She ran through the house and stopped in the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She took the full glass with her and went in search of her mate.
She found him in the study as usual. He was surrounded by his Beta's and a couple of other pack members she had not as yet, met. She gave Stefan a smile as he looked at her. He came towards her, as Nik was still talking to his pack members.
“You look like you've been crying, Megan. Are you alright?” Stefan asked.
“Yes. I'm fine Stefan. I finally have my eyes wide open,” she stated with a smile, which lit up her whole face.
“Welcome to the family, Megan,” Stefan whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. “Nik won't be much longer and then I'll get everyone out of here for you. I'm sure you would like some privacy to talk.”
“Thank you, Stefan, for everything. What would I do without you?” Meg asked.
“I'm sure you would have come to the same conclusions you have. It just might have taken you a bit longer to work everything out.”
“I will always be here for you Megan. You're not only my best friend, but you are also my sister in law,” Stefan stated.
Megan waited impatiently for Nik to finish up his business with his pack members. She fidgeted until she was driving herself crazy, let alone anyone else watching her. She was about to walk over and take a seat on the sofa, as the male pack members bowed to Nik then to her and left the room.
Nik walked toward her, once everyone else had gone. Meg began to walk to him, to meet him half way.
“Nik, I need to talk to you. I want to explain some of the reasons I've been so hesitant to commit to a relationship.”
“Okay. Would you like to sit down?” Nik asked, as he took her hand in his and began to guide her to the sofa.
A familiar female voice stopped them in their tracks. “Well, doesn't this look nice. Are you trying to use your feminine wiles to keep my Alpha dangling on a string? You know Nik, you really disappoint me.
I never thought I would see the day you would want to mate with a
human
. We could have been so good together. But you had to go and throw it all away for that,” Nadia stated, as she raised her arm and pointed a gun at Megan. “I can't believe you would choose that little bitch over me. You could have had the best, but you threw me over.”
Nik tried to push Megan behind his back to protect her, but she stood firmly by his side. His heart was pounding in his chest as he saw Nadia point the gun in her hand at his mate.
“Stefan, Nadia is in the study with a gun pointed
at Megan. Get in here now,”
Nik screamed through his mental link.
“Oh, I know what you're doing
Alpha,
” Nadia sneered. “They won't be coming to help you anytime soon. You see, I have been in the pocket of the Malibu Pack for months. I brought a few rogue friends here to help me. I can't believe you couldn't see what was happening right under your nose. You always thought you were too good to commune with the lesser members of your pack. Well, I bet you wished you paid more attention now, don't you? Ah ah ah, no moving, Nik. You're precious Beta's have been tranquilized like the animals they are,” Nadia stated in a high pitched laugh.
Oh God, she's as mad as the Alpha of the Malibu Pack, Megan told herself. She glanced about with her eyes. Hoping to spot something to use as a weapon against Nadia. She spied a sharp silver letter opener on Nik's desk near her hip. She slowly moved her arm in that direction and hoped like hell, Nadia didn't spot her movement. She kept her gaze on Nadia until she felt the item with her fingertips. There would be no help from the other pack members, if Nadia was telling the truth about them being tranquilized. It was up to her and Nik to get themselves out of this situation.
“Why have you done this, Nadia?” Nik asked, keeping her eyes on him as he slowly began to inch away from Megan's side. “You should know we don't pick our own mates. They are destined by the spirits, preordained. You know we only get one mate in our lifetime; and hope we are lucky enough to actually meet them. Why would you think you could have been my mate?”
“Oh my God. You are priceless. Do you know that?” Nadia gave an unnatural high pitched laugh. “I don't really want to be your mate, you stupid wolf. I want to be Queen. I want to have the power to rule over a pack. I want them to bow and scrape to me as they do to you. I want them at my beck and call, to do whatever I tell them to do. Power is money and money is power.”
“No you're wrong Nadia. Power is to be sensitive to others needs. To put others before your own selfishness. To love with your whole being, as I love Megan. That is power,” Nik stated, as he moved further away from Megan.
