Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1291 - 46 : Uncertain Awakening

*Noah*

Everything hurt as I let out a groan of agony upon waking up from a very long slumber. The beeping of medical equipment sounded by my ear, causing me to grumble with annoyance.

I wanted more rest, but the flurry of voices that hit my ears next was definitely preventing me from getting it. When I opened my eyes, the first face I saw was none other than Merida’s.

What?!

“Merida?” I managed to say.

“Noah! Oh, thank the Goddess you’re alright!” she said with delight and relief in her tone.

She was sitting by my bed, and she leaned forward to place a hand on my arm.

“Urgh, what happened? You’re back?” I asked, trying to clear the fog that was in my mind. I felt a sense of sheer joy upon realizing my lost love had returned.

“But Merida... how are you here?”

Merida gave me a soft smile.

“So much happened, darling, but I’m here for you. You almost died, but we can talk about that later. For now, do you need anything? You must be starving.”

She looked over at Calvin, who was checking my vitals and looking me over.

“Noah can eat in an hour or so,” Calvin said. “Preparing some food for him is a good idea.”

“I almost died?” I asked, bewildered.

Calvin nodded.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “The toxins from the substances you took caused you to lapse into critical condition, but I was able to stabilize you. Thankfully, your system is finally clearing them up.”

“Substances I took?” I asked, shaking my head.

I could tell that a look of confusion crossed my face, and I looked at Merida.

“You don’t remember who poisoned you?” she asked softly.

I shook my head, bewildered. I was poisoned? “The last thing I remember was being at a dinner... or something. Even that’s very foggy. What happened?”

“Hm.... I think your parents would be best to explain that,” Merida said with a sympathetic smile.

“You can see them after your lunch,” Calvin said. “They want to talk with you as soon as possible. I will let them know you’ve woken up.”

I nodded, and with that, I took the chance to fill my stomach as hunger clawed at me. A simple sandwich did the trick, and all the while, Merida was there taking care of me.

During that time, she explained to me her situation—how she’d survived the shipwreck but lost her memory. I was filled with a sense of relief and happiness that she made it back.

“How is the temperature in here? Do you need anything other than some food or water?” she asked me in a concerned tone.

I smiled at her warmly and shook my head, struck by how caring she was, just like the woman I remembered before I thought the sea had taken her.

For some reason, my wolf balked at that idea, I didn’t know why, and I furrowed my brow. My emotions were so conflicting.

Matters only got more confusing when my parents stopped in. My father was clenching his jaw, his body language tense, and his glare unmatched by anyone else.

Estella just looked... tired and concerned when she looked at me, resting her hand on my father’s shoulder as she tried to get a grasp on the situation.

“Son,” my father said. “You’ve been through a lot. We were worried sick for you. This has been a complete disaster the pack.”

“Seems like it,” I said in a somewhat short tone, annoyed with how little I remembered.

I had so many questions. Why was everything such a fog? What had happened to me?

I could tell he cared deeply and was trying, though, so decided to hear him out. “Can you tell me what happened? I can’t remember... much of anything.”

“Well, the woman who nearly killed you currently carries your child,” he said flatly, causing my eyes to widen.

“Excuse me?”

Estella spoke up in a far gentler tone, though I could tell she was at her wits end.

“At the dinner, you stood up and announced that Zara’s child was yours,” he explained.

Shock rushed through me as I tried to figure out how that could have happened. Could it be true? But who was this mysterious Zara, and why would her child be mine?

I had to take a moment to process the information, blinking several times and trying to run what had happened through my head.

I looked at Merida with worry.

“Don’t worry, Noah,” Merida said calmly. “Zara is a problem, but we can take the child and raise it together, Noah. It is no problem. The child will have loving parents through us.”

That idea was tantalizing. Merida, my love, was back, and we could raise a child together. I ignored my wolf, who was completely opposed to the idea.

I definitely wanted a loving mother for my child. But my gaze moved to my father. “The woman who nearly killed me?” I asked.

“Zara,” he snarled, “the matchmaker we took in and thought would help you. Her meddling nearly killed you. She and those lilies put you where you are right now.”

I reached up and rubbed my temples, trying to figure things out. “What day is it?”

“It’s been a week since the celebration dinner,” Merida said.

“What?! I’ve been out for an entire week?” 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“Caleb would know the most about that,” my father said. “I will have him come in here.”

He let out a sigh and went silent, likely calling him in with the mind link.

A minute later, Caleb entered the room, dipping his head respectfully. “Alpha Issac, Luna Estella, Alpha Heir Noah, how can I be of assistance?”

“Hello Caleb,” I said. “I was wondering what happened for the week that I can’t remember. Also, I need to know the whereabouts of Zara, the woman who nearly killed me.”

Caleb frowned deeply. “A rogue attacked Zara, and you took her to your summer home to protect her.”

“I see, go on,” I said.

I tried to hide the shock in my tone. If I took Zara to that place, I must have decided she was someone very special to me.

