Writers POV

The hospital corridor looked like something out of a Star Trek episode. Everything that could shine shone brightly. There were stainless steel, sleek floors, and natural images on the walls in colors as vibrant as glacier melt-water or spring flowers. The air smelled fresh and clean, not sterile. Music was playing in the background at just the right volume to lift the spirits of the patients and staff. But the best part was the ceiling, which was simply clear and high arched under where he was furiously pacing back and forth outside the room where his mate was being treated. His sleeves were folded till his elbow, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his hair was tousled from the number of times he ran his hands through them. His beast was at bay, clawing at his mental barrier, desperate to be free and to be close to their mate. He was furious, angry, irritated, and most importantly scared. How did the most perfect night change so tragically in such a short period of time! It's been a couple of hours, and the doctors are still stumped as to what happened to her. They were still running tests to figure it out, which irritated him even more that they don't know what happened. He felt disappointed in himself that he couldn't protect her even if he doesn't know what caused such a situation. But still, it was his duty to protect and keep her safe which he failed at terribly. He could feel a figure approach him and that person tried to get his attention,

"Alpha?" Aiden growled and turned to face the voice. Nick stepped back and bared his neck in submission. Aiden's white part of his eyes was completely black, and Nick could see that Aiden's beast was ready to tear out and go on a rampage. Aiden resumed his pacing, and Nick moved away giving him space but close enough to hold him down if anything goes wrong.

After nearly an hour, the hospital wards' door opened, and Aiden turned to see all of their healers leave before bowing in front of him. Riley, the last doctor and head of the infirmary, stood outside the door, bowed slightly, and began speaking.

"You can go see..." Aiden burst through the door and approached his mate before she could finish her sentence. She was laying lifeless on the hospital bed, her chest barely heaving. Without the steady rhythm of the vital signal, she could be mistaken for dead. He gently took one of her hands in his and sat in the hospital chair beside her bed.

"Riley, what happened to her?" He inquired of the healer who stood at the entrance of the hospital wards' doors.

"Alpha, we..."

"I need an explanation and I want it now! Don't you dare give me the same crapy answer!" He roared without taking his gaze away from his mate making her flinch

"Her body has shut down itself." She informed and his head shot up to look at her

"What do you mean her body shut down itself?" He exclaimed

"We don't know, Alpha. Her breathing is steady and so are her other vitals but she doesn't have consciousness and we don't know how long she's going to be like that. She doesn't have any physical injuries nor any internal. We had come across cases in lycans or werewolves where their beasts had refused to wake up after losing their mate or something that serious kind of events causing their human body to shut down. But we didn't even know if that was possible for any human but her body did shut down itself. And we don't even know if she's 100% human." She finished explaining with occasional growls from him and the frown on his face grew deeper with her last statement.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked calmly with a growl slipping past his lips.

"There is something different about her anatomy that I didn't see last time she was here. I can confirm that she's not hundred percent human but neither can I say what species she belongs to, Your Highness." She kept her gaze low while explaining the last part and he turned his head to look at his mate. With a wave of hand, he dismissed the doctor who left with a bow of head and silently closing the door.

By the time the sun rose the next day, Aiden was still sitting by her side, holding her hand, hoping for a single movement from her. His prayers, however, go unanswered. He has been with her for four days, all day, finishing his paperwork on the hospital room's couch, taking showers in the small bathroom, and barely eating. He never left her side because he doesn't want her to be alone when she decides to wake up. The doctors were still trying to figure out what was wrong with her, but only if they knew she was suffering her punishment, which she doesn't know when will finish. She could feel his presence all the time, but she couldn't open her eyes no matter how hard she tried.

