Chapter 87

• HAERA
• All of my plans were long forgotten or should I say neglected? Not that I wanted to let go of my previous decisions but I had to and my hopes of seeing my mate awake had been crushed. Although I had accepted the fact that I wouldn't be able to just see him and return to my parent's pack, I didn't expect the days to gradually turn into a week. A week even became weeks yet Zachary didn't regain his consciousness. I was beginning to forget my reasons for being mad at him as the days passed. My heart had even begun to ache because of his motionless state and I had to see him like that every day. After all, I tended to him. It was another morning again. The beginning of a be a day that might appear beautiful and bright to others but to me, it was just another day to continue the heartbreaking responsibilities that I had been made to shoulder. "I've brought the Alpha's bathing water and towel, Prin- Luna." One of the numerous servant girls informed me as she entered Alpha Zachary's chambers. If I had met her before, I couldn't remember but she was one of the few that had begun to relax around me except for the confusion of not knowing how to address me. I liked my princess title a lot but being called a Luna was on a higher level and it makes me want to really be the pack Luna. "Thank you. You may take your leave." I ordered and she bowed her head before leaving. I was alone with my mate once again. Taking care of Zachary wasn't the problem. It was the manner in which my heart tends to ache around him these days that bothered me. I was still scared I would get hurt once he opened his eyes or when he doesn't. Either way, I'd definitely get hurt. "He isn't going to die. Don't jinx it because I can sense him recovering soon." My wolf murmured as I began to undress my mate and I would have paid attention to Dezra's words if she didn't say the same yesterday and the day before. Those words had become her mantra but I couldn't bring myself to believe it anymore. Bathing Alpha Zachary in bed had become a regular and must-do daily activity for me. I mean, who else would have done it if I wasn't? I couldn't even allow it. No one should be able to see him at his weakest. Nobody except me. "Do you mean to say, no one except you should be able to see his penis?" Dezra asked. My wolf and I had gotten back to how we used to be. We've resolved our differences as we had only each other to rely on after my return to the imperial pack. "That too." I confirmed as I loosen my mate's pants. If anyone had told me the first time I would see my mate naked wouldn't be when we're both burning for each other sexually, I wouldn't have believed it. However, I was used to it by now. During the first few days, I'd have shielded my eyes just because I didn't want to see Zachary's private part while I bathed him but now, I have become a pro at running the towel over his skin without batting an eye. "Good morning, Alpha Zachary." I greeted him like I had been doing. The physician once told me that my mate could hear and sense me due to the natural bond between us so I made sure I spoke to him whenever I was with him. "It's another day to open your eyes. You might be enjoying my attention but I have been suffering because of you. Your pack duties are crushing my bones which means I might end up like you soon if you don't open your eyes." I voiced out to my motionless mate. It might sound like a complaint to others but it was the best I could say to him that morning. His Alpha responsibilities had suddenly been dumped on me overnight because everyone had started seeing me as the pack Luna even though I wasn't crowned nor marked yet. Alan would soon be here to bombard me with things that needed the Alpha's permission. It wasn't like this the first few days after my return. In fact, I hardly stepped out of my mate's chambers, staying cocooned and useless until Alan showed up worried with a stack of papers in his hands. "I can't delay these anymore, Princess Haera. I'm afraid you'll have to step in for the Alpha till he wakes up." Alan had said that day. We all thought Alpha Zachary would make full recovery soon enough but our assumptions turned out to be wrong and I was still bearing the weight of his duties to avoid chaos in the pack. My life schedule had suddenly consisted of taking care of my destined mate, attending boring council meetings, controlling the servants, stamping roasters with the Alpha seal and so much more which included attending the warriors training along with Alan. "I don't think the warriors training should be included in your list of tasks. You don't do anything but watch whenever you go to the training grounds." Dezra corrected. "Whatever you say.... that doesn't make all of this less stressful." Clothing Alpha Zachary in a clean robe, I responded to my wolf. Was it possible for an unconscious person to become more attractive? Or was my head and eyes tricking me? My mate's calm face had me staring at every detail of his body while I pretended