Asher's Beloved

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One - Eyes Wide Open

Ayla Romanov's P.O.V.

A white ceiling greets me, the bright light of the room almost blinding me. I groan in protest, raising my arm to cover my eyes but freezing when I notice the IV stuck in it. Looking around the room, I recognize it as the infirmary but I'm so disorientated as to how I got here.

I push myself up using my arms, my limbs aching in protest. Just as I've managed to take a sip of water, the door opens and in walks Doctor Ilias. His eyes widen when he sees me before a bright smile takes over his expression.

"Good morning, Ayla! I'm glad to see you're awake, how are you feeling?" He grins, taking off his stethoscope and placing a clipboard on my bed.

"Okay but I feel some pain, what happened?" I run a hand through my hair, feeling like I haven't showered in days.

"You don't remember?" He frowns, shining a light into my eyes. "You teleported and were attacked, Asher killed Blithe and brought you..."

His voice fades away as everything comes back to me; Blithe controlling my body and mind, forcing me to teleport and trying to kill me. I remember Asher appearing out of nowhere and her body collapsed in the tunnel, and then pain. So much pain. I felt as if I could still hear Ivanna howling and whimpering in agony.

"M-My wolf. She was struck by the witch, is she okay?" I question frantically, feeling my heart clench in pain at his sad expression.

He leaves the room for a moment before walking back in with a woman called Sasha, explaining that she's the best healer of the castle. She smiles at me gently as she takes a seat on the bed, but her eyes are worried. Doctor Ilias nods at her when she glances at him unsure. I frown when she takes my hand, a heavy sigh escaping her. Tears brim my eyes when I know what she's about to say. I can feel Ivanna but, something is terribly wrong.

"When witches strike someone with the intention to kill, it's difficult to escape. Your wolf saved you but she was also extremely injured and shocked. Her pain is what you felt before you slipped in a coma, Blithe damaged her to the point where she can't shift or heal you." Sasha explains, making me cover my mouth in shock with a trembling hand. "We helped heal her as much as we could, your vampire also tried healing her with us. But we could only do so much, I'm sorry Ayla."

I nod, quickly wiping away a traitorous tear that had escaped. "How long have I been here?"

"You slipped into a two-month coma as your wolf needed time to heal and get over the shock. She shut down and your human side felt the effects too." Doctor Ilias explains as he checks all my vitals while I sit there in slight disbelief.

"Where's Asher?" I whisper, wanting to feel his comforting embrace.

"I finally convinced him to take a shower, he hasn't left your side much these two months. Smelt awful." She scrunches her nose, making me smile humorlessly.

"C-Can I go see him...please?" I plead to Doctor Ilias, watching as he struggles to speak.

"He just left. How about you take a shower and freshen up? By that time, the King will be back." He smiles gently and it wasn't that hard for me to agree. I felt disgusting.

I take the pieces of clothing that apparently Asher had put in here for when I would wake up. After assuring them that I can take a shower on my own, I lock the door and turn the water on. Although my body felt quite lazy and weak, I felt good enough to not need any help. Taking off my hospital gown, I step under the warm spray and let my tears mix in with the water. After a long moment of silence, I take a deep breath.