Chapter 136

CHAPTER 136

LILIANA’S POV

I knew I needed to wake up, but my mind wasn't ready to. It jumped from one dream to another, blending all into one scene.

Somewhere in between, I thought I heard Gerard's voice faintly close by… Or was it someone else? I wasn't quite sure.

In the last dream I had, I wasn't running through the woods, occasionally looking back to make sure my pursuer, a gigantic black wolf, wasn't closing in on me.

Trees broke as the wolf raced through the forest after me, its heavy body mass breaking down the trees as it rammed into them, not bothering to even dodge them.

In the dream I kept running, thinking that if it caught me in the dream, that would be the end of me ever waking up.

My legs ached from so much running, but I didn't dare pause or take a break. For some unknown reason, I couldn't shift, and I was almost as weak as an ordinary human.

Wake up…

I suddenly heard my voice scream from far above me. Frightened but without breaking my stride, my eyes frantically searched the skies, but there was nothing there.

My legs got tangled among some vines, and I went crashing down hard to the soft earth. Immediately I was up on my feet, running again, the snarls of the wolf behind me edging me on.

Now I was extremely tired, my legs screaming in protest and my entire body aching.

Wake up…

I heard the voice again. Once more, I looked at the sky. It was as empty as last time.

And then I started falling. With a start, I realized I had fallen into a deep pit or whatever it was.

My arms flapped helplessly through the air, searching for a nonexistent anchor to hold on to.

The big wolf leaped in after me, its bluish eyes gleaming triumphantly and its claws stretching out towards me.

And it was speedily closing the distance between us.

This was it for me… There was no way I was ever going to escape the tyrannic wolf.

Just as the claws of the wolf drove deep into my abdomen, I heard my voice again. This time, it was high-pitched like a scream, sounding hysterical. This time it even called my name.

WAKE UP, LILIANA…

My eyes popped open with a start, and I began struggling against someone holding me tightly. I couldn't see the person yet, but the person was powerfully built and was crooning my name.

“Liliana… Liliana… I'm here. It's okay,” the person restraining me said into my ears, and I immediately went limp with relief.

It was only Gerard who was holding me and calling my name. Somehow, that singular act had saved me, manifesting itself in my dream as my own voice.

I rested my head against his chest and sobbed without restraint, soaking the front of his chest with my free-falling tears.

I was finally awake…

I looked up into his face. “How long was I out for?”

He returned my gaze. “Today makes it the end of the third day.”

Meaning I had been comatose for three days straight.

Suddenly recognizing that I was in Gerard's pack hospital, I began to panic. I needed to put a lot of distance between me and this place.

Gerard struggled to calm me down again, eventually succeeding.

“What's wrong?” He asked concerned, and I was sure he could see the fear I felt in my eyes.

I shook my head at him, too unnerved to form words. Gerard pressed on.

“Talk to me… What's the problem?” he asked still.

I went completely still in his hands and looked up into his face.

“I need to get away from this place if I want to survive.” I muttered, but Gerard's sharp wolf ears caught the words.

He frowned at me. “What do you mean? You are safe here.”

I struggled a bit, then settled down, though my eyes still roamed about, searching, looking for something.

“What are you looking for?” he asked me, looking behind himself to see if something was there.

“Where is she?” I asked him in a steady voice.

“Who?” he asked back, confused.

I kept my mouth shut, knowing he wouldn't believe me even if I told him.

He was silent too as he thought for a while. His brows drew close together.

“Does this have anything to do with who kidnapped you?” he asked softly, and I nodded in response.

“You saw who kidnapped you?” he asked again.

Another nod. He waited for me to supply a name, but I remained mute.

He sighed as he finally got tired of waiting for me to say something. “Who is it? Or are they more than one?”

I contemplated my response and decided to say what I knew or suspected.

“It's just one person… Your lover, Cassandra.” I said, watching his expression closely.

At first his face was blank, then a smile spread slowly. The smile faltered when he saw my expression was serious.

“Wait… You are kidding, are you?” he asked, his voice uncertain.

I shook my head.

He looked away from me, running his fingers through his hair. I saw the denial on his face even before he voiced it out… just as I suspected.

“That can't be right,” he said, though his voice sounded weak.

I didn't say anything. Let him deal with it however he wanted. All I wanted was to put some distance between me and his territory.

He leaned in closer to me, taking hold of my hands in his and looking into my eyes. I focused on them but could not read anything from them. Once more, he was a closed book.

“That can’t be,” he repeated. “You have to be mistaken. I know Cassandra can be too…”

His voice drifted off midsentence, and I gave him a sardonic smile. “Go on. Complete what you were saying.”

He eyed me angrily, but he knew he couldn't chicken out if he was going to defend Cassandra's honor.

“I know she can be difficult and all… but one thing I'm sure of is she isn't a kidnapper or a bad person for that matter.”

I saw doubt flicker in his eyes and jumped on it immediately. “Then why are you fighting with yourself over it?”

It was a simple question spoken in a mild tone, but it hit the spot I wanted it to. Gerard looked up at me in surprise, shocked I saw through him.

“Let me tell you what I think. A part of you knows she is capable of it, but the other, more stubborn part of you refuses to accept the logic.” I reasoned.

He stood up and moved over to the window, leaning against its frame and watching me. “Stop trying to get into my head.”

I smiled but raised my hands in surrender.

“What if you are wrong? Can you even back up your claim?” he asked, his voice tight.

I remembered something, though it was a bit blurry, but I saw a face.

I nodded. “I can. There was a man… If only we could find him, then we could find evidence of her crime.”

“That is if she really is the one. I mean, what reason will she have to want to have you kidnapped and sold off as a slave?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Because she knows who I am, and maybe she knows you are sleeping with me.”

Gerald's gaze turned harsh. “Ouch.”

I smiled and kept quiet, thinking about how cute he looked when he was angry.

Just then the door to the ward opened and Cassandra swaggered in, her head held high and her hair moving with each stride she took.

Immediately, anger flowed into me and a little bit of fear on seeing her.

“Hello. Thank God you are okay.” She said cheerfully.

Hatred burned through me.

“Get out of here. You aren't welcome here.”

Gerard alternated gazes at both of us, not sure what was going on, but he couldn't even deny the hostility that suddenly made the atmosphere tense.