to adjust his pillow to avoid Dezra's tease. "It isn't a crime to admit that you miss him, Haera. I can feel how much you yearn for him." Even though I tried to his it, my wolf still found out and she quickly made a comment about it. It was strange that I harbored anger at Zachary and at the same time wished for a beautiful future with him. It was insane. "Admitting that wouldn't change the circumstances." I replied despite my desire to see his eyeballs again. A mental image of his smile had refused to leave my head for the past few days and his scent was driving me nuts. Alpha Zachary might be sick yet his natural scent remained strong in every nook and crannies of his chambers. I wasn't being spared from inhaling it consistently. I found myself liking it and hating it but I liked it more. "Princess Haera. The physician is here to see you." One of the guards standing outside Alpha Zachary's chambers announced and I replied immediately, giving my permission as I had been expecting the physician to come over to observe his usual morning check-up on the Alpha. "Luna." Instead of the old man, a younger one who seemed to be an apprentice bowed to me. I was confused by his presence but before I could fire questions at him, the young physician began to explain. "The physician asked me to tender his sincere apology for not being able to come this morning. He has to prepare something that would help me the Alpha but in the meantime, he prescribes this concoction for Alpha." The younger Physician might be an apprentice but he certainly knew what he was doing. He wasn't shaking in my presence like some of the maids still do and somehow, he reminded me of my bully friend- Basil. "You may leave." I granted. After another respectful bow, the young physician left leaving me with a nostalgic feeling. I hardly had time to think about home but any slight opportunity always made me yearn for the life I had back at the moonstone pack. "If it makes you feel better, I miss him too. Basil would have found a way to alleviate your boredom." Dezra chimed but it didn't make me feel better. My wolf's statement made me miss him more. If he was here, I wouldn't have to be lonely. Well... It was what it was. "I wish I could live both lives without having to sacrifice one for the other." Lifting the lukewarm concoction, I replied to my wolf as I got ready to feed my mate. He might be immobile but he was still alive and to keep him alive, I usually found a way to feed him food that he could easily digest. I even prepare them myself sometimes. My stomach grumbled when the thought of food crossed my mind. It was surprising that my breakfast hasn't been delivered yet which was perhaps due to Opaline being absent on duty today. I continued feeding Alpha Zachary despite being hungry myself but I made a mental note to find out why my food was delayed. "Princess Haera, may I come in?" Alan's voice bellowed to me and my stomach dropped. I knew for sure that he was seeking my presence because he had a tiring workload to dump on my table. The hunger I felt before his arrival intensified yet I called him into Alpha Zachary's chambers which had become my sleeping chambers too and also a place where Alan and I discussed important issues. It was my opinion to talk about pack matters in my mate's presence with the hope that he would hear us and feel eager to open his eyes. It was also another way of asking for his permission before making decisions on his behalf. Alpha Zachary hasn't been showing any signs of hearing the discussions though... "It's good to see you glowing this morning, Princess Haera." Alan greeted as soon as he walked into the chamber. Alan was the only person who still called me by my Princess title and I couldn't complain because he reminded me of who I was. "Funny how you call me Princess but I perceive some Luna duties about to be assigned to me." I said to my mate's Beta who had taken it upon himself to flatter me into fulfilling the Alpha duties. Zachary really needed to wake up soon. "Pardon me, Luna but there's no one else we can turn to at these striving moments." Faking an apology, Alan clarified with the same emotionless face. I snorted before offering him a seat which he gladly took. "Why are you here this morning? I don't see your signature documents in your hands so it must be something else." Words couldn't describe the relief that flooded my mind when I didn't see Alan come in with documents. I was hesitant but I had to ask him about the purpose of his unappreciated visit. