CHAPTER 22

HAZEL

“Wake up, damn it! Time to seize the day!” My wolf howls in my head, impatiently, fiercely, and grey. 

“Wake up, princess, your kingdom’s falling apart!” she whined further.

“Your wolf’s tired of waiting, it’s tearing me apart!”

“Enough of the dreamland, the real world’s harsh and cold,” my wolf tantrum felt like a cold water splashed to my face as my eyes tried to blink open.

"I understand your concern. While it's been three days since she fell unconscious, it's not uncommon for females to experience this after a particularly intense heat cycle. She's resting and recovering, and we're monitoring her closely. She'll wake up soon.”

"Hora, I understand your point, but this is my friend we're talking about. I'm really worried about her because she's not waking up, and I fear there might be something more serious going on.”

“She's just exhausted, believe me. Those heat cycles are more vicious than you think.”

The voices got louder with every moment that passed and not because they were talking loudly, but because I was being pulled out from my state of unconsciousness and back into the real world. 

I furrowed my eyebrow and cracked an eye open to stare at the white wall. 

Where is this place?

Wait, was I at the hospital? Fuck, how bad was my heat?

The sterile, white walls of the hospital room blurred at the edges of my vision. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor was a constant, irritating hum. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I groaned, pressing a hand to my throbbing temple.

I let my eyes flutter open more and glared at the wall but I groaned and instantly shut them back to avoid the brightness of the entire room. It felt like someone took a flashlight and shined the light directly at my eyes. 

"Hazel, you're awake," Miranda's voice was soft, filled with relief. There was a soft patter of footsteps before warm hands cupped my cheeks. 

“Hey, love, can you hear me?” 

I didn't realized that the heat cycle were supposed to make anyone loose there hearing. 

With a great effort, I opened my eyes slightly and stared at Miranda, who looked like she was about to tear up any moment from now. 

“Miranda,” I croaked, coughing at the dryness of my throat. She quickly reached over and grabbed a cup from the bedside table. 

“Here, have some of this,” she said softly, helping me up. I guzzled down the water gratefully and cleared my throat once again. Two cups of water later, I finally felt a little better and sighed in total relief. At least my throat didn't feel like I swallowed a bunch of thorns. 

Miranda placed the cup on the bedside and ran her hand through my hair. “Tell me, how are you feeling?” 

As soon as the words left her mouth, I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion rush over me. I knew that if I took the chance to stand up, I would pretty much fall over. My limbs felt like jelly right now. 

“Very tired,” I whispered, closing my eyes at the heavy pounding in my head. “And very hungry too.”

She gave me a sad smile. “I know, I already mind-link Kara. She would be here with some food any minutes from now. You just need to take it easy for a few more days.”

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes again. My eyelids felt like they weighed a million pounds and wouldn't stop blinking close. 

“Hey,”

The door swung open showing Kara.

“How is she doing?” She said walking towards me and placing her hands on my body – she seemed to be checking my temperature, my pulse and weirdly, my tongue too. I had no idea why she was doing half the things she was doing, but apparently, they were important.

Everytime I moved, Miranda would tell me to sit still so she could finish her check-up.

Meanwhile, I was wondering where the doctor was and why Kara was the one checking up on me instead. 

“I think that's enough check up, Kara. The doctor will come see her shortly. You're being overdramatic. Now, can you let the girl just eat. She hasn't had any food in three days.”

“I understand, I'm just making sure she is being treated well. I will head out for now but I will be back later to check up on her, I have some pack duties to attend to,”

I nodded and watched her rush out of the room. 

“Can I have my food now?” I asked, looking pointedly at the food she had abandoned on the table. 

“Oh, ofcourse. I completely forgot about the food on the table,” she says, grabbing the food flask to pour some of the food into the plate, she placed the food on the tray and then on my lap carefully.

I grabbed the spoon from the tray and gently scooped some into my mouth.

The warm, comforting porridge slid down my throat, soothing my parched throat. The familiar taste of oats and honey brought a sense of comfort and nostalgia. After I had savoured the first bite, I started shovelling the porridge into my mouth without breaking a sweat. I was that hungry.

Miranda stared at me in shock. "You devoured that in less than a minute? You should audition for 'Man v. Food,' Hazel!"

I chuckled, snatched a banana, and declared, "That's nothing! When I'm not under the weather and ravenous, I could devour and inhale a whole chicken in one sitting.”

She shook her head in amusement and stood up. “Why don't you have more fruit while I go find the pack doctor do they can check your vitals and other necessary check up.”

I nodded and continued to devour more of the fruit while she left the room. My eyes wandered around the room, taking in every detail as my mind went into over drive.

What exactly happened after I had passed out? 

Did Thaddeus and Sparrow care that I had even passed out? 

Why the hell did my hair smell like a hand sanitizer? 

Why were the strawberries I was munching on very sour?

I grimaced and spit the Strawberry out into a napkin. 

Sour foods were definitely not on my list of favourites right now. 

I threw the napkin into the trash can and pursed my lips. 

‘Are you okay’

I asked my wolf, she shaked her fur out and stretching her leg. 

‘yes, I’m okay, and you?’ she questioned.

‘I’m alright, but could have been better though.’

‘i’m deeply sorry that our mate didn't accept us.’

I sighed.

My wolf was taking the blame for something that wasn't even her fault. She must have thought she wasn't good enough for them or something. .

‘It's definitely not your fault. If anything. It's their fault, they can't get their heads out of there ass’s.’

She stayed quiet, and I felt sorry for her. This was harder for her th

an it was for me. I didn't want to imagine how it felt to have such a deep connection with them and not be able to be close to them. 

I sighed heavily letting a deep breath out. 

But I had a plan, a plan that would change everything.