FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕:

Nothingness, complete oblivion, was what I had expected. Yet, when my heavy eyes opened, tears welled up involuntarily. The beeping of hospital equipment reached my ears as I blinked up at the sterile white ceiling. Why? How could life be so cruel as to bring me back?

"Thank goodness," I heard a gasp, and suddenly Kelly was hovering over me. His hands were anxiously touching me, and I turned my gaze away from him.

"I thought I had lost you; the Moon Goddess must have heard my prayers," he gushed, fussing over me like a devoted mate, oblivious to the fact that he was the one responsible for my current state.

"She may have heard yours, but mine fell on deaf ears," I groaned. If only she had listened to my pleas, I would have found peace years ago. But here I was, still alive, denied the solace of death by the very deity he praised.

Kelly cupped my face in his hands. An electric current surged through my body, igniting a fiery sensation within me. The bond between us reacted, betraying my revulsion towards the monster he truly was. I gasped in horror as I became aware of the throbbing pain in my neck. Instinctively, I reached up and touched the fresh mark, feeling its rawness.

Kelly had marked me again. Our once-severed bond had somehow grown stronger, as I could feel sparks coursing through my entire body. Kelly purred with satisfaction, while I couldn't help but dwell on how I had failed to break free from him, ending up once again trapped with the miserable bastard.

"That was a close call," Kelly sighed, tenderly kissing my forehead as if he were a loving mate. I blinked in silence, unable to muster a response.

"Well, at least you've learned your lesson. Once this mess is over, we can go home. Charlotte promised to prepare a nice dinner for you. We need to get you back to full strength so we can complete the mating process. I'll ask the doctor to give you something to induce your heat," he said before leaving the room. This couldn't be happening. I swallowed hard and attempted to move my hand to brush back my hair, only to realize that I was handcuffed to the bed, my hand restrained. I pulled on the handcuff, but it wouldn't budge. Sitting up, my entire body ached.

My leg burned the most, along with every inch of me. With my other hand, I pulled down the hospital gown slightly, groaning in pain. Stitches covered my shoulder, and as I rolled up the skirt, my leg displayed the same. His mark may have saved me, but it hadn't healed me. That's when I noticed the intravenous drip attached to my hand. I followed the line and saw a blood bag and another bag beside it.

I felt a wave of shock and disgust when I realized that the substance they were giving me had the same label as the horrible things Charlotte had been injecting into my body. It suddenly made sense why I looked so disfigured, like the Frankenstein monster. Kelly, the person who was preventing me from shifting, had come into the room with a big grin on his face.

"Guess what?" he said excitedly. "The doctor said you can go home tomorrow! Isn't that great? He'll prepare the injection just before you're discharged."

A few minutes later, a nurse entered the room with a tray of food. She seemed nervous and avoided eye contact with Kelly, keeping her head down, her curly dark hair obscuring her face.

"Hurry up!" Kelly snapped at her impatiently as she wheeled a small table over and positioned it under the bed. The table was then adjusted so that the top part was above me. The aroma of the food made my stomach growl hungrily, and my mouth watered. The nurse placed a tray on the table, but Kelly clicked his tongue and growled.

"That's too much. I said something small until after her heat," Kelly snapped at the woman. He took the tray and removed whatever was under the plate cover, leaving only a pudding cup, which he slammed onto the table. The woman looked at me apologetically, and although she wanted to hand me the spoon, Kelly slapped it out of her hand.

As I stared at her, something about her reminded me of someone, but I couldn't quite place who. There was a familiarity in her eyes and cheekbones, but I couldn't figure out why I felt that way.

"You idiot! That spoon could be used as a weapon," he snarled at her. The woman blinked at him in confusion.

"She's handcuffed, Alpha. Where would she go?" she asked.

"Until I complete the mating process, no utensils. I don't want my mate to harm herself," Kelly growled.

"Maybe I can feed her then. You said she hasn't eaten in days, and the doctor recommended this meal to help strengthen her," she tried to reason, but I could see the malice in Kelly's eyes.

"It's alright. I'm not hungry. Just thirsty," I quickly interjected, not wanting to get the nurse into trouble. However, my hungry stomach betrayed me and growled loudly, filling the silent room.

"You see?" Kelly said triumphantly, snatching the juice cup off the tray and thrusting it at me. My hand trembled as I took it from him.

"Now leave. You are the last person I want to see in her room," he snarled, and she nodded before rushing out. I stared after her as she ran out.

"Bloody fool, are you alright, my love?" he said, and I looked at Kelly and nodded.

It was like his personality switched back and forth. He took the juice cup and poked a hole before handing it back. I tried to figure out why the woman looked so familiar. I knew I hadn't seen her before, but something about her gave me déjà vu.

Shaking the thought off, I drank my juice cup. Kelly only allowed me half of the pudding cup and watched me dig it out with my fingers. It was humiliating, but I remained quiet, hoping he would leave soon. After about an hour of sitting in silence, watching Kelly fiddle with his phone, he stood up from the blue chair and walked over to me.