But I couldn’t figure out why most of my time with her was completely lost.

If she was so special, then why couldn’t I remember a thing, especially everything that would make her so important to me?

Caleb continued, “At the home, there seemed to be a bond between you and Zara. But... it didn’t last. We were delighted at first, until everything went wrong.”

I nodded. “Father says she poisoned me.”

“I’m not sure that’s what happened,” Caleb said with concern in his tone.

My father spoke up again. “She says it was an accident, but the pack suspects otherwise. We do not trust what she has to say about it. You were on the brink of death, Noah. It’s not something that can be overlooked.”

Merida chimed in now, sharing her perspective. “She may have used a fake potion on you to manipulate you. It may also be why your memories are so foggy.”

I furrowed my brow. That sounded twisted and wrong. But I didn’t know why.

I needed to get her perspective on this. “Bring Zara into the room.”

“What?!” my father growled, his eyes alight in fury. “She’s caused enough trouble. That is a terrible idea.”

“I want to get her perspective,” I demanded, keeping my stare locked on him. “There has to be more to this story.”

“We will stay here and make sure things do not go wrong again,” Estella said. “We can let him talk to her, love.” She leaned over and gave my father a gentle kiss on the cheek.

This calmed him down and caused him to sigh. “Fine. We aren’t leaving.” He looked at Caleb. “Please, can you bring Zara into the room, Caleb?”

“Of course, Alpha Issac,” Caleb said, giving a serious nod.

With that, he left to go bring Zara into the room while I sat there, mulling things over in frustration.

Everything was so confusing. I had no idea what to think. But when Zara entered the room, and my eyes met her beautiful emerald gaze, I felt my heart flutter.

A deep sense of attraction hit me. What was this intense feeling? This woman made me extremely curious, and I tilted my head, trying to figure out why.

The ‘why’ was a complete fog, and I for the life of me couldn’t figure it out. It couldn’t be that important, I thought, so I pushed it aside.

Tears streamed down Zara’s cheeks as she said, “Noah, I am so sorry for all that’s happened. I should have known taking such a high dose of the lilies was a horrible idea.”

So, she had given me an overdose of something—the Luna Lily tea. But I didn’t understand why she had done that. I furrowed my brow, doubt seeping into my mind regarding her intentions.

Everything was a fog—the pack’s suspicions, including my father, landed on her. She confirmed she’d done something wrong. Was this apology even sincere?

She must have seen the doubt in my gaze because she shuddered and sniffled again, trying her best no doubt to keep strong. I felt a pang of sadness seeing her like this.

My wolf was furious, wanting me to say something to comfort her, to put her worries at ease, but I didn’t listen to him.

There was too much going on right then for me to just forgive someone I didn’t recognize.

I said in a firm tone, “I can’t remember this.”

I watched a peculiar sense of shock enter her expression, and she blinked several times. She said in a hushed tone, “Y-you... don’t remember me?”

“No,” I said with a sigh. “However, you can remain here until the birth of your child.”

Tears began streaming down her cheeks, and she bowed her head, looking as though she were about to break down into sobs. She kept control of herself, though.

She just nodded, a defeated glint to her eye as she bowed her head. As I watched Caleb lead her out of the room, I felt extremely torn.

There was a deep sense of distrust settling within me, especially as my father said, “An outsider causing this much chaos should be watched at all times.”

I couldn’t argue with him there because he was right. I had nearly died by her own admission, after all. I blinked slowly, letting out a sigh.

Merida placed a hand on my arm. “You are such a caring person, Noah, letting someone that dangerous stay here, after what she’s done. Just be careful. I’ll be by your side, alright?”

“Thank you, Merida,” I said in a grateful tone.

She gave me a very warm smile and leaned down to hug me.

I returned it, smiling as she whispered into my ear, “You are very welcome. I am here for you.”

She continued to remain by my side as my father, Estella, and Caleb left to go about their business, assuring me that they would be checking in regularly.

Inevitably, my thoughts turned to Zara once more, and I couldn’t explain why I felt completely, inexplicably drawn to her while still remaining distrustful after everything.

The questions came again. What was that huge piece of me missing? Was the cause of it her?

The more I thought about it, the more I concluded that whatever had happened was an accident. I could feel my wolf surge in agreement with this idea.

A couple of the elders stopped into my room. “We understand you want the matchmaker to remain in the pack, but she needs to be severely punished for what she’s done,” one of them said.

I shook my head, saying what had been on my mind for a while now. “I believe whatever happened may have been an accident.”

One of the elders scoffed. “We do not know that for sure. We only know what she has done.”

I sighed softly and held a firm gaze. “For now, that’s what I am going to assume. She was genuinely apologetic for whatever happened.”

“That doesn’t mean much.”

“I understand that,” I said. “But she is carrying my child. For the time being, she is untouchable.”

That was that. The elders looked as if they wanted to protest, but they relented.

For now.

One thing was for damn sure—I needed to figure out what had happened and why my feelings for Zara were tearing me to pieces inside.