“One more step and I'll pull the trigger,” Nadia stated as she watched Nik intently.
Megan took the opportunity of her inattention to grab the letter opener in her hand. Because she hadn't been able to use her eyes, she picked up the sharp end and felt it slice through the palm of her hand. The smell of blood must have been strong because both Nik and Nadia glanced her way. Megan used her advantage as soon as Nadia looked at her and moved with a quick leap in front of Nik, as she raised her arm and threw the sharp object at Nadia ,with all her strength. Megan heard the loud blast of the gun as it was fired and felt a sharp agonizing pain beneath her breast. She fell to the floor writhing in pain until it began to fade into blessed numbness. She turned her head towards Nadia and saw the letter opener lodged into her chest. She was lying on the floor no longer breathing. She turned back to see Nik's face. He was holding her, but she couldn't seem to feel anything.
Her vision began to fade, but she would not succumb to the dark, until she told Nik what she had intended, when she first walked into the study.
“Nik,” Megan croaked out of a dry sore throat.
“Oh Meg, don't talk baby. Save your strength and fight for me. I can't live without you Megan,” Nik sobbed, tears streaming from his eyes.
“I love you, Nik,” Megan rasped out, just before she faded into the darkness.
Nik gathered his mate in his arms and sobbed her name, “Megan, don't you dare leave me. I've only just found you. Please, don't die.”
“I've called for an ambulance, it should be here any moment, Nik. She's a strong female, Alpha. She won't give up without a fight,” Harry stated, as walked unsteadily into the room, still battling the effects of the tranquilizer, and clasped Nik's shoulder in support.
Harry and Nik heard the siren as the ambulance drew closer. Nik had to be pried away from his mate so the paramedics could work on her, to get her stabilized. He felt his knees weaken as they placed her on the stretcher and carried her to the waiting ambulance. Nik climbed into the back of the vehicle, after the paramedics and sat staring at his mate.
Praying to God to save her life.
He sat in the waiting room for hours and was unaware of his pack members joining him, one by one in his vigilance. He didn't move from the seat he was in, as he stared at the emergency room doors, willing a doctor to come and let him know his mate was out of danger.
Nik sat up straight, as the emergency room doors opened to a male doctor. He walked toward Nik and shook his hand. I've done everything I can for your fiancé, Mr. Romanov. It's up to her and God now. She had extensive damage to her right lung. I've repaired the damage, but such a traumatic experience to a body can send a patient into shock and she still may not pull through. I'm sorry, but we've done all we can.
Call me if you need to talk, anytime, day or night.” Nik forced his voice to work before the doctor left,
“Can I see her, please?”
“Sure, she's in intensive care, which is the best place for her to be. I don't want you to get a shock when you see all the machines she is hooked up to.
They are there for an added extra to monitor your fiancé's vital signs. Please, follow me.” Nik followed the doctor into the intensive care unit. His knees nearly buckled beneath him when he saw Megan so pale and lifeless. He sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the nurse, monitoring her and took her hand in his. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. He breathed in the scent of her skin and lay his head down on the mattress beside her and prayed. He didn't stop praying until he fell into a light doze at his mate's side. He dreamed of a beautiful woman floating in the room looking down at his mate.
“You love her more than your own life, Nikolai Romanov. I couldn't have wished for a better husband for my daughter. Megan will recover, but it will take months for her to be as healthy as she was. She loves you and wants to spend the rest of her life with you.
She didn't get to tell you everything in her heart, before she slipped into the darkness. Megan wants to marry you and have children with you. She wants to be able to spend the rest of your life with you as well.
Which means she wanted you to change her to be as you are. If you change her now, her recovery will be much faster as you know. You will have five minutes to change her, when the nurses change shift. Do it quickly. You will have a long life filled with love, laughter and children. Blessed Be.”
Nik watched the apparition in his dream place a kiss on his mate's head and fade away before his eyes.
He jerked up and realized he had been asleep, dreaming. He watched the nurse check his mate's vitals as she moved to the closed curtains.