Leaning over the bed, he gripped my chin, tilting my face up to his before shoving his tongue down my throat. The bond reacted, but I just went to my safe place, went to the dark parts of my mind, and floated.

"I need to go, but I will be back first thing in the morning. The doctor will send someone in to give you some drugs to help you sleep," he said, and I nodded my head robotically.

I tried everything to get out of the handcuff, but nothing worked; it was so tight that the tips of my fingers were going numb from the strain of trying to break free. My will to escape died along with the last part of my will to live when the crippling pain washed over me.

Tears pricked at my eyes as the sting of his infidelity hit me. Life seemed relentlessly cruel, and if there truly was a moon goddess, she was determined to make me suffer. Rolling onto my side, I clutched my belly with my free hand, seeking solace. Half an hour later, the pack doctor entered the room. He was an elderly gentleman, examining my medical notes and shaking his head in dismay. As he checked the drip attached to me, the woman who had been there earlier walked in.

"Prudence will give you something to help you sleep, and tomorrow morning, I'll administer a small injection to induce your heat," the doctor explained "You were lucky. You nearly died, but Kelly's quick thinking and remarking of you saved your life."

"Lucky to live with my despicable mate," I sneered, my words dismissed as he busily reviewed the charts in his hands,, oblivious to the bitterness in my voice.

"Prudence, you can administer it now and monitor her every two hours," he instructed, gesturing toward the woman. She approached me with a sad smile, encircling my arm with her hand. The doctor observed as she pierced the needle into the cannula port on my free hand.

I felt a wetness on the top of my hand, and when I looked at her, our eyes met. I glanced down to see her hand covering the needle, causing the contents to spill onto the bed instead of going through the cannula. She then positioned my hand over the wet spot.

"Please hurry, I don't have all night," the doctor grumbled.

"I'm finished, Doctor," she replied, dropping the syringe into a small green plastic bowl she had brought with her. He nodded, and she proceeded to change the bags on my drip while the doctor left the room.

She waited a few seconds before rushing over to me, grasping my hand just as the doctor returned. I felt a metallic object brushing against my palm, and she swiftly concealed it while adjusting the blankets around me.

"You may feel a little groggy, don't fight it," she said, staring at me before glancing at the hand where she had placed a key. The doctor cleared his throat.

"Prudence, bed 4 needs changing again. The patient wet himself again," the doctor groaned.

"Yes, right away, Doc. I just need to change out her drip bag," she said, and he nodded before walking out.

This time, he didn't return. Prudence came over to me and started unplugging the machines attached to me. I waited for the beep, but then I peered at the monitor and saw that she had switched it off.

"I found a spare key in Doc's office. You have two hours to run east," she whispered.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, feeling suspicious.

"My sister Benta told me about you. Now, don't waste any time. He'll notice if you get too far away," she said before glancing over her shoulder.

Prudence retrieved a piece of paper from her cleavage and discreetly slipped it under my bottom. "I managed to get your friend's number," she whispered. "Benta gave it to me. She stole it from Kelly's phone and sent it to me. He ended up killing her for touching his phone, but I wrote down the number. You must be really important if she was willing to risk her life for it. Benta wanted to call someone, but she never mentioned who in the message. I would give you a phone, but all calls are monitored and listened to. There's a town to the east where you can make the call from. Don't try making the call before leaving the town limits, or he'll find out," she warned.

"What about you?" I asked, concerned for her safety. She didn't answer, instead rushing over to the window and opening it before swiftly running out, closing the door behind her. I swallowed nervously, pulling out the piece of paper with the scribbled number on it. After waiting a few minutes to ensure no one was approaching, I used the key to unlock the handcuffs. I rubbed my sore wrists and mustered the strength to get off the bed.

As my legs touched the floor, they buckled under me, causing intense pain to surge through my body. I clenched my teeth to stifle the screams, enduring the agony from both my injuries and Kelly's betrayal. With sheer determination, I managed to push myself up and shuffle over to the plastic bag that Kelly had brought with him, placed on the nearby chair.

Opening the bag, I discovered a man's shirt and a pair of jeans. A sinking feeling overwhelmed me when I realized they must belong to Charlotte. Glancing back at the door, I saw no one in the hallway. I swiftly removed my hospital gown and put on the shirt, grimacing as I struggled to slide into the jeans.

My stitches tugged and pulled, sweat coating me from the effort. As I walked to the window, I tried to figure out where east was. She could have pointed that out, or I should have asked. My skin burned as the jeans rubbed against my mauled leg, and I struggled to lift it over the windowsill. Breathing harshly, I pulled the other leg over before sitting on the ledge.

After a few seconds, I braced myself for the pain and jumped. It was only about a two-meter drop, but it felt much higher when I hit the ground. Pain rattled through me as I landed on my injured leg. Choking back a sob, I fought the urge to pass out as I rose to my feet, using the wall for support.

I saw no one around, so I took off running. My legs screamed with each movement, and the injured one dragged behind me, but I suppressed the instinct to stop and pushed on. The pain would not deter me. Ania would come for me. I knew she would; I just needed to reach that town.