The Lycan’s King’s Heart

Episode 4- Recovery and Remembrance

Hazel’s pov

A dull ache throbbed through my skull, the pounding rhythm matching the slow beat of my heart. I blinked my eyes open, the world around me coming into hazy focus. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, clean white with soft light filtering through the windows.

My body felt heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and pain, but I was alive. Somehow, I was alive.

I tried to move, but every muscle in my body protested. A soft groan escaped my lips, and almost instantly, a figure appeared in my line of sight.

He was young, with striking features - sharp jawline, deep brown eyes, and short, neatly trimmed hair. His expression was one of gentle concern, but there was something in his gaze that told me he was used to seeing pain.

"Easy there," he said, his voice calm and soothing as he pressed a cool hand to my forehead. "You’re still healing. Don’t try to move too much."

I took a shaky breath, trying to push past the fog in my mind. "Where… where am I?"

"You’re safe," he replied, his tone reassuring. "You’re in the pack hospital.”

“But this is not the pack hospital I know,” I said looking around at the surroundings. “Are you a new doctor?”

“Me, no,” he laughed. “My name is Mason. I am the resident doctor here at the Night Walker pack.”

“The Night Walker pack, the home of the Lycan King."

"Yes, you are right,” he answered.

“How did I get here?” I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my head, and I winced, sinking back into the bed.

The doctor—Mason—hesitated for a moment before answering. "The King found you. You were badly injured, and he brought you here himself."

I stared at him, the words taking a moment to sink in. "The King… saved me?"

The doctor nodded, his expression softening. "He’s been by your side the whole time. Only left a short while ago to attend to some matters. You’re lucky he found you when he did."

My mind struggled to process everything, the fog slowly lifting as memories started to trickle back.

I felt a lump rise in my throat, the pain in my chest almost unbearable. "I… I remember now," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I was betrayed."

The doctor’s eyes softened with sympathy, but he didn’t say anything. I didn’t need him to. The memories were coming back too fast, overwhelming me. I closed my eyes, trying to push them back, but it was useless. They were there, seared into my mind.

"I trusted them," I murmured, more to myself than to him. "I trusted them with everything, and they… they betrayed me."

The pain in my head intensified, a sharp, throbbing agony that made me gasp.

The doctor was by my side in an instant, gently pressing a hand to my forehead. "You need to rest," he said softly. "You’ve been through a lot, and your body needs time to heal."

But I couldn’t rest, not with the memories clawing at me, tearing me apart from the inside. "I need to see him," I said, my voice urgent. "I need to see King Oscar. I have to thank him."

"He’ll be back soon," the doctor reassured me. "He’s been here the whole time, watching over you. But for now, you need to rest. Let your body recover."

"Please… tell him… thank you…" I managed to whisper before the darkness pulled me under once more.

As I drifted back into unconsciousness, the last thing I felt was the gentle touch of the doctor’s hand, and a strange, unfamiliar sense of safety, like I was being protected.

It was a small comfort, one that I clung to as the memories of betrayal haunted me, even in sleep.

I woke again, this time more slowly, the haze in my mind lifting bit by bit. The pain in my head had dulled, reduced to a constant throb that I could almost ignore.

The room around me was quiet, the soft hum of distant voices barely audible. I blinked, adjusting to the dim light, and realized that the doctor was gone. I was alone.

For a moment, I lay there, trying to piece together everything that had happened. Images of Jack flashed through my mind—his smile, his reassuring words, his promises.

"You’ll never be alone, Hazel. I’ll always be by your side, no matter what." he always told me.

‘Yet, he betrayed you,’ Mia said. ‘That useless piece of s**t took your alpha position and pushed you aside.’

“You are right, Mia.”

How many times had he said that? How many times had I believed him? The memory of those words twisted in my chest, now tainted with the bitter sting of betrayal.

Jack had been there when my parents died, holding me as I cried, promising that we would get through it together. I had trusted him with everything—my heart, my pack, my future. And he had repaid that trust with lies and deceit.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as the realization sank in. He had taken everything from me—my position, my dignity, my love. And Willow… She had been by my side for years, my closest friend, my confidante.

Had they been planning this together all along? How had I not seen it?

‘Willo was right,’ continued Mia. ‘You were very naive.’

“You are not helping you know,” I retorted and she just growled in my head.

But Mia was right. I had been naive, blind to the truth that had been right in front of me. And now… now they had everything.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories, but they kept coming, relentless and cruel. Jack, standing before the pack, declaring rejecting me as his Luna. Willow’s smug smile, her eyes filled with triumph as she watched me fall.

A sharp pain lanced through my chest, and I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me. But it was no use. The hurt, the betrayal, it was too much. How could they do this to me? How could they… ?

My thoughts were interrupted by a movement at the far side of the room. I blinked, focusing on the figure quietly moving about, cleaning the floors. There was something familiar about the way he moved, the set of his shoulders. I watched him for a moment, my heart skipping a beat as recognition began to dawn.

It couldn’t be… could it?

"Arthur?" I called out, my voice hoarse and uncertain. The man froze, his back to me, the mop still in his hands. Slowly, he turned, and as his face came into view, my breath caught in my throat. It was him.

There was no mistaking it—Arthur, one of the older warriors from my pack, a man who had been loyal to my family for years.

But when his eyes met mine, he quickly averted them, turning his face away as if he didn’t want to be recognized.

"I… I’m sorry, miss. You must have me mistaken for someone else."

My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain that flared through my body. "Arthur, what are you doing here? What happened… ?"

He shook his head, cutting me off. "I’m not Arthur. You must be confused. Please, you should rest."

"No," I insisted, the desperation in my voice undeniable. "You’re Arthur. I know you. What’s going on? Why are you here?"

He took a step back, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape.

"I… I can’t talk to you, miss. Please, just… forget you saw me," he murmured, his voice barely audible as he turned and fled from the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

I stared after him, my mind racing. What was Arthur doing here? And why had he looked at me with such fear? My heart pounded in my chest, the questions swirling in my mind, each one more unsettling than the last.

Had he been here this whole time? Had he seen what happened? Did he know something about Jack and Willow’s betrayal?

My hands trembled as I clutched the sheets, my breath coming in shallow gasps. I felt the tears welling up again, the weight of everything pressing down on me, but I refused to let them fall.

I had cried enough. I had been weak enough. But not anymore. I needed to understand what had happened, why the people I trusted most had turned against me.

One thing was clear: I needed answers. And I would find them, no matter what it took. So I dragged myself out of the bed and went after him.

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