“It's shift change. It won't be any longer than five minutes before another nurse is sitting next to your fiancé, monitoring her vital signs,” the nurse stated as she closed the curtains behind her.
Nik didn't stop to think he just acted. He let his canine teeth lengthen and tore a small cut into his wrist with one tooth. He opened Meg's mouth with his other hand and placed his wrist at her mouth and let a couple of drops of his blood, fall between her lips. He massaged her throat trying to get he to swallow by reflex and gave a sigh when she did. He leaned down and kissed her lips, nicking her lower lip with his longer eye tooth and tasted her blood. He licked the blood from her lip and sat down in the chair at her side once more. He hoped and prayed he had given her enough of his blood for the change to take place.
Megan became aware of the large warm hand holding hers in a light clasp. She could hear a beeping and wondered what was going on. She pried her heavy eyelids open, blinked a few times, until her vision cleared and looked over to see Nik asleep in a chair, his head resting on the side of the side of the bed. She slowly withdrew her hand from his and ran her fingers through his black, silky hair. She didn't stop her hand from moving over his head, through his hair ,as the nurse at her side stood and smiled at her as she took notes of her vital signs.
“You're looking so much better today. I'm glad you're finally awake,” the nurse stated with a smile a gave her hand a pat. “I'll be back soon, I'm just going for a coffee. If you need me, just push the button on the end of this cord.”
Megan gave a nod and smiled at the nurse and watched her leave. She continued to stroke Nik's head and hair until she felt him tense. She moved her hand to the side of his face and watched as he sat up, slowly. When he saw Megan's eyes open looking at him, a slow smile spread across his face. He stood up and kissed her gently on the lips.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“I am actually feeling really well,” Megan stated, surprise evident in her voice. “Other than feeling a little sore and bruised, I feel astoundingly well.”
“I am so glad. You scared me, Megan. I thought you were going to die. Don't you
ever
do anything like that again. I wanted to protect you, I told you I cannot die easily. Why did you put yourself in front of a bullet meant for me?”
“Because I love you, Nik. I didn't want you to get hurt; and in the situation Nadia had us in, you're healing abilities were the last thing on my mind. I couldn't bear to see you hurt.”
“Ah, sweetheart. You've made me so happy. I love you, too,” Nik reiterated. He then took Megan's hand in his and knelt down next to the bed.
“Megan, you are the air I breathe, my heart and soul. Would you do the honor of marrying me?” Megan felt her eyes prickle, then tears of joy coursed down her cheeks as she gripped his hand.
“Yes, Nik. I would love to be your wife. You are my heart and soul. I want to have children with you and grow old with you.”
Nik stood to his feet and climbed up on the bed beside Megan. He scooped her into his arms, being careful not to hurt her, or move any of the wires attached to her; and cuddled her close. He stared down into her eyes and slowly lowered his head to hers. He took her mouth in a slow tender kiss, expressing all his love for his mate. He would have kept on kissing her, if it wasn't for someone clearing their throat at the end of her hospital bed.
“I'm glad to see you finally awake, Megan. You had us worried there for a while. If you would allow me to check Megan over, Nik. Why don't you go and get a cup of coffee and something to eat. I should be done by the time you get back; and take all those people in the waiting room with you. They're starting to make my hospital look untidy,” Doc stated with a grin.
Nik removed himself from Megan's bed, placed a chaste gentle kiss on her lips, gave her a wink and left the room with a great big smile on his face.
Doc checked Megan over and was surprised by how fast she was healing. He left the room with a perplexed smile on his face, advising she would be ready to go home the next day. By the time Nik returned Megan had been unattached from all the machines she was hooked up to, as well as showered.
She was feeling totally alive, full of love and joy and couldn't wait to leave the hospital.
Nik came back to Megan, still looking like a scruff with several days of beard growth, his hair standing up on end and his clothes rumpled from having been slept in. He looked absolutely gorgeous to her. She saw movement behind Nik and realized Stefan followed him.
“Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Meg,” Stefan stated as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“You look amazing for someone who nearly died.