Not Beyond Saving

CHAPTER 7

Anna slept through the next day and following night. No one could know at the moment, but as she had accepted Liam and his mark, her wolf was returning at full strength. Anna's coma like state was due to the internal damage that had been caused by Thaddeus marking and claiming another as his after he had already claimed Anna. Her wolf was working double time to help her body heal.

Anna's eyes slowly fluttered open, catching the first rays of a new day. Her lips were parted in a wide smile as she felt her wolf prancing around in her mind, eager to be let out for a run. It felt as if it had been decades since they had felt this complete. Sitting up in her bed, Anna looked around her room. A small wave of disappointment hit her when she didn't see Liam.

Knowing that he was probably with her cousin somewhere, Anna threw the covers off her body and quickly slipped from the bed. Moving to her closet, she picked out some clothes and headed to her shower. Almost an hour later, she emerged feeling and looking refreshed. Leaving her room, Anna made her way down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

The house was strangely quiet, but Anna wasn't worried. The others were going about their day as they have always done. Opening the fridge, her eyes landed on a wrapped plate that held a sandwich. Her eyes lit up as she pulled it out and sat it on the counter. It was Liam's sandwich but she knew that he wouldn't mind if she ate it. After all, she would just make him another one to replace it.

Anna had taken a few bites when she heard a door opening. "There's nothing the doctor can do right now Liam. He said that he could sense her wolf and that she's strong. It's his opinion that all she needs is time. Anna will wake up when she's ready."

"And if she doesn't? What if my marking her, claiming her, triggered something that could kill her?" The worry was plainly heard in Liam's voice as the two wolves walked closer to the kitchen. "I know that I've only know your cousin for a week Anthony, but I love her... maybe even more than Jennifer.

"If I lose her because I tried to save her life..." Liam's voice, which was so filled with pain at the thought of Anna dying, faded away. Several seconds passed and Anna found herself just standing there, holding the half eaten sandwich. Liam cleared his throat and started to speak again. "If I lose Anna, it will kill me. I would move mountains if she commanded me to."

Anthony chuckled softly at Liam's last statement, but he knew that his friend and enforcer meant every word of it. "I'm sure that Anna..." Anthony started to speak but came to a complete stop. Taking a slow sniff of the air, a smile blossomed on his lips. Turning towards Liam, Anthony almost laughed when he saw the man buried deep in his thoughts.

"Liam," Anthony spoke softly, pulling Liam from his thoughts of the woman who had captured his heart without a fight. Looking at the prince, Liam felt as if he had missed something. "Yes Anthony?"

"Why don't you go into the kitchen and grab us some water. You can meet me at the training field later." Before Liam could reply, Anthony quickly left him in the hallway and exited the house through the back door, chuckling softly. He had caught a very fresh hint of Anna's scent leading towards the kitchen. As much as he wanted to see her and hug his cousin until she had trouble breathing, he knew that Liam should be the first to know that she was finally awake. There was plenty of time later for a family celebration.

Shaking his head as he watched the future king leave the pack house, Liam quickly headed towards the kitchen. He would grab some water bottles and then check on Anna before joining his friend on the training fields. Rounding the door frame, Liam's body jerked to a stop as his eyes landed on Anna's piercing ice blue eyes.

Very slowly, his hands rose to his face as he rubbed his eyes. When he looked again and found that she was still standing there, he began to grin. Anna slowly laid the rest of her stolen sandwich down as she smiled back at the man before her. Her heart was racing but she found that she liked the feeling. "Are you just going to stand there or come give me a hug?"

Anna said as Liam rushed towards her, pulling her body into a very tight bear hug. She didn't make a move to remove herself from his embrace when she felt something trickle down her neck. The almost un-noticeable shaking of Liam's shoulders told her that he was crying.

The two of them just stood there for several long minutes before Liam slowly pulled back, keeping his arms around Anna's waist. Slowly reaching up, Anna wiped away the remaining tears. "I was so worried that you wouldn't wake up." Liam's normal voice was now a hushed whisper, just barely loud enough for Anna to hear it.

Her smile was gentle and full of love. "I know you were worried Liam. That's just one of the things that we love about you." Liam's head jerked up quickly. "We?" he asked a little hopeful. Anna nodded her head slowly.

"Yes, we; my wolf and I. We both love you with our whole hearts." Locking her eyes with his, Anna kept her hands on his face as if to make sure that he understood her next point. "There is nothing and no one that will ever make us stop loving you as much as we do right now Liam. You have given us two very special things."

"And what did I give you?"

"You gave us, me, your heart so full of love and compassion. And the second thing that you gave us was the choice to decide what should be done regarding the chance that you marking me would help heal my wolf and keep her alive. Others wouldn't have given us that choice; they would have taken it under their advisement." Liam's heart was overflowing with the love he felt towards Anna. And as his lips softly met hers, he thanked Juna for bringing Anna McCallum into his life.