Tamed by the Lycan Prince

5- DELTA

CHAPTER ONE

-WILHELMINA-

I woke up slowly, my senses struggling to adjust. The sound of a soft beeping intruded upon my consciousness, the rhythmic pulses both foreign and comforting. A faint antiseptic smell prickled at the back of my nostrils, a testament to the sterile environment I found myself in. My body felt heavy, weighed down with a fatigue that seemed bone-deep.

My eyes fluttered open, assaulted by the pale fluorescent lighting, its harsh glare softened by wispy white curtains drawn around my bed. The room was unfamiliar but impeccably clean, the walls painted a soothing shade of seafoam green. Potted plants dotted every corner, their vibrant green leaves reaching out towards the sunlight streaming in from the window.

I was in a hospital bed, my body covered with a soft, white quilt that felt as feathery light as a cloud. A soft humming echoed through the room, emanating from what appeared to be a sophisticated machinery nearby, laced with wires and tubes hooked up to my arm, its digital screen blinking with various numbers and symbols.

The door creaked open and in walked a woman in a crisp white coat. She had sharp, intelligent eyes that darted from my face to the machinery beside me and back again.

"Ah, you're awake," she pointed out the obvious, her lips curling into a small smile. She moved toward me with a grace and precision that spoke of years of repeated motions, and began checking various monitors and scribbling notes on a clipboard.

I tried to sit up, but she gently placed a cool hand on my shoulder, easing me back down. "Don't strain yourself," she instructed kindly.

"I... where am I?" I managed to croak out, my throat feeling raw and dry.

"You're in the hospital," she replied, adjusting the IV line attached to my arm. "We've been monitoring you closely ever since your brother brought you in. You were pretty out of it."

Quickly, my mind flashed back to the forest, Boris with the Alpha's Crown and the Wolf's Bane, Weldon's worried face. I winced, trying to sit up again, but the nurse gently pushed me down.

"Easy now," she soothed, her hand resting comfortingly on my forearm. "You had a close encounter with Wolf's Bane, and it took quite a toll on your body. You are lucky that a small dose entered your system."

My heart pounded. "Boris..." I stammered, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them.

The woman looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "The Alpha?" she echoed gently. "He explained to everyone what happened. You accidentally landed on a Wolf's Bane thorn bush."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That was not the true story. Boris had deliberately poisoned me with a vial of Wolf's Bane. I bit my lip to suppress a protest. Lies. Boris was spinning lies to cover his deceit. The nurse misinterpreted my silence as shock and patted my arm reassuringly.

"There, there," she cooed, her fingers brushing against my forearm in an attempt to soothe me. My heart pounded violently against my ribcage, but I forced myself to remain still.

"Where's my brother?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The nurse fixed her gaze on me, a slow, contemplative look. "I will call and let your family know that you woke. You should rest until they get here."

As she left my room, I was left to my thoughts. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear. Boris' betrayal echoed painfully deep inside me. I was aware of his arrogance and rudeness, but I never imagined he would stoop so low as to cheat in order to become the Alpha. And Weldon... what happened to him after he carried me away from Boris and out of the Dark Woods?