_Katherine's POV_
Kieran sat beside my hospital bed. He was quiet and thoughtful. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look at him. My chest still hurt, not from the injury, but from everything else. From the words I had heard. From the way Alpha Maximus looked at me like I was nothing.
Kieran finally spoke, his voice low. “You should come with me.”
I looked up, startled. “What?”
“Come back to the pack house,” he said gently. “You can rest better there. No more hospital walls. No interruptions. Just quiet and peace.”
His tone was soft, kind even. The way he spoke now was not the Kieran I had known from before. But still… I couldn’t forget.
I shook my head slowly. “No, Kieran.”
He leaned forward. He looked confused. “Why not? It’s safer there. You’ll have your own room. No one w
