as well. He had pretended to complain as she snuck his food, but smiled as he watched her eat. When Lana tried to make Kent leave, he initially resisted, insisting that if Riley was better with him around, then he shouldn't leave. Lana did finally manage to persuade him, but he insisted he would not leave the hospital. He even refused to leave the same floor, insisting he needed to be close in case she got sick again. He agreed to meet with Max, Patrick and Wesley to discuss the alliance and what that meant for their defenses, but only as long as someone he trusted sat with Riley. That was how Leo came to be sitting in a chair beside Riley's hospital bed. Since he had been a part of establishing the alliance, he didn't have to be in the meeting. Also, Kent insisted that Leo was probably the only person who hadn't lied to him about Riley so he could trust him more than anyone else. "Tell me about the visit to New Dawn," Riley said to Leo, wanting more information than the little Kent had shared. "It was pretty standard for an alliance meeting. It all went textbook perfect." He rubbed his chin. "Well, except for that part where you apparently slept with the alpha at New Dawn and he decided to tell us about it." Riley felt her face flush. "You knew about that." "I didn't know it was the alpha," he muttered, looking amused. "Believe it or not, Leah doesn't share every juicy detail you tell her." "Thank the Goddess." He smirked. "I have no idea how Kent didn't rip his throat out. Did he have any idea going into that meeting?" "Yeah." Riley sighed. "I told him. I know how Jake can be and I had no doubt he would say what he did. I knew Kent needed a fair warning." Leo shook his head. "If I heard someone talking about Leah the way he was talking about you, that would have been the last thing he said." She blushed again. She rubbed her temples, leaning back into the pillows. "Not feeling so good?" Leo asked. "My head is starting to hurt." "Wow" he muttered, "your mate's been gone a whole fifteen minutes and you already don't feel good. I think the doctor might be right. Did you feel sick at all this morning when he was with you?" "No," she sighed. "I felt better than I have in days, actually." Leo looked at his hands for a minute before looking up again. "Why didn't you tell me that you've been sick?" Riley looked up at the ceiling. I didn't want anyone to know I was sick at all. I was already asking everyone to keep information from the council, from their pack members and elders." She shook her head. "I didn't even want Kent to know at first, It was Patrick who figured it out." 1/3 Chapter 40 "Oh, I got the whole story," Leo said, stretching his legs out. "Kent raged for the first half of the drive back about you keeping important things from him. And I guess you've managed to get both the gamma and beta to hide things as well." She turned her head to look at him. "I should have just been upfront, but I couldn't let him blow that alliance." "You still could have told me. You're one of my best friends. I would have liked to know." She felt her eyes start to sting and blinked, looking away. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to tell the council." "Well, the council found out anyway, so I guess that didn't work out." "Do you know how Wesley's conversation with the commander went this morning?" He nodded. "Whey is willing to give you three more days. If you make a full recovery, you're fine to stay." "Did Wes tell him about Kent?" Leo rubbed his chin. "No. We talked about it briefly before he called, but he didn't want to say anything without talking to you first." "Good." She sank back into the pillows, closing her eyes against the throb of pain that went through her head. "What happens when the commander finds out? You have to tell him eventually." She opened her eyes to find Leo watching her. "Who said I have to tell him?" He frowned, his forehead creasing. "You have to tell the Council that you've found your mate, eventually. With a mate as high ranking as an alpha, there will be a discussion about your ability to maintain your position. You can't just hide that you're mated to an alpha and are going to be the luna of a pack." "You're assuming I'm going to decide to accept this bond," she stated simply. Leo opened his mouth as though to speak but no words came out. Finally he shook his head. "You can't be serious right now. You can't still be thinking about rejecting that man. All he did during our trip was talk about you and ask about you. He wanted to know all the details I would tell him. Then when he found out you were sick, he drove like a mad man. He refused to sleep, refused to talk about anything except what might be happening. Riley, that man loves you." She shook her head hard. "No, he doesn't." But really her heart was hammering in her chest so hard it hurt. Could he really care for her that much? "I'd put money on it," he snapped. "You can't just brush him off like his feelings don't matter." She looked away, swallowing hard. "And what about what I want?" "Ok," Leo said sharply. "Let's talk about that. How do you feel about him? And don't lie. Because I see the way your face lights up when you see him. I've known you for nine years and I've never seen you like this about anyone." She stared at him for a long moment before a deep ache flashed across her chest and she flinched. She rolled to her side, pulling her knees up, suddenly crying. "Shit." Leo was out of his chair and beside her in an instant. "I didn't mean to upset you like that." "You don't get it," she whispered, trying to wipe her face. "You don't understand what it is like to love < Chapter 40 +8 Points someone, to have your whole world revolve around them and then have them toss you aside. I can't do that again. I was willing to give up everything for my last mate and it meant nothing to him. I lost everyone I loved in an instant. Not only did he reject me, but my alpha banished me. Remember how I came unbacked to the academy? He thought I would fail and he told me as much. The alpha ordered my rejection and then kicked me out of the only home I'd ever known and my mate didn't even bat an eye." Leo leaned down, brushing the tears off her cheek. "But that wasn't Kent. That was someone else. Someone stupid enough to not realize how lucky he was. Your previous mate was an asshole and your previous alpha sounds f*****g terrible. But he's not them. I've been working with this man for two months. He's a good alpha. He's a good person. And I'm worried that if you keep fighting this bond, it's going to kill you." The door burst open and Leo straightened up as Kent rushed in. "What happened?" he demanded. Lana followed him in. "Alpha, you're supposed to stay away for at least three hours. That's what we agreed. But it's barely been half an hour." Kent wheeled around to face her. "I know that but I felt her pain through the bond. I had to come check." He turned back to Leo. "Why is she crying?" "We were talking," Leo explained. "She got upset." "Why did you upset her?" Kent yelled, coming closer. Leo put his hands up and looked at Riley in a way that suggested he knew he was right about Kent. "Stop yelling at him," Riley said to Kent. "He didn't do anything wrong." "Alpha," Lana said, sounding exasperated, "you have to stay away so we can confirm my theory." "Don't bother," Riley said with a sigh, sitting up. "I was starting to feel pretty bad again but now that he's here, I feel fine." "Then either I stay or she comes with me," Kent said firmly. "Clearly she's going to be sick unless I'm close. Until we can figure out how to make this stop, she needs to stay with me." "What do you want, Riley?" Lana asked. "Would you prefer to stay here longer or would you rather return to the pack house with Kent?" Riley looked at Kent for a long moment. "I'll go back to the pack house." He smiled slightly. "Alright then," Lana said. "Let me write up the discharge. I want you to come back tomorrow for a check up. I'll have Angie bring your clothes in and help you get changed." She looked at Kent. "Alpha, a word." They walked into the hall, leaving Riley alone with Leo. "Give him a chance," Leo said. "That's all I ask." Comments