407\u2013Bless Me\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sadly, that was not the case. He was not looking at me, and he was certainly not awake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot see you like this, Baxter. You need to wake up. Your Madeline needs you. Your children need you,\u201d I continued, sniffing, my hands tightly wrapped around the railing as I wondered how my life would continue from\u00a0<\/p>\n
here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust know, Baxter, that your Madeline is nothing without you. Please, please wake up,\u201d I pleaded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI will go now, but I will come back, and I promise I will come every day. I have to tell our children that you are here so they can come and visit you. They miss you a lot,\u201d added, glancing around as tears filled my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when my head snapped up, and I noticed the nurse was about to ask me to leave. I had not realized how long I had been standing there. It had probably been half an hour. They needed to take care of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease come back to me, Baxter,\u201d I whispered, lowering myself just enough to kiss the tip of his finger. I was careful not to hurt him. He was in a very critical condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped out of the ICU and noticed several doctors standing together, including the one who had briefed me\u00a0<\/p>\n
carlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were looking at me, but quickly turned away. It felt like something was going on, some kind of issue. I avoided them, gave a small nod in greeting, and continued toward the exit. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when I realized what the whole fuss was about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More pack members had gathered outside, and this time they were not hiding the fact that they were there for me. Their faces hardened when they saw me. Standing beside them were Lady Abigail, Lord Eldon, Graham, and Elgin, along with their wives. Penny was there too, visibly pregnant. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
My steps halted at the top of the stairs while the others stood below, watching me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very sorry, Madeline, but the pack members are having a hard time understanding why a rogue is receiving VIP treatment,\u201d Lady Abigail remarked, finally revealing the reason for the gathering. 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew she would take the lead. She always did. She seemed proud whenever she had the chance to tell me something meant to hurt me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you trying to say?\u201d I asked, not wanting to explain why my husband needed to stay here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see, there is one requirement in the council,\u201d she continued. \u201cFor your husband to be treated at a pack hospital, that vote came from alpha Ron. At present, he has been stripped of his powers, so he cannot approve it. So tell us again why we should break the rules for you and continue treating your husband here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she finished, Lord Eldon stepped forward beside her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn short, you need to take your husband and leave right now,\u201d he stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw dropped. My eyes snapped toward Graham and Elgin, and I remembered the earlier threat they had made.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is ridiculous. You cannot do this,\u201d I protested. \u201cI understand he is no longer a pack member or an Alpha, but he is still a human being. He was once close to all of you. How can you ask me to take my dying husband?\u201d 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stopped briefly to swallow, my fists shaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe moment I unplug him from those machines, he will lose his life, and I will lose him,\u201d I finished, pointing to my chest as my voice cracked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a strong emotional appeal, but rules are rules,\u201d Loid Eldon replied with a shrug\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, I will not let this happen,\u201d I said firmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The warriors did not agree. The moment Lord Eldon finished speaking, they began to move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, stop!\u201d I shouted, rushing after them. I grabbed one of their arms, but he shook me off, nearly causing me to fall down the stairs. I clutched the railing, hearing quiet chuckles from the crowd as they watched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as I tumed to face everyone, ready to tell them that if they wanted to drag Baxter out, they would have to walk over my dead body, I did not get the chance to say it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A car suddenly pulled up, and everyone stepped aside. The crowd parted without question. Lord William stepped out, one hand raised toward the warriors, stopping them at the hospital entrance. (15\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sick and tired of all of you,\u201d he commented as he walked up the stairs. 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped in front of me, his gaze moving between me and the crowd. I steadied myself and looked the old man in the eye, holding back my tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment he lifted his hand and placed it gently on my head, I broke. Gasps erupted again at the sight of a council leader blessing me in front of everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned away and faced the council members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you, twelve?\u201d he demanded. \u201cWhat is this nonsense? Why are you all after this girl? She is just a child. A child trying to survive in a harsh world. Instead of helping her, you are casting her out. Why?\u201d a\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lord William raised his voice, forcing me to take deep breaths so I would not cry in front of everyone. Someone standing up for me like this was not something I was used to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never had a father. The man I once thought of as a father figure had always disappointed me. Seeing someone else step in like this hurt more than I expected. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLord William, you are just being emotional,\u201d Lady Abigail spoke, attempting to dismiss him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you are emotionless,\u201d he replied, making her eyes widen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She immediately glanced at the crowd, searching for their reaction. They looked uncertain and confused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not bad people,\u201d Kaylee added quickly. \u201cWe are only following the rules, Your Highness. I am a mother myself. I would never do this to another woman.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rested a hand on her belly as she spoke, her voice trembling, but Lord William raised his palm to stop her. \u201cThen do it,\u201d he said sharply. \u201cDo not stand there claiming you care while you are standing among people who are tormenting a woman in distress. And which woman is that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same woman you all called a whore because no one knew who her parents were. Because someone claimed her mother sold her body to survive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Faces twisted, noses wrinkled, as if they believed this was the truth I deserved to hear about myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We Listened to the Darkness by Sorin Pax 407 407\u2013Bless Me\u00a0 Madeline\u00a0 Sadly, that was not the case. He was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24324\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}