Chapter Seven

IVY’S POV

Light blinded my eyes as I slowly forced them open. My eyelids felt like they were made of lead. A loud, high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears, slowly fading into the steady beep-beep-beep of a heart monitor.

I swallowed hard, tasting metal and dry cotton. The harsh, sharp scent of bleach and antiseptics burned my nose. I blinked, trying to sit up, but a sharp, splitting wave of pain shot through my head and cheeks, forcing me back down into the pillows.

My whole body ached as if I had been crushed under a falling building. Every breath sent a dull throb through my ribs.

I looked around the blurry room. White walls, bright lights, wires attached to my arms. I was in a hospital. But how did I get here? My mind was a terrifying, hazy blank.

Then, I saw him.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood near the window. My vision was too blurry to make out his facial features clearly, but the sheer size of him blocked out the sunlight.

The moment my eyes landed on his towering frame, a suffocating, heavy aura rolled off him and hit me like a physical blow.

Complete, irrational terror gripped my chest. I didn't know who this man was, but my body reacted instantly. My instincts screamed at me to hide. To run. The very presence of such a large, dominant man triggered a deep, primal panic inside my broken mind, as if I had spent my whole life being terrified of men just like him.

"Ivy!" he said stepping forward instinctively, reaching out a hand to touch me and I released a low, terrified whimper, my chest heaving as panic took over my body.

The heart monitor beside me spiked into a frantic, rapid rhythm.

I watched him step closer to my bed. He reached out a hand.

"No! Stay back!" I gasped, scrambling backward. My back hit the hard headboard as I pulled the thin white blanket up to my chin, shaking violently.

"Please... don't hurt me! Please!"

"Ivy, calm down," his deep, velvet voice rumbled. He took another step forward, holding his hands up to show he wasn't armed. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe."

"Get away from me!" I sobbed, tears spilling hot and fast down my sore cheeks. The panic was drowning me. I couldn't breathe.

The door suddenly burst open. A female doctor rushed in, followed by two nurses.

Taking in my hyperventilating state, the doctor quickly stepped right between me and the giant man, shielding me.

"Your Highness, stop! Do not touch her!" Doctor Rachel pleaded, quickly checking the IV line. "Her nervous system is in complete shock from the physical abuse she suffered. Your Alpha aura is triggering her to panic!"

"Your Highness, you need to step outside right now," the doctor urged firmly, pushing him back.

"Her blood pressure is spiking dangerously."

The man looked over the doctor's shoulder at me.

Even through my blurry tears, I could see his dark eyes filled with a heartbreaking mix of pain and pure shock. He slowly backed out into the hallway, the heavy door clicking shut behind him.

I kept sobbing, my chest heaving as I curled into a tight ball.

"Hey, it's okay. Deep breaths, sweetie. You are totally safe here," the doctor said softly. Her voice was gentle and sweet. She sat on the edge of my bed and slowly rubbed my arm.

"I am Doctor Rachel. I'm an Omega. No one is going to hurt you while I'm here."

Hearing she was an Omega made my muscles relax just a little. Omegas were safe. They were peaceful.

"Please..." I whispered, my voice hoarse and cracked. "Please, don't let that strange man in here again."

Doctor Rachel froze, her hand stopping on my arm. She looked at me with wide, shocked eyes.

"Strange man? Sweetie... you don't want your mate in the room? Don't you remember him?"

I stared at her, completely lost. "My... mate? No. I don't know him. I've never seen him before. Please keep him away."

Rachel's face dropped. She realized instantly just how bad things were. She pulled a small penlight from her pocket and gently shined it into my eyes.

"Okay. Try not to panic," she said softly.

"Can you tell me your name? Or the last thing you remember before waking up in this bed?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I dug into my brain, searching for a name, a face, a memory…anything. But there was only a dark, empty void. The harder I tried to think, the more my head throbbed in agony.

"I... I don't know," I cried softly, fresh tears falling. "I don't know anything."

"Shh, it's okay," Rachel soothed, adjusting my blanket.

"Your brain has been through a massive shock. Just rest for now. We will figure this out. You are going to be fine."

She gave me a gentle smile and stepped away from the bed. I watched her and the two nurses walk out of the room, leaving the door cracked open just an inch.

A second later, I heard the terrifying man's deep voice rumbling from the hallway.

"What is wrong with her?!" he demanded, sounding desperate.

"Your Highness..." Doctor Rachel sighed softly, her voice full of pity.

"The trauma to her head, combined with severe emotional shock, has caused severe memory loss. She doesn't know who she is... and she has absolutely no memory of you."