Marked

Chapter 19: Little Tess

I stepped inside the infirmary and almost cried when I saw Addie. She looked so much better, it was like looking at a different person. She had color in her face and she was nibbling on a cracker, sitting up. When was the last time I saw her sitting up without help or eating solid food?

"Tess," she said, a small smile spreading over her face as she pat the space next to her on the bed.

I hurried over and hopped on the bed, throwing my arms around her. "I was so scared I was going to lose you," I admitted.

"I know but I'm okay," she said, rubbing my back. "And so is she," Addie said, patting her stomach.

"She?" I said, unable to stop the smile.

Addie smiled and nodded. "You can listen to her heartbeat, if you want."

I nodded and lowered my head down to the bump on her stomach. I didn't need to with my hearing but with all the tension and concern over the last few months, I wanted to hear it as loud as possible. Hearing the strong heartbeat, I couldn't help but smile. It was the first time since shortly after we found out she was pregnant that the heartbeat actually sounded strong.

"Goddess, nothing has ever been this cool. She sounds strong," I said. "What a little warrior."

"Yeah, she's definitely a fighter," Addie agreed. "Our little Tess."

I picked my head up and stared at her, blinking a couple times, not sure I heard that right. "Tess?" I repeated.

"Well, we needed a name that showed what a fighter she is. How strong she is. You're the first person that came to both our minds," she said, grinning.

I didn't know what to say. Tears filled up and I threw my arms around her again.

"Thank you," I said, squeezing her.

"Thank you. For everything you did. I know it wasn't easy. You sat with me in the bathroom for so many hours, stayed by my side for so many hours. I can't thank you enough," she said, hugging me back just as tight.

We fell silent and just hugged. I hadn't been able to hug her in so long, at least, not like this. She slowly let me go so I took that as a cue to let her go but if I was being honest, I could've hugged her for much longer. She scooted over to give me more room and I ended up laying down, resting my head on her stomach so I could hear little Tess's heartbeat again. Addie ran her fingers through my ponytail and I knew the silence wouldn't last. She would ask me about Kane, the marking, I knew she would and that's why I wasn't surprised by her next words.

"Will you tell me what happened?" She asked.

I sighed and shrugged. "What's to tell?"

"Did he... force himself on you in other ways?"

"No," I said, sitting up and looking at her guiltily. "I had sex with him. In fact, I kind of... Sort of... Definitely suggested it," I admitted. "When we finished, we were still holding each other close and he just... He just bit me. It happened so fast."

"I don't think it's your fault, if that's what you think," Addie said, frowning.

"I did have sex with him," I pointed out,

"So? That doesn't matter. He's your mate," she shrugged. "It was hard for me to hold out with Xander and I'm not even a wolf. I know it's much more intense for you. I don't blame you for sleeping with him. I blame him for betraying your trust like that. But none of it was your fault. You should've been able to trust him."