"So are you trying to say something is wrong with me?"

"Where is he?" I asked Rieka hesitantly. I didn't know if I should be asking about William or not. With being mated to the young king and almost killed by my parents, I didn't know what I should and shouldn't do. "He hasn't been around lately. He's been in his werewolf form all day," she honestly told me with a sigh. I frowned at that.

Rieka was leaving tomorrow to go visit a pack with Alpha Evander, her mate. I still couldn't believe he found her mate and Iris wasn't his actual mate. It was all sorts of fucked up.

Bad thing is, I'll be stuck with new doctors that I don't know. There was something about Rieka that made me trust her but the thought of another doctor had me scared.

"What does that mean?" I asked, not knowing why he was in his wolf form all day. She didn't respond for a second, focusing on doing the tests. After injecting me with painkillers for the night, her eyes finally met mine. "It means he is stressed and needed a distraction, an escape," she finally told me.

An escape? From what?

"His life has changed a lot two days ago. Don't think too much of it alright?" She suggested and I nodded my head, trying to listen to her. "Do you need me to give you propofol?" She changed the subject. Last night during my sleep I woke up with a nightmare which was deja vu from what happened in the cave.

Luckily, Rieka was just about to leave when the machines went off. Thankfully, she didn't tell anyone and gave me propofol to fall back asleep and prevent the nightmares.

"Yes," I nodded my head. I didn't want to relive that ever again. Even though it seemed like I always was since I can't seem to stop thinking about it. She was silent, getting the injection from the bottle. She knocked it with her fingers before setting it down on the metal tray. Secondly, she soaked cotton in something and dabbed it around the skin on my arm where the injection would go. She did this before all the injections. It's supposed to clean the area or numb it, I'm not really sure.

I barely winced when the injection sunk into my skin. "See you in a couple of days," she sweetly told me before I drifted off into the darkness of peaceful slumber.

_♤_

The television was too soft. I struggled to hear anything on it and I couldn't raise the volume so instead, I got very annoyed and turned it off.

Great. Now I am extra bored.

Three days in the hospital and three more to go.

The other doctors told me that compared to what Rieka wrote down I improved. I felt it as well because my jaw didn't hurt when I tried to talk, my arms and legs were more moveable and my back seemed at peace.

Though I'm not gonna try to run a marathon.

I froze when I noticed someone standing outside the door due to the shadow under it. The person knocked on the door and waited a couple of seconds. I held my breath, my mind showing me images of the possibility of my father being behind the door.

However, when William walked through I was beyond relief. He was wearing a loose blue shirt and brown loose pants. My theory is that he finally shifted back and that's the closest thing he had to wear. But it was the next day so I had no idea.

He looked around the room before settling on me. "Hi," he slowly walked into the room, testing the waters. "Hi," I softly said back. Nervous. I knew nervous men well. I usually used it to my advantage to get them in bed.

"How are you feeling?" William asked me. "Fine, you?" I asked back, clearly lying. Even though Rieka gave me the pills before she left my body still hurt. The warriors tried asking me what happen but I couldn't say it out loud. I don't think I ever will be able to say what happened out loud. "Nothing is wrong with me," William furrowed his eyebrows. He seemed naturally confused that I asked about him. Did something happen and he is trying to hide it?

"So are you trying to say something is wrong with me?" I asked, faking that I was offended but it was nice to mess around sometimes. Also, I pretended I didn't care about him at the moment. I cannot care. I cannot let my guard down around him. At least not yet. I need to make sure that I can survive the consequences first.

His eyes widened and guilt flooded them. "No, I-I'm not-" he panicked. I wanted to laugh but I didn't. "Relax William, I know something is wrong with me. I'm in a hospital," I sighed more to myself, my eyes falling on the hospital gown I was wearing. His shoulders slumped in relief.

"You just said my name," he mumbled. "You know my name?" He asked in disbelief. My eyebrows furrowed but I blushed at the same time. "I'm not supposed to?" I asked. He shook his head, cautiously walking closer to me. "I don't know yours," he revealed. I found that hard to believe. I'm sure he heard rumors about me or even heard it from Rieka. "You're serious?" I asked.

William shook his head and I almost frowned. I've been here for three days and he doesn't know my name? "Everest. Everest Salone," I revealed. His eyes lit up in amusement. "Everest? As in the mountain?" He grinned. I rolled my eyes at him," yes. William as in William from Pirates of the Caribbean?" I snapped back.

"Touchè."

William kept eye contact with me as he walked backwards to the door. "I'll see you soon! I have to go and take care of something," he told me but I didn't really care.

"Bye."

My heart felt empty when he left and I fricken hated it.

"What are you doing?" Brandon asked me, almost scaring me since I thought I was home alone.

Not my home but his home.

Brandon is the beta of this pack, the golden cove pack, and just happened to be the best friend of Alpha Evander.

I froze when I was about to open one of the kitchen cabinets on my search for a glass cup. "Nothing," I snapped at him. Brandon didn't do me anything but I rather hold my guard up around everyone possible even if it meant being a dick to everyone around me. When I was about to open the cabinet again, he stopped me. "I don't think you should go in there," he advised.

Well, he's dumb because now I want to open it even more. So I did and it revealed an empty compartment with a clear glass jar filled with a white powder substance. "What's this?" I asked Brandon, staring at the jar filled with the dust.

"That's none of your business," he snapped at me and his arms crossed his chest. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the jar. "I'm your king, remember? Try saying that again," I warned, using my power to my advantage. Brandon scoffed before finally telling me. "It's a powder that we use to knock out people. Like rogues or prisoners if they aren't cooperating with us," he revealed. I looked at the dust in amusement because I've never heard of it before.

"How come I haven't heard of it before?" I asked defensively. "Probably because your father agreed that we should keep it a secret so we can have the upper hand. Are you sure you were prepared to be a king?" Brandon's eyes narrowed on me. This was new information to me. I didn't get around to reading the agreements that I had to uphold from my father's decisions as yet but this had to be one of it.

"So what happens when you use it?" I changed the topic. "It's like a drug that doesn't harm your body. It's a plant only found on our pack that we turn into dust and use it. The longest you remain unconscious for is eight hours," Brandon answered my question obediently.

I nodded my head in reply and placed back the jar where I found it before walking out of the kitchen as nothing happened.

[♡]