Chapter 4: STAY AWAY FROM ME

Ivory's POV

My head felt like someone was pulling it apart with brutal force.

A sharp ache throbbed behind my eyes as I slowly opened them. At first, everything was blurry, spinning shadows and light blending together. I blinked, trying to focus, but dizziness washed over me again.

My head hurt. My stomach twisted. Every single part of my body ached.

I swallowed weakly and blinked again.

Gradually, my surroundings began to come into view.

I could see soft lighting, elegant curtains, and walls that weren’t damp stone. The air carried a faint, sweet scent that felt warm and comforting.

My brows furrowed. Was this another hallucination? Were the injections messing with my head again?

They had made me see and feel things that weren’t real. Was this another cruel trick?

I shifted slightly, clutching my head.

That was when I felt the softness beneath me. My fingers pressed down instinctively to the soft bed.

My heart skipped. What was going on?

This wasn’t the dungeon. Had Beta Alaric moved me? Maybe it was the day they finally decided to kill me.

And honestly at this point, I almost wished it was.

I slowly pushed myself up, ignoring the way my muscles screamed in protest. The room was far too large to be any place I had ever stepped foot in.

Just then the door suddenly opened. My heart skipped violently.

I swallowed as a man walked in.

For a moment, I just stared. He was strikingly handsome with his darm hair, grey-hazel eyes and strong shoulders. He looked well-fed, powerful and clean. He was everything I wasn’t.

But I knew better.

The most colourful animals were always poisonous. Just because he looked good didn’t mean he was good.

I immediately moved back as he stepped closer.

“D-Don’t touch me,” I stuttered.

I knew it was pointless. He was bigger and stronger than me. If he wanted, he could throw me across the room like a ragdoll.

But still, I tried.

He paused, lifting his hands slightly.

“Please… relax,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I just came to check if you were awake. And I can see that you are.”

My brows furrowed. Now I was certain I was hallucinating.

When was the last time someone spoke to me like that? Five years ago? Ten?

Who was this man?

Had they sent him to take me back to the dungeon? Did my fever get worse and they brought me here so I wouldn’t die too soon? But… didn’t they want me to die?

He took another careful step toward me.

I moved back again, this time too quickly and I didn’t realize I had reached the edge of the bed until there was nothing behind me, and then I fell. I hit the floor with a dull thud.

“Ah—” I winced as my head hit the ground again.

He rushed forward instantly.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I flinched from him, but the sharp pain in my head made me groan.

“Callum!” he suddenly shouted.

The door opened again, and another man entered, this one with blonde hair.

“Callum, get painkillers and some food. Quickly.”

Medication. My heart dropped.

The blonde man nodded immediately. And he hurried out.

The dark-haired man remained with me, kneeling a short distance away.

“Let me help you back up, okay?” he said gently.

I shrank away from him.

“Stay…away from me,” I whispered, panic rising. “Stay away from me.”

I forced myself up, gripping my head, determined not to let him touch me.

But my body betrayed me.

The room spun violently. My legs trembled as my entire body went weak.

The drugs were still in my system.

My mind felt foggy. My emotions were unstable, filled with fear and aggression.

I tried to steady myself, and fell again.

My knees hit the ground hard. I was breathing too fast.

And the worst part?

I didn’t know if this man in front of me was real. Or just another cruel illusion.

Just then, the door opened. I flinched. The blonde man walked in carrying a tray.

I lifted my head slowly. On the tray was rice, beef, spinach, fruits. A glass of juice and small bottles of medication.

My brows furrowed in confusion. Beef?

For the past six months, all I had eaten was dry bread. Sometimes stale or moldy.

Why would they give me this?

My gaze shifted and that was when I noticed a woman standing near the wall, glaring at me.

The man still holding me helped me sit carefully on the edge of the bed before slowly releasing me, as if afraid I’d bolt again.

“You don’t have to be scared,” he said softly.

His voice didn’t match his appearance. He looked powerful and dangerous. Like someone who commanded obedience without effort.

“I’m Hakan. Alpha of this pack.”

Alpha? My head snapped up and my brows furrowed deeply.

Was I in another pack?

Did Alaric send me here for some new punishment.

My head started spinning again. Heat flooded my body so suddenly it made me gasp. Sweat gathered at the back of my neck. My clothes felt too tight. My skin felt like it was burning from the inside out.

My heart was beating too fast. Everything around me blurred at the edges. The room that had seemed soft and quiet moments ago now felt suffocating. The walls felt closer. The air felt thinner.

The injections were triggering again.

For six months, they had been injecting me with things I didn’t understand. Things that made my thoughts foggy.

I hadn’t been myself in so long that I barely remembered what “myself” felt like. And now it was happening again.

Alpha Hakan moved closer, his hand reaching toward me.

“Are you okay? Should I call the—”

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” I screamed.

The sound escaped my throat so violently that it shocked even me.

I burst into tears immediately after, horrified at myself. I wasn’t trying to scream. But I couldn’t stop it.

“Ugh!” I groaned, clutching my head. “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!”

My breathing turned erratic, shallow gasps. I couldn’t get enough air.

Across the room, they exchanged looks.

“Callum, go get Seki. Now,” Alpha Hakan ordered.

Calum nodded quickly and turned to rush out. But Hakan moved closer instead of backing away.

He crouched slightly, lowering himself, his voice softer. “Hey… hey. Relax, okay? I’m not going to—”

He moved an inch closer and something snapped inside me. I looked left then right, I felt trapped.

My hand brushed against the lamp on the side drawer.

Before I could think, I grabbed it and smashed it on his face.