466 Will power... and the Power of Love
The beeping sound of a machine and white empty lifeless walls. An overwhelming lack of disturbance that only cultivated a disturbing silence.
Nearly two years spent in the same place, recovering from an near-death injuries and trauma.
A neverending loop of pain and agony⦠a state which, for some reason, was better than death.
The memory of her last conscious night echoed through her mind with a furious reverberation that threatened to shatter her resolve to hold on to life.
The sound of rogue alphas pursuing her through the forest with menacing blood lust rolling off them in waves. It was all clear in the loud howls and feral growls that accompanied their demonic speed as they tore through the dark forest, relentlessly pursuing her through the woods.
The sound of the rushing river was still fresh and clear in her mind⦠and so was the need to run towards in hope of finding safety⦠or delaying her death sentence if even by a minute.
The harrowing memory was fresh. The clearest thing she could remember, was the crimson colour of the wolvesâ eyes that had been sent after her.
Murder was painted in their eyes. They wanted her dead⦠all because she had escaped him. With how weak her wolf was, even the mundane rogues would have proved too much for her to handle but somehow she was far more valuable for him to trust such an important job to weaklings.
His resolve in seeing her life snuffed out was that much strongerâ¦
.....
This time, as the nightmare started over, the woman forced the dream away from her mind, trying to change the flow of events.
She knew what was going to happen⦠and yet it happened anyway. She didnât want it to happen that way again⦠and yet, she didnât seem to have a choice.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She struggled. She fought. She was tired of watching it over and over again. Tired of deathâs relentless taunting and of the experience of being rushed away by the current.
The sensation of nearly drowning under the merciless battering waves. She was tired of it all. She was afraid of going through it one more time. Sheâd relived that day countless times already⦠stuck in a loop that didnât seem t end. Each time she lost consciousness and awaited deathâs cruel hands, she was thrown right back to the start.
To the rushing vines and demented trees that freed her from the Rogue Kingâs clutches and granted her the mission of delivering a message⦠then rushed to the ending scenes of her failed mission.
Sheâd lost hope of ever waking up from the painful loop and even lost herself to the throes of her suffering.
However, this time⦠this time was different.
She was tired⦠fed up, exhausted, frustrated, angry⦠and numb.
She didnât want to feel it again. Tears stained her eyes. She wanted it all to stop. She wanted to wake up from it all. She didnât want to die any more. She didnât want to relive this day again either. She wanted to live. Thatâs all that mattered now.
Death had not come to her like sheâd expected⦠but now⦠she was tired of what lay between life and death.
It was a fate that she was now perceived to be worse than death. If death wouldnât claim, then she might as well try living and not stay in the in-between.
After constantly reliving the memory of being hunted down, hitting her head on a rock and nearly drowning, sheâd had enough.
With all the strength she could muster. With all the willpower left in her weakened body and mind⦠and most importantly, with all the love she held for her missing grand daughter, Beatrice forced her eyes open and took a very deep breath.
The nurse that had come to check on her that morning gasped in shock, stepping away from the bed as her patient miraculously pulled herself out of a deep comma. âWhere is she? Madeline⦠Where is she?â
Drained and utterly exhausted, Beatrice didnât scream after that.
Instead, she finally fell into the first slumber since that day. Sleeping peacefully without a dream in her mind. Her mind was finally quiet. She was safe⦠she wasnât in the presence of the murderous rogues that had nearly claimed her life. She was safeâ¦
Sleep had never felt better.
..................
Voices⦠several voices⦠no, a few of them. They were countable.
None of these voices were familiar to her though. Beatriceâs peaceful slumber was constantly assaulted by the voices that crowded about her bed.
Slowly, she began to decipher what these voices were saying, âSheâs just resting now, but you can be assured now that sheâll make a quick recovery. Her wounds are all but healed and now that sheâs out of the comma, sheâll be fine for sure.â
âReally, Iâm so glad. Weâve been worried sick,â a feminine voice trembled with delight. âWho is she supposed to be?â
âSimmer down, Lyla. Youâve never even spoken to her before,â a male voice tried to be to be her voice of reasoning, but that didnât seem to work.
âI know Iâve never met her before but I can tell sheâs someone important, you know,â the girl replied gleefully.
âNo, Lyla, I donât know. You might have been watching one of your shows again,â the boy sighed.
âYou enjoy them too. They are awesome⦠Ugh, Peter, this is different. Iâm not talking about fate or anything like that. I genuinely mean what Iâm saying. How many people her age have you ever heard of surviving the injuries she had?â this time, the girl made sense.
