Five years later...
"I, Prince Kieran, reject you, Hazel, as my mate. You will roam this earth devoid of a mate's warmth, as I hereby banish you from this pack. You shall take no belongings..." those words of deep rooted resentment that Kieran developed against her over that short moment in judgement refused to leave her memory, even after five solid years!
~~~
"Hurry up, Hazel! The coffee isn't going to make itself if you keep standing there!" Mr. Cambridge yelled
"I know!" Hazel yelled back. "I'm coming, sir!"
She gripped the coffee maker, letting out a huge sigh. Where did this tiredness come from all of a sudden? A few minutes ago, she had been happily chatting with her coworkers, while plucking away at her laptop's keyboard.
And now, she was holding on to a coffee maker for dear life, taking gasping breaths.
You need to come home, a voice filtered into her head. She thought it was an hallucination.
Hazel groaned and turned away from the machine, leaning against the wall. There was the familiar headache, yes. The headache was pounding against her forehead with all the ferociousness of twelve wild dogs. There was the immense pain in her joints that she could not explain.
There was the cold sweat that wet every inch of her clothes. There was a prickling feeling that burned the back of her eyes. There was also the feeling of vertigo, the waves of dizziness that hit her several times in that same moment.
Hazel could not explain why all of this was happening to her, but she knew she would lose it soon if things didn't change.
"Hazel?" Someone called out. Hazel heard the voice from the edges of her subconscious. She ignored it, hoping it was one of the voices in her head.
Home, the voice whispered again, like a passing wind. Come home to Moon Gold pack. We're waiting for you!
"Hazel!"
Finally, she gave a start and managed to peel her eyes open. Claire, one of her coworkers, was standing merely a foot away from her, staring into her face with eyes narrowed.
"Are you....okay?" Claire asked.
"Of course. Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Hazel turned back to the coffee maker and then grabbed a mug from a nearby tray. Placing the cup directly underneath the machine, she turned it on. She almost spilled the pouring coffee against her bare hands but thankfully, she didn't.
"If you say so," Claire murmured behind her. Hazel could almost hear the questions that the other woman was itching to ask, but she didn't give her the chance to.
"Mr Cambridge is asking for his coffee again, by the way." The woman added, then walked away.
With another tired sigh, Hazel picked up the cup of steaming brown brew. She walked out of the office she shared with Claire, into Mr Cambridge's office. She dropped the coffee on his table, then turned and walked out before he could ask any questions too. Especially questions about how she was doing or if everything was okay.
Certainly, nothing was okay, but I couldn't even explain myself.
Hazel shuffled to her table and collapsed on the chair. She closed her eyes for a second, fighting another wave of nausea. When she opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Claire.
The woman sat opposite her, supple butt planted on the corner of her tabletop. She was staring at Hazel pointedly over glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.
"You look dead on that chair, Hazel," Claire commented. "Are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes!" Hazel snapped. Then she quickly collected herself and replied calmly. "It must be all the paperwork." She lied
"Of course," Claire muttered. Hazel could sense the open animosity from the other woman, but she honestly didn't care. Claire had been nothing but an annoying busybody, anyway.
She shuffled a few sheaves of paper on her table, then gave up and laid her head on the cool tabletop. And in a few seconds, Hazel was fast asleep.
*********
Her dreams made no sense whatsoever.
At first, Hazel found herself in a garden full of nothing but lilies. The landscape was blurry and unfocused. Even the ground under her feet felt as though it would give in at any time.
Kieran was right beside her, his hand in hers. He was smiling at her, the wind blowing his long, dark hair around.
"I miss you," he whispered, and Hazel felt her heart swell with emotion. Even though every other thing around her felt unstable and weak, the one thing she was sure of was his hand in hers, the only solid thing in this shaky landscape.
Then suddenly, she saw several women, all walking towards them. Hazel frowned: these women looked familiar, though she was sure she had never seen them before.
They were dressed in majestic clothes, with beautiful hairdos and regal faces. Hazel was tempted to believe that they were fairies. They continued to approach her and Kieran, forming a circle around the both of them.
"We're here to take you home," One of the women, a buxom one with blonde ringlets framing her face, spoke up. Before she knew it, the women stretched out their hands, and a cocoon of light enveloped her.
"No, please!" Hazel screamed, but her voice was muffled by the cocoon of light. She felt darkness begin to slip into her vision.....
Then something seemed to snap in her head, and her eyes flew open.
The first person she saw was Claire, who was peering into her face with concern. Hazel slowly leaned away from her desk, then stretched and yawned.
"Mr Cambridge is calling for you again," Claire told her. Then her brows furrowed as she continued. "Hazel, if you're not okay, please let someone know, at the very least. You were... jerking around and mumbling a whole load of gibberish in your sleep."
"I am fine," Hazel murmured, even though her heart screamed for help.
"What does Mr Cambridge want?" I inquired.
Claire shrugged. "Beats me."
"Yes, alright," Hazel sighed, blinking rapidly. "I'm on my way."
But there was only one thought in her mind as she stood from her desk.
She had to go back home!