ALARIC'S POV
"What happened?" I asked with my hoarse voice, slowly lifting my head from the soft pillow to sit upright, but it only made my head worse as I clenched onto it while groaning in pain and falling back on the bed. I struggled to see what was happening around me, but it only made it worse to see with my eyes. Without hesitating, I closed my eyes to soothe the sharp stinging pain in them while I caressed my forehead with my fingers, but nothing that I was doing seemed to be working. What happened to me?
I have never felt this much pain since forever, yet I can't bring myself to remember what must have led to this throbbing ache in my head.
"It's the side effects of the medicine, but you'll be fine in no time, my lord." A subtle voice said My eyes flung wide open to take in my environment, ignoring the sharp pain that I felt on opening my eyes, and my gaze came into contact with Josh, who looked like he had been worried sick; beside him was a pretty wolf. She must have been the one who spoke to me.
"What medicine?" I asked.
"A medicine that helped to sober you up quickly," she replied. Her voice didn't stutter as she poured out her words, which was very unusual for mere wolves.
"What happened?" I asked again, shifting my attention to Josh and ignoring her. I tried to recover my memory, but everything that I attempted proved futile and only increased the throbbing and excruciating pain in my head, causing me to place my palm on my forehead.
"Long story short, your drink was spiked by a powerful herb to prevent you from reaching where you must go," the girl replied, yet again without Josh saying a word. Her response only made me even more curious as to who she was and why she was here in my room.
"Who are you?" I asked, my brows creasing, but mostly not from my confusion nor my irritation but from the pain in my head.
"I'm Jasmine, my lord," she answered.
"She's my mate, your highness," Josh added, causing my brows to raise in realization.
I never knew he had found a mate, but then, I've always been busy with the search for mine. If I had known of this later, I would have thrown a big celebration for them, but not now. I need to find my Lenora, and I have no time to waste. Although I'm happy that he won't have to be alone and lonely for the rest of his life.
"Are my luggage prepared?" "I need to be on my way to Edessa," I said. Standing up from the bed and ignoring every pain that came with the movement of my body from one place to another, why do I feel so weak?
"Your highness," Josh called, standing up from beside my bed, where he had knelt as he walked closer to where I was.
"What?" I inquired with a cocked brow. I reached for my closet as I picked out a white shirt and black pants that I would be wearing.
"The pilot is not around," Josh replied.
"Why the hell won't he be around after I placed an order for him?" I growled, anger coursing through my veins. My memories might be a bit cloudy, but one thing I was definitely sure of was that I placed an order for the plane last night and expected it to be cleaned and ready to fly to Edessa by today.
"He came and left," Jasmine replied; her voice was bold and confident. There is something different about her; she doesn't carry the aura of a regular wolf. As much as I'd want to uncover what might be wrong with her, I also need to move to Edessa and be done with whatever I wanted to do there.
Aside from going there to grant them aid, there is also something special about that place that is making my beast eager to go there in the midst of these crises. I don't want to have my hopes high, but at the same time, I want to go to that place and see what has been drawing me to Edessa since I got to read their letter.
"I'll place a new order for the plane today; he will be here in no time." "Your highness," Josh added after his mate spoke. What nerve does the pilot have to leave after I place an order and make me reorder? It seems like they don't fear me anymore. I won't let this pilot go unpunished; it'll serve as a lesson to the rest.
"Why?" I asked, my voice was cold, and my aura thickened from the amount of frustration and anger that I was feeling. Yet the lady wolf kneeling in front of me didn't seem bothered by my aura, even though it was visibly affecting Josh.
"Because you've been asleep for two days," she replied, and a scoff left my lips as my gaze hardened on her.
"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked, scoffing in disbelief. There was no way I would have gone for two days without realizing it.
"Josh, take your mate out of here. I thought I warned you not to let anyone close to me," I told Josh, with a hint of threat in it. I was done listening to her, and her words were only doing more harm than good for me.
The more I try to remember what could have happened, the more my brain keeps shutting me out. I have no clue how I landed in this situation, but it can't possibly be that I passed out for two days. Why would I waste that much precious time?
"Your drink was spiked with a herb that is supposed to make you unconscious for a whole week, but I helped by feeding you a cure and shortening the length of the days you will pass out," she said.
"Why is she still in my room? Get her out!" I roared, causing Josh to lower his head in a bow as he reached for his mate and walked her out of the room with his arms around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his body as a form of shield before they both walked out.
"Do what you have to do." A voice echoed in my mind; the voice belonged to Jasmine, but how the hell is she able to enter my head? There's something odd about this female wolf, and I doubt Josh knows what it is. Whatever it is, it can definitely wait because I can't afford to divide my attention at a time like this.
"Call me Jenny," I ordered the guard standing outside my doors.
"Yes, your highness," he answered before running off.
There are things I want to know before I leave, and even if I can’t seem to fully recollect my memory, I can remember seeing her last before my head went blank.
"You’ve been asleep for two days." Jasmine's words echoed in my head. I was finding it hard to believe, but she couldn’t possibly be lying to her king, could she?
In order to satisfy my curiosity and clear the doubt in my head, I reached for my bedside table and picked up the black rectangular device that I have barely used ever since Lenora’s disappearance. There is no one I can call except Lenora.
After she left, on several occasions and on a daily basis, I would dial her number, hoping for it to ring out loud, but it always said the same thing since that day: "switched off." The response didn’t stop me from calling her daily until one day, rather than its usual "switched off," it responded with "the number you dial is incorrect."
Picking up the phone from the bedside table, I wiped my hand across the screen before turning on the little device in my hand. It took a little time for it to be on, but the moment it turned on, my gaze met with the huge date and time that were displayed on the homepage. Today is the 14th, but I could remember that I was set to leave for Edessa on the 12th and had ordered a plane on that day.
Jasmine wasn't lying; I had definitely been asleep for two days, but who could have dared to spike my drink and do this to me? What are they planning to achieve?
"Your highness, you sent for me." A familiar voice said, "It was the last voice I could remember interacting with, but what could we have done to lead to this?"
"Jenny," I said, turning my head to meet her gaze.
"Yes, your highness," she replied, a smile plastered on her face, yet her eyes tell a different story as her iris narrows.
"Did you pack my luggage?" I asked,
"Uhm, I'll do that now, your highness," she replied, her smile falling and beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.
"Why didn't you do it immediately when I told you to?" I asked, and my voice was harsh and came out as a roar. I was beyond frustrated.
It baffles me to know that I was unconscious for freaking two days, unable to do anything, and yet I can't bring myself to remember what must have caused it. I can only remember Jenny being the last person I spoke with, but then, it must have been when I asked her to pack my luggage.
"I'm sorry, your highness," she begged.
"Do it now; I'll be leaving in an hour." I ordered her, and with that, I walked into the bathroom to take a shower. The time is only 3 p.m., and I'm sure that I'll be able to get there before midnight if the plane takes off in an hour.
The answers to my questions could happen to be in that land, and I'm not losing yet another opportunity.