Chapter Five

Eva Grey

“When would she wake up, doctor?” I heard a deep voice ask, and ceaseless thoughts ran through my mind as I struggled to place a finger on where I had heard the voice from.

“That’ll depend on her will to live,” I heard another man, who I guessed was a physician, reply. “For most of the wolfsbane has already been removed from her body,” he added.

“What happened to her, Alpha Ashton?” The doctor asked.

Alpha Ashton? The name sounded familiar, but I didn't have the time to think. I wanted to know what they would use me for so I listened attentively.

“I don't know. I only got a report from my beta, Sean that a body was found at the boarders of our pack, and we rushed there,” the man whom I had just learned was Alpha Ashton explained. “What we thought to be a dead body, miraculously had some life left in it.”

The doctor hummed in response.

“I should get to other patients,” I heard the doctor say, footsteps fading away as he left the room.

Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to keep my eyes closed, feigning unconsciousness. I had only just woken up in a hospital ward moments ago, and the situation left me bewildered. I couldn't grasp why I was there, but one thing was clear—I was no longer with the Blue Moon pack.

The deep voice spoke again, questioning what I had done to deserve such treatment. I struggled to maintain a neutral expression, keeping my eyes shut tightly.

“Just look at her,” Ashton said. “Her skin is deathly pale, lips white and cracked. Even with her condition her brows still look arrogant and proud.”

My breath caught in my throat. The urge to open my eyes filled me, and I struggled to remain this way.

“What information did you gather, Sean?” Alpha Ashton inquired.

“It’s quite complex, Alpha. Apart from recent events, there's a blank slate, and we can't access any information about her,” Sean responded.

“What about the rogues who attacked?” Ashton pressed.

“It seems the attack was orchestrated by a pack member who had been colluding with the rogues for some time. Her lover is among them. She's been stealing security and insider information and passing it on to the rogues,” Sean explained.

“Continue investigating. I want answers soon,” Ashton's voice boomed with authority.

“Yes, alpha,” Sean's response echoed before his footsteps faded away from the ward.

Ashton's voice, softer now, uttered my name, sending a jolt through me. How did he know who I was?

“How on earth did you land in such a terrible state?” he asked, and my muscles tensed. “It's been days since we brought you here, and we've been treating you, waiting for you to wake up.”

His urgency resonated in his voice, tugging at my heartstrings. His scent, a mix of cedarwood and... something else, stirred something deep within me.

“He smells like...” my wolf began, but I silenced her.

“Wake up, Eva,” Ashton urged, his rough fingers brushing against my hand.

His touch sent shivers down my spine, igniting a fire within me.

“Mate!” my wolf howled, but I fought to suppress the emotions flooding through me.

What?! How do I have another mate?

Thoughts raced in my head.

Soon, I heard him leave the room, and I let out a shaky breath, my heart racing.

Opening my eyes, I found myself in a blue-walled ward, the antiseptic smell assaulting my senses. Questions swirled in my mind. Who was he? How did he know my name? And how could he be my mate?

Impossible. Or was it? Did the moon goddess grant me a second chance?

“Where am I?” I wondered silently.

My head throbbed, memories of being dragged across the floor flickering in my mind.

My heart leapt in my throat. What if they wanted to use me as their slaves or pet?

Anxiety gnawed at my insides. I swallowed hard, taking off the oxygen max that was over my nose.

Pain pricked my entire body, and I sucked shaky breaths.

Voices approached the ward, and I squeezed my eyes shut, feigning unconsciousness. I put the oxygen mask back on my face and laid still.

“It's a shame she didn't last longer,” one voice murmured.

“A beauty wasted,” another lamented.

“Should we bury her?” someone questioned.

“I'm too tired. Let's leave her here,” another voice decided. “The alpha didn't give his orders for her to be taken off life support, silly. We can't just bury her like that.”

“But he asked us to take care of her,” a female voice rang out.

“But I'm too tired to watch over a half dead she-wolf,” the other said.

“What if the alpha asks?”

“We'll say she died and we buried her,” they concluded.

My heart plummeted. What? They wanted to abandon me here?

My fingers twitched.

“We can't do that. Did you see the way he looked at her?” One asked. “He held compassion in them, and I've never seen the vicious lycan looking at any woman like that.”

My stomach sank. I was mated to a vicious lycan? I stifled a gulp, feeling my stomach twist into knots.

“Wait, I think her fingers just twitched,” one of them said.

“What if we unplug her life machine then when she died, we'd plug it back?” A feathery voice suggested, and a lump grew in my throat.

How many more betrayals do I have to face?

“No, why would you do that?” Another female asked in horror.

“With the way Ashton looked at her earlier, when she wakes up, I'm certain I will have no chances with Ashton,” the one who had suggested in killing me responded.

“You're crazy!” One whisper-yelled. “What do you see in that man?”

“Riches and the chance to be a Luna,” answered the evil plotter.

“Just let her be, she'd die anyways,” one said dryly, and just then I felt darkness snatching me away.