Chapter 1

LILY

"Miss, are you his wife?" The doctor’s voice broke the silence, making Selena and I jump. He was standing by the doorway, flipping through the clipboard in his hands, his face dead serious

I shook my head, my throat too dry to speak. "No, we’re friends," Serena answered for me, "But, I'm his fiancée. Is everything alright?" There was fear in her throat. She glanced at me but I didn't meet her eyes. All I could focus on was the still figure lying in the hospital bed, wires attached to his body, and the monitors beeping. Was he dead? "I see," The doctor sighed, stepping into the room.

His face was full of pity, and I hated it. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. The accident was fatal, and Marcus Steele... he's paralysed from the waist down." My hands flew to my mouth as I stared at Marcus now, who was once strong and fearless, lying helpless in a hospital bed. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Not to him. Not Marcus. "W-what do you mean?" I stammered with trembling hands. "Paralyzed? He...he'll recover right?" "I'm sorry, Miss.

The damage is irreversible. He... won't walk again." I felt the room spin for a moment, and my legs wobbled beneath me. He needed me now, and he always had this way of making me feel like I could do anything when he was around, and now... I had to be that strength for him. "And I'm afraid that's not all," the doctor continued, glancing between Serena and me. "Mr. Steele also has severe injuries. His body is shutting down, and he only has a few months left to live. Six months at most." "No!" I gasped, shaking my head in disbelief.

"That's not true! There has to be something, some treatment or-" "There's nothing we can do. We've tried everything, but his condition is deteriorating rapidly. I'm truly sorry." The room fell silent, and all I could hear was the rush of blood through my ears. Marcus... dying? It couldn’t be true. She let out a shaky breath. "I need to go," she muttered with a strained voice before rushing out of the room, and left me standing there, numb. I walked closer to the bed and brushed against his hand with my trembling fingers. “Marcus..." I whispered, I couldn't believe this was happening. Just then, the door opened and Selena stepped inside. Her eyes were red, and it was clear she was trying so hard to keep it together. I had always wondered what it would be like if Marcus and I had been more than just friends. If I had the courage to tell him how I really felt. "Lily," Selena whispered.

"I... I can't stay. I thought I could, but... I just can't do it." I blinked in confusion. "What... what do you mean?" "I can't watch him like this," she continued, her eyes flickering to him briefly before she turned back to me. "It's too much. I can't bear to see him suffer." "You... you're going to leave," The blood beat in my brain. How could she?! Her eyes were filled with tears now. "I'm sorry, Lily.

I really am. But I'm not strong enough for this. I... I can't handle knowing he's going to die." She took one last look at him, before she turned and walked out without another word. I was frozen, I couldn't process it. Marcus didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any of it. And now he was all alone. I wasn't going to let that happen. I took his hand asking, and held it tightly. "I'm not going anywhere.

I'll take care of you, Marcus, I promise. Weeks passed, and the hospital became my second home. Every day I sat beside Marcus, holding his hand, talking to him, trying to bring him back. But he was distant, trapped in his own despair. He barely spoke, and when he did it was just to tell me I was wasting my time. That there was no point. But I didn't care.

I wasn't going to give up on him. "Lily," he growled one evening as I helped adjust his pillows. "Why are you still here?" His eyes were hard, and angry when I turned to face him.

The accident had taken so much from him, and he hated feeling helpless. He still hadn't accepted it. "Because I care about you, I'm not going to leave you like everyone else." "You're wasting your time!" He snapped. "Look at me! I'm a broken man. I can't walk, I can't even take care of myself. What do you expect to accomplish by staying here?" "I expect you to fight! I... I expect you to try and get better, Marcus. You're not done yet. You still have a chance." He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

"There's no chance Lily. The doctors said-" "I don't care what the doctors said! I believe in you, Marcus. I know you can recover. You just have to try." For a moment those eyes softened, and in that split second, I thought maybe, just maybe, I'd gotten through to him. But then his face darkened and he turned away. "I don't want your pity, just... leave me alone." "No." It wasn't long before Marcus’s rehabilitation began. It was gruelling, both for him and me. He was angry, frustrated and every failure chipped away at his spirit.

But I stayed by his side, pushing and encouraging even when he wanted to give up. One night, after a particularly difficult session, everything changed. "Let me help you into bed," I murmured, reaching for his arm but he yanked it away. His eyes were blazing with fury. "I don't need your help! I'm not a damn invalid!" I stepped back, startled by the sudden outburst.

"Marcus, I'm just trying to-" "I don't need your help!" He shouted, and before I could react, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me close. His lips crashed against mine, it was rough and desperate, I was too shocked to move. And before I had any idea what was going on, he forced himself on me. When he was done, he glared at me. "Get out, just... get out." As the weeks went on, he withdrew even further, pretending that night never happened. He barely spoke to me, and when he did, it was always about his exercises or his recovery. Nothing personal, nothing real. But there were changes. He was getting stronger and his muscles were regaining their tone.

The doctors were amazed, calling it a miracle. And then, one day, he walked. It wasn't much, just a few shaky steps, but it was enough to send shockwaves through the Pack. It wasn't long before everyone was talking about his miraculous recovery.

That's when she came back. Selena. I was sitting beside Marcus, helping with his therapy, when the door opened, and there she was, standing in the doorway."Marcus?" Her voice trembled like a leaf in a gale. "Is it... is it true?" My heart sank as I watched Marcus’s eyes light up, looking at her the way I'd always wished he would look at me. "It's true," his voice was soft, and for the first time in months, I saw the old Marcus- the strong, confident Alpha I'd fallen in love with.

She took a step closer, brushing away the tears. "I thought... I thought I'd lost you." I felt like an outsider, in a moment that wasn't mine.

My chest was aching, but I swallowed the pain and forced a smile. "I'll... I'll leave you two alone," I whispered as I slipped out of the room, leaving behind the man I always hoped would one day love me back.