Chapter 18:He Could Have Died… Because of Me
Mara POV
I woke up to light.
Not sunlight.
White light.
It hurt my eyes, so I closed them again and breathed slowly.
My chest burned when I tried to pull in air. Something tight wrapped around my ribs.
My arms felt heavy. My mouth tasted like blood and metal.
I wasn't in the forest anymore.
Voices moved around me. Soft footsteps. The smell of medicine filled the air.
The infirmary.
I opened my eyes again.
A ceiling. Bright lights. Clean walls.
I was alive.
For a second, I didn't remember why that shocked me. Then everything hit me fast.
The fight.
The beast.
Liam!.
I tried to sit up.
Pain shot through my side like a knife.
A healer rushed over. "Don't move. You're still recovering. You had internal bruising and blood loss."
"I'm fine," I said, even though I clearly wasn't. My voice sounded rough, like I had been screaming.
My eyes searched the room.
Then I saw him.
Liam lay on the bed across from mine.
My heartbeat jumped.
Bandages wrapped around most of his torso. His side was soaked with dried blood. His arms were cut. Purple bruises covered his chest and shoulders. His breathing was slow but steady.
He looked like he had been torn apart.
I stared, frozen.
He did that… because of me.
A healer noticed me looking.
Her voice softened. "He brought you here himself. He refused to let anyone else carry you."
My throat tightened.
"He shouldn't have been walking," she continued. "He was already bleeding badly. He collapsed after handing you to us."
I couldn't speak.
I remembered the beast's claws. The crash. The pain. The moment everything went dark.
He fought like that…
And he still carried me.
I swallowed hard. My eyes burned for a reason that had nothing to do with injury.
Liam's fingers twitched.
He slowly opened his eyes.
They looked unfocused for a second, then found me.
"Mara," he said, voice rough but steady.
I tried to smile, but it felt shaky. "You're awake."
He let out a slow breath like that alone relaxed him. "Good. You're okay."
"I should be saying that to you," I said quietly.
He glanced down at his own bandages like he had just remembered they existed. "It's nothing. Just scratches."
It clearly wasn't.
"One of your ribs was cracked," the healer said firmly. "Your back muscles were torn. Several deep slashes. You lost a lot of blood."
Liam didn't look surprised. He just closed his eyes briefly, annoyed. "How long?"
"Two or three days for most of it," she replied.
"You heal fast, Alpha."
His healing was already working. Bruises had already faded from dark purple to yellow at the edges. Cuts that should still be open were closing.
Even injured, he looked calm.
Strong.
I looked down at my own hands.
They trembled slightly.
If he hadn't come back for me…
I didn't finish the thought.
I stared at him for a long time.
He shouldn't have been the one bleeding like that. He shouldn't have been the one covered in claw marks and dried blood.
He was the Alpha. He was supposed to be the one everyone feared. Yet he was the one who stepped between her and death.
The image of the beast's claws coming down flashed in her mind, and then Liam's body moving faster than she could track.
He didn't even hesitate. He just acted. For her.
He could have died… because of me.
Her chest tightened. No one had ever done something like that for her.
Not as an omega. Not as anything.
She felt tears rise behind her eyes and swallowed it back, confused and shaken.
A faint warmth appeared in her heart
Why would he risk so much?
Why did it hurt to see him hurt?
A healer walked to her bedside, voice calm but firm.
"You were lucky," the woman said. "Your ribs are bruised, and you took a heavy shock to your system.
Your body shut down to protect itself. You need rest. No stress. No sudden movement.
The Alpha brought you here himself."
Mara blinked.
A voice came from the doorway.
"So she's awake."
I turned.
Beta Rowan walked in.
Calm expression. Beta presence. Sharp eyes that saw everything without saying much.
He stopped beside my bed.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Sore," I said honestly. "But okay."
He nodded once. "Good. You scared the hell out of the patrol teams."
My eyes moved back to Liam.
"He… fought the beast alone."
Rowan followed my gaze. His jaw tightened slightly.
"He did more than fight it. He ripped it apart after it already tore into him."
I looked at Liam again.
He didn't brag.
He just watched me, like the only thing that mattered right now was that I was awake.
Rowan's voice softened a little.
"He wouldn't stop until you were safe. Even after he could barely stand."
Something warm and heavy settled in my chest.
I didn't know what to say.
So I just whispered, "Thank you."
Liam looked confused for a second, like saving me wasn't something that needed thanks at all.
"You were hurt," he said simply.
"That's enough."
I stared at him.
He really meant it.
Rowan sighed under his breath.
"Alpha instincts," he muttered,
but there was respect in his tone.
He turned to me. "Get some rest. We still need to figure out why the beast targeted your direction in the first place."
My heartbeat skipped.
I thought of the mark.
The System.
I kept my face calm.
"I don't know," I said.
He studied me for a moment like he could tell there was more, then nodded anyway.
"We'll talk later. For now, focus on healing."
He walked toward the door, then stopped and added quietly:
"He didn't let anyone else carry you."
Then he left.
The room fell quiet.
Only Liam and me.
I looked at him again.
He watched me like he was afraid I would disappear if he blinked.
"What?" I asked softly.
He shook his head. "Nothing. Just… stay alive next time."
I let out a small breath that was almost a laugh. "I'll try."
Silence settled again.
Comfortable this time.
My eyes grew heavy. The healing medicine made me sleepy. The beeping of the machines slowed. My body relaxed into the mattress.
I looked at him one last time before sleep pulled me under.
He was still watching me.
Like he wouldn't rest until I did.
My last thought was simple.
He saved me.
And he almost died doing it.
I closed my eyes.
And in the dark of my mind, a calm voice spoke:
[SYSTEM ONLINE.]
[WELCOME BACK, MARA.]