"Ugh...!"


    Lnd groaned in annoyance because his body couldn''t move at all. He had put all his strength into moving but to no avail. The poison actually almost paralyzed all of his motoric nerves. He didn''t know if he should be grateful or curse his bad luck because he couldn''t move his body but he was still able to move his eyes and speak well.


    The poison not only made his body immobile but also numbed him. He couldn''t even feel his own hands and feet. If he didn''t see them, he wouldn''t know that right now he still had hands and feet.


    He looked up at the white ceiling, which was golden in color due to the golden light from the candles in the corners of the room.


    He then nced at the table to his right. There is a flower arrangement ced in a pot. When he nced at the window, he also found the same flowers. He looked around to all sides that his vision could reach, there were many flowers ced in the room.


    He saw that in every corner there were flowers and even almost on every side there were, all ced and arranged beautifully. Eloise had ordered the maids to put the flowers there and change them every day.


    ording to Eloise, the scent of flowers could make the mind feel more rxed and when the mind was more rxed, the recovery process would take ce more quickly.


    Lnd didn''t hate the flowers but he felt annoyed when he saw them because their presence made the room look like a bridal chamber. He also couldn''t really smell the flowers. So, to him, they were just an eyesore.


    At this moment, his eyes focused on the pink flower by the window, the color of which reminded him of Sophie''s hair.


    The woman must have been waiting for him toe home. He could imagine she must be worried sick, maybe even now she was crying because he didn''te home.


    Normally, Lnd could feel what his mate was feeling, but he was too far away from her now and was in really bad shape. So, he couldn''t feel her, no matter how hard he exerted his mind. It was more frustrating than being immobile like this.


    As Lnd continued to absentmindedly stare at the flowers, he became lost in his mind. Sophie''s smiling face shed through and made his heart ache.


    TAP


    TAP


    Lnd was moved from his reverie by the sounds of footsteps from outside. His ears perked up to hear better, but then the sounds stopped. So, he went back to look at the window. That''s when he saw Sophie''s figure standing by the window and looking at him in tears.


    "Sophia..." Lnd tried hard to move his hands to reach Sophie to wipe her tears but no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn''t. "Uhh."


    "Sophia..." He tried to move his body but couldn''t. While he was still trying to figure out how to touch her, Sophie disappeared and it made him realize that the Sophie he saw was just a hallucination.


    Lnd was still looking at the pink flower that was there. "Please don''t cry, I will definitelye back to you and the kids. Please don''t cry and take care of yourself and the kids until Ie home to get you all."


    His eyes warmed and a tear rolled down from the corner of his eye. He missed her and their children very much.


    Aarrgh!


    Lnd groaned in frustration and tried again.


    "I have to... uff… quickly…. ahhh... move and get out of here....."


    Lnd exerted all his physical and mental strength until after many tries he could finally move his fingertips. It made him happy. Even though it was just a little, it was progress. After so long, his condition apparently didn''t get worse, instead, he became slightly... very slightly better.


    It gave him hope to continue trying.


    Lnd tried again and again relentlessly. If he could finally move his fingers, perhaps other parts of his body would follow suit. He just needed to keep pushing himself.


    After several days, his efforts finally paid out. Lnd was gradually able to move all his fingers. After trying diligently every day, a weekter he was able to move both his hands. He had also gotten his sense of smell back.


    The man felt very happy but it couldn''t make him breathe a sigh of relief because his body still couldn''t move at all. He raised his hands and then looked at his body. He already guessed that the effect of Eloise''s poison on his body was gradually diminishing, and it seemed he was right.


    If his guess was correct, then all he had to do was try to stay alive until all of the poison''s effects disappeared.


    Lnd lowered his hands and looked at the flower in the window again. The previous flower arrangement had been reced with new ones but they were still pink.


    ''Wait for me, Sophia, I''ll be home soon,'' Lnd mumbled in his mind and then he subconsciously smiled at the thought of himself being able to meet and hug Sophie and the kids again soon.


    He kept smiling until it suddenly disappeared when he remembered that he had left Sophie and their children in Riga royal pce.


    The figure of Nichs Hanenbergh shed through his mind and it spoiled his recently improved mood. Lnd trusted Sophie one hundred percent but Nichs Hanenbergh would definitely not miss the opportunity to approach Sophie.


    What if Sophie thought Lnd was dead? Nichs would be there to console her and give her his shoulder for Sophie to cry on.


    Arrgh….


    Thinking about it made Lnd feel very upset and even more annoyed that he still couldn''t get up from this stupid bed.


    While he was still trying, Eloise opened the door and entered the room carrying a bowl of fresh blood. Lnd, who had regained his sense of smell, could immediately smell the blood.


    After he woke up, every night Eloise always came and fed him fresh blood from animals that were hunted by the lycans from the Obsidian Sand Pack.


    ording to Eloise, Lnd''s recovery depended on his body''s resistance to poison and blood was a practical source of energy for him so that Lnd could survive. They needed to keep him alive until the effects of the poison werepletely exhausted.


    Having the same thought, Lnd was forced to agree and ept the blood that Eloise gave him.


    Right now he really missed his family and wanted to go home quickly. However, since he couldn''t do anything, he was forced to ept that he was stuck with Eloise in his current condition.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Sophie who had been staying in the royal pce of Riga for more than a week was filled with anxiety because Lnd had not yet returned. There was no news at all about him. The ten lycans who had gone with him until now had not returned either.


    She tried to look fine and waited patiently, but when she was alone in her room, she couldn''t help but cry. Lnd promised it wouldn''t take more than one week. Did something happen to him? He never broke his promises to her until today.


    Sophie was currently standing on the terrace of her bedroom, looking far ahead. Her eyes narrowed and she looked despondent.


    "Lnd where are you? Are you okay? Why aren''t you home yet?" Sophie muttered softly. For a moment, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.