022 - The usual

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

NYMERA POV

No matter how hard I tried, my eyelids remained too heavy for me to open. The dream was scary and sweet. It gave me a bittersweet feeling.

Zephyros rescued me from the former danger but somehow disappeared without a trace.

An unknown force drew me deeper into an endless void pit of darkness. I wailed until my voice broke, which re-echoed in my ears.

A reminder that I was alone.

Without Zephyros, I was nothing but a hopeless and pathetic werewolf, despised by everyone, including the moon goddess.

As I fell deeper, tears streamed down my face. There was nothing for me to grasp. I thrashed my head around.

The silence was terribly loud. The cold of loneliness bruised me.

I continued to push my eyelids open. This couldn't be my reality. Even if it was, I refused to be trapped in it.

Suddenly, an unknown force pushed me away from the pit toward the direction of a blinding light.

My eyelids flew open, and I gasped for air. I winced in pain.

I turned my face a bit, and it touched a wet spot on the pillow. Turned out I had been crying while I was unconscious.

Slowly, I scanned the room. It was white. Clinical instruments were arranged at a distance.

Then it dawned on me that I was at the pack's clinic. But what happened? How did I get here?

When I tried to move, my leg hurt so much that it made me groan. I raised my head a bit and saw that my leg was bandaged.

The door crept open, revealing an older man and a young lady about my age.

"Look, the Luna's awake," she beamed, and the man raised his head to look at me.

He increased his pace until he stood beside me and sighed heavily. After which, they both bowed slightly.

"Thank goodness you're awake, my lady. I'm Dork, your attending physician," his raspy voice came.

I would have returned to smile to be polite, but that was the last thing on my mind. Memories of the hunting flooded my head.

The last time I checked, I was with Zephyros. Did Dorian and the others find us? What really happened?

"How did I get here?" I asked in a low voice.

"Oh, about that, it was the personal guard of the king that brought you." He replied.

I nodded in relief. I was relieved because he was wise enough not to let anyone see us, yet it stung that he didn't bring me himself.

What exactly do you want, Nymera?

"How long have I been unconscious?" I inquired.

"You've been unconscious for twenty-four hours."

Twenty-four hours? As in a day?

"Medically, your situation wasn't so bad to keep you unconscious for so long. In fact, the signs we recorded were abnormal," he informed.

Did Zephyros do anything to me? What signs did I give off?

"But you don't have to worry. We'll run a series of tests to know the actual cause," he added.

I couldn't say anything. My throat became parched.

I pointed at the jug of water on the lampstand, and the nurse rushed and poured me a cup.

With her help, I was able to drink a little.

"Is there news about the king?" I inquired, and he stood dumbfounded.

I don't blame him, though. Who ignores her husband and demands the whereabouts of another man.

The nurse poked his arm. He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Uhm..."

His sentence was cut short when the door burst open and Dorian walked in with his hands shoved in his pockets, and behind her was...

I squeezed the bedsheet as cold sweat trickled down my face as I saw the mastermind of my misfortune. The reason why I was in this position.

What was Carrie Creek doing here? Probably to see how much of work her lapdogs did.

Dorian and Carrie entered the room fully. The physician and his assistant bowed.

"Welcome Alpha. Lady Carrie,"

"Leave!" Dorian ordered.

And the poor subjects scurried away.

I rolled my eyes internally and looked away. Different thoughts of how to kill Carrie filled my head.

"Why did you ask about the king?" Dorian gritted.

Goosebumps filled my skin as fear slowly crept into my mind, but I dared not allow it to overwhelm me.

"Alpha Dorian asked a question. Don't be rude," Carrie hissed.

I closed my eyes and steadied my breath. She doesn't know that I'm aware of what she did, so I can only play dumb and get my revenge later.

The day of reckoning is close.

"I apologize."

"You didn't answer my question," he urged.

"It was His Majesty's guard that found me, of course. I have to extend my gratitude to the king," I said.

He was silent for a moment before speaking up with a sinister smirk. "I see what you're doing."

What if he discovered something? My heart raced, yet I locked eyes with him and maintained my composure. 

Dorian may be a bully but the worst coward I know. Even though he knows something, he wouldn't dare call his uncle out carelessly.

"You don't need to thank him personally. He doesn't need it. When he returns from his trip, I'll make sure to thank him for his grace."

His trip? When did he leave again?

Dorian continued, "You don't need to embarrass me and show him your true colors - a desperate attention seeker.”

Dorian was pushing my buttons so bad and I was on the verge of losing the last strand of control I had left.

He got closer to where I lay, gripped my jaw roughly and leaned forward, ignoring my grunts.

"Too bad my uncle would never spare you a glance. You're not even qualified to be his maid."

"Of course. Because he treats me better than a servant," I said in my head.

"Now listen, whatever thoughts you have in your head, get rid of them. You're a married woman and his niece in-law," he added.

I chuckled, and that didn't sit well with him. His nose flared, and his jaws were clenched.

His grip on my jaw tightened, and a lone tear escaped my eyes. But it didn't deter me.

"How dare you chuckle when the alpha is talking to you?" Carrie demanded from behind Dorian.

My gaze remained on Dorian. "Oh, my dear aunt, for how long do you intend to be a puppet all because of power?" I panted.

"Shut your mouth," she growled.

"Get out, Carrie!" Dorian commanded.

She hesitated for a while because walking out and slamming the door behind her.

"Now, why did you chuckle? Do I look like a joke to you?"

I scoffed, and that sent him over the edge. He released my face forcefully and punched the wall.

He heaved and faced me. "That would have been you. Thank your stars, it was the king's guard that rescued you."

"Of course, I'm grateful. There's no reason you should thank the king on my behalf."

"Nymera!" he barked. His hands were balled into fists.

"You do not care about me, so why are you concerned about my affairs? Are you scared the king would know of how you treat me and take me away from you?" I smirked.

What I was doing was risky, but I just wanted to vent. I can't beat him, but I can shake him up mentally.

Shock flashed through his eyes but disappeared like it was never there. He grabbed the hospital robe that I was wearing and jerked me up.

His eyes were bloodshot.

"The nerve of you to threaten me.” He raised his hand to hit me when the door opened.

"How dare you!" Zephyros’ voice boomed, and Dorian released me, and I hit the mattr

ess with a thud.

Dorian made way for Zephyros, and I saw his face clearly. Just like earlier, his face was void of emotion in contrast to the rage in his voice.

"How dare you raise your hand on a... woman?" He faced a trembling Dorian with his hands behind him.

I thought he had left again? What the hell was going on?