~Alexander~~
The last thing I remember was smiling and kissing Blake's forehead. As soon as I saw his wolf, I noticed how handsome it looked and how delicious he smelled. I cupped his face, but before I could talk, everything turned gray.
An excruciating pain woke me up in the middle of my sleep. My bones were breaking, and I felt as if they were on fire. My body trembled while I lay on the cold floor. When I opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings, I didn't know where I was until I heard a familiar soft voice, followed by a warm embrace.
"Calm down, Alexander. You will be fine. The medicine is taking effect. It will be over soon." He called me Alexander, without Alpha, I thought. Am I supposed to think of that in this situation? No, but I couldn't help it.
I relax in his embrace. He is warm and smells delicious. My left hand hugged his back, and I rested my head on his shoulder. As he tightened his embrace, he dipped his hand in my hair, while the other hand was on my back, and he applied a gentle rubbing between them.
As he whispered, "You will be fine," I could feel my face reddening up.
He was crouching between my legs as he assisted me in sitting on the edge of the old wooden bed.
"Do you feel any pain in your body?" he asked, gazing straight into my heart.
Laughing, I teased him, "I'm in pain everywhere." He looked really worried. His expression was unreadable as he held both of my hands.
"I'm fine, and the pain is bearable." I giggled as he puffed a sigh of relief.
"You must starve," he said, grinning. "Open your mouth," he whispered as he pulled out a pack of chips and water from my backpack.
"I can feed myself, Blake," I grunted.
Still, I would like to feed you as much as I can. "You don't know how scared I was," he murmured loud enough for me to hear him.
"Why were you scared?" I asked as I leaned in to grab the chips from his hand. "How long have I been out?"
His warm breath fanned my lashes. "Three weeks!" he whispered.
"What?" I screamed, startling him. In a hurry, I apologized for my reaction.
"It's okay, Alexander. Eat now, we'll talk later." He says.
For three weeks, I lay in a coma, which only meant one thing: we missed out on the moon. How did he manage? How did he get me here? There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask him, but I decided just to listen to him and to eat quietly instead.
I filled my mind with pleasurable emotions when I thought we would be alone for another week.
"All done," he said as he sat to my left.
"What happened to your bracelet?" I asked.
He glanced at his hand before gawking at me, then explained what had transpired to me. For once, I felt useless because I was supposed to protect my mate in situations like this, and I didn't.
My mind swirled as I mumbled, "I am going to find who is behind this attack, and I will make them pay dearly. I am very grateful for your kindness," I said. The more I thought about what happened, the more I felt rage grow inside me.
"You do not have to thank me. I know you will do the same for me." He grinned as he squeezed his hand tightly into me. "The mark on your back will disappear by the end of the day."
I was wearing a round polo shirt. My arm felt heavy as I winced.
"Let me help you," he said. When he was done, he smiled at me and said, "Don't worry, Alexander, give it a day or two. You'll be as good as you were."
As I watched him, the composure and care he displays makes my heart flutter.
"You should rest. Let me find out how we will get back-up there. Will you be okay alone?" he asked emphatically, and made me gasp.
"I'm not a baby! I'll be fine before you get back." It mortified me.
"Sure?" he asked teasingly, but I just rolled my eyes.
~Blake~~
Alexander seemed to be in a lot of pain when he calmed down, but he did not want me to know about it. As he teased me, I played along with him. It heightened my feelings about him at some point, and I honestly didn't know why he felt angry, which made me tense.
As he leaned in to grab the chips out of my hand, he asked, "How long was I asleep?".
"Three weeks," I whispered.
He had a disbelieving look on his face. However, he only stared at me for a few more seconds, leaning back and turning his gaze towards the narrow entrance of the cave. I knew he had a lot of questions, but we both remained silent.
His arm was numb, but he would feel better in no time.
"I should look around to see if I can find a way out of here," I mumbled. "Will you be okay ALONE?" The emphasis on alone made him gasp.
"I'm not a baby. I'll be fine," he replied, showing obvious embarrassment.
As I walked into the narrow cave, I saw the marks I made a few weeks ago and walked in the opposite direction of the cave and made new marks to distinguish which way led to the top of the cave and which way led to the small town. It was a long, cold walk with barely any light coming in through the tiny holes in the cave. After what seemed like two hours, I walked back to where I started from.
Alexander was sleeping when I got back, so I picked up a bag of chips and ate while I watched him sleep.
It had been two days since Alexander woke up and we had been walking back and forth, searching for a way out. He has been utterly quiet, which is very unlike the way he normally behaves. Monosyllables were all he said. "Hmmm, okay, no, yes, thanks." It was making me worried, so I decided I would talk to him about it.
As I walked across to where he sat, I asked, "Alex, could we talk?" He just raised his brows in a gesture to listen. "Hmmm, did I upset you?" I whispered.
"No!" He sounded different.
"Do you still feel pain?" I asked, looking at him.
"No!"
"You've been quiet the past two days. Is anything?"
Before I could finish my sentence, he snapped at me. "I'm fine, Blake! Perfectly fine." This was the longest sentence he had said in two days.
I am worried about you, Alex. There is something different about you. You have been cold lately and...
"And what? Can't I just have some peace? Do you have to nag all the time? I'm quiet because I have nothing to say to you! Can't you just leave me the fuck alone? What is your problem, hun? Why are you feeling entitled to me suddenly? I thought you said I am not your mate? Have you adopted me as your mate? Can you feel the bond? What do I smell like?" he yelled and asked these questions, making me fear something was wrong with him. The words he said hurt me a lot.
Did the poison stay too long in his body and affect him, or didn't burn Leo's arm well? The thought of Lee also saddened me. So much that I didn't know when tears filled my eyes. Alexander didn't even look at me.
"I'm sorry, Alexander." It was all I could say before he screamed at me to get out.
"Alright, Blake! Leave me alone! Don't bother me! Go, just go!" he growled.
I stood up without turning back, my eyes blurry from tears as I walked to the cave and into the dark. I stared at the walls filled with sparkling gems and jewels as the dim light illuminated them. No matter how many times I wiped my tears, they would not stop coming out. A sudden blast of cool wind blew across my stinging face, bringing me back to reality, and I noticed my surroundings. My eyes fixed on the lake outside of the cave, and the beauty of the lake amazed me at night. The moon was directly reflecting on it, as if it were a mirror surface. There was a sense of tranquility in my body. A tall and elegant line of white trees adorned the landscape. Magic was all around me. I wish Alexander was here with me. Taking in the moon's beauty popping trees, I sat by the lake and allowed myself to appreciate the peaceful surroundings. I would return to the cave in the morning, as I was sure that he would be relaxed by that time.