Alpha King Jason's POV
My son Eden and his kidnapper—yes indeed, that's how she should be called—Doctor Lorry Springstone, are taken back to the castle by the royal warriors under my vigilant eyes. I'm relieved because I feared losing the only person who matters the most to me.
As we arrive back at the royal palace, a flurry of activity erupts around us. Although I have every reason not to give Eden's captor any treatment, my human side gets the better of me. So, I order the royal warriors to rush Doctor Lorry to the infirmary so the healers can treat her wounds.
However, I firmly instruct that she be moved to a private room and placed under heavy guard once her initial care is done.
"No one is allowed to enter or leave her room without my express permission. Only the royal healers and the chief servant Tina are authorized to access any time. Is that understood?" I instruct my Gamma Eliott.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" he assures.
I then turn my gaze to the Alpha heir Eden. He hasn't been injured by the bear, but he is not in a better condition. His health is still fragile, and he needs enough rest. I thus ask Tina to take him to the royal chamber and to call the best traditional doctor in the pack to his bedside.
During the next three days, I receive frequent medical reports on Doctor Lorry stating she's still deeply unconscious and there are concerns she may not survive her injuries.
In the royal chamber, Eden repeatedly asks about her, his young voice filled with worry.
"Daddy, when will Doctor Lorry wake up?" he says plaintively.
"Don't worry, my boy. Doctor Springstone is very strong. She's just resting so her body can heal. She'll be back to help you soon," I keep replying every time he asks about her.
My son's persistent interest in Doctor Lorry's health is strange to me because normally he should be detesting her for trying to abduct him and take him away from me, his father. However, that's something I will have to look at closely at a later time, I tell myself.
...
Seven days since she's been under medical attention, the reports from the healers on Doctor Lorry's condition are still not encouraging, making me fear the worst.
And then, on the morning of the eighth day, just as the palace is waking up, a commotion erupts outside my study where I spend most of my time. Two guards come in, their faces pale with alarm.
"Your Majesty!" one of them gasps. "The doctor - she's gone!"
I leap to my feet, my eyes wide with disbelief.
"What do you mean, gone? Explain yourselves immediately!" I command them.
The guards exchange nervous glances before the senior one speaks up.
"We don't know how it happened, sire. The room was locked and guarded at all times, just as you ordered. But when Tina went in to check on her this morning, the bed was empty. There's no sign of forced entry or exit. It's as if she simply... vanished." He describes, his voice unsteady.
Without any further ado, I push past the guards, striding swiftly toward Doctor Lorry's room with long, purposeful steps. My mind races with possibilities, each more unlikely than the last.
"How could she have possibly escaped a locked and guarded room in her injured state? Has she been helped by a traitor? I must find out." I wonder silently.
As I enter the room, my keen eyes scan every inch of the space. The bed where Doctor Lorry had lain unconscious for days is neatly made, as if it had never been slept in. The window remains securely locked from the inside. There's no sign of struggle or disturbance anywhere.
"Search the entire palace," I order, my voice tight with tension.
"Every room, every corridor. She couldn't have gone far in her condition." I command even more forcefully.
As the guards scramble to obey, Tina approaches me hesitantly.
"Your Majesty," she says softly, "there's something else you should know."
I turn to her, my eyes narrowing.
"What is it, Tina? Speak quickly." I ask pressingly.
Tina wrings her hands nervously before responding.
"It's about Doctor Springstone's wounds, Your Majesty. When I came to check on her this morning, I noticed something strange. The bandages on the bed were clean—no blood, no sign of injury at all. It's as if her wounds had completely healed overnight."
My brow furrows in confusion.
"That's impossible. The royal healers said it would take weeks for her to fully recover."
"I know, Your Majesty. But I saw it with my own eyes." Tina affirms.
"And there's more. I found this on the bedside table." She adds, holding out a small empty flacon.
I snatch the vial from her hand and examine it closely, my brow furrowed in concentration. The few drops of yellow liquid clinging to the inside have a faint, herbal scent I can't quite place.
"What is this?" I mutter, more to myself than to Tina. "Some kind of healing potion?" I wonder.
Tina's voice trembles as she reveals her stunning discovery.
"It's the same fluid Doctor Springstone used to heal the young heir. Our castle healers have confirmed its powerful magical properties, unlike anything we've ever seen before." She asserts.
But before I can fully process the revelation, two guards burst in, breathless and with urgent news.
"Your Majesty, we have found how Doctor Springstone managed to escape this time. It's through a tunnel with an exit in the palace's garden. Surely, there's a passage in her room and we weren't aware of it," they report.
My heart races at the discovery of one of the hidden passages within the walls of the palace. How could she have found it? I interrogate myself before following the guards to Doctor Lorry's room, determined to trace her and catch her.
I pressure the guards to search meticulously and relentlessly every part of the walls. And then, after long and tense minutes, one cries out in triumph: "Your Majesty, over here!" as a wall panel swings open, revealing a narrow, dark passageway. My mind reels.
"By the Moon Goddess!" I exclaim in frustration as I realize what made my men fail their mission.
How long had this very passage existed and how did Doctor Lorry find it? I then wonder inwardly.
My mind begins racing as I stare into the dark passageway, a mix of emotions swirling within me. Anger at being deceived, concern for Doctor Lorry's health, and a silent admiration for her audacity.
"Your Majesty," one of the guards ventures hesitantly, "what are your orders?"
I snap out of my reverie, my face hardening with determination.
"Seal off all exits from the palace grounds immediately. Search every inch of this passageway and any others it might connect to. I want Doctor Lorry Springstone found, alive and unharmed." I instruct.