Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 469

Chapter 469

+25 Bonus

Natalia’s POV

I woke to the smell of herbs and wood smoke. My eyes cracked open slowly, adjusting to the dim light filtering through canvas walls. A tent. I was in a tent, lying on a cot with thick furs piled on top of me.

For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was or how I’d gotten here. I furrowed my brow, trying to wrack my foggy brain for a moment, and then it all came rushing back–the King, the fight, the scream, the mountain collapsing around us. Hope. Andrei. The snow.

I tried to sit up, but my body protested immediately. Every muscle felt like it was on fire, and my shoulder felt like it had been split in two where the King’s sword had caught me.

“Easy.” Grace appeared at my side and gently pressed me back down. “You need to rest.”

“Where’s Hope? Where’s Andrei?”

“They’re fine. Both of them.” Grace poured water from a pitcher into a cup and held it to my lips. “Drink first, and then I’ll explain.”

I drank. The water was cold and clean, nothing like the foul air of the caves. I drank greedily, and when I’d finished, Grace set the cup aside and sat on the edge of the cot.

“You’ve been unconscious for two days,” she said. “We got you down the mountain and back to camp. You were severely dehydrated and malnourished, and you had multiple injuries. But your wolf is strong, so you’ll be fine..”

“And Andrei?”

“He’s recovering. The fumes in the caves affected him badly. When Damon found you both, Andrei was completely delirious. He didn’t know where he was or what was happening. We’ve been treating him with medicine and fresh air, and he’s improving, but it’s been slow.”

I closed my eyes. Those fumes. I’d smelled them, but I didn’t recall being delirious from them. I’d even drank the water, but nothing had happened. I explained all of it to Grace, and she drew her brows together,

considering. Neither of us seemed to be able to come up with an answer. Maybe it had to do with my Bloodmoon ability, or maybe I’d just gotten lucky.

“What about Hope?” I asked. “She’s just a baby. The fumes-”

“She’s fine, too. A little malnourished and dehydrated, but otherwise healthy. No signs of poisoning or exposure to the fumes.” Grace smiled slightly. “Maybe she inherited some of your resistance.”

The thought made something warm spread through my chest. Hope was safe. Andrei was recovering. We’d made it out.

And as for Damon…

Grace explained that he had died. For five minutes. His heart had stopped, and they thought they’d lost him. But they managed to resuscitate him. I asked how he knew where to find us, how he knew the caves so well, and Grace had no answer to that, either. She said that he was resting, that his wound had reopened slightly during the chaos, but he would also be fine.

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Chapter 469

+25 Bonus

That was all that mattered, I supposed. Answers could come later.

“I need to see them,” I said, sitting up with great effort. “Andrei, Hope, the twins, Damon, all of them.”

“Not yet. You need to eat something first and regain your strength.” Grace disappeared through the tent flap and returned a few minutes later with a bowl of broth and some bread, “Eat. Then I’ll take you to see your family.”

I forced myself to eat even though my stomach was still queasy. The broth was warm and salty, and the bread was fresh enough that it didn’t hurt my throat going down. When I’d finished, Grace helped me stand and get dressed in clean clothes that someone had left for me. Warm furs and leathers that felt like me, and not the borrowed gowns of trapped women who came before me.

My legs were shaky, but I could walk. Grace supported me as we left the tent and stepped out into the camp. The sun was bright, painfully so after days in darkness. I squinted against it and saw warriors moving about, tending fires and packing supplies.

Grace led me to another tent near the center of camp. When we entered, I saw Andrei first. He was sitting up on a cot with his back against a pile of furs. His face was still pale and his eyes were a little unfocused, but when he saw me, they cleared immediately.

“Natalia.”

I crossed the tent and dropped to my knees beside him. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. I buried my face in his neck and breathed him in. Goddess, I thought I would never inhale that scent again.

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