Chapter 2

- OLIVIA

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

My eyes took in my surroundings, and I found myself in the pack hospital.

The thick smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, but as my eyes opened, I saw Mark sitting on a white plastic chair, wearing a yellow sportswear and blue shorts that he wore for his basketball game 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 unconscious, but when the female nurse saw that I was awake, she screamed, "She is awake, doctor!"

That's when I found out my head had bandages, and several bandages wrapped around it. 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 felt a compounding headache at the thought of it.

Luckily, my foster mother and her daughter, Emily, weren't present in this hospital room, and that was a relief, but I was saddened by the thought that I wouldn't 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 away from him as I tried to sit up, 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 felt sore and I couldn't speak but croaked out words that he didn't hear.

Surprisingly, Mark brought his bottle of water that he had been drinking when I awoke, and he stepped closer to me.

His earthy scent of sandalwood filled my nostrils as he positioned his drinking water at my mouth. 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 felt dry, and I saw the female nurse who had rushed out before arrive with a male doctor.

They walked up to my hospital bed to meet me. I found out I was the only one admitted to this hospital room.

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

"Yes, Doctor. My head aches. Since when was I brought in here?" I asked the doctor hoarsely as my throat still felt dry, even after I had drunk the bottle of water.

I couldn't drink much water because I could taste Mark's lips on the bottle's rim, and the way his golden eyes watched me intensely with a look of worry on his face made me unable to 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 from a wound, as we thought you had suffered memory loss or 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 on his face. He was a young man, but Mark, who stood a few distances 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 golden eyes watching me as his lips parted and spoke to Dr. Sam.

I felt uncomfortable at the way Mark's eyes stared at me, and I had so many questions to ask Dr. Sam about who had brought me to the hospital.

I clearly remembered, Mark had driven off with his car, so how could he be here with me?

Dr. Sam cleared his throat and told Mark, "Well, your sister, Olivia, is improving well. She will be discharged tomorrow as we need to keep a close watch on her to ensure she didn't suffer any traumatic head injury. Kindly warn your mother to refrain 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 gaze 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 other patients." Dr. Sam walked out of the hospital room with the female nurse who had accompanied him, and I felt the atmosphere in the room become tense as Mark strolled to my bed to meet me.

I didn't want to raise my head to look at Mark's face. I could feel his golden eyes watching me intensely, and it made me nervous, as if I had a swollen face.

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

I quickly withdrew my hand to my chest as if it burned, but I still did not want to look at his face.

"I am sorry about what my mother and sister did to you," Mark apologized, his voice soft and his eyes watching 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?"

"Huh?" I raised my head and met his gaze, my eyes locking with his desirous gaze on me.