Her beasts were taken from her for a period of time, locked away from her reach leaving her void. They were each a part of her soul. Her body would shut down because she was missing parts of her soul. She could hardly feel them inside when they would be taken. A cruel curse she suffered since the beginning of her dreadful life. She would have to go through this every time she refused to obey an order. It was a lease placed on her in order to keep her in control, from fighting back. Every time she spoke up, every time she didn't want to murder someone or obey my order, she felt the same agonizing pain. The agony she felt was inexplicable. She'd have the sensation that her soul was being ripped from her and crushed to smithereens. They shaped her for centuries to be the ideal weapon for them to wield as they saw fit. Torture and unending punishment were used to whip her into shape. Though she is now immune to the remaining tortures, the curse is becoming increasingly unbearable over time.

"Four more wolves from the Dawn Pack went missing today, Alpha." " Nick informed

"This marks the third missing report today! What the fuck are their border guards doing?" Aiden bellowed, his face flushed with rage and frustration. Nick chose to remain silent because it was the best thing to do in the situation. Aiden has been on the verge of losing control since Ariel went into a temporary coma, and on top of that, wolves have been going missing from various packs for the past few days. Over 30 wolves went missing from seven packs. Mostly from the Dawn Pack, they have reported over 20 missing wolves in a span of three days.

"Put the Dawn pack on lockdown, no one leaves the pack nor anybody enters the pack without permission. Put other packs on high alert. Order them to make sure no one leaves their home alone after 6 pm. No one goes into the woods alone. I want every fucking report on who entered and exited the Dawn Pack today and the last three days." Aiden ordered sternly

"Yes, Alpha."

"And send six of our warriors in the Dawn Pack, order them to make sure the borders are protected, and if there are any suspicious events they report to me."

"On it, Alpha." Nick bowed and left in a hurry.

Aiden entered the room where his mate was being held and paused for a moment to look at her lifeless body laying on the bed. He sighed, looking down, and slouched on the couch. He closed his eyes and massaged his brow with his hand. He has no idea what he should do in this situation. Wolves are going missing, and everyone is terrified. They look up to him to protect them. He is supposed to protect the Kingdom, but he is failing. His father was supposed to guide him, but he left everything on his shoulders, and he will certainly come back to look down on him when he screws up. He was trained mostly by his grandfather growing up to be the ideal King and Alpha while his father was busy with other businesses. He surfaced the pool of thoughts when there was a knock on the door. He straightened up and said

"Come in,"

Doctor Riley entered the room, bowed her head, and proceeded to the daily check-up. Aiden read the file next to him, and when Riley was finished, she turned around to face the Alpha male.

"Her vitals are stable, Your Highness." She informed and he nodded

"I'd like to move her to my room," he said.

"It would be preferable if she were kept here, Your Highness, as we would be able to attend to her medical needs when necessary," she explained kindly, and he simply nodded with a blank face and dismissed her. She bowed her head and walked away, closing the door behind her. He placed the file on the couch and looked at her. He stood up and walked towards the bed, where he stared at her for a moment before kissing her on the forehead and murmured

"My moon, wake up already. Please!" He briefly closed his eyes and exited the room.

The next day, as the sun rose over the horizon, she finally felt her insides filling out. Her entire soul had been sewed together, and she now had control over her body. She tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy; after a few attempts, she gradually opened them. The room was still dark as the sun could shine through the thick curtains on the window. She looked around the room; it was the same room where she had awoken the previous time she was here. Her gaze wandered around the room before landing on a figure sleeping on the couch in an uncomfortable position He was laying on the couch without a blanket or pillow. The sun's rays filtered through the curtains, emphasizing his facial expressions. She sat up on the bed, her body stiff from laying there for so long. She slid out of bed, landing on her wobbly legs. She moved closer to him after a few moments when she was able to take a few steps without shaking. She wanted to caress his face, but she didn't dare and instead went to the other door in the room.

When he woke up the room was bright and he was warm. He discovered a blanket on top of him and a pillow under his head. He was perplexed, and after sitting up, he panicked when he saw the empty bed where she had lain. He stood up and looked around, calling her name as the bathroom door opened. She emerged from the bathroom, holding a towel and dressed in clean clothes. She was startled to see his panicked expression when she looked at him.

"What happened?" She asked and he strides toward her and engulfs her in a tight hug, causing her to stand there with wide eyes.

