Chapter 19

Stella was jolted awake by pain. She gasped, her breath muffled by the oxygen mask, desperate to move. Eric’s hand was still clasped in hers, his body slumped beside the bed, resting. Feeling her stir and hearing her faint moan, Eric snapped awake. He quickly sat up, pressing the call button before leaning down to gently touch her head, his voice filled with urgency. "What’s wrong? Does it hurt? Is it the wound?" Stella weakly nodded, her mind still foggy. All she wanted was to sleep, her breath fogging the oxygen mask. Eric softly stroked her head, his voice soothing, as if speaking to a child. "Don’t worry, I’m here. I’m right here." The doctor and nurse soon entered, ready to check on Stella. "Alpha Eric, could you please let go of the patient’s hand? We need to give her some space," the doctor said, his expression darkening as he eyed the couple. Eric pressed his lips together, firmly refusing. "No, she’ll be scared. Just check on her like this. She said it hurts—could the anesthetic have worn off?" The doctor, seeing how adamant Eric was, didn’t argue. He moved closer to examine Stella, removing the oxygen mask and replacing it with an oxygen tube. "She’ll be fine. The anesthetic has worn off, so yes, she’s in pain. That’s to be expected," the doctor concluded, slipping his hands into the pockets of his white coat. "She’s in so much pain!" Eric ran his hand over her forehead, feeling the thin sheen of sweat, his frustration with the doctor evident. The doctor apologized. "There’s not much we can do about that. If she can stand it, let her endure it. Painkillers aren’t always the best option for the body. You could try distracting her, though—keep her from focusing too much on the pain." Eric remained silent for a long moment before giving a brief nod. The doctor and nurse, seeing that Eric wouldn’t say more, quietly left the room. Stella, still groggy, sounded like a child. "It hurts…" Eric kept soothing her, his voice tender. "Shh, it’s okay, just hold on. It won’t hurt for long. It won’t." Stella’s face twitched, as if she might cry, her brow furrowing in discomfort. "How about I tell you a story?" Eric asked, suddenly feeling like a concerned parent. "What should I tell you? How about the house?" "The house… I’d planned to take you there. For a vacation, or when we’re older, we could live there," Eric continued, rubbing her brow, trying to smooth away the furrow. "I want to take you to watch the sunrise, to see the ocean, to feed the pigeons in the square, to stroll down the streets at dusk, to read under the trees…" Eric sighed, his voice softening. "There are so many things I want to do with you." "But why did you betray me? Haven’t I been good enough to you?" Eric’s voice dropped, his lips pressing together. He lightly flicked her brow. "Bad girl. I’m not being vain, but honestly, I’m better than all those other men." After his boast, a hint of bashfulness crossed his face. He cleared his throat, then continued, "When you wake up, after you’re better, if you still want to… let’s go back to how we were, okay?" He gazed down at her. "But then again, it doesn’t matter now. You won’t remember this. I’ll wait until you wake up." Stella, soothed by his deep, melodic voice and tender care, drifted back into sleep. Eric smiled as he watched her peaceful face. "Goodnight," he whispered, then lay down beside her, exhaustion catching up to him. He too slowly succumbed to sleep. Morning light filtered through the window. Stella slowly opened her eyes. She had slept for so long that her reactions were a bit sluggish. Her gaze fell on a dark figure beside the bed, and she almost screamed, but when she focused, she realized it was Eric. He was right next to her, leaning forward, his head tilted to the side, asleep. One of his hands was still tightly holding hers, his grip firm. She didn’t dare to move. She thought to herself that he must have been very tired last night. Stella felt a bit bored as she stared at Eric’s sleeping face, her eyes slowly tracing every inch of his features. His strong, defined brows, the long lashes, the faint shadow of dark circles under his eyes from lack of rest, his straight nose, almost carved from stone, and his lips, slightly pursed, yet so perfectly shaped... Honestly, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She noticed the faint stubble growing on his chin, which seemed hard to believe. He was such a clean person, his chin was always so smooth. But it looked good on him. She thought to herself. Unable to resist, she reached out with her other hand to touch his chin. Before her hand could make contact, her eyes