Marked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 424

Deanna's POV:

When I regained consciousness again, I was lying on a hospital bed. The familiar hospital scent filled my nose, and an IV drip was hanging from my hand. My body felt completely hollowed out. Especially in my lower abdomen, there was a faint, empty, dull ache that made my heart tighten.

"The baby..." I instinctively reached for my stomach.

"The baby's fine." Luis's low, hoarse voice sounded immediately beside me.

He was holding my hand. His eyes were bloodshot, and new stubble had grown along his jaw, clearly showing he had been keeping vigil the entire time. "Erik examined you. You just overexerted yourself and need to rest."

I let out a small sigh of relief, then asked anxiously, "What about Puddy?"

"He's still alive.

"But the poison was too strong, so Puddy is in a deep coma. Even the doctors can't say when he'll wake up."

Alive... that's enough.

My eyes instantly grew wet.

Just then, there was a light knock on the ward door, and Beta Aaron walked in, his expression solemn. When he saw that I was awake, he hesitated.

"Go on." Luis's voice instantly turned cold and hard.

Aaron reported in a low voice, "Alpha, we've confirmed it. It was Zelena. She soaked an old piece of clothing... One that carried Luna's scent, in a mixture of lethal toxins. She managed to lure Puddy away briefly near the hotel. Puddy came back carrying that piece of clothing... and the poison took effect very quickly."

Hearing this, my fingers clenched tightly.

It was because of me... It was my scent that lured Puddy, leaving him completely defenseless.

I heard Luis's voice sink to its darkest depths. "Capture her, at any cost."

"Roger that!" Aaron acknowledged and quickly withdrew.

Luis turned back to me. When he looked at me again, all the violence in his eyes had faded away.

He wiped away my tears, his voice hoarse. "Deanna, it's not your fault. I neglected security. I failed to eliminate these risks in advance."

I shook my head, exhaustion and grief tangled together. "It's me... Puddy trusted my scent..." Tears welled up again.

"Listen," he cupped my face, forcing me to meet his gaze. There was an unquestionable firmness in his eyes. "What we need to do now is not blame ourselves. You need to recover. Puddy will still need your care afterward. And as for the one responsible," a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, "I will deal with her personally."

He gently pulled me into his arms, carefully avoiding the hand with the IV. "Rest, Deanna. I've got everything."

Zelena's POV:

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