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Princess Haera but you spoke too soon. I was just about to call in the servants carrying the documents in." Alan said and my mouth dropped...nearly touching the ground. I wanted to believe he was teasing me but when three servants walked into the chambers, my opened mouth finally touched the ground. What in the woodlands! My eyes took in the countless numbers of documents that the three servants were carrying before shifting to observe Alan's face but there was still nothing to see on his face except his nose perhaps. "You're kidding me right?" I finally asked Alan. "If my memories are intact, you and I still reviewed some paperwork yesterday. So why on earth are they voluminous like the earth itself?" I added before Alan could speak. "You remember that correctly but most of these arrived during the night and a large number of them are from your father's pack. I assumed he trusted you enough to-" "You mean my father sent most of these?" My question cut the rest of Alan's statement as I wasn't interested in it. "Yes, Princess Haera. To be precise, he sent the stack two of the servants had been carrying." What the hell? Some of these things were confusing because I didn't see the need to send these documents when the three packs are in perfect harmony. Why on earth are they making my life more difficult? Even my Papa?... Is a Princess allowed to cry in front of her subjects? "You wouldn't do that." Dezra etched. "Should I shift so you can take over from here!" I fired at my wolf and she immediately blocked our mindlink. Even my wolf? "Excuse me, Princess Haera but can they drop them now. The documents are quite heavy." Alan called my attention to the servants who had begun to sweat under the weight of the documents they had been carrying. I had completely forgotten about them due to shock. "Of course." How I wished I could have told them to go to the lake and dump these pieces of lengthy nonsense into the depth of the water or preferably a well. The servants murmured their greetings before leaving Alpha Zachary's chambers. Alan and I exchanged looks as I silently pleaded with him to exclude me from the writing process but he didn't budge. "Shall we begin?" Alan requested and that was how I began working on what would be a beautiful day for some other people. Alan and I soon lost track of time and I didn't even remember that I was hungry or that I hadn't eaten that day, not until we were on the last document and it was almost nightfall. "Am I supposed to fast for the Alpha's recovery?" I gritted. The stress from the workload plus hunger wasn't a good combination but I felt them both at that moment which resulted in grouchiness. "You haven't eaten today?" Alan questioned without hiding his surprise and I nodded. "I'll go to the kitchen instantly." He offered, clearing the desk we had been using for work. I stopped him from going because I wanted to go there myself and give Dina a piece of my hungry mind. I left Alan to handle how the chambers would be cleaned as I headed for the kitchen area. "Try breathing, Haera. Dina would shit her pants if you go in like this!" Dezra advised but I could hear humor in her voice. She found it funny that I'd starved throughout the day just because my personal maid wasn't around to tend to me. I soon arrived at the familiar corridors that led to the kitchen and Dina's voice was loud as fuck as she barked orders at the kitchen maids. "Don't even think about leaving without preparing breakfast tomorrow. I'm retiring for the day." Dina said. I had gotten closer to the entrance of the kitchen and shel attempted to leave only to collide with me. She didn't know I was the one until she made the mistake of yelling at me. "Are you fucking blind!" She asked before raising her head to see who it was. "I'm not but I guess you are." I responded when Dina's eyes met mine. "Hae...Princ...L-luna!" The kitchen devil stammered as she trembled in front of me. I could sense her fear but that wasn't enough to make me less angry or less hungry. Dina had been avoiding my presence ever since I returned to the pack and I wasn't even complaining but whatever happened to my food today was too much for me to understand. "Are you planning to starve me to death?" I fired at Dina. The other maids in the kitchen had scurried into a corner which made me wonder if I was that scary or if it was my Alpha aura that was at work. "Forgive me, Luna. I don't understand what you mean t-" "You don't know what I mean! Why on earth didn't any of you think of bringing me food today?" I yelled at Dina. My anger was directed at her alone even though I knew the kitchen maids might be the ones at fault. "Let's assume you forgot but how the hell did you forget three times! No breakfast, lunch was skipped, and not even dinner and you are retiring for the day?" Using my hunger to fuel anger, I barked. I guessed I was too tired to see or smell the effect of my outburst on Dina and others or I just didn't care. I was furiously hungry and tired. Dina's mouth opened to answer me but she closed it again. A lot was still brewing in my mind. I was yet to start but I couldn't continue because I was stopped by another maid who appeared panicked. "Luna! I was cleaning...the....Alpha...cham..bers when-" "Is everything okay?" Again, my hunger was forgotten as I also began to panic. "You have to come...it's...its...it's the Alpha!!!" She didn't have to tell me more than that because I didn't wait to hear it.