Chapter 84. The Horrible Leaf
Chapter 84. The Horrible Leaf
Alpha Ashton's POV
The smell of horrible leaves or whatever, kept causing me to recoil repeatedly.
Even when I had hidden myself inside my study room, the smell still lingered, causing a certain discomfort to my system.
I noticed now my stomach started rumbling noisily as though war was going on in there.
Those were the same signs I got the last time the horrible leaf was brought inside the chambers.
I sneezed countless times and each oxygen inhaled reacted differently in me, leaving me with no option than to choke most often.
Struggling with my stomach and the way I was feeling, I heard a faint knock on the door.
Without my permission, Annabelle walked in, holding a flat plate in her hands.
I was almost conscious from the horrible smell of the leaf that I didn't focus on anything else.
“Please take that le–af —” I could barely finish speaking before sneezing again.
“Alpha please, you have to let me administer these herbs to you before sunrise” I heard Annabelle's voice very faintly.
The situation inside me was becoming unbearable. War in my entire system and body.
I haven't taken the herbs yet but it was as if the smell kept fighting something in my system.
“Okay” I muttered, my eyes closed, sweat dripping down my body.
“ You will have to lie on your back to swallow the grinded herbs. Don't chew. Just swallow it” Annabelle's voice cut through my ears like a sharp blade.
My eyes remained shut from the leaf’s effects, leaving me unable to perceive what was happening around me.”
Shortly thereafter, I felt Annabelle's soft and tender hands grouping my body.
Strangely, her last warning echoed in my mind — not to chew the leaf. It sounded distant, as if carried from another realm.
Also, It felt as though I was no longer in this world, but glancing at spirits from somewhere beyond.
The struggle to come back to my environment before a hassle.
All of a sudden, the sharp pain in my lower abdomen brought me back to life and I jerked , opening my eyes at once.
I noticed I was lying on my back, and I saw Annabelle pressing something on my stomach, right near my belly button.
The moment a particular liquid touched my belly button, I went completely blank, unaware of anything else going on.
Hours later, I opened my eyes faintly to someone's hands tapping my shoulders gently.
“Alpha are you alright?” A soft voice filled my ears.
It was Annabelle. Her face was blurry but I could identify her.
“I’m in pain” I muttered those words, rolling from one side of the floor to the other side.
The pain in my stomach was excruciating and unbearable. My stomach continued crumbling as though my intestine were going to come out of my body.
“You'd be fine, trust me” Annabelle whispered in hope to me.
Surviving this pain looks like deferring death itself.
I didn't know if I should believe Annabelle or not. Nothing of this kind has ever been administered to me ever since I was poisoned.
One time, the pain would come stronger, cutting through my belly button and abdomen like a sharp blade. This left me restless, and unaware of anything going on in my environment.
Two days later, the pain had finally eased, but my body still felt weak. I couldn’t walk, and even the smallest task drained what little strength I had left.
Annabelle forced me to remain in the royal chamber while she attended to my needs.
At that time, I didn't know If I was still the Alpha of Blue moon Pack. I was completely helpless and weak.
Meanwhile, Annabelle never left my side. For two whole days, I stayed away from food and water as instructed by Annabelle.
Through it all, doubt shadowed my thoughts whenever I looked at her. But after two days and my strength slowly returned, that doubt twisted into something colder—fear. Maybe.
Who's she? A healer with a secret identity?
With all the experience I had, including travelling to the spirit world and being knocked down in pain, all of these made me fear Annabelle the most.
“Your body is healing from within. The Moonleaf is the enemy of Wolfbane,” Annabelle’s voice drifted to me again, faint but full of hope and life.
Her hands clenched mine tightly as I lay helplessly on the floor.
“Will I ever survive this?” I muttered very faintly.
I felt her tenderness on my body and her soft voice sent hope to my soul.
“ You'll be fine, my lord. Just trust in the healing power of the herb.” She said, filling me with more hopes.
I nodded faintly, not letting go of her hands.
Her care, support, and selfless love made my love for her grow even stronger.
For now, I couldn't tell if the wolfbane poison had been neutralized by the herb Annabelle administered to me but somewhere deep inside my heart, I knew this was the end of my nightmare and pain.
Hope lit up inside me. Quiet but powerful whispers echoed within, praising me for having survived death.
How true could these convictions be?
Very silently, I asked the moon goddess for a sign—a sign that would confirm my healing.
My wolf has been long weakened by the wolfbane. I could no longer shift for almost a full moon and half now.
I will know I am healed when my wolf starts to move within me again and I regain my power to shift. That Is one of the signs after which my stomach pain has completely vanished.
I felt Annabelle hands all over me and I held her tightly with the last ounce of my strength.
Along the lines and as the pains subsided gradually, a word suddenly trained my mind.
I remembered the night I ran into Mira at the entrance. She had told me to confess the truth to Annabelle and reclaim my freedom from death itself.
That seems to be my reality now.
If Annabelle truly succeeds in freeing me from this dreadful nightmare, then I will terminate the contract and make it official.