TTMA [Complete ✔️]

14. Flower

Knox's P.O.V

Had I gone too far? Was it too early? I knew she wouldn't be able to handle the truth. My stupid anger got the best of me again. I was so f*****g stupid! I just couldn't handle the fact she was downgrading herself and saying she was my slave, when in fact, she was my mate, my equal, the one, that gave me something to live for.

"Could you give us a moment?" I asked, turning to the doctor. She nodded, giving my mate, who had a pleading look in her eyes, a slight, reassuring smile. The beautiful blonde girl in front of me was sitting with her knees pressed to her chest at the far end of the bed, trying to stay as far away from me as possible.

I wondered what she thought of me, what those bastards had done to break her so badly, that being repaired seemed like a miracle to her. I wonder if she thought I would hurt her, although, by the way she flinched each time I moved, and the way she started shaking if I even breathed harder, I could answer that question for myself.

I thought that losing my mother was the hardest thing I had ever gone through, but it has been a day since my mate has been awake and it was all coming to a close second. The fear in her eyes when she peeked at me, the way she observed my every move, how she thought so low of herself when she was the most perfect creature I had ever come across, hurt. Each hurtful word, each flinch and tear made my breath hitch and my heart stop before it erupted in flames over and over again.

All I wanted was to take her pain away, but to my dismay, I was the cause of most of her pain at the moment. Not finding her in time, not preventing the abuse she went through, all my fault. Even breathing harder and losing my temper around her was my fault.

I wanted her to trust me. I wanted it so bad. In fact, I had never wanted anything in my life as much as I wanted her. And even if I couldn't have her, I would give everything I had just to see her smile, to see her sleep without nightmares, to breathe without fear.

I promised myself I would fight for her. I thought it meant fighting to earn her love and trust, but it was obviously so much more than that. I would have to fight for her happiness, for her health, mental and physical, and I would, no matter what it took.

She would no longer have to be afraid, no longer have to fight her own battles because I was here, by her side, always. I would let her heal, fight every demon away from her. I would show how her the other side of the world, the painless, happy side. The side, we would get to explore together.

The doctor had long since left, leaving my mate and me alone in the room. None of us dared to speak, I because I had no idea what words to use, and her, because she was deathly afraid of me.

"You are my mate. You don't feel it because your wolf has hidden away due to the... abuse you went through. The more you heal, the more you would feel it-the sparks of the bond." I watched her as I talk, but instead of being met with soft brown eyes, I was met with hair, shielding her face away from me.

So broken, yet so incredibly beautiful.

"I won't pressure you into anything, you don't have to worry about it. I'm only here to help you heal. Everything else is your choice and will be done at your own pace if you decide to stay with me."

"W-why, A-alpha?" She asked, her voice trembling. It was obvious she didn't mean to say it out loud as her hands flew to her mouth, fear filling her eyes. "I'm so-sorr-" She tried, but I raised my hand to stop her from torturing herself further.

"Because what you endured in the trafficking ring is over and you are never going back. Life isn't like it was there, it's...." I struggled to find the right words.

"What you went through there isn't what life is at all. Life is about spending time with your close ones, looking at the sun rise and fall every day, trying new things, it's about finding happiness." And there was a certain truth to that even for me. For the longest time life was just a burden, a position as the leader of the strongest pack. I thought it was about keeping my pack together, about keeping people and feelings away, but it wasn't.

It really was about finding your happiness, whether that was in a location, a thing, or a person. There was so much I had not yet experienced because of my limiting beliefs. So much I had let go because of my past. But that was yet another part of the past, a place I was never going to let myself drown in again. From now on, I lived for the future, because of the future, and because of what was to come. From now on, I was no longer only a leader, but also a person, who deserved to live life to the fullest just as much as anyone else.

It's what my mother would want, she would want me to continue living, even if it was without her.

My eyes focused back on my mate, who was staring at me with a confused look. It was obvious no one had spoken to her like this in a while, no one has spoken to her about happiness in a while, possibly ever.

"I promise I will do anything I can to gain your trust. Until then, focus on healing. You're safe now, you always will be." She blinked, her heartbeat rising again. A lone tear had streamed down her cheek, but she was no longer shaking.

Even though she was still curled up in the corner, I took it as a small win. A small step to winning her heart.

"Can you tell me your name?" She took a deep breath, attempting to form words. It was almost as if she had forgotten it. "Not what those bastards called you, your real one," I added.

I never wanted to hear her call herself a slave ever again. She wasn't a slave now, she was the Luna of the most powerful pack in the world and she deserved it. She would never be told otherwise again, not until I took my last breath.

