Chapter 33

Lola's POV .
"How are you feeling?" Mia asked quietly, breaking the silence that had taken over the room. She had her shoulders slumped down in defeat, her eyes illuminating the sadness she was feeling
I took in a deep breath, scrunching my eyebrows in defeat when I couldn't particularly find an answer to her question. What I felt? I felt nothing, absolutely nothing. It's weird considering that just yesterday my life was about to be taken away from me, not excluding the fact that Jake's condition was pretty dangerous
But there it was, the emptiness
I still couldn't comprehend the reason behind my coolness, my state of numbness. It was like my emotions were put at pause, waiting for something to repress the play button. Everyone was nervously waiting for me to break down, expecting me to lose my calm any minute now as if it was the most normal thing in the world, ready to give me the shoulder to cry on.
And to be honest, I supposed the same. Being locked up in a cell for days, pressured by the thought of my fate either being a powerless demon or a lifeless body was enough to make any girl's mental state unstable
"Good I guess." I shrugged my shoulders, looking back at her before redirecting my gaze to the outside. I could see a couple of reporters still unwavering outside the gates, hoping to be the first to unwrap the big mystery of the princess's return.
Any other girl in my shoes would've loved the attention she was getting, being the talk of the town, the headline of every magazine – a downright celebrity. But no, not me. Not a girl that experienced the true meaning of having the life being sucked out of her, the crashing reality of losing a mate. Almost
I remember reading a book about werewolves a couple years back, enthralled upon finishing the section where it talks about mate. The love of having one, but the pain of losing one. It's like your soul being split in two when a mate dies, an unbearable torturous agony surging through your entire self
Mind, body and soul.
Though I am not a werewolf, but I have gone through that. Watching Jake drop to the ground the way he did, his eyes closing as he took in what could've possibly been his last breaths cracked my ability to endure
The image of the gash over his blood covered chest is forever carved in my head, and it was that exact same moment that I thought it was over. Not only his life, but mine too
"Lola, are you even listening to me?" I glanced sideways to see an annoyed looking Mia wearing a scowl on her face
"Uh, what were you saying?" I tilted my head, pushing myself away from the window to come closer to her
"I was saying that Mark talked to the doctor this morning and he said that Jake should be up in the next twenty-four hours, give or take." She said carefully, her eyes roaming my face waiting for my reaction.
"Yeah he told me." I nodded solemnly. She bit her lip wondering whether she should say anything else regarding Jake's condition. Honestly, I didn't want to talk about it and I was more than glad when Leila didn't press the matter any further.
It's not like I didn't trust the doctor's words, but those twenty-four hours might extend to become a forty-eight and the forty-eight might actually become a week. I didn't want to live each day on a hope that could turn into a disappointment
He's going to wake up eventually, but I'd rather stay the way I am than feeling my heart sink deeper and deeper each passing day with the only movement of his being the rise and fall of his chest
The doctor explained that Jake was able to survive the attack because of the pure royal alpha blood running through his veins
His wolf is much stronger than any other alpha which is why the wolfs bane didn't spread into his system as fast as it usually does. Even the doctor was astounded, never witnessing such a strength especially since the dagger hit the place just below his heart
It is a miracle that he survived.
And I couldn't be more thankful. When Jake's parents knew that their son is between life and death, they raced to the castle in frenzy. My father lead them to Jake's chamber to let them see that he was indeed alright, just needing a bit of rest.
Uncle Kaylden calmed down after that, seeing his son breathing steadily, but Linda was the one to burst into tears. We tried comforting her, telling her that Jake will wake up soon and that she should be happy that he was able to make it. I guess that did it and put her nerves at ease.
I straightened myself seeing Mark enter the room, eager to hear what the council decided to do with Luke and Vera. Oh right I forgot to mention.
The duo was directly thrown into the dungeons and left to regret every choice they took. From threatening the royal family and kidnapping me to harming the next in line to the werewolf thrown, my father strictly ordered the guards to make them pay for what they have done even before their trials.
"Tell me." Mark's eyes mirrored mine, curious to know Luke and Vera's fate. Needless to say, Mia was more than ecstatic to know that the she bitch was finally put in the place she belongs to, the cells
When I first told her that Vera had been part of my kidnapping, it took me all my might to restrain a fuming Mia from blowing up the underground level dungeons. Mark came in shortly after Mia began screaming profanities and banging the doors to get out while promising to crack every bone left in Vera's body.
