Stormie woke up to the most unbearable pain. Her head was a feather in the ocean of agony, and she was drowning in it. Dark doodling clouded her vision as Stormie opened her eyes. It took a while before it got blur, and clear. A strong smell of disinfectant hovered through her nose. Stormie looked around at the flowing blue hospital curtains.
'I must be in a hospital. It would explain this horrible smell and why I'm dressed in a hospital gown. It felt like yesterday... How long did I sleep in that dark room?' Stormie asked herself, pondering on the thought.
Laying her puzzled head in between the soft pillow, she heard voices from outside the door. The footsteps were getting closer and Stormie wondered. "Where the heck am I?"
The pondering stopped when two people walked in. One was the doctor, and the other was her mate. Stormie pretended to be asleep, but now that she perceived his scent, she wanted to see him again. She wasn't able to get a good look at Ivar because she passed out waking to meet him in that secret, dark room. Now she can. She couldn't help but to get lost in his eyes. His eyes are obsidian and his nose is straight. His jet black hair is alluring. Stormie just wanted to stroke her fingers through it already. Ivar's full lips looked soft and kissable. She wondered what they taste like.
Ivar's eyes concentrated on Stormie and he stride towards her. The strong edge of his stubbled jaw tensed while she noticed the sheen of sweat gracing his Ivory skin. Stormie cleared her throat to the lack of oxygen in her lungs while Ivar took a seat in front of her. Then, Stormie realized she had been staring and his presence forced her to look away.
"Hello dear, how are you?" The doctor started.
His white-gray hair and dark grey eyes made him look younger than he looked. But one would know that he was an elderly man with the wrinkles on his pale skin.
"I am..." Stormie coughed out, unable to articulate.
"Have some water. You have slept for 15 years, so your throat must be a little sore." The doctor interrupted. Handling her a glass of water.
"Thank you." She muttered once, swallowing the last gulp.
"Do you know where you are?" The doctor asked, collecting the cup from her and placing it on the standing next to her bed.
"In the hospital." Stormie looked around for a while. Confused.
"Good." He took a file and scribbled down something into it. "Can you tell me you name?"
"Stormie Knight." she muttered in a lower voice this time. But her head still felt heavy looking at the both of them.
"Alright. Which pack are you from?"
"Blue moon pack. Why are you interrogating me? Shouldn't I be somewhere close to home? Shouldn't Sir Shkodra be here already? Where is my family?" Stormie pulled up, sitting upright on the bed.
"Miss, you are in the Alpha king's territory. We need to inform your family about your whereabouts."
Stormie turned to them blankly. "Where in God's name am I?"
"Romania."
Once he said out the word, Stormie realized the wetness of her opened mouth. It shocked her to the bones. 'When did they even transport me to Romania?'
"W... What did you say? Who brought me here?"
"I brought you here." Ivar finally speaks as she turned to him with puzzled eyes. He didn't even look at her. He had been staring straight ahead since the doctor was talking.
"Why?! My mum hasn't seen me in 15 years. She must be sick and worried. I need to see my brother, Adrian and Maria, too. I need to go home right this minute." She panicked.
"You are not going anywhere."
"Why?"
"Because you are still going through check up and you need all the rest that you can get." The doctor emphasized, as he leaned closely. Checking through her baggy eyes.
"No... I'm fine now. Let me call my mum and talk to her at least." She begged the doctor.
"I would contact your family at due time, but right now, you need a sound rest and treatment." Ivar cleared up and faced the doctor. "Since she's responding to treatment, I will leave." Ivar said, walking out of the room.
'He didn't even introduce himself and the way he acts, as if he isn't happy to meet me. Who is he, anyway?' Stormie pondered.
"You can rest now. If you need anything, ask by pressing the button over there." The doctor pointed at a bottom close to her bed.
"Thank you." She muttered, reading the tag on his white coat. "Doctor Nicodemus."
"You are welcome, miss knight. Bye for now." He gave a tight-lipped smile before walking away.
After that day, Stormie did not see her mate again. It's been two weeks now and all she's been doing is sleeping, waking, eating and receiving treatment. Only doctor Nicodemus and a couple of nurses attended to her in the ward.
Although, it looked bigger than other wards Stormie had been to before. 'This is a big hospital, but are there any other patients in here? Ugh... I'm leaving this hospital today. I can't wait to breathe on fresh air and get out of this blue box I'm locked into. I can't wait to see what mum looks like now. Adrian and Maria will be married by now.' Stormie pondered excitedly on the thought.
