Chapter 36: Something Feels Off Between Them
Hayley’s POV:
“How is he, Doctor? My grandson will be alright, won’t he?” George asked, his voice tense with worry.
The doctor removed his mask and gave a brief summary of Benjamin’s condition. “The Alpha has minor soft tissue injuries, but nothing too serious. However, he did suffer a concussion from the head trauma and will need to stay in the hospital for observation.”
“When will my brother wake up?” Henry quickly followed up, his anxiety obvious.
“Once the anesthesia wears off, he should regain consciousness. His wolf will wake up as well. Given his Alpha resilience, we expect a fast recovery,” the doctor explained.
Hearing this, we all let out a collective sigh of relief.
George glanced at Irving, who had been quietly standing behind him the entire time, and gave a few instructions. “Alright, Benjamin’s stable now. The rest of you can head home.”
Irving hesitated before speaking. “Grandpa, why don’t you all head back first? I can stay here tonight and keep watch.”
Normally, George wouldn’t object, but for some reason today, he immediately declined Irving’s offer. “There’s no need for you to stay. You won’t be of much help here. Let Henry stay on duty. The rest of us will head home.”
I couldn’t help but feel like something strange was going on between them. But since George had spoken, I had no choice but to abandon my own excuse to stay. I nodded and followed him, with Irving walking silently beside me.
On the way home, George noticed the scab on my hand and asked, concerned, “Hayley, what happened to your hand? How did you get hurt?”
Instinctively, I tucked my hand into my pocket, coming up with a quick excuse. “Oh, I tripped earlier this afternoon. It’s nothing serious.”
“You’re always so reckless. Are you sure you’re alright?”
I nodded my head. “I’m fine. It’s just a small cut. Really, you don’t need to worry.”
George didn’t press further, though his eyes lingered on my hand for a moment.
Once we got home, I had just settled into my room to rest when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Irving standing there, holding a bottle of premium wound-healing ointment. “Grandpa asked me to bring this to you.”
George must have assumed, as an Omega, my healing would be slower.
“Oh, that’s really not necessary. My hand is fine. But please thank him for me,” I said, trying to politely decline.
I had quickly bandaged the wound earlier; it had started to reopen, and blood was now seeping through the gauze.
“This clearly hasn’t been treated properly. Let me help,” he insisted.
“I really don’t—” I began, but Irving didn’t give me a chance to finish. He unraveled the bandage and began cleaning the wound with a cotton swab.
As soon as he saw the cut, he paused for a few seconds. He stared at it intently before meeting my eyes with a curious look. “You’re telling me this injury is from a simple fall?”
“Yes,” I responded, keeping my voice steady.
Irving continued applying the ointment, his brow furrowing. “How did it get this bad from a fall?”
I instinctively tried to pull my hand back, not wanting to engage further. “I can handle it myself.”
“Sorry. If you don’t want to explain, I won’t ask. But this wound wasn’t treated properly, and as an Omega, you heal more slowly. If you don’t take care of it, it might leave a scar. Let me finish,” he insisted, his tone firm.
“No, really, I—” Before I could finish, a sharp pain shot through my hand, making me wince. “Could you be a bit more gentle?”
Irving smirked. “Oh, so you can feel pain. Alright, I’ll be more careful.”
He continued treating the wound with more care, and I had to admit, when he was done, the bandage was applied neatly and looked almost professional.
Even though I found his behavior a bit overbearing, I still offered a polite, “Thank you.”
“There’s no need for thanks. After all, we’re living under the same roof. We can at least pretend to be friends, right?” Irving’s tone carried a note of friendliness, shattering the cold, aloof impression I’d had of him.
I guessed it was because he had seen my true face recently—my looks must have impressed him, and now he was making an effort to be friendly.
What I didn’t know at the time was that this friendliness was merely a mask. Irving had deeper motives behind his actions…