Lavenia's POV
I groaned, waking up to excruciating pain and a burning sensation in my chest. My hand reached out to touch the spot that felt like a curse, but something stopped me.
A warm grip forced me to open my eyes.
Urgh! This is exhausting. I thought I was in heaven—or hell, for that matter—as long as I didn't have to deal with anything related to these annoying men.
All four of them were near me, surrounding me as if I were an experiment or a spectacle. And one more: the homewrecker who managed to win my father's heart—it's as if he's stolen everything, leaving him to trust this bastard more than me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked weakly. The energy required just to breathe felt like running a full marathon without stopping.
Seeing these people didn't make me feel better—it made me feel worse.
"Why were you so careless?" Rayden asked, sounding concerned. "I can withstand any attack, but you can't. You're pregnant, and that poison isn't just dangerous for you, but for our pup too."
That "our pup" made me sick. Such sickening concern.
Someone pushed past Rayden and took my hand. It was just as warm as Rayden's grip, but this time it was softer and more comforting.
"You didn't show up for class, and my gut told me something was wrong with you. It turns out I was right. That's why I came," he said.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"I don't know. I just followed my instincts," he replied. "Some students were talking about tonight's event—the alpha battle—and I knew you'd definitely be there. But I was late."
My gaze inadvertently fell on a figure who'd been the busiest all along. He reached for a device hanging around his neck and pointed it at me. I firmly swatted it away and turned my face away.
"No need to check on me. I'm fine," I said, remembering how this man had remained silent when the woman claiming to be his fiancée had spoken harshly to me.
"But you—"
"Didn't you hear what she said?" Rayden asked as he pulled Dr. Lane away and shoved him, who responded by brushing his hand away.
"You don't have to be so rude to me. Remember, you're the one who called me here to save her."
The two of them glared at each other as if ready to tear each other apart. I wasn't ready for another fight, so I raised my hand to signal them to stop.
"Please leave me alone. I want to rest now," I said, and only one of them took the hint, turned around, and walked away, while the others remained there.
Including Damien.
"Look at you… you're happy because you're so sought after by these men, huh?" he commented. "You look cheap, Lav. I'm surprised the daughter of an alpha could fall into the arms of four hyper guys and even be willing to be their sex object."
"Watch your fucking mouth!" snapped Rayden, grabbing Damien by the throat and squeezing him so hard he looked like he was choking and might have died if I hadn't stopped him.
"Enough! I don't want anyone dying in my room. If you want to kill each other, do it outside!"
"Lav..." Rayden released his grip from Damien's neck and moved toward me; grabbed my hand for him to grasp.
"Please... leave me alone," I said to him, though I was actually addressing Damien, Professor Satoshi, and Dr. Lane as well.
They finally turned and were about to leave, except for Dr. Lane. However, none of them tried to stop him.
He closed the door and sat in a chair he'd pulled closer to the bed, staring at me for a moment and about to speak, but I cut him off before he could even say his sentence.
"Didn't you hear what I said?" I said firmly.
He was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "There's a lot I want to tell you, Lav."
"I think your fiancée's words was a sign that we agreed not to discuss anything anymore. At least I know why you hesitated to admit this pup—whether he's still alive or has died from that gamma fucking poison."
"Your baby is fine. In fact, he's the one who saved you from the poison."
I was taken aback by Dr. Lane's words. I was about to ask a question, but he answered first, as if he knew exactly what was on my mind.
"He's like a sponge absorbing that venom. I'm just giving him a small dose of the antidote and it totally worked," he added.
I didn't know how to respond. This wasn't exactly a confession, so there was nothing I needed to take seriously. It was clearly just information from a doctor to a patient. It just felt more personal because memories of that wild night might still linger in his mind—in both of our minds.
Dr. Lane sighed because I didn't respond.
"I've never denied that pup," he said.
"I didn't ask because I felt that, even though you've said the same thing over and over, your attitude and reactions suggest otherwise," I replied. "Now, if you're done with what you wanted to say, I hope you don't mind giving me some time to rest, Doc."
"Lav, Lydia is—"
"Please..."
The words he was about to say seemed to vanish into thin air. Dr. Lane turned around and left, just as I'd asked.
Not long after, someone else entered. This time, however, I didn't refuse his presence.
"How are you feeling, Puppy?" Dad asked, sitting beside me and stroking my head. He sighed, looking at me for a long moment before finally saying, "Your mother must be so sad to see you like this."
I rolled my eyes at his words. I knew where this conversation was headed.
"Why did you do something so reckless, when your mother is such a strong and steadfast woman?"
"What do you mean?"
"She was once proposed to by some of the strongest alphas, but she'd still choose me. And just so you know, Rayden's father was one of them—the famously cold-blooded Landon Kim. He wanted your mother only for power."
"So what does that have to do with my actions? Is stopping cheating is a mistake?" I asked, annoyed.
"It's not like that. It's just… why Rayden?"
"Even though I brought four candidates last time, you still insisted on choosing Damien, Dad," I replied, staring intently into his weary hazel eyes. "He's a cheater. But I don't understand why you're so determined to make him part of our family."
Dad remained silent. Not a single word was spoken to refute my statement—as he usually did whenever he disagreed with my thoughts.
"What are you hiding from me, Dad?"
Dad didn't answer my question, but rose from his chair after ruffling my hair. "Get some rest. You need it." Then he left without giving me any clarity.
There must be something he's hiding. I don't know if it has to do with me, or if it's something else crucial that he's reluctant to tell me.
I got out of bed carefully. I felt something was wrong, and I wanted to check it out.
I walked slowly toward Dad's study. I didn't dare peek inside because the door was tightly shut. From where I stood, I could hear him arguing with someone.
"I hope you'll stop and give up," Dad said from inside. But a voice from the other side contradicted him.
"I have your ace in the hole, and imagine if your daughter—who still believes you're a faithful man—found out the truth," the man with Dad replied.
I tried to listen more closely, but the man's voice was faint and I couldn't quite make it out.
What did he mean by "ace in the hole"? The sentence he spoke also felt odd. Has Dad been unfaithful to Mom all this time?
"I can give you a small portion of the pack to control if you agree. There's no need to force your will on Lavenia. She's your sister. You can marry any woman, but not Lavenia."
What? The man inside is my brother? How is that possible? Who is he?