Kemira

I wake up to bright lights. I squint, trying to get my eyes to focus. There is a beeping all around me. I try to move my arms, but they feel heavy. My entire body feels tired.

I wish I could say I knew if I was in the pack hospital, but they have never allowed me to enter it, no matter what injuries Alpha gave me.

I don’t remember how I got here. Wherever here is. I need to figure it out quickly, then get the hell out of here.

Looking around the room. It’s bright and smells sterile. A wall of windows looks out to a garden on my right. On my left, there are monitors. That is the beeping sound I heard. Across from the bed I’m resting in, I see a figure sitting in a chair. I don’t know how I missed him. He is massive in size. He has dark wavy hair and rich brown eyes I could swim in. His olive skin has tattoos peeking from the open collar of his button-down. His eyes haven’t left my own this entire time.

I can feel his aura. He is of royal blood. Lycan, to be exact. But why is he here? Why is he in this room? Oh, goddess, did Alpha Leopold sell me to him? I feel my heartbeat increasing. He frowns as if sensing the turmoil from within.

“Wha… what am I doing here?” I get out barely above a whisper. My throat is so dry that I begin to cough. He stands, walking towards me. In two leisurely strides, he is by my side. He grabs the cup of ice water on the table and lifts it to my mouth to drink.

“Here, drink this.” His voice is so deep and velvety smooth. I find myself opening my mouth to this total stranger. Drinking water from the cup. I take a sip and continue to stare at him.

“Thank you.” I begin. “Where am I? Who are you?” He sits silently in a chair by my bed. It’s as if he is trying to figure out his answer.

“I am Takoa, the lycan king. You are in the Royal Pack Hospital.” He begins. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

I instantly have flashbacks of the chains, the torture, the pain, the injection, and then blackness. I look down at my hands as they clench the sheets that cover me. I can’t speak of the horrors. I don’t know how close Alpha Leopold or Alpha Lev are. They promised never to let me go. So I’m sure they are somewhere close. I can’t risk it, even though I want to trust this stranger before me.

Instead of speaking, I shake my head. I don’t want to remember, and I don’t want to speak about it. I just need to escape and get far away from here. The king exhales in frustration. He stands, and I instantly pull away from him. If I did this to the Alpha, he would punish me further. King Takoa pauses his movements, looking as though I hurt his feelings.

“I’m sorry, my King.” I lower my head in respect. I hear him growl. I begin to tremble. This is usually when I’m hit. I brace myself for the pain. I hear the monitors going off.

“Kemira, look at me. I won’t hurt you.” Takoa speaks. His deep voice resonates throughout my body. I swear I hear him curse under his breath, getting farther away from me. A few seconds later, there is a knock at the door. I begin to tremble, not knowing if it's Alpha Leopold here to claim me.

“Come in.” Takoa grunts out. A woman pops her head in and smiles. She looks about my age. Takoa walks over to her and has his back to me. I can tell they are mind-linking each other.

The new girl places a hand on his chest, and for some reason, I don’t like it. I look away to give them privacy. She peers around his large frame to look at me. He looks over his shoulder and then turns to walk towards me.

“Kemira, this is Chelsea. She wants to talk to you. Ask a few questions. Is that okay?” He asks, and she smiles at me again. I don’t know why she wants to talk to me. Usually, no one wants to talk to me. I nod, letting him know it’s okay. He steps towards the opposite wall and pulls out his phone. He seems deep in a conversation with someone.

“Hi Kemira, I’m Chelsea. You look about my age. I’m twenty. How about you?”

“Yeah, I’m the same age,” I reply, but my eyes keep going back to Takoa. What if he is on the phone with the alpha? Why can’t I look away from him?

“Hey, I’m hoping you can help us. We really want to figure out what happened to you. Who hurt you?” She continues. I feel Takoa’s eyes on me.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened.” My voice shakes as I speak these lies. “Where exactly am I? Where is the royal hospital? Is it near my pack?” Chelsea looks towards Takoa, frowning.

“No, sweetie, we are in Vancouver, Canada. You were in Montana.” My eyes go wide. How did I get so far away from home? How did I get here? “The king brought you here after he discovered you. He has been keeping an eye on you the entire time.”

“I’m so sorry to be an inconvenience. Am I being sent back?” I ask.

“Do you want to go back?” Chelsea asks, fishing around for answers.

“I’ll do whatever is asked.” I look down and begin picking at my fingernails. Chelsea covers my hands to make me stop fidgeting. Her touch startles me with its warmth.

“You don’t have to go back there.” She looks me in my eyes. I tilt my head to the side, seeing if this is a trap. The door opens, and in comes a doctor and a woman behind her. She is beautiful and regal.

“Ahh! They told me the patient was awake. Hello, I’m Dr. Monroe. How are you feeling?” The doctor comes in with the clipboard and looks over what I assume is my file.

“I’m fine, doctor,” I reply. “How long have I been here?”