16.

1420 Words
CHAPTER 16 LYALL POV Ordinarily I would have been beyond amused watching little Rini defend and protect Ralph against me, but there was zero humour in the way her whole body was curved in pain, her skin pale, eyes dull and glazed. This was f****d and Ralph had f****d up by not calling me. I didn’t care if he was, by all intents, my brother, he had betrayed our agreement and I was the f*****g Alpha. If my Beta couldn’t respect me then how was the pack meant to? Thank f**k Rafe had a cool enough head to demand I go and help Ralph whilst he got s**t ready. “It’s my bad,” Ralph told me evenly, hands still stroke across Rini’s forehead. “I f****d up and it won’t happen again.” Rini tried to protest but a pained moan escaped her lips instead. “What the f**k happened?” I demanded, stalking forward and kneeling down beside her. “I don’t know,” Ralph admitted. “I think she’s been hiding how hurt she is, as soon as she thought she was alone it was like she didn’t have the strength to hide it anymore. I think it’s mostly her head and feet.” “Sn - itch,” Rini pants and I grin. “Hear that Ralph? Princess here thinks you’re a snitch.” Ralph rolled his eyes but kept his gentle strokes. “What can I do?” I asked, taking one of her shaking hands in my much larger ones. “No…thing…leave…alone” “I wasn’t talking to you,” I told her curtly, raising a brow at Ralph. “Maybe a cool wash cloth?” My first instinct is to walk into the ensuite to wet a towel but very quickly I remember that Rini doesn’t have an ensuite… that she’s forced to sleep in the basement and has to walk up two flights of stairs to get to the main bathroom. I feel shame then. For how little Rini has been given and how little I cared about it until now. I don’t know why the f**k Uncle Randolph and Aunt Arley have not only allowed but enforced this squalor Rini has lived in. There’s got to be more going on. I hesitate by her side, staring deep into those unusual blue eyes. It catches me totally off guard, but I want to kiss her. I see it clearly in my head too, leaning in an inch to brush my lips against hers, cupping her jaw with my palm to deepen the kiss, crawling on to the bed so I’m caging that little curvy body with my own, my other hand coming to palm one of her supple, full… “f*****g focus!” Ralph snaps, dragging me out of my fantasy. My c**k is rock hard but I ignore it, I’ll deal with it later. I don’t want to leave her. Now that I’m here, that I’m actually touching her and she’s allowing me so close without much of an argument…I don’t want to move a f*****g muscle. But in this moment her needs come before my wants. I stand and turn a glare to Ralph. You will inform me if there’s even a minuscule change to her condition. He gives one stiff nod. I turn swiftly and leave while I still can, using my speed to it’s limit as I race to the closest bathroom, not giving a f**k at the mess I’m making as I yank s**t out until I find a cloth I deem suitable and run the water over it. I don’t stop to think too deeply about why I’m behaving this way, why Rafe and Ralph are behaving this way. I can’t allow myself to think too deeply on it, instead, I grab what I need from the bathroom, get a bottle of water from the kitchen and race back downstairs. I kick the door open with more force than I meant to and find Rini is now fast asleep and curled into Ralph’s arms, like she truly is a little rabbit curling up to a big wolf. I ignore the irritation biting at me, striding over to place the wash cloth around her neck and placing the water on the old stool she’s using as a bed side table. She passed out pretty much as soon as you left. Ralph says to me, mind to mind. And was that before or after you pulled her into your arms? Ralph gives me a sardonic smile. Jealousy doesn’t suit you brother. Fuck off. I tell him, but he’s right. I am seething with jealousy and it’s an emotion I am not at all familiar with. Ralph doesn’t get a chance to reply as Rafe skids into the room, arms full of supplies and face filled with concern. “I got enough pain meds for a week, some s**t to help her sleep and some antibiotics that will tide her through until the weekend.” “How did you get all this?” “Best you don’t know,” he replies, moving towards Rini. “Plausible deniability and all that.” I watch as Rafe kneels in front of his brother and Rini, organising things on the stool until he has a syringe in one hand and moving towards her, I race forward and grab his wrist. “Are you sure this is safe?” He pulls out of my grasp with a low growl. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her and you know it, get out of my way.” I step backwards and he turns back to Rini, stroking her face with such intimate softness I feel awkward as f**k watching. “Rabbit,” he croons. “Can you hear me? I would prefer your consent but I’ll do what I have to do keep you safe.” “Rafe?” Rini’s voice is groggy and her eyes won’t open, but thank f**k she’s semi lucid again. “Yeah baby girl, it’s me,” Rafe. Takes the hand without the syringe to stroke a finger down her nose. “You know, there are better ways to get our attention than a medical emergency.” “Get…bent,” it was weak but the snappy response gave me hope she would be just fine. Ralph and Rafe laughed in unison, with the former holding her tighter against him. “I’m going to give you a shot, ok? It’s pain relief to make you sure comfortable and then I need you to sit up so you can swallow the antibiotics.” “Wanna sleep,” she whined. “I know,” Ralph said this time. “You can soon.” He moved her so she was sitting on his lap with her back against his chest, effectively treating him like a chair. If Rafe was unsettled or jealous by this he didn’t show any sign of it, instead working quickly to administer the shot to Rini and coax her into swallowing the pills with water. Reluctantly Ralph let go of Rini, laying her down on the bed and arranging the wash cloth over her forehead and eyes. He went to move away and fast as lightning Rini grabbed his wrist. “You’ll all go back to hating me tomorrow,” she said, voice drowsy. “But thank you for today, even when you pretend I don’t exist, I’ll never forget it.” Ralph stiffened, looked like he wanted to say more but abruptly turned and left, leaving me and Rafe standing awkwardly. “I’m staying tonight,” he told me firmly. “She needs to keep on top of the pain and I’ve got the most medical training.” I smirk at him. “Right, let’s just pretend that’s why you’re staying.” He rolls his eyes at me. “She is our responsibility, she always has been and we’ve done the shittiest job. You guys do whatever you want but I’m not going back to pretending like she’s nothing to me..” Jesus Christ. “You can look after the girl,” I say through clenched teeth. “But do not forget for a second she isn’t our mate and we have a duty.” He says nothing for so long I sigh and then turn to leave, but I swear to the spirits above that just as I’m about to shut the door behind me I hear him whisper. “She feels like mine.”
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