Marked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 446

Third-person POV:

Every word in that letter cut into him like a delicate knife, slicing through him over and over without mercy.

Luis held her slender hands tight, pressing them to his forehead. His tears poured down, slipping between his fingers as his body shook.

Deanna stirred in her sleep. Her palm twitched slightly as she felt the damp warmth soaking into her skin.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

Luis was right there, sitting beside her hospital bed. His eyes were raw and red, the whites streaked with visible veins, and his face was so pale it made him look ghostly.

He looked even worse than she did. And she had just gone through labor.

The moment her eyes opened, his entire expression changed. His voice trembled with a deep rasp. "Deanna. You're awake."

Her thoughts jumped straight to one thing. She looked down at her stomach. It was flat now. "The pup. Is she okay?"

She vaguely remembered the doctor saying it was a girl before everything went black.

Luis swallowed. "She's safe. Our daughter's fine."

Deanna breathed out slowly. "Thank goodness. I want to see her."

He kept staring at her. His eyes were full of things he had not said. "You will. Once the nurse finishes feeding her, I'll have her bring the pup in."

"Does it still hurt?"

The last bit of strength she had left disappeared the second she heard his voice and felt his hands around hers. Her throat tightened. Her voice came out soft. "It hurts so much."

Luis parted his lips, but it took a second before any sound came out. "I am sorry I got here too late."

She looked at him with gentle eyes and slowly shook her head. "You were the reason I didn't lose my nerve."

She would never have had the courage to go through that delivery without him.

Luis leaned in and kissed her. His lips were soft and solemn. The kiss felt like a vow.

A tear slid from his face and landed on her lashes.

She blinked and looked up at him. Her eyes sparkled. Her lips curled into a faint smile.

So now, loving her granddaughter was her way of making up for the past.

"Deanna," she said with a glowing smile, "this little angel is incredible. She hardly cries when she wakes up. I just rock her a bit and she's right back to sleep. She really is a perfect pup."

I kicked off the blanket, got out of bed, and slid my feet into a pair of soft slippers. I walked over to her slowly.

I stood beside her and looked at the pup sleeping in her arms.

She was tiny. Just a soft, pale little bundle wrapped in blankets. The second I looked at her, I felt my heart melt.

"Mom," I said, barely recognizing how needy I sounded, "let me hold her."

Kathryn gave me a warm smile, but shook her head. "Sweetheart, you need to rest. Let me keep holding her."

"I've been resting all day. It's just been naps and food. I feel great now. I'll just hold her for a little while. It won't hurt anything."

She gave me a soft look. "Oh, honey. Omegas are delicate. You just gave birth. Your body needs time to bounce back. You'll have all the time in the world to hold her later."

I stood there, quiet. I felt a bit left out. But she wasn't wrong.