CHAPTER 2

Olivia’s POV

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

My eyes took in my surroundings and I realized I was in the pack hospital.

The thick smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils. As my eyes swung open, I saw him—Mark George—wearing a yellow sportswear and blue shorts that he wore for his basketball games against neighbouring packs.

“What is he doing here?” I wondered as I tried to move my hand.

I did not know how long I had been unconscious, but when the nurse saw that I was awake, she screamed, “She is awake, Doctor!”

That was when I found out that bandages wrapped my head. 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?* Series of questions flooded my head, and I felt a pounding headache at the thought of it.

Luckily, my foster mother and her daughter Emily were not present in this hospital room, and that was a relief.

Still, I felt 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 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 did not want my foster mother to hit me again. It was best that Mark kept his distance from me.

As I tried to speak, my throat felt sore and I could only croak out words he did not hear.

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

“Here, drink some water,” Mark said. I froze.

However, my throat felt dry. I saw the female nurse who had rushed out earlier arrive 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 coat, black trousers and shoes. He held a file in his hand and assessed the monitor to see if he could turn it off.

“Yes, Doctor. My head aches. Since when was I brought in here?” I asked the doctor hoarsely.

My throat still felt dry even after I had drunk from the bottle. I could not drink much water because I tasted Mark’s lips on the bottle, and the way his yellow eyes watched me intensely with worry made me unable to meet his gaze comfortably like before.

*Why was Mark watching me like a predator? What did he come here to do? He did not care about me, right? He just wanted to be sure that his mother had not killed me; otherwise 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. We thought you had memory loss or a severe head injury due to the level of the 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 short distance 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 eyes watched 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 that Mark had driven out with his car, so how had he ended up here with me?

Dr. Sam cleared his throat and told Mark, “Well, it seems your sister Olivia is improving better. She will get discharged tomorrow as we need to keep a close watch on her to be sure she did not suffer any 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 is 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.

I felt the atmosphere in the room become tense as Mark strolled to my bed.

I did not want to raise my head to look at his face. I could feel his 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 while 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 burned, still refusing 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.