Helios

Chapter 10

As I slowly regained consciousness, a muffled hum of voices and the faint beeping of machines filled my ears. The first thing I became aware of the sterile scent of antiseptic and the dull ache that radiated from my abdomen. Blinking against the harshness of the bright white lights, I found myself in a hospital room. IV drips dangled from a stand beside me, and a heart rate monitor beeped steadily nearby.

I tried to piece together my fragmented memories. The last clear recollection I had was Acyn trying to stop my bleeding, his face etched with concern. But everything after that was a blur of pain and darkness.

As I carefully adjusted myself in the bed, I noticed a man seated in the corner of the room. He had wavy hair and a thin but muscular build, and he seemed engrossed in a men's magazine. His casual posture, with one leg draped over the other, contrasted sharply with the seriousness of the situation. I couldn't recognize him, and his presence only added to the confusion.

"Where am I?" I asked, my voice hoarse and unsteady.

The man's head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked at me. He nearly dropped the magazine in his haste to stand, and before I could react, he crossed the room in a few long strides and enveloped me in a bear hug.

The sudden embrace took me by surprise, and I stiffened, bewildered by the man's familiarity. I tried to make sense of his reaction.

"Do I know you?"

He pulled back slightly, an apologetic look on his face. "Oh, sorry! I'm Derrick, the beta of the Golden Claw Pack. I didn't mean to startle you."

His mention of the pack sent a jolt of recognition through me. I frowned, struggling to understand how I had ended up here.

"The Golden Claw Pack? How did I get here?"

Derrick's expression shifted from awkwardness to one of genuine concern. "Acyn brought you in after... after you got hurt. We were able to stabilize you, but you've been out for a while."

I felt a mix of relief and dismay. I was in Acyn's pack—the Golden Claw Pack. The realization hit me with a groan of frustration. How had I managed to land myself in such a predicament, and of course, it involved Acyn again.

"Great," I muttered under my breath, "just my luck."

Derrick's gaze softened as he noticed my reaction. "It's not as bad as it seems. You're safe here, and Acyn has been really worried about you. He stayed with you until we could take over."

I nodded, my mind swirling with a mixture of emotions. The gratitude for being in safe hands was overshadowed by the awkwardness of the situation and the lingering questions about Acyn. I wondered how long it would be before I had to face him again, and what other complications this tangled mess would bring.

As I lay in the hospital bed, my mind still foggy from the haze of pain and exhaustion, Acyn finally made his entrance. The air seemed to shift the moment he stepped into the room, his presence a blend of intensity and calm that cut through the sterile atmosphere. Derrick, who had been idly flipping through a men's magazine, caught Acyn's gaze and, with a quick nod, vacated the room, leaving me alone with him.

Acyn moved with deliberate calmness, his posture both assertive and respectful as he took the seat beside my bed. The contrast between his guarded expression and the concern in his eyes was palpable.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice soft but carrying a subtle undertone of urgency.

I groaned in annoyance, my frustration boiling over. I should have been home by now, wrapped in the familiarity and comfort of my own space. Instead, here I was, confined to a hospital bed, the walls of the room feeling increasingly claustrophobic. The irritation only compounded my discomfort.

Without preamble, Acyn reached into his pocket and produced a crumpled piece of paper, stained with dark red blotches that had once been fresh blood. He extended it towards me, his face inscrutable but his eyes betraying a flicker of concern.

I took the paper with a sense of dread, my fingers trembling slightly as I unfolded it. The message inside was a grotesque sight: "Handover the princess..." The bloodied letters seemed to pulse with an ominous, malevolent energy, casting a shadow over the already dim room.

The chilling message sent a shiver down my spine, and I looked up at Acyn, my eyes wide with alarm.

"This was found by my patrol," he said, his voice a steady murmur amidst the unsettling silence. "They discovered it alongside a dead rogue near the border of my territory."

My mind raced to grasp the full implications of his words. "Who is it from?" I managed to ask, though my voice felt thin and strained.

Acyn's gaze darkened, a flicker of frustration crossing his features. "I don't know. The rogue was dead, and there were no clues to identify the sender. But it's clear that whoever it is, they're targeting you."

The gravity of his statement sank in, and I felt a cold shiver at the thought of being a marked target. The sense of vulnerability was overwhelming.

"I need to get back to the council," I insisted, desperately clinging to the hope that they could offer me protection. "They'll ensure my safety."

Acyn's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression shifting to one of subtle manipulation.

"Remember when they took Rei back instead of letting her stay with you? They might not prioritize your safety the way you think."

The memory of Rei's abrupt departure struck a chord. Acyn's words hit close to home, striking at the fears I had about the council's ability to offer me true protection. Still, the thought of imposing on Acyn's pack and risking their safety weighed heavily on my conscience.

"I don't want to put your pack at risk," I said, my voice trembling with uncertainty. "This is not your responsibility."

Acyn's expression softened, a reassuring smile spreading across his lips. "It's not a burden. We're equipped to handle this, and it's safer for you to stay here where we can keep an eye on you. You'll be discharged soon, and then we can head over to my house. I'll explain everything in detail."

I hesitated, torn between the need for immediate safety and the discomfort of accepting help from someone I was still grappling to understand. Acyn's calm demeanor and the assurance in his voice offered a fragile sense of security amidst the chaos.

Reluctantly, I nodded, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on me. The sterile, oppressive atmosphere of the room seemed to close in around me, but Acyn's presence provided a sliver of clarity amidst the turmoil. The unsettling message and the looming threat made it clear that I had little choice but to follow his lead, even if it meant confronting the unknown dangers that lay ahead.