Beatrice chose that moment to wake up. Her silver eyes fluttered open just in time to meet the faces of the people that had watched over her for nearly the past two years.
Their voices died down as the nurse hushed them. They had noticed her stirring and turned her attention to her, âShe finally woke⦠Her eyes,â the girl staring at her suddenly backed away.
âSilver is an unusual human eye colour,â the nurse confirmed, unsurprised. The woman walked up to the sleeping woman and began to check her vitals, âDonât worry maâam. Youâre safe here. Just relax and we can slowly get you back into the world.â
Beatrice opened her mouth to speak but closed it almost immediately when pain radiated from her throat. Sheâd already exerted enough force to send her into a coughing fit. Before anyone could react, the young man brought her a cup of water which she greedily drank.
The cool water was soothing to her throat. However, it also notified her of how long it had been since any food had entered her system. âYou will have to take it easy for the first few weeks. Your body hasnât moved in a long time, so youâll have to be careful not to over-exert yourself.
Actions like walking, eating or even writing wonât come easily to you in the first weeks, but with some therapy, you can return your body to the way itâ¦â
âWhereâs Madeline?â the womanâs voice was hoarse and barely audible, but from the saddened look on her face, she wasnât paying any more attention to the nurse talking to her.
Years of working with traumatized patients kicked in. Instead of getting frustrated, the nurse slowed down and changed her approach, âWhoâs Madeline?â
âSheâs my⦠grand-daughter. I told her to run to the capital but I donât know if she made it. You said Iâd been unconscious for a long time. How long have I beenâ¦â Beatrice couldnât find her words.
She tried to lift herself from the hospital bed but her limbs failed her. She was far too weak. The kind of weakness that plagued her body was far too great to have been caused by a few weeks of sleep.
A deepset frown appeared on the nurseâs forehead, âIâm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, maâam, but youâve been unconscious for nearly two years.â
âT-two⦠two years⦠No. No. No,â Beatrice began to hyperventillate. Her memories came rushing back in a merciless torrential wave. She could remember it allâ¦
The Rogue King talking to the moon goddess at the Origin. His eventual sealing that would have been a good thing to the rest of the world. However, somehow, he had been able to send his generals after her.
She remembered the recurring nightmare that had been her prison for a very long time. Now that she thought more about it, it made a lot of sense. Her nightmare had repeated so many times that it felt like an eternity.
Beatrice couldnât tell how many times it was that sheâd fallen into that river and started drowning under the heavy current that swept her away.
Now, however, everything had gone silent. Sheâd forced herself awake. She was fine and safe. Trying to move was hard, but she had to. The storm of memories that assailed her forced her to do so. There was no time for her to just lay back and relax, âI canât stay here. I have to go. Where am I?â
The nurse frowned, thinking over her next choice of words. The woman was not in the right condition to walk out just yet, but holding her against her will would not be easy either, âYouâre in the Sirius royal capital⦠and regarding discharging you, we canât do that until we know you will be fine. Did you not hear the part where youâve been like this for more than a year?â
âI heard that. Iâm not deaf,â Beatrice snapped at the nurse.
The Seeker sighed and lay her head back on the white pillow below her, âI know what happened to me⦠but itâs that same reason that I cannot stay here. I either have to find my granddaughter Madeline or find the prince of Sirius. If Iâve been here as long as you say Iâve been, then Iâm that much later to warn the king of the danger thatâs coming.â
For someone whoâd just woken up from a comma, her speech was remarkably coherent. This was what told the nurse that she wasnât disoriented but if that was the case, then the womanâs waking memories were a cause for worry.
âWhat did you say your name was again?â the nurse asked.
Beatrice turned to the woman, just in time to catch the glint of understanding in her eyes. There was hope she could convince these people to help her. Better than that, they probably could help her get to where she needed to go, âMy name is Beatrice. Iâm a member of the Golden Moon pack.â
Turning to the pair, she finally observed the man and woman that had also come to attend to her. These ones werenât dressed in any uniforms which meant they didnât work here at all. The nurse noticed her confusion and began an introduction, âThis is Peter and the lovely lady with him is Lyla. They are the ones that found you and rushed you here over a year ago. Theyâve been visiting you frequently since that day, making sure you were receiving treatment and making a steady recovery.â
As the nurse wrote down a few things, she chuckled to herself, âGrand-daughter, pfft⦠she doesnât even look old enough to have a teenage daughter.â