Just imagine the look on his face the moment he witnessed his girlfriend turn into godzilla.
The mixture of disbelief and uncertainty plain evident on his face made me lost a hell lot of willpower and fall into fits of laughter. It was that hilarious
"They want to wait until Jake wakes up to perform the trail." He explained, digging his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and shook his head in dismay.
"That's complete bullshit!" Mia threw her hands up in the air, her eyes holding frustration as well as disappointment
"What the hell! Why would they do that? All of you are witnesses that Luke was the attacker so why do they want to wait for Jake's testimony?" I buried my face in the palms of my hands and groaned. I don't understand the need to wait for Jake when they can easily convict Luke of attempted murder. My father, the king, had already given in his statement and as did Mark.
"Don't ask me Lola, those bunch of assholes. If your father wasn't there to stop me, then I would've knocked out a few of them." Mark's eyes darkened, possibly remembering the council meeting
"I can't believe those –those toe lickers!" Mark had her hands over her hips, a stern look of disapproval displayed over her features. Did she just say what I think she just said?
Toe lickers
I snorted rolling my eyes but it was Mark's confused and utterly lost stare that had me laughing my ass off. He was staring at Mia as if she had grown another head
"Seriously Mia?" I chuckled, unable hide my smile. That's by far one of her most imaginative insults. I'm pretty sure no one has ever gotten to the toe licker level
"Out of everything, you picked toe lickers? Is that even considered an insult?" I asked, biting my lip to prevent myself from laughing all over again
"Don't laugh at me! I'm trying to keep my mouth at filter and you guys are not helping." Grumbled Mia, her cheeks tinted red. Aw, she's blushing
"Well duh!" She scoffed. I just shook my head and looked back at Mark that seemed to be gradually getting over his shocker
"Anyway," Mark cleared his throat,
"Did you check up on Jake?" He sat on the bed next to Mia, placing his hand on top of hers. I won't say I didn't feel a tad bit jealous because I'd be lying. It's not that I'm jealous of my best friends, but it's more of a feeling of envy seeing them lovey dovey and I on the other hand am waiting for a single movement from Jake
"I was in his room this morning." I said, keeping my voice even. Good thing they didn't notice my shoulders stiffen.
"I really hope he wakes up soon." Mia sighed
"Me too Mia, me too." My stare dropped to the ground and I closed my eyes to clear my head from bad thoughts. Mia and Mark dove into several topics in which I had no interest in
I sat on the nearby armchair and dwelled in my own thoughts, completely blocking out their voices. What I really wanted right now was to have some alone time. I appreciated my best friends being here for me and trying their most to cheer me up, but it just won't happen.
Turning my head to the right, I stared back at the girl with violet eyes, the half dark moons surrounding them and showing off the obvious lack of sleep. Not only were my eyes tired but my entire face, pale and void of its usual liveliness. Even my hair lost its shineThe past week has taken its toll on me and it hadn't made an appearance until I rested. I couldn't stare at the mirror image of me any longer, hating the way I looked so I did the next best thing and left them alone, leaving to go to Jake's room.
I opened the door and entered slowly, my eyes set on Jake's lying form. He was sleeping soundlessly, tucked under the bed covers that reached up his chest. Closing the door gently, I made my way toward him, the bed dipping as I sat down.
I traced his shoulders, his arms down to his fingers and captured his unmoving hand with mine, a heavy sigh escaping my lips.
"When will you wake up Jake? I need you, now more than ever." I tightened my hold on his hand noticing that he hasn't shaven his bear, and it sure suited him well. I placed my other hand on his cheek, smiling tenderly at his peaceful face.
"It's breaking my heart to be unable to talk to you, hug you, kiss you. You're the one that puts me together, and seeing you like this is pulling me apart. I love you, so fucking much." I let a tear fall down my cheek, the emotions I was suppressing surfaced.
Silence.
It was dumb of me to think that he'll wake up all of a sudden and tell me that he loves me too, the only reply I got was his soft breathing. Sighing, I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, squeezing his hand a bit and sat back up straight to admire his handsome face.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard it. The breath caught in my throat and I slowly turned my head to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating.
Eyes open.
I was staring right back into those green orbs I fell in love with.