Stronger- #Wattys2019

Part 40

With a shuddering breath, Alexander started to pull away from the warmth that surrounded him.

"Don't move, you'll pull your stitches." A familiar voice spoke softly in his ear.

As the fog of sleep and exhaustion lifted, he needed a moment to regain his senses. He felt the burning pain across his back and shoulder, a second wound on his hip and thigh. Then he remembered the bear attack.

"Nadine!"

"Quiet." She replied. "I'm right here."

The king pulled his face back enough to see he was under a blanket, wrapped in odd fabric scraps and being held close by the mate he hadn't wanted to lose. "What happened after I blacked out?"

She tightened her arms around him and sighed. "You were badly injured and shifted back to human form. You nearly killed the bear on your own, but he was ready to kill you before he left this life. So, I finished what you started. Then, I scraped together what supplies I could find from the abandoned campsite around the corner. Your wounds are stitched for now, and I had to Frankenstein some way to keep you from freezing to death. Human skin isn't meant to survive out here for very long. So, between body heat, scraps of clothing and a few torn blankets, we have a small amount of protection. At least I was able to drag you into the bear's den and started a small fire. The snow picked up and you need to heal. So, we have to wait for a while. You might as well go back to sleep."

He was impressed with her ingenuity. It was far more than he had successfully done for her. "I don't deserve your kindness."

"No shit."

Ouch. The truth hurts. Even if he said it first.

"I'm sorry." His voice sounded so defeated as he whispered.

"For what, exactly?"

Closing his eyes, Alexander stopped running and faced the truth. "For everything."

"Can you be more specific?" Man, she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. It was one of the many things he admired about her. She could be quiet and shy, trying to hide from everyone. Yet, she never failed to make sure he knew how she felt. She treated him as an equal. Alright, she treated him like he was the biggest asshole in the world, but never did she see herself as submissive to him, nor did she try to climb above him. She didn't care that he was the king. He was nothing more than the asshole male she had the misfortune to be paired with.

"I was wrong about everything. I jumped to assumptions, made horrible accusations, and choices that don't deserve to be forgiven." He sighed. "I realize now that you never were the kind of girl I first thought you were. And I didn't know, when I sent you to the prison cells. I didn't know what you had been through... the horrors it would remind you of. I didn't understand how much you had faced and conquered. And when I did understand how wrong I was, it was too late. I had already fucked everything up."

Nadine was shocked to hear so much from the king. However, she wouldn't forgive him because of a simple apology. He had done too much and said too much. Yes, he was hurt trying to protect her. And he seemed so genuine. For the first time, she felt like she saw the real Alexander Volkov. But it wasn't enough, not by a long shot. "What else?"

"As cheesy as it sounds, the problem really isn't you."

She didn't want to hear the 'it's not you, it's me' shit. "I can't compete with the love you had for your first mate."

Alexander tried to snuggle closer to his mate, seeking her warmth and comfort in the face of such raw emotion. However, she stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. His sock covered hand moved to hold hers gently.