She just finished changing into a simple white dress a nurse brought for her. The nurse helped her brushed her hair, even though Stormie insisted on doing it herself.
'How odd? Why are they still treating me as if I'm sick?' Stormie cried mentally and waited for her to finish.
"You can come up to the main room now. Someone is waiting for you."
"Who?" she asked, hoping it was Sir Shkodra, at least.
The nurse shrugged, and Stormie jumped out of bed. Excited than earlier. The nurse led Stormie into another room. The building looked big and elegant. She almost confused it for Wolfsberg manor. Finally, they entered a room painted in white. Stormie stared at the golden chandelier, holding a glittering light. She felt lost for a while until she looked forward. There was a man in a black long-sleeved shirt, black trouser and black, silky tie. His tall and built body was facing the window when the nurse silently bowed and left.
Then he turned forward. The man had icy-blue eyes and raven black hair. He looked charming, but not as breathtaking as her mate. The man had an aura of authority and Stormie guessed he was the Alpha.
"Hello, my name is Talon Rook, but you can call me Tal. I'm his majestic's beta." He said with a soft smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Stormie." She introduced, smiling back.
"I would take you back home. Have you gotten your luggage ready?" Talon asked earnestly.
The way he spoke, he had a caring, gentle and generous.
"I came with nothing."
"Oh, that's true. Let's go, then. Follow me." He said and walked towards the door.
Her eyes elated as she followed him behind. Stormie couldn't wait to see her mum, Jessica. She wondered if she ended up with Harry Clark. The thought of meeting everyone filled her memory as they walked out of the mansion. She still remembered everything clearly.
She wondered why her mate brought her there at first, without her consent. It's probably because she passed out right after waking up. She thought, flowing him out of the building. They painted it in beautiful ash and white. There were tall trees planted around it and just at a distance, there was a bigger mansion.
Tal walked in the direction, and Stormie stopped just by its entrance.
"I thought you were taking me home." She took a step back.
"This is your home. He pointed, raking his eyes at her.
"I thought you were taking me back to California to meet my family." She explained.
"And why would I do that?" he turned to her, completely. Almost sounding rude. "You are in the Alpha King's house."
"What?! Who is Alpha King? And why am I here, again?"
"The Alpha king is your mate. So this is your home. Your new home where you'll live henceforth."
"I don't want to stay here, Tal. I want to go back to where I came from. My old home. I slept for 15 years. Isn't it wise if I go back to my family? Why are they trying to keep me here? I know my mate is here, but I think it's left for me to decide whether to stay. What is important to me right now is my family! Please, take me out of here!" She pleaded.
"I don't think I could do that." Talon replied her coldly.
"Why?"
"My hands are tied. I'm not in the position to do that. I think you knew that the moment you found out that the moon goddess mated you to the Alpha king."
"Mated to who now?" She stuttered in shock. Not believing her ears.
"Didn't you hear me earlier?" He raised an eyebrow. "You are the Alpha king's mate."
"No.... That is impossible." He defended.
Of course, he wouldn't admit. Stormie understood why he was opposing her talk, but she definitely read about the Alpha king... 15 years ago.
"How can my mate be the Alpha king? Impossible... How did this happen?! The most feared and ruthless werewolf leader? So he is the Alpha king. No wonder he has such power. Was that why he took me out of Wolfsberg manor like a mere toy? He must have seen me as a new puppet or something. We shouldn't have met like this! What stupid circumstances! I don't want to be the Alpha king's mate!"
"You have no choice, Miss Stormie." He cut in and Stormie wondered why he added miss. It pisses her with the title. "I know you must have heard stories about how ruthless he is, but trust me. The Alpha king won't hurt you."
"How sure are you? He has zero respect for women. I heard he killed two of his sisters in their parent's house. Sir Shkodra once read his story to me." Stormie shrieked.
"That was a mistake. He actually tried saving them, but they died. You shouldn't believe everything in books." Talon pointed out.
"But the stories I've heard about his cruelty are terrifying. Not everything is lies. There must be some truth in them. I also heard that in highschool, he raped his teachers for failing him. And no one dared face him because he was the Alpha king!"
"All false... All rumors. Yes, our Alpha king might be brutal to a point. But he would never lay a finger on a woman."
"Really?"
"Yes. Believe me."
"Alright. I believe in you." Stormie placed a hand on her chest. An infuriating sigh whooshed from her lips, trying to calm down.
"Now, let's get inside so that you can have lunch and rest. I don't want to have my heart served to the Alpha king."
She turned to him, dumbfounded. "You're joking, right?"
"Yes, of course." He gave a tight-lipped smile as they walked in.