CHAPTER 28: LIAM’S WARNING

Liam’s POV

When I received Kael’s call, I knew from the way he spoke that something terrible had happened.

The previous day, I had been caught up with back-to-back surgeries. Knowing Eira’s condition was an allergic reaction, I let them handle it. Jason was there, and he knew how to manage such situations. I thought it might even help him warm up to her a little.

But I was wrong.

I didn’t know that when I was called again, I would see her in such a devastating state.

Even though I was a doctor and had seen worse cases of harm, I couldn’t help but be shaken by what had happened to her. Her entire body... I didn’t have words to explain.

But for the first time in a long time, my eyes turned moist, threatening to shed tears.

The last time I had tears in my eyes was six years ago, when our pack lost our Alpha and Luna and we watched our pack descend into deadly chaos three years back.

As I watched her, at that moment, I wished... I wished she had died long ago instead of coming back to us.

I didn’t even want to look at Kael or any one among these five. Monsters. They had crossed every imaginable line of cruelty. Even the worst criminals, who had committed worse crimes than hers, were given a quick death.

Swallowing my emotions, I turned to my work, silent. I didn’t speak a word to Kael, though I knew he must have been waiting for me to report her condition.

"Alpha, let the hospital staff enter the house. I need their help," I told him, without even bothering to look at him. "She needs a change of clothes, and her body needs to be cleaned."

Kael made a call to security, and soon the two male nurses I had brought with me were let in.

But the moment they stepped inside Eira’s room, Kael’s gaze darkened. He moved and pulled the sheet over Eira’s exposed body.

"They can’t do it," he declared coldly.

"They are hospital staff, not random people," I told him. "They’re used to handling patients, regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman. You don’t allow females inside your home, so I had no other choice. Or would you like to give me a hand?"

He stood in silence. It was clear he wouldn’t break his rule of not allowing any woman inside his home. Neither did he look like he wanted these men to touch her—watch her naked while they cleaned her.

And he sure as hell wasn’t going to help me.

"Alpha," I said, my calm but had a silent mockery in it, "looking at her body, you can tell numerous men have already done far worse than just touching her. If you can accept that, this should be fine as well."

His jaw tightened, his fists clenched, as if trying to suppress his anger at my mocking and provocative words. But the next moment, he turned to leave the room, letting me handle things my way.

’They claim to hate her, and then torture her, and yet because they bought her, they can’t bear the thought of another man touching her. Bastards!’ I frowned inwardly and motioned for the two nurses to begin.

The bloodstained sheets were replaced. Her body was carefully cleaned, the wounds disinfected and dressed. Fresh hospital clothes were put on her frail form.

The tarantula bites were brutal—so much so that I saw pity flash in the nurses’ eyes. We applied a special ointment over the inflamed areas, injected her with strong antibiotics, and attached an IV drip to replenish the nutrients she had been deprived of.

Not sure how long they had starved her, but she looked worse than I had seen her the last time. She looked as good as a corpse—only her shallow breathing and faint heartbeat said differentiated her from the dead.

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Kael’s POV

I chose to wait in the drawing room while they treated her.

I didn’t mind Liam touching her—he was a doctor—but the idea of random men laying their hands on her body everywhere made my blood stir in ways I didn’t care to admit.

I hated her. But she was going to carry my pup.

That meant I would be touching her soon. That meant she belonged to me.

And I hated it when someone else touched what was mine.

After half an hour, Liam walked in with the two nurses. My gaze, dark and unreadable, shifted from him to them. They kept their heads bowed, avoiding eye contact with their Alpha. As they should.

"You two go ahead. I’ll be there soon," Liam told them, maybe scared that I might harm them.

As those two left, I asked Liam, "How is she?"

"I don’t need to tell you about her physical condition. You’ve seen it for yourself," he replied flatly. "Just pray that after being broken physically, she hasn’t broken mentally. That would be the worst thing you or any of your brothers have done to her. If that’s the case, I suggest you just kill her. She won’t be of any use. Not for bearing pups. Not for saving Sophia."

His words hit me like a brick, and my gaze turned colder.

"That means," he continued, "you should hope she hasn’t lost her wolf completely. That she hasn’t lost her self-healing abilities. Because without those, she’s useless to your purpose."

As he said it, my mind froze. Won’t be of any use? This can’t be

"If you kill her, don’t worry, I’ll put her body in the cremator so not a trace of her existence is left," Liam said, his words hitting once more. "I’m sure you wouldn’t like to bother yourself with it, Alpha."

The old man was taking far too many liberties with his words today, mocking me like he had nothing to lose.

But I had nothing to say. This situation was caused by my brothers, so I was the one to blame for my negligence.

"Even if she has to die, make sure you do something so she can still be used to save Sophia at least," I said anyway.

Liam offered me a smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. "Sure."

It wasn’t an assurance. He just didn’t want to waste words on me.