"It-it's Da-Dalia, A-Alpha." She whispered. Dalia. My beautiful, fragile flower. It fit so well, I couldn't have pictured her with a prettier name.

"Dalia," I said out loud, her name rolling off my tongue as if I had said it a million times before. It came so natural, it felt so right.

She looked up at me, her eyes wet and her cheeks stained with tears. Those chocolate brown orbs held so much pain I wanted to shrink away. I wanted to hold her until it all went away so she would never have to go through something like that again. That emotion shouldn't be in her eyes!

"What's wrong?" I asked gently, trying to keep my voice steady. Her pain was my pain and right now, I was in a lot of it.

Only when she shrunk back, scooting herself further away did I notice I had stood up and was walking over to her. Her hands were shaking as they covered her face, probably expecting a blow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." I sat back in my seat, watching as her sobs racked her body.

"You need to help her!" Kane whimpered, not being able to take his mate's state.

''I wish I could, Kane. I wish I could!"

"Please, don't cry. Did I upset you? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, please, don't cry! You're ok, don't cry!" Our eyes locked, making the world disappear for a moment. Those beautiful chocolate-colored orbs were all I saw, all I ever wanted to see.

"I-I'm s-so-sorry! It's j-just..." She trailed off, burying her head in her hands again.

"You can tell me, I promise I won't hurt you!" I urged her and to my surprise, she listened.

With a shaky breath, she raised her head again. "No-no one h-has c-ca-called m-me by m-my na-name s-sin-since I was a k-kid"

No one has called her by her name since she was a kid. That perfect name hadn't been spoken in years. All they called her was 'slave'. One part of me was angry, while the other one was shattered. She was so young, so young and beautiful, and she had so much to live for and they took it away from her.

"I-I'm sorry I-I shou-shouldn't h-have-" I cut her off.

"No need to apologize, Dali! I'm your mate, you can tell me anything! From now on, everyone will call you by your name and by your title as Luna. If you decide to stay, I see you as the most deserving of it."

Of course the idea of her not staying never crossed my mind. What if she decided to go live her life somewhere else? Somewhere away from me? I would never see her again. I would never see her again, but she would be happy. That's all that matters, that's what will always matter, whether she decided to stay or not.

"B-but, A-Alpha, I can-can't be the-the Luna! I-I'm j-just a s-slave." She shook her head, looking at her feet. Her heartbeat increased, and so did the shaking of her hands, even though she tried to hide it.

I shook my head. "You are so much more than a slave, Dali! You are everything I never thought I could have, everything I want to have. One day you will see yourself the way I see you and that day I will be right next to you, reminding you how far you've come."

She was completely shocked. And confused. So many things were going through her head, I could just feel it. She was just about to say something, when there was a knock on the door, making my mate jump back and start shaking again.

"Hey, remember what I said! No one will hurt you here! You're safe!" Although she didn't believe me, I could see the progress. She was talking to me, even stealing glances from time to time and I couldn't be more proud. "Look, I can't magically take the pain away, I can't make you forget, but I will be with you every step of the way. Healing is a process you deserve to go through and I promise you, you will not be going through it alone."

Then, without waiting for an answer, I peeked my head out the door to see Zane with a worried look on his face.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Alpha-"

"Zane, my name is Knox." I smiled at my friend, attempting to ease his bad mood and get myself picked up. The atmosphere in the hospital rooms has never been light, but the one my mate was in felt so hard to breathe in it practically suffocated you.

"Yeah, sorry." He attempted to smile before his face contorted back to his worried expression. "Knox, Rose still hasn't woken up."

"What do you mean she hasn't woken up?" I asked, trying, no, hoping, I hadn't heard him right, but by the bags under his eyes and the worry oozing off of him, I had heard everything I had to hear.

"Well, you know how she is usually exhausted after she heals someone and if the wound is big it takes about 24 hours? It's now been over 28 and she's still sleeping." His voice shook at the end.

I pushed him back slightly, closing the door behind me with a gentle thud, making sure my mate stays out of it. I opened my arms and he hugged him tightly.

"I can't lose her!" He whispered.

"I can't either, Zane," I whispered back.

A/N: Hi everyone! Surprise! Here is a bonus chapter today to celebrate my first ever 1k reads! I'm so happy and even more grateful for all of you! Each read, each sweet comment on this book make me the happiest person on earth! Answering your comments is the highlight of my days because I get to see your thoughts, speculations, support and nice words so thank you from the bottom of my heart! So, on that note, I wanted to ask if you would join if I made a f*******: group for more content and what I should call the group and my readers? Do you like Teddy's Traders? Let me know your thoughts ❤️