Chapter 2

(Olivia's POV)

After that day, I woke up and found myself lying on a white bed, and the medical device near my head was beeping.

My eyes took in my surroundings, and I found out that I was in the pack hospital.

The thick smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, but as my eyes opened wider, I saw him, Mark George, wearing a yellow sports jersey and blue shorts he wore for basketball practice in the pack’s basketball match against another neighboring pack.

“What is he doing here?” I wondered as I tried to move my hand. I didn’t know how long I had been out, but when the nurse saw that I was awake, she screamed, “She is awake, Doctor!”

That was when I found out that my head was bandaged. The last thing I remembered was my foster mother’s brutal beating that morning, after Mark had defended me for the first time in his family house. Now he was here.

'What did Mark want from me again? Why was he in my hospital room? Who brought me to this hospital?' A series of questions flooded my head, and I could feel a pounding headache at the thought of it.

Luckily, my foster mother and her daughter, Emily, were not in the hospital room, and that was a relief, but I was saddened by the thought that I would not be able to further my education at the pack’s university.

“You’re finally awake,” Mark said as he rushed over to my bed. I recoiled from him as I tried to sit up on the bed, but he frowned.

Mark had always avoided me, so why was he acting like he cared about me now? I didn’t want to get hit by my foster mother again, so it was best that Mark kept his distance from me.

As I tried to speak, my throat was sore, and I couldn’t say anything.

Surprisingly, Mark brought his half bottle of water that he had been drinking when I awoke, and he stepped closer to me. His earthy scent of wild mushrooms filled my nostrils as he positioned the bottle at my lips. His right hand instinctively reached for my back, and he helped me sit up properly on the bed.

“Here, drink some water,” Mark said, and I froze. However, my throat was too dry. I saw the female nurse who had rushed out earlier return with a doctor, and they walked up to my hospital bed. I found out that I was the only one admitted in this hospital room.

“Good morning, Miss Olivia. You are finally awake. Do you feel any headache again?” asked the male doctor in a white doctor’s coat, black trousers, and shoes. He held a file in his hand and was checking the monitor to see if he could remove it.

“Yes. My head hurts. Since when was I brought in here?” I asked the doctor hoarsely, as my throat still felt dry even after I had drunk the water.

I couldn’t drink much because I could taste Mark’s lips on the bottle, and with the way his yellow eyes watched me intensely, with worry on his face, I couldn’t comfortably meet his gaze like before.

'Why was Mark watching me like a predator? What did he come here to do? He didn’t care about me, right? He just wanted to be sure that his mother hadn’t killed me. If not, she would be sent to jail for murder,' I guessed.

The male doctor cleared his throat and said, “You were brought in here three days ago and fell into a coma. Thankfully, you only suffered a cut wound, as we thought you had a memory loss from a severe head injury due to the level of your attack.”

I scowled, and the doctor assured me, “Don’t worry, you are improving just fine, even though you are an ordinary Omega.”

The words *ordinary Omega* hurt me, but I forced a tight smile and replied, “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You can call me Dr. Sam,” he said with a charming smile. He was a young man, but Mark, who stood a few feet away from my bed, coughed to show his presence in the room.

“Doctor, how is Olivia’s health? Will she be discharged today now that she is finally awake?” Mark asked, his yellow eyes on me as he spoke to Dr. Sam.

I felt uncomfortable with the way Mark was staring at me, and I had so many questions to ask Dr. Sam about who had brought me here to the hospital.

I clearly remembered that Mark had driven away in his car, so how come he was here with me?

Dr. Sam cleared his throat and told Mark, “Well, it seems your sister, Olivia, is improving. She will be discharged tomorrow, as we need to keep a close watch on her to be sure she didn’t suffer any form of traumatic head injury. Kindly warn your mother to desist from hitting Olivia to that extent again. If this occurs, I will personally report her to Alpha Johnson and have her arrested.”

Mark’s gaze hardened as I met his eyes and lowered my head.

“She is not my sister, Doctor,” he replied, his voice cold and making my heart cringe.

“I know, and that’s why I am warning you and your family to abstain from child abuse. The next time this happens, it will not end here in this hospital. Excuse me, as I would like to see another patient,” Dr. Sam said, walking out of the hospital room with the female nurse who had accompanied him. I could feel the atmosphere in the room grow tense as Mark strolled to my bed.

I didn’t want to raise my head to look at Mark's face. I could feel his eyes watching me intensely, and it made me nervous.

As Mark neared my bed, I held my breath as his wild mushroom scent filled my nostrils. His right hand reached for mine, and I felt sparks from the touch.

I quickly withdrew my hand as if it had burned me. Still, I did not want to look at his face.

“I am sorry about what my mother and sister did to you,” Mark apologized, his tone soft and his eyes on me.

I lowered my head and nodded. “You do not have to apologize. It’s fine. Just stay away from me, and there will be peace.”

“Mm,” Mark hummed and asked, “What if I cannot stay away, and I do not want to stay away from you?”

“Huh?” I raised my head and met his gaze, my eyes locking with his desirous look.