met his, and he suddenly opened them. They weren’t fully clear, still clouded with sleep, bloodshot and showing traces of fatigue. He looked into her wide, slightly panicked eyes and smiled, his eyes and lips curving up: "What do you want?" Stella slowly withdrew her hand, trying to act casual: "Nothing, I just saw a bug flying by." Eric's eyes curved even more: "Hmm." He straightened up, pulled his hand from hers, and used the back of his hand to check her forehead temperature. Undeniably, Stella felt a sense of loss the moment his hand left hers. In fact, she wanted to hold onto it, not let go. Stella’s eyes held a trace of longing. "Eric, don’t go!" Having been mates for years, Eric understood the desire in her eyes, but as the doctor had advised, her injuries meant it wasn’t the right time. Seeing that Eric didn’t respond, Stella turned her head away in disappointment, only to hear the crisp sound of the door closing. A few minutes later, Eric returned with a brown paper bag. He quietly climbed onto the bed and began untying Stella's hospital gown. Stella flinched, a chill ran through her body, followed by a sensation of tingling all over her skin. She looked down and saw the clear sounds of suction from the device, her legs becoming slick and sticky, some of the hair at her thighs visibly tangled and glistening with droplets, her clit throbbing slightly with every movement of her stomach, and the wetness already seeping into her legs. Eric chuckled and pinched her clit between two fingers, giving it a sharp twist. Just as she was about to reach her climax, his thumb pressed down hard on her clit, rubbing it roughly, the sound of water clear in the air. Stella writhed in pleasure, moaning loudly, her body moving to the rhythm of the sensations, each time reaching closer to the peak, the wetness spreading across her hospital gown. Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer and released fully. Eric adjusted her blanket, then turned and opened the door, speaking briefly to a guard outside before returning to stand by her bed. "You should stick to liquid food for now. I’ve asked Eu Mu to tell the kitchen to bring you something," Eric said, gently patting her head before walking to the window. "The sun’s out now. When you're able to get out of bed, I’ll take you out for a walk." Stella nodded, realizing he couldn’t see her face as his back was turned. She simply responded with a soft "Mhm." He gazed out the window while she looked at him. Neither of them spoke, but the room was filled with a subtle warmth and peacefulness. This was the scene the nurse walked in on. Alpha Eric stood with his hands in his pockets, his sculpted side profile bathed in sunlight, giving him an almost ethereal glow. On the hospital bed, his beautiful wife silently gazed at his back, her eyes full of longing and tenderness. The nurse smiled with pursed lips. Although the scene was heartwarming, she knew she had to break the moment. "Excuse me, Alpha Eric. Luna, I’m here to check on Luna’s condition," the nurse said, pushing her cart toward the bedside. Eric turned and walked up to the bed. "Go ahead." Stella had been cooperative at first, but when she saw the syringe in the nurse’s hand, she couldn’t help but tremble. Ever since the time she had been injected with those mysterious drugs, she had developed a reflexive fear and loathing of syringes. "Nurse... do I really need the injection? Is there any way I could just take medicine instead?" Stella swallowed, forcing a smile. Eric watched her fear, remembering how she had been injected with drugs when she was sold at that underground auction and had fallen into a weak, unconscious state. His brows furrowed immediately. It seemed that experience had left a significant mark on her. "Luna, please cooperate. We all want to see you recover as quickly as possible," the nurse said, her smile professional, though her tone left no room for debate. Stella pouted in frustration, took a deep breath, but her body still trembled slightly. Eric sighed, stepped forward, and gently wrapped his arms around her, his warm hand covering her eyes. "Don’t look. Just trust me. I’m right here. Don’t be afraid." Feeling her body relax a little, he nodded to the nurse, signaling her to proceed. The nurse understood the cue, swiftly disinfected the area, and carefully pushed the needle into her skin, slowly administering the medication. The moment the needle pierced her skin, Stella shivered, and Eric held her close, soothing her. "It’s over now. It’s alright." She took a deep breath and allowed her body to relax. It felt so good. He was here, by her side.