"Goddess, I was so scared, I missed you so much," he muttered, leaving her speechless. She's at a loss for words in response to his confession. He missed her, he really cared about her that he missed her, she had never heard those words before. She closed her eyes and hugged him back. He kissed the top of her head and walked her back to the bed.

"Are you feeling well? Why did you leave the bed, you could have woke me up," he exclaimed

"I'm all right. I had asked a nurse to bring me some new clothes. And I didn't want to wake you up while you were sleeping." She said and he nodded and his eyes clouded.

"I called doctor Riley to come and check on you," he said after a few moments.

"I'm fine, I don't need a check-up. I just want to get out of here."

"We'll leave when Dr. Riley says you're fine," he says sternly, and she sighed deeply.

"How long was I unconscious?" she inquired, and he looked perplexed.

"Six days. Has this happened before?" he inquired, and before she could respond, there was a knock on the door and Dr. Riley entered. She looked at Ariel after she had finished her examination and asked,

"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied.

"Do you have any recollection of what happened or where you were when you fell unconscious?"

"I was in Paris, and all I remember seeing was black," she replied, and Riley nodded.

"Has something like this ever happened before?"

"No," she lied to avoid having to explain anything further.

Dr. Riley walked to the door, and Aiden followed her. Before they parted, they spoke in hushed tones.

"I'm glad Her Highness is feeling better, but please forgive me Alpha, I can't give you any explanation for her situation; I'll look into it further and let you know if I find anything."

"Thank you, Riley," he thanked her and she bowed and walked away.

The curse will have an effect on her every sixth day when the sun sets, for weeks after weeks. She would experience excruciating pain and her body would shut down for days. Everyone was worried about her, and no one could figure out what was wrong with her except only she knew. After the seventh week, her coma lasted only one day. The curse's full effect was wearing off, but the pain was becoming more intense. She'd have a fall and then wake up after a day or two. Throughout his work and the conditions of his kingdom, Aiden never left her side. Wolves were going missing in large numbers, and nothing seemed to be working. Ariel was in the hospital again, she was brought here last night. She woke up the following day and Aiden took her to their bedroom after Dr. Riley had a thorough check up. He cooked her breakfast and they ate it in the castle's kitchen after he showered and dressed.

"I want to get out. I feel suffocated here," she said, and he looked at her.

"Of course, love," he replied, smiling.

"I have some work to do, and when I finish, I will be here to take you out," he offered

"You don't have to do that, I'll just walk around. I just want some fresh air."

"I'm not leaving you alone after you just woke up."

"I'm fine, you don't have to bother." She said and he shook his head

"I am not going to let you go alone. Thing this as our second date." He winked and she rolled her eyes

"So should I take that as a yes?"

"Fine," she agreed and turned to see him grinning. They finished breakfast and he got up first helping her off the stool and they went to their room.

"I'll see you soon," he kissed her forehead and left.

They were sitting on the grassy field, surrounded by nature, with a picnic basket in the late afternoon sunlight. They didn't say anything and just sat there in silence.

"I have to leave. I have an urgent matter to attend to. Do you want to go back?" He inquired hastily, looking worried,

"I'd like to stay a little longer. What happened?" ", she inquired

"Nothing overly serious. Don't worry, return to the castle before it gets dark and eat the food. I'll see you later tonight." He kissed her on the forehead and dashed out there in a blur. When he was out of sight, she looked around and sprinted inhumanely fast towards the woods. She quickly arrived at her destination, grabbed the intruder by the neck, and forcibly pinned him to a nearby tree.

"You never learn," she snarled.

"Nice to see you too, sister!"

_________________________________________

Hello 👋

My exams are finally over and I'm so excited to continue this story in full force. Hold on tight the rollercoaster ride is on the way. Things are going to get interesting from here on. The COVID is pretty serious in my country, and we are in lockdown for a week. Deaths are increasing and so is the spread of the virus. Please stay safe where ever you are.

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