By the Light of the Silver Moon

Chapter 18 Marigold

It had been two days since I arrived at the Silver Moon packhouse and I hadn't moved from my spot in Finn's hospital bed. Finn was still unconscious, but his wounds were healing. The only time I let him out of my sight was when Dr. Maxwell took him for scans to confirm that all his internal injuries were now healed. He had stopped bleeding and the swelling in his brain was gone. He said that Finn's body and mind were recovering which was why he was still in a coma.

Clara informed me that our mate bond was in full effect and, magically speaking, Finn and his wolf, Hunter, were back to normal. So, now, we were just waiting for Finn's spirit and body to heal enough so he could wake up.

"Mari, you really should go get some rest, take a shower." Stone urged me, standing next to the bed as I sat with Finn.

"I'm not leaving." I snapped.

"You need to at least eat something." Ferra sighed,

"Let me bring you something to eat." She suggested. I nodded. I wasn't the least bit hungry but I needed to keep up my strength for Finn.

"I'll bring you something light and some water, too." Ferra smiled, happy to be able to help with something. She kissed Stone on the cheek and left the hospital.

"He's going to be fine, Mari." Stone grabbed my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I know." I whispered,

"I just wish I would have realized it sooner."

"Realized what?" Stone asked.

"That I love him." I said, barely audible. Suddenly, Stone threw his arms around me and was cheering, loudly.

"Shhh! Stone! Finn's trying to rest!" I scolded him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he laughed, stepping away,

"I'm just so freaking happy to hear you say that. You two being apart was driving me mad and it was killing Fox. Fox was in such a horrible mood all of the time I was afraid he was never going to smile again. I knew you had to be in the same condition." Stone was rambling.

Before I could respond, Finn's monitor went crazy. I jumped off the bed and leaned over Finn's face,

"Finn?" I called out to him,

"Get the doctor!" I yelled at Stone who ran off. Dr. Maxwell hurried into the room and I stepped away from the bed so he could help Finn.

"What's going on?" I cried as Stone wrapped his arm around my shoulder in comfort.

"He's in distress, I think he might be waking up." Dr. Maxwell said, waving a light in Finn's eyes.

"He's fighting the sedation so I'm going to remove it, but leave the pain medicine." Dr. Maxwell said, fiddling with Finn's IV. After a few moments Finn's monitors returned to normal.

"There. He's trying to wake up but the sedation was fighting back. I suspect he'll be awake in a few hours." Dr. Maxwell told us before leaving again. I hurried to Finn's side and ran my hand through his hair,

"I'm here, Finn, please wake up." I whispered into his ear. I pressed my lips against his temple and tasted the salty tears that were falling down my face.

About 20 minutes later Ferra returned with a bowl of soup, an apple, and some water. We told her what happened with her brother and she asked if she could sit with him for a while. I gave up my spot on the bed and sat in one of the hospital chairs in his room. Ferra sat on the bed next to Finn while I slowly sipped on the bowl of chicken soup she brought me.

"Ferra, I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused." I said to her.

"Oh, no, you don't need to apologize, Mari. You've been through so much. You came back when my brother needed you and that's all that matters." Ferra smiled, stroking Finn's hair.

"I hope you don't think I'm trying to take your place or anything." I mumbled. Ferra chuckled,

"What?"

"You asked if you could sit with your own brother, you shouldn't have to ask permission for that." I explained.

"Mari, I asked out of respect, not because I feel replaced. I know how strong the mate bond is, especially when your mate is hurt. You can't be rational. That sometimes means seeing any female, even a sister, as a threat. I'm just being respectful of the bond. I couldn't be happier that my brother found you and I'm so excited to have a sister." Ferra was grinning at me despite the sadness that was still in her eyes.

"Thank you, Ferra." I smiled back softly.

"There's been way too much testosterone around here, between Fox and our younger brother Frankie. There was a strong need for some female intervention." Ferra winked at me. I realized that I didn't even know Finn had a younger brother.

Ferra's head snapped back towards Finn as he started to twitch in bed. I sat the tray of food back on the table and stood up. I stayed away from the bed, almost hiding myself behind Stone. I was afraid of what was going to happen next. I was afraid that Finn was dying, that he wasn't going to wake up. I was afraid that I had given him everything I had and it still wasn't enough.

"Ferra?" I almost collapsed at the sound of Finn's voice. It was hoarse and quiet, but it was still his voice.

"I'm here, Fox, you're alright." Ferra cried, hugging her brother.

"What happened?" His voice cracked.

"You were attacked by a rogue. You had to have surgery. But, you're okay now." She sniffed.

"Surgery?" He asked.

"You weren't healing on your own." Ferra said.

"Did Clara help?" He asked, trying to understand what had happened.

"She did, some." Ferra nodded.

"How long was I out?"

"Four days." I could almost feel Finn's panic from across the room.

"Four days?! How's the pack? What happened with the rogue attack?"

"Lay down, Alpha," Ferra snapped,

"Everything's fine. The pack's fine. The attack ended swiftly with no other injuries." Ferra soothed her brother, pushing him back down to the bed.

"Stone, why do you look like that?" I could tell Finn's voice changed direction as he looked towards Stone. I didn't really know why I was hiding. I felt ashamed that I had run and I felt embarrassed to be seen by my mate again.

"I'm trying to gauge how this situation is going to go." Stone admitted, shifting his weight almost like he was helping me hide.

"What?" Finn sighed.

"Listen, you've got to stay calm, alright? I don't need you popping a kidney or anything." Stone chuckled.

"I don't think that's how it works." Finn grumbled,

"Ferra, what is your mate going on about? I'm too sore for his bullshit." I saw Ferra stand from the bed, giving her brother a kiss on the forehead, before walking towards me. She winked at me secretly.

"You would have died, brother, Clara said that you would have died." Stone's tone turned serious,

"I'm fine, Stone." Finn sighed.

"Right, yeah, that's the point. You're only fine because she came." Stone stepped off to the side, revealing me for the first time.

I locked eyes with Finn and all those feelings of shame and embarrassment were gone, just like my worries were when I first got here. Finn's eyes widened and he struggled to sit up. I saw pain light up his face and I hurried to his side.

"Don't try to move." I whispered, touching his arm. Finn looked down at where our skin was touching and started smiling at the feeling of warmth that overtook us both.

"Marigold." He sighed my name and suddenly everything was clear. It was like I had been living in a fog, all this time, refusing to let go of my worries and my pain. Finn was my answer, he was my clarity, and I was never going to let that go again.