Chapter Eighty-three

Victoria

The chirping of the birds outside the window pulled me out of my sleep. I didn't know how long I had slept, but I felt weak and disoriented. As I slowly opened my eyes, the bright lights on the ceiling pierced through my brain, making me wince. I instantly shut them again before reopening them after a few minutes to adjust.

The ceiling was different from Valerio's bedroom, though it seemed familiar, like I had seen it before. I then tried to lift my head, but a sharp pain shot through my temples, forcing me to lie back down.

Fuck.

My head throbbed so badly. It took me a minute to piece together where I was. I looked around, trying to remember how I ended up here. Just by looking at it, I knew it was a hospital, and this particular room was the same one I had woken up on that day when I came to the Nightshade pack.

But what was I doing here?

I tried to remember, but it felt like fog. More like blank, I couldn't recall anything. The last thing I remembered was entering the bathroom to wash my face; nothing more.

My confused gaze fell on the computer screen on my left, displaying a steady stream of numbers and graphs. It was my heartbeat: 72 beats per minute. I then followed the wires connected to my body, leading to an IV pole beside my bed.

A half-empty bag of saline solution hung from the hook, dripping slowly into my veins. On my right hand was a blood pressure cuff wrapped around my upper arm, and an oxygen sensor clipped to my finger.

Looking at all these things, I felt a sudden wave of panic wash over me. What happened? How did I get here? I wanted to scream, but my throat felt so sore. I instantly closed my mouth and did a quick assessment. My face felt hot, and my eyes were a little swollen. I didn't have a mirror to get a good look, but I knew I looked terrible. My neck and throat burned; even swallowing felt painful. My mouth felt dry, like I hadn't drunk anything for ages.

But the worst of it all was my head; the headache was too much.

I wondered what had happened to me. I didn't remember getting into a fight with anyone, but what would land me in the hospital? The more I pondered this, the worse the headache got. I sighed and tried to adjust on the bed to get more comfortable, but moving only made it worse. Before I knew it, I let out a painful groan.

And that's when the door opened, and a doctor walked in.

"Good morning, Luna," the man, who would probably be in his mid-fifties, flashed me a smile.

I could have grimaced at his last words, but I was in so much pain.

I still hadn't gotten comfortable with the title.

"You're awake," he said and walked further into the room. My weak gaze followed his every step until he stopped right in front of my bed.

"How are you feeling, Luna?"

"Pain," I managed to voice out, my voice rolling out hoarsely. "And... thirsty."

He moved his head thoughtfully sideways before nodding in understanding. "That's expected." He said and pulled out his chart, writing down something.

"I will have a nurse get you something," he paused to look at me, examining my situation. I looked pathetic.

"Maybe a willow bark tea and acetaminophen." Much better. Thank goodness. That pill is so much needed.

"Th... anks," my throat burned, and I winced, fighting the pain.

I saw his eyes glaze up, and I knew he was mind-linking someone. I wanted to ask him how I got here. Who brought me here? And what's wrong with me? But the pain in my throat wouldn't allow me to form a concrete sentence. So, in the end, everything got swallowed down my stomach.

I just lay there looking at him like I was searching for answers to the questions I didn't even know how to ask.

The doctor looked back at me.

"So, any nausea?"

I almost shook my head, but on remembering that the moment I had woken up, I had been having this urge to throw up. I squeezed my face in a frown and nodded.

"Hmm. Expected," he said again, confusing me.

"One more thing," he said, a wide smile making its way to his face. He pulled out a pair of glasses and looked over my chart again, as if double-checking the information.

For some unknown reason, I could feel my heart beating faster.

He tore his gaze from the chart and adjusted his glasses before looking back at me. The smile still plastered perfectly on his lips. I didn't know why he was happy, but I had this feeling that whatever he was about to say wasn't good.

"Well, congratulations, Luna, we found traces of HCG in your blood,"

I stared at him, confused.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you're pregnant," he said with a grin, but I felt blood drain from my face instantly.

I am... WHAT?! I laughed and shook my head.

"Tell me you are joking, right?"

"How?" He asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I can't be joking with this. Even the Alpha is aware," Immediately, he said that last word, and I felt my body go numb. My reason for enduring up till now flashed in my head.

How could I be pregnant at this critical time? We had sex just a few days ago... How could I be so reckless? Tears suddenly pooled in my eyes. I had prepared; this can't be happening now.

"I know you're happy. First-time mothers always have these emotions," the doctor said, but my heart was squeezing so badly.

Seeing that I wasn't ready to reply to him, he cleared his throat.

"I will go call the nurse myself," he said and was about to head to the door when I felt panic take over. My heart squeezed so hard.

Panic of being a failure! The panic of no longer doing anything but watching the murderers who killed my parents wander about, just because I was pregnant. Just like the single mistake of giving in to the mate bond and not resisting the temptation.

What do I do now? Aurora, the revenge…. How do I go about this now?

I screamed in my head, not minding the pain, and the monitor on my left began to beep vigorously as my heart rate instantly moved from 72 bpm to 140 bpm.

"Luna!" The doctor turned back immediately.

"Easy now, take some deep breaths; you're going to be fine," he kept murmuring, but the more my chest rose and fell.

I bite my lips, fighting to suppress my sobs from escaping out from my lips.

I sensed him, mind-link someone.

And suddenly, the door was pushed open, and two nurses hurried inside. One was with willow bark tea, but the other one gave the doctor a syringe. He quickly collected it and pierced it into my arm. I screamed, but that was only for a while.

My eyelids started getting heavier, and as my eyes closed, the beeping sound started quieting down. And soon, I drifted into a deep slumber.